Monday, July 20, 2015

Email, Monday, July 20, 2015

"the one letter to rule them all"

well this is it.  in the past twenty four months, i made the decision to leave home to learn a new language, to learn a new culture, make friends, serve the people as well as to serve the lord.  and the result of this decision is apparent.  i have become a better person all around. i am not the same person i once was.  i'm the same but at the same time, i am different.  my heart is apart of NY and i am now being taken away from home to go home.  words cannot describe my feelings for this beautiful city.  the best way to describe it is by quoting the the mission slogan i am forever changed.  i know that the gospel is true.  i have seen it change the lives of people around me.  myself included.  i also have come to a knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has the fullness of this gospel, founded by our loving Heavenly Father,  and that it was restored after centuries of being lost, by a young boy named Joseph Smith.  i also have a firm testimony that the Gospel is true, not the members, don't judge the church nor the validity of it off of the people, because you know just as well as i know that people are not perfect. i also have a deep testimony of the importance of the family, with out a doubt it is under attack, please hold true to your families, follow the counsel of the prophets found in the proclamation to the world, the family.  my testimony has grown so much. know that i love each and every one of you! i am Elder Buffington, son of Thomas Buffington and i end my epistle to my family and friends

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Email, Wednesday, July 15, 2015

the final week has sadly come,

hey mom could you send this email to everyone, im not on my ipad anymore.  

hey yall! well this is it, back to the good 'ol computer keyboard and mouse! i posted my final set of pictures on the family shared iCloud account that i set up a few months ago, but so what happened this past week was that Monday, we had interviews from president Reynolds (the new MP) super short, Tuesday was my departing temple trip, and departing interview, really long... we didn't get home till 10 pm, supppper long day.  but ooooh so good.  today we have two dinner appointments to attend to, tomorrow we have to clean the apartment, because it will be closed for a short time.  friday we have a zone training meeting, saturday we have a ward mens BBQ sunday church,monday i will be heading to Rego Park because it is the birthday of Olga! and all the youth will be there to say goodbye to! and that will be it! now to travel back in time! the temple trip was absolutely amazing, the feelings and impressions i received was so amazing and non forgettable.  we can truly receive power from on high when we serve in the temple, which is why i want to place the goal of going to the house of the lord at the very least once a month.  i honestly cannot remember specifics from last week, but i do know that i have been a instrument in the hands of the lord! 

the church is true! 
i wont fall away.  i owe my life to the gospel,  
the mission has blessed me so so much!


i love each one of you, 

see you next week

Elder Daniel Buffington

Monday, July 6, 2015

Email, Monday, July 6, 2015

hey! 
we had a awesome weekend! well, ThursdaySaturday, and Sunday were the only big event days so ill tell you about them!
Thursday we had the mission wide conference! where we met our new mission president, the joke president and sister Calderwood made was that the mission was downsizing... in more than one way, (president president Calderwood is a stalky person, and sister Calderwood is a heavyset lady, now president and sister Reynolds are about a foot shorter sister Reynolds is dainty and President Reynolds has the construction worker belly, but both are small) but they were made for this mission, president Reynolds owns a business in Utah its a construction, excavation and demolition business.  Sister Reynolds told us that she loves to cook! yummmmmmmmmmm we might have cinnamon rolls :D i haven't had a cinnamon roll sense the days of pre mission.  

Saturday, well 4th of July! we wanted a BBQ so we were in charge of buns and drinks, while we were at the store we saw Vidal! we talked with him and he has a new phone, so we invited him to church Sunday and to english class! he couldn't come because he thought it was a late night class. we taught english class and after a student came up asking about the book of mormon, so we gave him one and set up a appointment for Sunday! super cool night but it only gets better!

Sunday Vidal came to church for the first time, then he stayed for the baptism! (it was a 8-year old that my companion and i taught once)  so he walked up to watch the ordinance and after the boy was baptized he turned with this smile that confirmed the feelings of my companion and i, so after that we had a lesson with Vidal, it was amazing! and he gladly accepted to be baptized the 19th of this month! 2 weeks! yay!! then he prayed, it was sooooo pure he knows the church is true! then we had a lesson right after that lesson with Mario! where he also accepted the invitation of baptism on the 2nd of August! then we called a "permanent" investigator in Midwood and she told us that she is getting baptized this coming Sunday, and she asked me to baptize her! so i will be visiting Midwood this week.

miracles!!!!!!

i love yall! #2weeks!

elder Daniel buffington 
who has seen the Minnion movie? how is it?


Monday, June 29, 2015

Email, Monday, June 29, 2015

T Minus 3 weeks and counting

hey yall!
we had a cool week!

monday we went to the Brooklyn bridge to take some pictures, following we went to Rego Park to visit a member that i taught back when i was there, super fun, then that night we had a noche de hogar with the second councilor and his family! (Sister Galindo has a lot of respect for you and how many children you had :D ) 

Tuesday we had a lesson with a less active but he couldn't have us over so we were stuck at the church building for a couple of moments when a tender mercy happened, a couple walked in to the building that wanted to learn more, she speaks broken English, Spanish, but speaks good Portuguese and her native language is french. he is from Mexico and only speaks Spanish, but they are good friends, and he wanted to learn about the church cause he wants to change, we taught them and they accepted the baptism invitation! yay!

Wednesday we taught a less active that doesn't want to act on his faith but with the lessons we have been having, we are hoping to soften his heart. and after that another member invited us over, they are an amazing family and they told me that i have a place to stay when i come to visit! :) 

Thursday we taught the Castro family! they are such a great family and have such faith! even while the husband works Hermana Castro and her son still come to church! they plan on going to the english building because trains are out of service and they would take 2 hours to travel to church while the english building is a couple blocks away! they understand english but are more comfortable in Spanish but they will do great! 

Friday my companion was sick and i went with the other elders on splits so we could be doing work. That night we were at the church and we helped with youth night, there were s'mores... i miss camping... but we were asked to help with another activity the following morning.

Saturday we had the youth activity thing where we did this Zumba beginner thing, did scripture study, and following was a awesome breakfast.  then a testimony segment where i got to share the story of my mission then after all that, we went to play soccer! woooo! we also taught english class, then went to the pad so Elder Carrero could sleep some, then we ate and went to ward correlation meeting.

Sunday we had CHURCH!!! a member introduced us to a friend of his and she wants to take the lessons because she loved sacrament meeting! super cool! we went home for some study time, came back to the church for a lesson and he didn't show up, so we talked with the member that wanted to help us about Midwood and what is needed there because he is part of some youth presidency or something like that so he will be visiting there soon.

just a sick week in NY time is picking up quickly so i am working even harder now, to make the most of the time that i have.  the work is great! i love the mission, i am finally comfortable with how much time i have, i am past the denial stage and now I'm comfortable :) i just wanted to say thank you for making a difference in my life.  if you are reading this, you obviously care about me (or your a stranger snooping over my shoulder doubt it) and so i know that you have helped me in my pursuit of trying to become better :) 
so i hope you know i pray for you! 

Elder Daniel Buffington
pic one.. so i gave him medicine... it wasn't the day time kind


pic two. Bridge. tower of freedom. me :P


Monday, June 22, 2015

Email, Monday, June 22, 2015

Happy Fathers Day!!!!!!!

hey yall, 
Satan has been working hard! but we have been working harder, we are at the verge of Big Changes! this week is all goes well we will go from 0 investigators to 7!!! Three beautiful families, the first family actually found the Chinese missionaries, and the father has been less active sense he was thirteen and he wants to come back, he has a wife and kids now! the second we found for a while but every Sunday when he doesn't have work something has come up (darn satan leave them alone) its a husband and wife that used to have the missionaries over in their country all the time, super cool family, and the final family is a less active that the son is 11 and isn't baptized so we want to work with him ^_^!
so we had some good stuff happen, last Monday we visited flushing to a old family that we visited, committed them to go get sealed by the end of the year, and they agreed and are working for it, i miss and love that family, and it turns out that they knew the Martinez family and there kids played together! the crazy things that happen when you go back to a old area finally being able to speak the language and understand whats going on.  
my companion and i are getting along well and are doing better at speaking Spanish all the time! every day is a new adventure! i feel like this has been a hard working transfer, and we are starting week three :( 
some fun stuff is happening, that yall get to see! 
-we start the next round of online pros! which brigs me to the next topic, rules... please keep messages to email ONLY :) this is a tool to teach, inspire, and friendship people here in my mission (NYNYS) 
-4 weeks!
-thats all i can remember... #ADDProbs

now i just wanted to take a moment to dedicate a second to dad... Hi! Love you.. okay now im good, no just kidding, dad i love you so much and hope you had a splendid fathers day! i would have made crapes or something for breakfast but yeah... im many miles away from yall :)  but thanks for everything! let me know if you want anything from NY.

well thats all folks, love you all! keep the faith! yall the best! 


elder daniel buffington




Monday, June 8, 2015

Email, Monday, June 8, 2015

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN DOO DOO DOO DOOOO

hey yall!
this week was busy, we deep cleaned so our apartment is super clean, we did alot of finding and nocking, we have two potential lessons with people we found this week.  ummm oh! we started soccer on Saturdays, super fun! and former missionaries came back this week to see people and for transfer meeting, this will be the Calderwoods last one before they go home.  this last transfer ill be working really hard, 

pic 1) district pic! 


pic 2) ummm so the train was going realllllllllly fast!


pic 3) elder oaks and i next to some graffiti 



Monday, June 1, 2015

Email, Monday, June 1, 2015

hey y'all! 
another week down in the amazing Brooklyn NY and we are reaping the rewards, yesterday a child of god started his road to return to live with our loving father in heaven, and i had the honor of baptizing Derek, he is a awesome kid, and an ever more amazing family.  our next step with this family is getting them sealed together forever! yay! i love families!

also a couple from my last area were married and sealed in the temple, and hey had there party-thingy-after-the-wedding- that-i-dont-know-what-to-call-it.... here in Dyker Heights! so it was awesome to see my extended family! 

i also got ahold of a old family in Flushing that i used to teach and i set a p day to go and visit them, they were there when i only spoke Portuguese, so on the 14 i will be visiting them! yay! 

this week my companion got sick, so we stayed inside and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more, (the pad was gross when i got here) i scrubbed the floor with a nail brush, i rearranged my part of the pad.  wrote a letter to mom.  learned a new song i want to play and send y'all a recording of. so yeah, i almost lost my insanity.. 

we have a new Ward coordinator here and he has a good fire with him, so we are supper excited! 

i believe that is it for the week, i hope all is well at home with yall! know that i love yall so much! 

Elder Daniel Buffington 



Monday, May 25, 2015

Email, Monday, May 25, 2015

hey yall! 
i hope you all are doing great! cause i am! :) okay to start, i had a tender mercy from the lord when last Monday during soccer I collided with a bigger guy and his knee hit the side of my leg, so that was hurting and i couldn't bend my leg very well, but i still worked hard durning the week and it is all better now! yay! i felt like it could have been easily worse.  also this week we had the missionary activity night, it was a talent show, not too many people came but it was good for those who came. (that was another worry from the leg thing, that I wouldn't be able to do the act we had) and then yesterday we had the "missionary day" so i got to speak on missionary work, and it was my first "just quotes and bullets" talk given in Spanish, it went well. our Spanish (as a district) is improving, due to our 'Spanish week' so we can only speak Spanish to each other, which is helping me a lot to better my Spanish.  so our investigator Derek had his baptism interview and passed! he will be getting wet next Sunday, we hope by his father but it is up to him :) the work is good! we had a slow week but all in all it was awesome! we do alot of Less active work so i am getting ready for home ;) we have about five less actives that we are working with right now, they all are awesome! Oh! we had Zone Conference this week and my companionship was asked to give a workshop on Bold Invitations and it went really well.  ummm i think that is it :) today we are at a Mets Game! Woooo! the NYMets vs. the Phillies! :) (Jonathan I apologize but NY will have it in the bag :) )

i believe that is all for now, i will place some pictures now and end but i want yall to know that the Lord is loving, and we also have a loving heavenly father, so no matter what, you aint alone ;) i love yall!

Elder Bufi

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Email, Monday, May 11, 2015

hey yall,

we had a amazing experience that i will forever hold close to my heart, we are teaching a less active member that is here working to help his family in his home country, he currently works at a hookah bar (i know its weird to think that is a thing here :P) and hasn't paid tithing in a long while, we taught the eternal perspective of life, (with 100' of rope and a little string) after we taught him about it we talked about his position and where he wants to be after this life, we were very bold, i felt like the sons of Mosiah in the 28th chapter of Mosiah verse three 
"3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble."
we testified and asked truly inspired questions, we helped him realize that he wanted his family more than anything else, just like other lessons, but then we witnessed his heart soften, and the spirit was able testify to him, we offered to give him a blessing to help him to quit his job, he asked me to preform the blessing, after ward, i could tell he was crying, he offered to pray, we knelt before the lord and he offered the most beautiful and humble prayer i have possibly ever heard, i will never forget it either.  

i know it was a short story but i cant get it out of my head. but even that isn't all that happened this week... 

we had zone conference at the mission home, super good... i learned, i believe, how to truly pray, i dont know, but i have always prayed, but something lacked... and thanks to a workshop given there, and some personal studies, i now think i know, and they have changed, and responses have changed too, my relationship with our perfect father in heaven has improved, and its just mmm awesome!

but all in all, this has been an amazing week, it was super fun talking to mom about old times, and i hope to see everyone soon ;) (hinting that yall should extend the family reunion to the following week, ending in SC ;) ) but i miss yall, keep the faith, we belong to the only church that houses the true and everlasting gospel.  and i can promise yall, that i am here to stay, i have truly converted with my heart, and that alows me to help others! #ForeverChanged

Elder Daniel Buffington

hey look! pictures!
1) pano of Manhattan, 

2) the district in the mission home

3) president and sister Calderwood and i

4) pano of Coney Island

5) this is what happens when a missionary happens to be on a empty subway car

6) pano of the mothers day party

Monday, May 4, 2015

Email, Monday, May 4, 2015

may the fourth be with you! #StarWarsDayNY2015

hey yall!
its start of week two and i am in my new area! a lovely place in
Brooklyn called Dyker Heights! a lot of Chinese people, but equally as
many spanish peeps! so im super excited, i feel... different, from
other areas, maybe its hitting me that I'm leaving in a matter of
weeks, i have worked hard my entire mission, but this feels different,
i don't want to leave with regrets i guess, i love these people, and i
can hardly remember their names, (yeah the struggle is real :D) but
this is my final sprint i guess, and to be honest, if president
calderwood asked me to stay, i would say yes, the mission is just
getting good, i can speak the language, i know the material, but that
is just how the cookie crumbles.. these are so far the best two years,
and i know this is just preparing me for my own family, to be the best
father, husband, and son i can possibly be.  than yall for the support
yall have graciously given me!
now, to respond to some questions,
i am not a district leader anymore, but president calderwood has told
me that i was a leader for a long time before the calling, and im in
the area to help this district out.
my companions name is elder Oaks, (some how related to the apostle I
believe its great uncle?)

pictures
1) panorama of a view point where we like to fearless families
2) service place, mom! looks like your kind of department (att dept of aging)
3) us saying goodbye to families
4) us catching a ride with our bishop!

yall are amazing!
till next week ;) stay chill!








Monday, April 27, 2015

Email, Monday, April 27, 2015

im being transferred... to a new area, i have a very young district,
ill be training the district leader, all of my district members will
be very new, and need a "mature" example, I'm getting nervous :) but i
don't think i will have to worry about moving after this next area,
where ever it is, i just hope there will be enough Spanish people to
better my Spanish.
this week was great, we set the area up for success, for the next
people, i am glad i followed the promptings of the spirit and had
everyone update there visions goals and plans for all there people,
because along with me, both sisters, my companion and one other
missionary from a six member district are being transferred.  hard
stuff. but it will be okay! ill go where you want me to go dear lord!

i love you all!
Elder Daniel Buffington

Sent from my iPad
#Memories,
the first is a family i have taught sense i have come to Midwood,

the second is a group picture of a few missionaries and a member family

the last is a classic car i found to be quite attractive;)

Monday, April 20, 2015

Email, Monday, April 21, 2015

hello! this week was really good! The sisters had a investigator who
was baptized Sunday! and i got the surprise when they asked me to
baptize her! and i completed my first interview! it was really cool!
she had been well prepared from the lord, and i am blessed to have
been a instrument in his hands, and even more of a blessing that we
had was and investigator that i have taught for a while, in fact he
has been investigating for years, was there, and loved it! he might be
baptized soon!
there is beautiful weather right around the corner! love yall!
thats the highlight of the week!
stay safe!
elder Daniel Buffington


Pictures!
1)baptism partay!

2) spring is here




Monday, April 13, 2015

Email, Monday, April 13, 2015

hello there,
this week was pretty pleasant, from a great lesson with a less active
family, to stake conference!
we are teaching a beautiful family that have been trying to return to
activity, they want to be sealed but they must wait till the father
has a interview for the bishop so he can hold the higher priesthood,
and some minor stuff, but we will always have a lesson Monday nights,
so that is great! they are trying for the end of June, so fingers
crossed for them, also we had stake conference, super good, translated
for the first time, super hard, found out my mind doesn't work that
easily to translate but it was only for one person, and i got to
paraphrase a lot, still the people that translate are awesome!
we got some good pictures, i love Brooklyn,
and we found a lot of cool stickers, like like these two, (because i
am terrible at journal writing i have started making sticker pages
from the back and working to the front, hoping to fill the book by the
end of the mission... i have 6.5 front and back pages of stickers that
i have found in Brooklyn, its pretty funny cause we were pealing a
sticker off of a stop sign when a random guy was telling us that
vandalism is against the law, but we reassured him that we were taking
the stickers off the sign, and he told us that was a good thing and
that vandalism is bad haha :)
the preceding pictures are from downtown Brooklyn, by the Marriott by
the Brooklyn bridge, which Marriott is owned by a mormon, so in every
room is a copy of the book of mormon :)
but the last one is from the priesthood and adult sessions of stake
conference after it all we had dinner as a zone wooo! plus a lady that
the english sisters are teaching

well that is all i got for yall, we are going to see the Statue of
Liberty so i hope to get a picture or two for that for yall, i am
thinking about yall! cause i love yall, (that is a lot of yalls even
for me) i know that christ lives! he leads and guides the church in
these last days!

have a blessed week!
Elder Daniel Buffington










Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Email, Monday, April 6, 2015

well this week flew by! we had some funny times, so during this week
we have been having a competition to see who could share the video "he
lives" more, so each view is for each person who saw the video, so
yesterday was the last day for it, we went to the park because it was
a BEAUTIFUL evening after conference, we got 7 by the time we got into
the park, and the other elders haven't had luck but they had went up
ahead because we were talking to a (now) potential investigator couple
that are golden (in fact we will be having a lesson with them Sunday
evening)! when we finished talking to them we set out to see how the
others were doing when we saw a big crowd of people, we counted 8
people watching the other set of elders video and we had figures that
they shared it more, so we saw a couple of skaters, we shared it with
them and had a awesome discussion on the side walk, (score now 10-~8)
so we weren't about to lose ;) so as we were walking we saw a HUGE
family, i looked at my companion, as he told me "they look Spanish" i
replied, "should i?" he responded "yeah!" so we went and they agreed
to watch the video, but before i started i asked if the rest of the
family would like to see, so they gathered everyone around my mini
iPad and watched the video, (score now 30-~8) it was a family of 20
and there were more that didn't watch the video! the other elders were
flipping out because they saw the group we fearlessed! xD
Humberto came to conference! he loved it! but he didn't hear President
Monsons talk so he is excited to hear and learn more about those
talks!

so pictures are of Conference and haircuts earlier this week!

i love you all! y'all are on my mind oft, i have a firm testimony that
families are meant to be eternal! that God loves us, and knows us
better than we know ourselves, He has a plan for us, and that plan has
been revealed to us by a Prophet. i know that we have a prophet on the
earth today that is leading us.  for those with doubts, doubt them,
the fullness of the gospel is housed in the church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints!

with love,
Elder Daniel Buffington




 look the district Easter Pic!