Missions trip with home church to Pachuca, Mexico

Teaching English classes in the Good Shepherd Bible Church

Learning how to lay concrete brick

Making progress!!

Enjoying pastes together...a "hot pocket" type thing that's unique to the Pachuca area

The team from Pleasant View Bible Church

Hanging out with Obed....one of our summer missionaries
who now helps to train other youth!

Some of the training team along with summer missionaries

One of the small groups....preparing their Bible lessons
prior to getting "sent out" to teach clubs

I (Bob) recently had the opportunity to travel down to Mexico to accompany a work team from my home church in Warsaw, Indiana (Pleasant View Bible Church). Always a joy and privilege for me to get back to Mexico to see what God continues to do there. The pictures above give a general feel for what we did during our time down there.

We traveled to Pachuca, Mexico (about 1 1/2 hrs. NE of Mexico City) to help the Good Shepherd Bible Church where we served as a family for almost 10 years. Land was purchased a LONG time ago (almost 10 years ago!) to build a church but lack of permits kept the project on-hold. Recently permits were finally granted so a part of our work was to help build a perimeter wall around the property. We got the majority of the work done....and learned how to lay concrete brick at the same time! Very hard work but seeing the progress was very rewarding. We also held English classes in the church for 3 nights....with great attendance every night. Fifteen students expressed an interest in evangelistic Bible studies (in English) in the future! Pray that many will come to Christ as a result!

Toward the end of the trip I traveled to the camp near Queretaro (where we lived for several years) to observe how the training was going for the summer missionaries. We're thrilled that this ministry continues in our absence. The training team (about 10 people) were doing a superb job teaching the youth how to teach kids' clubs.....now these youth are all throughout Mexico teaching evangelistic clubs! Appreciate your prayers for them as they travel and share the Good News with kids!

God recently gave me the opportunity to travel to the countries of El Salvador and Honduras. During the first part of the trip, I attended the FAM missions mobilization meetings in San Salvador to hear exciting reports of what God has been doing in raising up Latins to be sent out around the world. God continues to raise up missionaries from the "Global South" to serve in areas where oftentimes "gringos" are not well-received.

The Sunday following the meetings we were sent out to visit churches in various parts of the capital city (San Salvador). I had the privilege of leading in communion (1st picture above) in one of the "Iglesias Centroamericanas" located there in the capital. What a joy to worship and enjoy fellowship with this group of believers! The welcome was warm...and of course the temperature was a bit warm too!

Then....on that same day I traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras (2nd picture above) to share about a ministry that we helped to start in Mexico called the "Summer Missionary Program". The hope is to initiate such a ministry for the national church in Honduras. I shared the opportunity with several church leaders...and the desire to start such a ministry there was evident. Pray that God will give wisdom to know when and where to begin such training in January 2013.

The bottom picture illustrates the new "face" of missions. Business as Mission (BAM) is growing in many parts of the world including Honduras. Above are some sheep being breeded to help to fund both national pastors and missionaries on a seminary campus in Siguatepeque. Pray that God would multiply their efforts and that their initiatives (raising sheep being just one of several initiatives) would yield much fruit for the kingdom! Thanks for praying!

Recruiting Latin missionaries at the Rio Grande Bible Institute!

What a privilege to be invited to attend the missions conference at the Rio Grande Bible Institute in Edinburg, Texas. I was able to see first-hand how God is raising up Latins (some refer to this as the "Global South"....which also includes missionaries being raised up from Africa and Asia) to be "sent out"to the various parts of the world. Some estimates say that there are over 10,000 Latin missionaries serving world-wide...in over 20 countries. During my time at RGBI, I met many who were interested in either returning to their countries of origin to serve the Lord AND those who wanted to serve in places like Spain, Hispanic parts of the US, Uruguay and Argentina. Please pray as I follow up on the 10+ interested folks with whom I had contact.

One of those intersted was Marco Chavez whom I met during our ministry in Mexico. He expressed his interest in serving the Lord in church planting as well as children and youth work. Marco participated in our Summer Missionary Program in Mexico for several years along with his sister. Now he's preparing for ministry at RGBI and desires to follow God's leading wherever that might be. Please pray for Marco as he pursues God's will for His life. I'll be working with him on some possible ministry options for this upcoming summer.

Outreach through local church...and at TX State Fair

During these past few months Kathryn, Brent and I have had the opportunity to be involved in some various outreach opportunities. The end of October our church held a "Harvest Festival" as an alternative to other Halloween activities. I was thrilled as a Dad to watch Kathryn share her faith. Several Hispanics approached our evangelism booth and Kathryn was able to share her faith in Spanish! What a joy for Dad to watch this!!

Earlier in October Brent and I participated with a group of guys in evangelism at the TX State Fair. Again, I enjoyed watching Brent "in action" with some kids his age.

Pray for Olga, Shannon, and Joey who responded to our Gospel presentations with professions of faith. Pray that they will grow in their new faith!

Week at Sonscape Ministries in Colorado

Sharla and I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to spend a week out at Sonscape Ministries near Colorado Springs, Colorado. What an incredible place.....a place for rest, renewal and lifechange for those in vocational ministry. During this time of transition in our lives, we couldn't have picked a better time to go to Sonscape.

For any of you out there who are in ministry, we highly recommend this place! You can't beat the scenery.....and there's plenty of time to rest, get re-charged, spend time in prayer and God's Word, read good books, walk and hike, and probably way too much time to enjoy their great meals! Sharla and I benefited tremendously from this time away. Thank you, Lord, for making this possible for us!

Teaching at Hispanic Bible Institute

I (Bob) greatly enjoyed the opportunity to teach at an Hispanic Bible Institute up in Elkhart, Indiana in January and February. Latins from Venezuela, Honduras, and several states in Mexico attended the course on Christian Education. Fellow CAM missionary, Gene Lambright, started this lay leader training institute several years ago. After having been immersed in the U.S. culture on our home assignment, the chance to teach in Spanish and relate to Hispanics turned into an incredible blessing for me personally! Sharla and I both miss relating to Mexicans to whom we've ministered since '96. I think we've left a part of our hearts in Mexico!

By the way, the bottom picture is AWESOME Mexican and Honduran dishes that some of the ladies prepared. After finishing the course in 6 weeks, we celebrated with some delicious food and good fellowship. Great tostadas, seasoned BBQ ribs Honduran-style, and some HOT sauce to give everything flavor! What a great way to celebrate the conclusion of the course! Thanks, Lord, for giving me this chance to relate to these special students!

Missions Conference at Millar College of the Bible in Saskatchewan, Canada!

I (Bob) recently had the opportunity to travel to the prairies of Canada to represent CAM in a missions conference at Millar College of the Bible in Pambrun, Saskatchewan. My relatives (Dennis and Sharon Kirsch) have worked at this Bible school over the past decade. Over the past 6 years they have visited and ministered with us in Mexico. Now it was MY turn to visit them and see where God has been using them in recent years! What a joy for me to be on "their turf" and see the ministry of this school that has been cranking out pastors, missionaries, and other full-time Christian workers since the early 1900's.

You could tell that missions was a high priority for this school with 150 students from all over Canada. Great speakers, excellent dramas, informative seminars, panel discussions, an international dinner, a marketplace with foods from around the world, and other creative activities were planned to promote the Great Commission.

I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with mission personnel from other agencies concerning how "Joyful Perseverance in Serving the Lord". The Kirsches and I also manned our display table with info about CAM and our ministry in Mexico. We enjoyed the chance to talk with students and other reps about how God is using CAM International throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Now I'm back home here Indiana where we're at for our home assignment. It was -13 with the wind chill this AM here in Warsaw! That's colder than it was in Canda while I was there! Nonetheless it's GREAT to be home. This weekend we travel to Clinton, Iowa where we have the opportunity to share in a church about our ministry. Hopefully we'll have good weather!

Visit to Mexico

I must say it's a weird feeling to be back here in Mexico but not have our home here. Everything came together so quickly to get our things moved up to Texas. Last week at this time I bought my ticket to fly down....now here I am with our stuff all loaded up on a trailer bound for Dallas. We're grateful to finally get our things up there!

Today I had some time to reflect a bit on how good God has been to us as a family during these past 15 years in Mexico. It's hard to put in writing all that we have experienced since arriving here in '96 with our two daughters, Kaylyn and Kathryn. We've experienced great joy in seeing people come to know Christ, see them grow, and begin to minister actively in the body of Christ. Scores of youth have grown in their heart for ministry and love for children. Churches have grown in their vision to carry out the Great Commission. Perhaps the greatest joy is reflecting on how much we have grown in our own lives. We haven't "arrived" by any means but our faith in God has been tested and has matured during our years here. God brought us here to do a profound work in our own hearts and lives.

Now as we transition back to the U.S. for this next season of our lives, we leave Mexico with deep gratitude in our hearts for all God has done. A part of us remains here....wishing we could be two places at once! We're truly excited about the future God has in store while at the same time truly grieving that we're leaving a country where we have ministered for virtually all our years as a "family". God is good...and we look forward to all that awaits us as we continue our ministry from the "other side of the border"!

Sharing about Mexico....with pre-schoolers

Last week Sharla and I enjoyed the opportunity to share about Mexico with the kids at the Presbyterian Pre-School here in Warsaw. Our daughter Kathryn went to this school back in '99 when we were up for a home assignment after our first term of serving in Mexico!

We had a wonderful time sharing about God's work there as well as some fun cultural stuff. Mexican toys are always a "hit" with kids so we showed them some of our fun things we brought up. God has opened several doors for us lately to share with kids which Sharla and I greatly enjoy doing! Afterwards the teachers organized a piñata and a Mexican Christmas tradition called a posada.

Fall Concert

Last night was a special night as we enjoyed going to the fall concert at Lakeland Christian Academy where both Kaylyn and Kathryn attend. Kaylyn was involved in playing the piano both for the band as well as for an offeratory. We greatly enjoyed watching her use her talents for the Lord! I know she was glad when it was over! I (Bob) remember those days when I played in piano recitals...especially the ones when we had to memorize our special numbers. I was always really glad when it was over!

Thanks for your prayers for Kaylyn, Kathryn, and Brent as they adjust to life here during our home assignment. They are involved in various activities which keeps them quite busy (and us as well)!

Brent's school experience

All of our kids are now in their respective schools. The girls are at Lakeland Christian Academy here in Warsaw while Brent attends Madison Elementary School. They are adjusting to life here in "gringolandia" as we call it. Plenty of adjustments but they are doing well. Although they look like "gringos" our kids definitely see themselves as more Mexican than anything else! So it has been a real adjustment for them.

Our son Brent recently had a cool experience at school. He had to share about his favorite book. He chose the Bible; author, God. So he takes his Bible to school and gets up in front of the whole classroom and shares about his favorite book. No, this wasn't something that we pushed him to do. This came totally from his own heart. We quite convinced that Brent has the gift of evangelism as we hear his comments and observe his life.

We're very grateful for the youth group at our church here. Great group of kids and excellent Bible teaching! Kaylyn and Kathryn have begun to get involved and make friends there as well as at school. They are growing in the midst of a LOT of upheaval in their lives.

Thanks for praying for our kids these days. I know they appreciate your prayers!

Here's our new "temporary home" in Warsaw, Indiana where we'll be through May of 2011 for our home assignment. Kaylyn, Kathryn and Brent are starting school and getting adjusted to life here. Lots of changes! Thanks for your prayers as we adjust to "gringo" life. We look forward to seeing many of you while we're here!!

Summer Missionary Program 2010

We are grateful for the opportunity to train over 20 youth in how to teach kids' club. As a family we went to Mexico City for the training week from July 9-15. What a GREAT time we had with the quality youth that God sent us this year.

The training involved various facets of teaching an evangelistic kids' club: teaching songs, bible verses, a Bible lesson, a missionary story.....all designed to help children learn more about what God has done for them AND helping them understand that they too can trust in Christ for salvation. Every summer several thousand children attend the 20-30 clubs taught by these youth and 100's profess faith in Christ.

This summer Sharla and I helped train the youth in the songs they would use in the clubs. Sharla came up with the motions for the songs which you can see in one of the pictures above. I was able to help in the training of the teaching of the evangelistic Bible lesson. All the youth met in small groups throughout the week to prepare their Bible lessons and then practice together before they are sent out. It's GREAT practice for them since they all learn together with us "coaching" them.

We thank God for the awesome group of youth God sent us this year. Sharla and I are grateful for the privilege to work alongside a team of both CAM missionaries and Mexican youth to organize this summer ministry! Pray that there will be long-lasting fruit from the clubs which the youth taught this summer!!

Huasteca trip: June 2010

Just got back on Tuesday from a GREAT trip to the "Huasteca Hidalguense" which is abourt 7 hours from here in Queretaro. I was thrilled to have 16 people go on this trip....some from our own church here in Queretar, several summer missionaries from years past, a dentist, a couple widows, fellow CAM missionary colleague Bryan Smith and daughter, AND most i mportantly, my own son Brent (see top photo).

We ministered in several ways....

• kids clubs taught by past summer missionaries
• free dental work to around 50-60 patients!
• teaching young people a conference on dating and marriage
• teaching leaders conferences on both Christian Education (me) and Biblical principles on communication (Bryan and another church leader from Queretaro)
• showing evangelistic movie followed by testimony and Gospel invitation
• handing out 100's of tracts and visiting people in their homes

It was a GREAT 5-day trip packed with a lot of ministry. Yes, we were exhausted when we got home! We thank the Lord for the chance to help Adolfo and Olga (church planter and his wife) who faithfully minister in this region. Thanks for praying

Having Family Close-by!!

Since arriving in Mexico, we as a family have been accustomed to living far from our family (i.e. parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc). It's just an aspect of missionary life that you get used to....not to say that you "like it" but it's a part of the "cost" that we knew full well when we came here. Yes, our kids call our fellow colleagues "aunt and uncle" but you still miss those family ties.

Well, in God's plan, he brought some family down to us this past spring....actually the past 3 years during the spring!! Dennis and Sharon Kirsch (my aunt and uncle) have had a wonderful ministry here since 2008 helping at our CAM-related camp close-by called "Koinonia". What an incredible blessing to have them here!!

Uncle Dennis has helped in invaluable ways at the camp with his skills in repairing, building, maintenance....well, you name it and he can do it! He did an extension on the kitchen at the camp this year....what an incredible blessing to have another third added on to the small kitchen! Now it's almost spacious!! Our house is also in much better working order due to his handyman skills that have been put to use here too! Aunt Sharon (my Dad's sister) has also been very busy helping with some data input for CAM's website called Obrero Fiel. She has done an incredible amount of work to help get a Bible study tool (called Treasury of Scripture Knowledge) online for Spanish speakers.

A couple weekends ago I traveled with them to the border just to help with any unexpected events. Fortunately, we had a safe trip with very few stops (a couple military checkpoints but that's just normal!) and basically an uneventful trip. They will soon be back "at home" in Canada. They are greatly missed here as they impacted MANY lives during their months here. I thank the Lord for the great joy of having them here and having the chance to re-connect with family!

Mega Missions Conference in Guatemala

I just returned from the beautiful country of Guatemala where I (Bob) attended a "Mega" Missions Conference in Guatemala City. The conference was held at a seminary which CAM started many years ago called SETECA. What an awesome experience to be able to attend and see how God's hand is moving to send out Latin missionaries all over the world.

Over 650 participants came from all over the world: Spain, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Turkey, England, the U.S., and a host of other countries as well. A variety of workshops were offered on a variety of topics related to the missionary "enterprise" specifically from a Latin perspective. The overall theme for the conference was "Crossing New Frontiers: A Great Commission". One of the highlights for me was to see many folks go forward on the last night to commit their lives to serving God wherever that might be.

Another highlight for me was to have 9 other colleagues from Mexico (both missionary and national) with whom to share the experience! Three of us went representing the missions mobilization ministry of FAMEX here in Mexico. All of us went away even more passionate about missions as well as burdened to continue to promote a "Great Comission" vision throughout Mexico. Also, we pray that God will raise up more workers from Mexico to be sent out to the unreached peoples of the world. Please pray with us to that end.

Check out our pictures from recent events!!

Here's the link for our pictures. Check them out!

http://picasaweb.google.com/buhlersinmexico

Missions Conference at New Life Bible Church

Today we held a special missions service at the church we attend. This ended a pretty hectic weekend but we were thrilled at how God worked. The same Uruguayan couple, Augusto and Valeria, shared their plans to go to Uruguay as missionaries with FAMEX. Their presentation was very well-done and people seemed to greatly enjoy getting to know them! Perhaps our church will be able to support them in the future....we'll see how God provides. Then we invited Samuel Castro, former national director here in Mexico for Operation Mobilization, to preach and encourage our folks to actively participate in the Great Commission. He is a very motivational speaker and did a great job instilling passion for missions among our congregation. Please pray with us that God will continue to work in the hearts of the people at the New Life Bible Church in the area of missions. Perhaps some of our own youth will be sent out in the coming years! As a church we already support some missionaries in the Muslim world. May God continue to kindle the passion for missions among the Mexican churches!

Marriage Dinner at New Birth Bible Church

This past weekend was pretty jam-packed with things starting off on Friday night with a marriage dinner that Sharla and I put together. We were grateful for a good turn-out with around 15 couples in attendance. A young Uruguay couple from Puebla, Augusto and Valeria Aniano, made the 3-hour trip to be with us for the weekend. They are incredible musicians! It was a real treat to have them sing some nice romantic music for us. Then Hector Villanueva, a church leader from a nearby Bible church here in Queretaro, shared about the difference in the way men and women commmunicate. He did a great job interjecting humor while addressing this important topic of marriage communication. The evening was topp-off with a great meal of tamales and atole! For those of you who don't know what atole is.....you're just missing out! It's hard to beat a dinner of tamales and atole. You'll just have to visit us here in Mexico sometime to find out what we're talking about!

Wedding in the Huasteca

What a day we had going to the Huasteca for the wedding. We left from Pachuca around 9 AM and traveled to this remote region arriving there around 1:30 PM. The wedding was to start around 3:30 PM. Things eventually started around 4 PM. I was able to play the piano during the wedding (everything from the prelude, to processional, to accompanying the songs during the wedding, and then the recessional and postlude).

Things got really interesting when it started to rain right in the middle of the wedding ceremony. I'm under a canopy giving a sermon while it's pouring down rain. While I'm under the canopy, everyone else is running for cover....and we're talking a LOT of people. It was quite the sight to watch. Although I had a 20-30 minute sermon prepared on marriage, I only got through about 5 minutes. Honestly, no one was listening! Everyone was figuring how to stay dry (we're talking hundreds of people!). I cut everything short, figuring that we just needed to get this couple (Adolfo and Olga) married. Well, they did get married that afternoon, thank the Lord!

Now they embark on a lifelong journey together as husband and wife. Adolfo and Olga will continue to minister in this very need region of Mexico. Pray that God will protect them and encourage them in the midst of a rather hostile environment. Evangelicals continue to be persecuted in this region. They really do need your prayers!