October 15, 2008 e-mail

Billy writes that things are going well. He is still with his same companion. They are working hard, they are both recovering from being sick, but they have been keeping up on the work. Apparently part of the problem with the acceptance of Christianity and the people who preach it, stems from catholic missionaries paying people to convert.

He says that India is great. “I have already felt I have changes a lot.” He doesn’t understand how people in America can complain about their living conditions. Many people live in one bedroom or smaller, and have many family members with them. He says that the people are so loving and grateful for what they have. “Family is very important and I really hope our family can stay close like that.”

He says that the environment problems here in American are minimal compared to where he is. The pollution is pretty bad, and his white shirt looks black at the end of each day. In order to dispose of trash it is burned and the smell can be difficult to take at times.

Many people chew tobacco. He says that he is taking a new approach to missionary work. “Everyone I see that is chewing or smoking I approach. Teach them about the word of wisdom and how they are polluting a gift from God. One time I even went up to a stranger as he was about to put it in his mouth and I told him to throw it away and he did.” He goes on to say, “I really think that I want to come home and be a dentist.”

They took a zone trip to Ramiji Film Studio and he said that it was a lot of fun. “It was like a very very very small Hollywood. It was nice to take a break and see something that reminds me a little of American and home.”

He appreciates the care packages he has received. His favorite thing that we sent him was the peanut butter and jelly because he can’t get it over there.

“I love it here and I love studying the scriptures. The more I study the harder I desire to work. I realize that I am an unprofitable servant and I have a lot of debt to pay for the wonderful blessings I have received in my life. I love the gospel and it has helped me grow so much.”

He says that he has been trying to work out every morning but it is so hard because at the end of the day he is so tired and his body is so sore from all of the walking. “Missionary work is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but it is so rewarding. Even on very hard days I am so grateful for the blessing of being on a mission.”

“There are a lot of times I miss home and wish I was back there but I know that this is more important. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and I am so grateful for the love I feel.”

“We watched general conference last Sunday and I loved it. I learned so much. Please work hard to help with this great work and help bring this church to a unity of faith.”
With regards to the BYU football updates my dad sends Billy he says: “I loved dad’s e-mail report on the game. Man I am so happy BYU is doing great. For every door I knock BYU gains a yard. I promise to keep knocking on those doors.”

Finally Some Pictures!

Well, we finally got Billy's first REAL letter from India. It takes a little while for them to come. We have gotten a couple of short e-mails from him, but he says that he only gets 30 minutes on the computer once a week so there is not a lot of time to read and write e-mails. He appreciates everyone's letters and e-mails but again asks to please write him letters instead of e-mails since he is not allotted very much computer time.

Okay, I'm done lecturing onto some news! He says that things are going great. The people there stare at him and his companion because they are white. He said "it is neat to see how much people care about religion here. People would rather go to church than live in big homes. Above every door people hang flowers which represent what faith they believe in. Many people allow us in their homes, but they won't convert because their families do not support it. Family is huge here. Everyone lives together or around each other, and no one moves away." He says he feels like he can fit in because Ben and I are temporarily living in the same house as mom and dad (ha ha very funny Billy) and that the only difference is that the house the Indian people are sharing is about the size of our garage. He goes on to say "for being so poor the people here like to party a lot. They have many festivals, some of which restrict mission work."


There is no American food there and India has a different smell to it. He says that there does not seem to be any major effort to keep the land clean and free of litter, and personal hygiene traditions are different from Americans which takes some getting used to.


He is currently in Hyderabad which is the leading baptizing area in the mission. He has already taught many lessons and has a couple of baptism dates. He hopes that he will be able to baptize someone in the next six weeks. He really likes his companion although he will not be with him next transfer because his companion is a zone leader and he will be assigned another senior missionary in Hyderabad. He says he loves his area and hopes he won't be transferred yet.

Not long ago he and his companion had a dinner appointment with an Indian couple. It came out during dinner that the lady remembered meeting our dad four years ago when he was visiting India and spent sometime with the senior missionaries there. Billy was pretty excited about that. It definitely proves that it is a small world!

He says that it is sometimes very very hard and he wishes he could just come home. However, he says that "at the end of the day this is the most fulfilling work I have ever done. It is so amazing to see how much Heavenly Father helps me everyday. This is not my work, this is the Lord's work."

He asks that we all eat "cookies and good food" for him, and he sends his love!