NOVEMBER 4:
It was a great week in the Lord’s vineyard. The sister who attempted suicide had a miracle recovery and it was absolutely amazing to see the hand of the Lord truly protect her and her family. She was the wife of a brother who was studying to be a doctor. She was from a muslim family and he is from a Christian family, they have a love marriage. She hasn’t received any blessings or support from her family and her brother would tell her to kill herself and that she wasn’t worth anything. It is very hard to explain the culture in India, but this incident was, in a way, a blessing for this family. They invite us over all the time and she is reading the Book of Mormon and praying everyday. I taught her the plan of salvation and you could feel the power of the spirit in the room.
I think it is time to live the word of wisdom. In my patriarchal blessing it speaks of the blessings of living the word of wisdom and I feel that I could do better. I really want to work on it. It is hard to work out sometimes because of all the rice, but I want to start working on it. I want to get back to skipping rope and running, so that I will be in great shape when I start playing lacrosse again.
We found a new amazing family. We were in a new area, I was with a member, and my companions were together in a different lesson. The lesson I was in had just ended and we were waiting for the other Elders. I felt that the member and I should knock on a door, so we knocked and we were received by a family of five. We knew prior to knocking that we had no pamphlets, nor did we have any copies of the Book ob Mormon. I felt we needed to teach this family.
We began to teach and the lesson was going very well. They expressed how they saw the flaws in all the other churches and that is why they did not go to church. They expressed that they had been searching for the truth, but did not know where to find it. All of their feelings and doubts were as if they were being quoted from the D &C. As the lesson drew to a close, I was kicking myself for not having a Book of Mormon. I pulled out my Preach my Gospel to show a picture of the first vision. After I shared the experience of Joseph in the grove, the father excused himself from the room. He came back with a copy of the Book of Mormon. He saw a picture of the Book of Mormon in my Preach my Gospel and he knew that he had a copy.
I was shocked. I asked where he had received a copy of the book and he shared with us that he received it two years prior from a worker in his office. Not knowing how to read English, he had held on to it for two years until someone could explain it to him.
We have continued to teach that family. Every time we see them, the father is full of questions. But not because he does not know the answers, but because he is testing us to see if we know the answers. He has studied the bible in depth and has asked us about the spirit world, final judgement, why Christ will return a second time and questions that other churches do not teach, but are a common teaching in the restored gospel. So far he has explained that this is the church he has been searching for and his family says that we were sent from God.
I love the work! Weeks just fly by faster and faster and I am loving everyday I have to serve. I hope all is well at home and I can assure you all is going well here! I have never been happier!
NOVEMBER 11th:
What a wonderful week... I am so jealous that you had the opportunity to go to the temple. It is so hard being so far from the temple. Every time we watch, Navoo: a Temple reborn, I feel the spirit is so strong and I get so excited to see the temple again.
Yesterday, as I was sitting in a lesson, I told a story about you and some of the things that you have gone through in your life, and because of the gospel, you have received so many blessings. The women we were teaching, sat in a small room with both arms around her children explaining how her husband walked out on her a month ago. She had tears in her eyes, but I can’t express in words the look of peace and comfort when I explained how you grew up in a home that experienced the same problem and how much the gospel blessed you and helped you through it.
Well, this week was nice. This week has flown by so fast. We should be having five baptisms in two weeks. The family we have been teaching is still preparing for baptism and it looks like it will be happening soon. A couple of weeks ago, I went on an exchange with Elder Cunningham and we found an amazing colony, a “steel plant.” We found amazing investigators and one of the young men we found is being baptized in a week and another young man we taught read the entire Book of Mormon in a week.
The work is going so well and I am loving every second of it.
NOVEMBER 17th: TRANSFERRED TO THE BIG CITY, BANGALORE
My companion was transferred to Bangalore to be the Mission Secretary. He will be great in the office. We just can’t get any visa’s right now so President needs to use Elders to fill in the shoes of the Senior Missionaries. President Nichols called me and let me know that I will be transferred on the 24th to Bangalore to be the new Zone Leader there. I am surprised that I am getting called to Bangalore, I never thought I would serve there. It only had 50 baptisms this year and it is the lowest in the mission. We have a lot of work that needs to be done there.
I am very sad to leave this area that I am in now, I have been in this branch for eight months and it feels like home. I love all the people here and I know I will cry all the way to Bangalore. Since I came here, I have seen almost 20 baptisms and this Sunday (my last Sunday) I will be baptizing six more people. Naveen, and part member: Paveen, an investigator and I have been teaching for two months: Joji, Prashanti, Teresa, Jamscie and Alakia (8th Birthday 3/27/10, a family who I have been teaching for two months and they are absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to hear that joji baptized his younger daughter. We told him that he would be able to baptize his own daughter on her 8th birthday and the look on his family’s face was worth a million dollars. You could see how proud they were to know that their father would soon be able to hold the Priesthood. I cannot wait to send you pictures next week of the baptism service. I hope everything goes according to plan. The work is going well, but we have been really just trying to prepare these six people for their baptism.
Naveen, the part member, will be baptized by his father. His father knows no English and cannot even read. We have been spending hours and hours helping him memorize the Baptism prayer so that he can baptize his son. They live in a little 5x6 cinder block home which leaks when it rains and he sits on the corner of the street everyday selling plastic flowers. He cannot even understand the teachings on Sundays, he only has the education of a third grader and yet, he has come to church for seven years because the feeling he has, entering the church house every week. If this is not a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, I don’t know what is.
My next email will be from Bangalore. I am so grateful to be apart of this great work and I love every second I have to serve these people. I am heart broken that I have leave Visak, but I am sure I will love Bangalore just as much.
NOVEMBER 25th: A FAREWELL TO VISAG
This was the hardest move of my mission. I have grown to love Visag so much and I was heartbroken as I made preparations to leave. This weekend was also one of the greatest weeks in Visag has seen all year. On Sunday my companionship baptized six people and another companionship baptized a family of three which put us past the goal that the Zone had set for the year of 70 baptisms. When I came to Visag we only had 14 baptisms in the zone and we were 25 baptisms behind schedule to hit our goal by January first and this last weekend we hit the goal. I am so happy to leave the Zone with the goal completed.
Zone Conference was on Friday and it was a wonderful opportunity I had to speak about commitments and my experience with them. I based my talk around the scripture Jacob 5:41 and the assistants told me at the end of the conference that it was one of the best talks that they have heard on their mission. I am very flattered by the complement. President Nichols complemented me on my talk and said that he was proud of me.
Sunday was the last day of Visag. The Branch was wonderful, they asked me to bear my testimony at sacrament and then closed the meeting by singing, “God be with you til we meet again.” As they sang, tears rolled down my cheeks and I just didn’t want to leave. The rest of church went by so slow and I was so excited for the Baptisms. The entire Branch stayed for the Baptisms and everyone was so excited. It was the best baptism service I have ever seen. This was the biggest Visag has ever had in the first Branch. The best and most memorable part was watching Srinvas Gunta baptize his son Naveen. I have never met anyone who worked that hard to baptize their own son.
After church we went to Probaker’s home and they feed us homemade biryani because I was leaving. When I came to Visag he was inactive and now he is the in the Branch Presidency. Then after that, we visited Baven and another investigators home. Then we went to Joi’s house and let me tell you.... That was the hardest visit I have ever made. They made me a huge poster that said NIXON BILLY and had a message in the middle. It was the greatest gift I have ever received because it took a lot of time to make and it was from the heart of a family who cannot afford it. They made me biryani as well. As I left the entire family fell into tears and I thought I was going to hold strong, but as I was saying goodbye for the last time, I started to cry harder then I have ever cried. I walked away from that home crying so hard. Leaving people that you love so much. I still remember the first time I taught them and thought, “If they are not baptized, I will live my entire life in sorrow because there is not another family I would rather see in the Kingdom of God.” I am so happy I was able to see them baptized, but so sad that I had to leave them.
President took me and the assistants to breakfast the next morning before our flight. We ate at the Grand Bay Hotel and the breakfast was amazing! Pancakes, eggs, ham...!!!! Then we caught a flight to Bangalore. On the flight I had the opportunity to see an Indian Actor. His arms were huge and he looked like Arnold and I sat right next to him and taught him the entire restoration and then gave him a Book of Mormon and Ensign. He was very nice and he was very interested. He said he wanted to meet with the Elders. His name is John Kokhan and he has been in some big movies.
Bangalore is very nice and is very different. It feels like I am back in America. The food is a lot more western and there are American Hotels, Pizza hut, McDonald’s, KFC.... And I am so excited. The weather is very nice and is about 70 to 80 degrees. I thought I needed a sweater when I first got here, I was freezing. The English is very nice here and it is easy to communicate. My new companion is Elder Singh and he is great. I need to get back to work. I miss Visag, but I am sure I will love Bangalore just as much, I just need to give it some time.
DECEMBER 8th
Days just run together and it feels like the weeks are flying by so fast and I wish it would slow down a little. It bothers me to think that I have only eight months left to serve. We had Zone leaders council last Thursday at the home President Nichols and it was amazing. During lunch President Nichols played the final quarter of the BYU vs Utah football game. While we watched the game we ate wonderfully prepared homemade food. Sister Nichols prepared BBQ chicken and noodles. President gave amazing training on the skill of “listening” and then he also gave great council about “administering blessings.” I learned so much and loved it. We also came up with the new goals for next year. Our goal is 600 Baptisms! By July, we want 325! I was really pushing for 625, and 350 by July, but everyone else was thinking 550, 300 by July. So we settled at 600 with the promise that if (when) we hit 350, I will be asked to stand in front of the entire mission and tell them “I told you so”!
Elder Singh and I are working really hard. Our Zone is looking really good. I am still a little sad to have left Visag. During Zone leaders council, they showed all the break downs of Zones iin Visag, it blew everyone out of the water. It is funny that Elders use to say that “you can’t baptize in Visag!” But Bangalore is doing well and Elder Singh and I have high hopes for this promised and choice land. The culture here is completely different. I haven’t eaten rice in three weeks!
Last week we taught a young man who was a Muslim and then he converted to Christianity, but his family beat him so he ran away. He has had a tough life and was so afraid of religion and confusion that is causes. He was physically scared to to open the Book of Mormon to allow more confusion into his life. We taught him one of the most powerful lessons on the power of the Book of Mormon. I asked him to read a couple of scriptures out of Moroni 10. As he read those scriptures, the room filled with the spirit and no one said a word as he kept his eyes set on that scripture. It was silent for about 4 minutes and then he looked up with tears in his eyes and said, “I can really be unspotted from the world?” Teaching this young man is a perfect example of what Preach my Gospel talks about in chapter 1. We are all heavenly Fathers children and some of his children are looking for the truth but are confused and do not know where to find the truth. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to help teach and bring people unto Christ.
Today I met with President Nichols and had a routine personal interview. We spent an hour just speaking about some future goals and ideas that I need to begin thinking about. I really cherish President Nichols and dad’s council. I am excited for what the future has in store.
DECEMBER 16th:
Today we had a huge Zone activity and went to Mysore Palace. It is an old Palace on the outskirts of Bangalore. We toured inside the Palace and road on Elephants. It was really a fun experience.
This week has been really busy. I had the opportunity to arrange all the food for the Zone Leaders Conference, so I arranged to have lasagna, french bread, tossed salad and apple juice. It was the best lunch I have had on my mission, it tasted sooooo good. The Elders and the couple missionaries really loved it, it was amazing. The training was great and I learned the importance of Power Statements. I conducted the conference and I was so nervous. Over half the mission was in attendance, 54 Elders. It was the first time I have ever conducted a meeting like that. I do not know how Dad does it and I hope it gets easier.
I am leaving for Goa tomorrow morning at 4:00 am. It is a two hour flight north and it is suppose to be the prettiest place in India. It was settled by Portugal and the Catholics settled there hundreds of years ago. Actually the entire city is 80 percent Catholic. What happened was when the Catholic Church cane into Goa, they forced people to convert. They replaced Hindu Gods with crosses in the Hindu Temples so people would worship the cross as their idol rather then a Hindu God. The only difference between Catholics and Hindus is the God they worship, everything else is the same. This force of conversion is the reason why everyone in INDIA is afraid of the word “ conversion” and are so afraid.
Goa has really struggled this past year with only two baptisms. Elder Siingh and I have high hopes for Goa and are looking forward to going up there and helping the Elders.
DECEMBER 23rd:
It was remarkable to see the pictures of the Missionary lunch that was held at the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.. I must say that I am a little jealous about the lunch they were given, but mostly of the size of their mission. We only have 1/3 as many Elders in India and they have a group the size of an army in the Nations Capitol. I am happy to hear that the three Elders that I met in the MTC , who promised to look you up and say hello, finally got around to doing it. I am so grateful for the tender hearts you both have, as I read your emails and saw the pictures of the lunch, my eyes swelled with tears because I know exactly why mother went to all that work and I am so grateful for both of you.
Last week we went to Goa and the weather was perfect. We spent three days in Goa and we feel that we really strengthened the Elders there. We are working really hard on getting Goa back on top. It has a lot of potential and there is a special spirit there and I feel the church will grow.
The richest man in Goa and one of the richest men in India is the 1st councilor there. He owns his own company and has steel, orr mines and ship building companies. He played professional tennis and was in the circuit before he served his mission in Haiti.
We woke up Saturday around 4:30 am and got back into Bangalore at noon. We had our branch Christmas Party and then attended church on Sunday. We worked hard for two days and then on Tuesday morning at 4:00 am we woke up and caught a 3 hour bus ride to KGF, KGF was amazing and it has a neat history. It is a little village outside of Bangalore, it was opened by the British and is one of the largest gold mines in the world. It was shut 8 years ago because they didn’t have the money to keep it open, but the gold is still there. Now because the British opened this town, a good portion of these villagers not only speak English, but they have a Christian background.
We worked hard and I was on exchange with Elder Frederick from Utah. We found 9 new investigators and met so many people who are interested in meeting the missionaries. It felt like everything went right on that trip. We went to bed and Elder Singh and I woke up at 4:00 am this morning to catch a train back to Bangalore. It has been a long week and I wish I had time to catch up on sleep. Being busy is a lot of fun, but it is also pretty exhausting.
Well less then 48 hours until Christmas and time is flying. I am so grateful for my Savior that the love that he has for me. I’m grateful for the atonement and it’s power to clean us form all iniquity. I know that everyday we come closer to our Savior as we are obedient to the commandments and endure faithfully til the end. I know the Gospel is true and it gives up the power to change. The Savior is my everything and I do not think I will ever be able to repay him for his sacrifice and the love he has shown me.
I cannot wait to talk to you on Christmas!
