THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER: TALKING TO BILLY CHRISTMAS NIGHT

We sat around waiting for the phone to ring Christmas night and we were told to expect the call around 10:30 PM. The time came and went and finally the phone rang about 12:15. It took five attempts before the phone call actually came through. It was so wonderful to hear the excitement in Billy’s voice. Although, according to the clock on the wall, it seemed like we talked to him for quite a while, but in reality the phone lines kept dropping the call and once again Billy would try several times before the call came through.

Billy just arrived in Bangalore and it is very different from the other areas which he has been serving. Almost everyone speaks English and it seemed like he was in America again. He never thought he would be so excited to see Pizza Hut, Hard Rock Café, McDonald’s. In other parts of India the weather is very hot, so hot that at the end of the day he could ring out his tie. When he arrived in Bangalore he said that he was cold and actually felt like he needed a sweater. He hadn’t eaten rice in a couple of weeks and that has been the staple in his diet since arriving in India.

Bill said that the reason his call was late was be because time is irrelevant in India, it is worse then Mormon time. Billy said that he loved serving in Visak because he was there so long that he felt a part of the Branch and was there when most of the Branch was baptized. He and his companionships have baptized 30 people total. When he first arrived in Visak there were only 30 active members in the Branch.

They still haven’t had any visa’s approved and they are really hurting. They have the Elders working In the office because the visas for the older couples haven’t come through. They only have 80 Elders serving right now, but with these 80 Elders they have had 575 baptisms this year. Last year, with 90 Elders, they finished the year with 475. Last year they had more Elders and more experience and they were a 100 short of their goal. This year before the Zone leaders left, they were pretty skeptical, so they set the goal for 450 and now they are finishing off the year with 575 baptisms. It is the highest baptism mission per capita in Asia.

Billy is Zone leader and presides over 14 missionaries. He has been traveling to Goa which is a 2 1/2 hour plane ride. They have to visit Goa every month and other companionships they visit every six weeks. Everyone is serving out of love. We teach correct principals and they govern for themselves. His relationships with his companionships have all been very different and they have had come from different back grounds. Billy has loved all his companionships. Billy said that he wishes he could get more work done and wishes there were more hours in the day.

The food here in India is really bad for you and that is why they don’t live very long lives. Growing up your whole life eating mounds and mounds of rice and everything is boiled in oil, that certainly isn’t good for you.

On Christmas Day, the Elders were invited to President Nichols home and they got to watch BYU beat Oregon State University. He even got to see the BYU game when they beat University of Utah.

President Nichols is a wonderful Mission President and Billy respects him and his counsel. Billy talked about all the wonderful letters and packages he has received from friends and family and is so grateful for their support.
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TAKEN FROM BILLY’S LETTERS

December 30th:

Billy was happy to see the article that was written in Meridian Magazine about the Christmas lunch that was held in the Capital with all the Missionaries in the South Mission.

Last Wednesday night, we ate dinner at an American members home in the 3rd branch. They fed us beef stew, bread and salad. We also had home made sugar cookies, it was like a party. We had permission to stay out late and we sang Christmas songs until 10:00 PM.

Christmas Day was wonderful. WE had an amazing breakfast at the mission home and then we watched the BYU Bowl game. I was happy to see BYU play with a little pride. It was a fun experience. We had a gift exchange and ended up walking away with imported gel foot insoles and it was truly an answer to my prayers. We spent the rest of Christmas with Church members. To finish the night, we had dinner at the Gebblers home, they are Americans in 2nd Branch. They gifted up two huge baskets of food. It was amazing!

January 6th:

Another great week! Happy New Year! It feels like yesterday that I came on my mission and now I only have 6 months.

Last Sunday some members invited their friends to come to church. I introduced myself to their friends and arranged an appointment to meet this family. It is a family of three members. They were so excited for us to come to their home and teach them about the gospel. I was on exchange with the assistant Elder Carver when I finally had the opportunity to meet them this week. The lesson was powerful. We spoke of the restoration of the Gospel, that infinate power to change. We explained how Heavenly Father loves them. With tears in their eyes they told us their past. They were Hindu, but had a love marriage which had them kicked out of their families home. The only education that the father had was a 5th grade education and he could not find a job after he had been cheated out of 100.000 rupees by his business partner. They are in debt and feel as if they cannot find peace in this world. They were very saddened. They met a member of the church who gave them a call and invited them to attend church. This member explained that if they come to church and speak with the Elders, their life would change.

This family came to church and that is the place I met them. They explained that their first visit to the church as being, “the peace that we have been trying to find in the world”, and “a source of hope”. After we explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ and taught the principles of the gospel, faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism for remission of their sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. I bore my testimony on this power to change, and at the end of the lesson he looked up and said, “Brother I want this power, I want to leave my old life and I want to be new. “Please help me do this.”

It is amazing to see in a week how this can change lives. This gospel saves people. It is true! I have seen it with my own eyes the power of this Gospel.

January 13th:

This week was hard on me. The week started off well and I thought that it was going to finish well, but I was wrong. On Saturday night we had a huge Branch fireside where we announced the new 2010 Branch Mission plan. The entire Branch was there to support us in announcing this plan. We had spent hours putting together a power point which the Branch President used to announce the plan. I had a wonderful opportunity to interpret for the hearing impaired section. I know Heavenly Father has really blessed me, because I haven’t signed in over three years, but it is as if I remember it all very well. At the end of the power point, we had a huge cake hidden behind a door and we opened it in front of all the members and the members saw this 10kg cake which was a replica of the Golden Plates. On one side was a picture of Christ being baptized and on the other side was a scripture from 3rd Nephi 27. The members loved it!

Sunday was good and church was spiritually uplifting. However after church is when it went all down hill. We had a man that was preparing to be baptized next Saturday and we had been working really hard with him. It wasn’t to be.

January 20th:

This week was a lot better then last week. We are expecting 4 baptisms this Saturday. The deaf couple are being baptized and I am baptizing them in sign language. As we were sitting in PEC, it came up that they were going to be baptized this week and President said that someday when there is a deaf branch, they feel he will be the Branch President. He has such a glow to him and you can tell that Heavenly Father has big plans for him even though he and his wife are deaf.

The other family that I mentioned who were having struggles in their life are being baptized as well this Saturday. I cannot express in words the miracle that the gospel has been in their lives and I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to see them baptized.

The zone is going very well and right now we are leading the mission in baptisms. Bangalore is on fire and things are going very well.