Monday, July 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
MOTHER’S DAY CALL -- LAST CALL HOME
What a wonderful night as we sat around the family room awaiting Billy’s phone call. We had the speaker phone hooked up and every time the phone rang, we all jumped. We were fortunate to have Billy’s grandparents with us, they just happened to be in town for a business meeting. The phone call came in about 7:40 in the evening and to hear Billy on the other end, with such excitement, brought tears to my eyes. It was actually 5:00 am the following morning for Billy. He talked to us for about an hour and stopped just for a minute to wake up his companion. They were due to catch a plane back to Bangalore after visiting Goa. They had visited Goa to go on splits with the District Leaders.
His spirits were high and he was excited to tell us about four baptisms that took place last week and four more that are scheduled for next week. The Elders feel very blessed as they have baptized 32 people since January. Their numbers are higher than this time last year for Bangalore. Last year, in the area of Bangalore, there were 50 baptisms for the years. The Elders are all working very hard to make up for the fact that there hasn’t been any new missionaries assigned to India for about a year. The Government is not approving visas. The Mission President has pulled some Elders to work in the Mission home due to the fact that the missionary couples have all left because their visa’s have expired.
Billy’s companion is Elder Briggs, and he speaks very highly of him. Elder Briggs got an infection and had temporarily lost his hearing in both ears. He has regained hearing in one of his ears. Billy said that Elder Briggs can’t hear when others talk to him, he is only able to hear Billy. How blessed he is to have a companion that talks so loud. Elder Briggs and Billy worked with the Elders in the zone and they were able to find a total of 116 new investigators. Twenty five of those were found by Elder Briggs and Bill. By the end of May they hope to have eight baptisms.
Billy said that the deaf community has really grown in their Branch. He baptized the first couple in February and what a thrill it was to see their father baptize his children several weeks later. Several of their friends have since started investigating the church. Billy holds a class twice a week and has over 40 members are in attendance to teach sign language to the members of the Branch as well as other Elders so they will continue to communicate with the deaf community. There are two of his students that have done so well that they are able to help Bill translate in church. It has not been easy to teach the deaf because there is no formal training with sign language in India, so those who are deaf make up their own form of language, so at times this presents some problems.
At a District Leaders council, where all the district leaders meet with the Zone leaders and make goals for the upcoming month. They discussed the importance of getting investigators to a sacrament meeting. As they were talking, Bill remembered the time when he was in the 6th grade and how his teacher would encourage the students not to be “no zero heroes”! He presented this idea to the other Elders and they loved the idea, so they established the “NO ZERO HERO”. The Elders got so excited that they all showed up with new investigators. The zone had over 40 investigators that week and that is the highest it has ever been. That was only two days after they had discussed it.
Bill said that he is a little sad that this is the last phone call home. He said that it seems like just when he knows what he is doing, it is time to leave. If he could extend his mission, he would. He loves India and the people of India and has loved serving the Lord. He will stay strong and finish strong. He has registered for classes at BYU and has put a lot of thought into his future. Bill’s release date is August 2 and he would like to have his homecoming on Sunday, August 8th, which will be his 21st birthday.
The Elders that were arrested, were released after four days. They are now working in the Mission office because the government would like President Nichols to turn over their passports and if that happens, the Elders would be unable to leave India.
In March, they had Zone Conference, it was a wonderful experience. Elder Perkins, Quorum of the Seventy, and his wife visited the mission and it was nice to receive training from them. Elder Perkins told Bill that he knew his dad and he asked if he was the son of Bill Nixon, the Stake President in Virginia. He told Bill that he met his dad several times in Hong Kong. What a small world. Bill was suppose to conduct and he was very nervous, especially when you have a General Authority slap you on the knee and say, “Let’s get going”.
Bill in his own words:
I don’t think I could ever repay the Lord for what he has done for me. I came on my mission to serve the Lord, but I fell like I have received more blessings then I deserve. I am confident the Lord could do this work by himself, but he sent us so we can learn and grow from our own experience. If anyone would consider the mission as a sacrifice, they are ignorant of what the Lord is calling them to do. I feel like I am in the Mormon Battalion. I thought I could come to fight, but I have realized that I have come to learn. As I read the Scriptures in the Book of Luke, it hit home to me. Those who look to save their lives, lose them, but those who lose their lives will find them. I have discovered who I am, who I want to be. I understand more about the gospel and the Lord’s plan then I ever thought I would. I felt like these past two years have been constructing the foundation for my entire life. I am so grateful for the gospel and I am so grateful for the blessings Heavenly Father has given me.
His spirits were high and he was excited to tell us about four baptisms that took place last week and four more that are scheduled for next week. The Elders feel very blessed as they have baptized 32 people since January. Their numbers are higher than this time last year for Bangalore. Last year, in the area of Bangalore, there were 50 baptisms for the years. The Elders are all working very hard to make up for the fact that there hasn’t been any new missionaries assigned to India for about a year. The Government is not approving visas. The Mission President has pulled some Elders to work in the Mission home due to the fact that the missionary couples have all left because their visa’s have expired.
Billy’s companion is Elder Briggs, and he speaks very highly of him. Elder Briggs got an infection and had temporarily lost his hearing in both ears. He has regained hearing in one of his ears. Billy said that Elder Briggs can’t hear when others talk to him, he is only able to hear Billy. How blessed he is to have a companion that talks so loud. Elder Briggs and Billy worked with the Elders in the zone and they were able to find a total of 116 new investigators. Twenty five of those were found by Elder Briggs and Bill. By the end of May they hope to have eight baptisms.
Billy said that the deaf community has really grown in their Branch. He baptized the first couple in February and what a thrill it was to see their father baptize his children several weeks later. Several of their friends have since started investigating the church. Billy holds a class twice a week and has over 40 members are in attendance to teach sign language to the members of the Branch as well as other Elders so they will continue to communicate with the deaf community. There are two of his students that have done so well that they are able to help Bill translate in church. It has not been easy to teach the deaf because there is no formal training with sign language in India, so those who are deaf make up their own form of language, so at times this presents some problems.
At a District Leaders council, where all the district leaders meet with the Zone leaders and make goals for the upcoming month. They discussed the importance of getting investigators to a sacrament meeting. As they were talking, Bill remembered the time when he was in the 6th grade and how his teacher would encourage the students not to be “no zero heroes”! He presented this idea to the other Elders and they loved the idea, so they established the “NO ZERO HERO”. The Elders got so excited that they all showed up with new investigators. The zone had over 40 investigators that week and that is the highest it has ever been. That was only two days after they had discussed it.
Bill said that he is a little sad that this is the last phone call home. He said that it seems like just when he knows what he is doing, it is time to leave. If he could extend his mission, he would. He loves India and the people of India and has loved serving the Lord. He will stay strong and finish strong. He has registered for classes at BYU and has put a lot of thought into his future. Bill’s release date is August 2 and he would like to have his homecoming on Sunday, August 8th, which will be his 21st birthday.
The Elders that were arrested, were released after four days. They are now working in the Mission office because the government would like President Nichols to turn over their passports and if that happens, the Elders would be unable to leave India.
In March, they had Zone Conference, it was a wonderful experience. Elder Perkins, Quorum of the Seventy, and his wife visited the mission and it was nice to receive training from them. Elder Perkins told Bill that he knew his dad and he asked if he was the son of Bill Nixon, the Stake President in Virginia. He told Bill that he met his dad several times in Hong Kong. What a small world. Bill was suppose to conduct and he was very nervous, especially when you have a General Authority slap you on the knee and say, “Let’s get going”.
Bill in his own words:
I don’t think I could ever repay the Lord for what he has done for me. I came on my mission to serve the Lord, but I fell like I have received more blessings then I deserve. I am confident the Lord could do this work by himself, but he sent us so we can learn and grow from our own experience. If anyone would consider the mission as a sacrifice, they are ignorant of what the Lord is calling them to do. I feel like I am in the Mormon Battalion. I thought I could come to fight, but I have realized that I have come to learn. As I read the Scriptures in the Book of Luke, it hit home to me. Those who look to save their lives, lose them, but those who lose their lives will find them. I have discovered who I am, who I want to be. I understand more about the gospel and the Lord’s plan then I ever thought I would. I felt like these past two years have been constructing the foundation for my entire life. I am so grateful for the gospel and I am so grateful for the blessings Heavenly Father has given me.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
“The Perfect Storm” (From February 26th)
It all started when I got hit in the head with a coconut. As Elder Briggs and I made our way down the road trying to catch an auto to take us to our next appointment, I felt as if a brick fell from the sky and hit me in the head. I turned to look behind me to see if my companion caught hold of what had happened. His eyes were wide opened as he explained to me that a dried coconut had fallen from the tree and nailed me in the center of my head, before breaking into two pieces. My head throbbed for a couple of minutes, but that was just the beginning of the headache that I was about to be put through.
We found an auto that would take us to the church to pick up a member who was going to come with us to our appointment. As soon as we picked up the member my phone rang. “Elder Nixon, this is Elder Sakamaki, right now we are in trouble with an irate Hindu man who is calling the police on us. I called Elder Satyadi and Elder Ludlow to come and help us; we are behind Indi Joe’s Restaurant.” Before even having time to listen further, I hung up the phone. I called the two Elders who they called for help and told them they are not allowed to go there, they were to report to the Mission Office as soon as possible and call me when they get there. Then I called President Nichols and told him what was happening in a 20 second summary. I called back the distressed Elder’s, and with a very calm voice I said, “Elder listen very carefully, get your companion’s attention and tell him to ‘run’. Both of you run as fast as you can. When you get away from the angry man, find an auto and go directly to the mission office. There, the Elders will wait for you and I will be awaiting your phone call from the office.”
We continued on our way to our appointment, when I got a call from the Elder’s who were in trouble. When I answered, I heard yelling and people screaming, “Get off the phone!” Through the loud noise I heard “Elder Nixon, things did not work out, we are in back of the police car!” The phone died, and my heart sank. I pulled the auto drivers left shoulder hard pulling the auto out of traffic and off to the side of the road. I jumped out of the auto thinking that is not time to react, but to act. I immediately called President Nichols who was in Sri Lanka for a couple’s conference and told him what had happened. President Nichols agreed to get a hold of an attorney to meet the Elder’s down at the jail. However the problem was that we did not know what police station they were going to. I agreed to find out where they were going. I sent a text message to the captive Elders, inquiring as to which Police station they were heading for. I said a small prayer in my heart and attempted a half-dozen calls to the Elders who were in the police car. Finally one connected, “Indiranagar,” when again the phone call was disconnected, this time it would be the last we would hear from those two.
I called to follow-up with President as to which police station they were at and President explained that he had sent the attorney. Both of us were optimistic as to thinking that we would get the Elders out that night. I was assigned to notify all the Branch Presidents, the District President, and all the Elders of what was going on. Then I got a call I was not ready for, “Elder Nixon, this Elder Fabrizio. I won’t be able to make it the baptism tonight, I am so sick I cannot get out of bed.” Elder Fabrizio is our District Leader and our Branch was holding a baptism service for two people this evening. While I was notifying all these people, I was franticly flagging down an auto to go and pick up the necessary items for the baptismal service.
When I contacted everyone, I followed up with President and informed him that everyone was contacted. When we arrived at Elder Fabrizio’s apartment, I could tell that he needed to meet with a doctor. I arranged for a member to take him to the hospital to get checked out. Then I raced back to the church to prepare for the service. It was a very spiritual service, and it was a blessing to see John Issac, the deaf brother I baptized, baptize his own daughter. I also had the opportunity to baptize a man by the name of Naveen. However, I was in and out of the service and on the phone, not only with President Nichols, but also with the member who had taken Elder Fabizio to the doctors. When the Baptism came to a close we were informed that Elder Fabrizio was doing great, that he was back at his apartment and was given medicine to take. President Nichols informed me that the Elders should be getting out that night. Everything was going to work out.
As we went home, I felt that we should stay at Elder Fabrizio’s to make sure that he was doing okay and that he would be alright through the night. When we got to Elder Fabrizio’s, we ordered some biryani from the shop next to his apartment. While we were waiting for the food, President Nichols called. “Elder’s we have a problem, the Elder’s that are in jail will not be released tonight. The complaint was going to dropped and everything was going to work out, until a government official who found out about all this, forced the complaining party to follow through with the complaint. It looks like they will be moved to central jail tomorrow and we will pick up with all of this on Monday when the police office opens again.” President told us that he was going to catch an airplane back on Monday from Sri Lanka and he would like us to meet him in his office at 11am Monday.
Sunday was a great day. Elder Fabrizio did not make it to church, but both people who were baptized the night before were confirmed. Sign language class was held after church and we had a great turnout. Over 40 people came to learn sign Language. We then went to go see Jenny, the girl who we had to emergency cancel on because of the circumstances on Saturday. We went to PEC and the branch President agreed to make a list of all the part members in the branch, so we could go teach all the members family members who are not members of the church. That night Elder Briggs and I went to follow-up with an investigator who we had found that week, and it was a great follow-up. They had kept their commitment to read and they had questions for us. We taught them a little more about the apostasy and then we spoke a little about eternal families. We went home that night pretty happy with how that day turned out.
Monday we met with President Nichols and discussed the situation with the Elders in jail. The story came out about what had happened. One of the Elders had listen to my counsel and ran, while the other did not because he thought he could talk his way out of the situation. The other Elder got away and realized that his companion was not going to run, so he had to go back to get his companion, and by that time it was too late. A group of angry people had formed which restricted them from running again and the police showed up in time for the two Elders to get thrown in back of the police car. President Nichols was pretty upset that the Elder did not listen to the counsel, if both Elders would have run, they would both have made it out okay. What a lesson! We need to always listen to our leaders. Apparently that Elder understands that he made a mistake because he has told the attorney countless times, “Please tell President Nichols I am sorry!” President Nichols was hopeful that they would be released on Monday night. He had us prepare an agenda for a Bangalore Zone Conference where the Elders would receive future guidance and hear the testimonies and story of these two Elders. This meeting would be held the day after they are released. He also had us go and gather some of the Elder’s things to take to the mission office, so the Elders who are in jail could stay with President a few nights after their release.
That evening we were informed that the Elders would have to stay another night in Jail. Elder Briggs and I went to bed optimistic that everything would work out. Well, that night at 1am I got a call. “Elder Nixon, this is Fabrizio, I am so sick and my chest hurts very badly.” I told Fabrizio to wait at his apartment and we would come pick him up and take him the hospital. I woke up Elder Briggs and told him to get his clothes on. I called Sister Nichols and told her that I was taking Elder Fabrizio to the hospital. We ran to the main road to catch an auto to Elder Fabrizios apartment and then on to the hospital. When we got him the auto he looked horrible. As we were half way there I heard a scream “Elder Nixon, are we almost there I can’t feel my limbs and I can’t move my hands.” Right as we made it the hospital I sprinted up the emergency ramp and demanded that the security guard get a wheelchair. I ran the chair down the ramp and put Fabrizio in it and ran him into the Emergency room. The doctors threw him on the bed and began to give him IVs to treat him. I went to the front desk and admitted him into the hospital. I called Sister Nichols and informed her of what was going on. I sent Elder Briggs back to the apartment with Elder John to sleep. I sat next to Elder Fabrizio the entire night and did whatever I could to help him. It was hard as he groaned in pain, but I am so grateful I was there to help support him. He finally got a little sleep, but as for me I did not sleep at all that night.
The next morning (Tuesday) the results came back and come to find out he had a very serious case of food poisoning. He was going to have to stay in the hospital for one more day. I arranged for Elder Briggs to come stay with him from 1pm to 8pm while I took Elder John to go to some teaching appointments. Going on no sleep, we went and taught some very powerful lessons. That night we returned to the hospital and I sent Elder Briggs with Elder John back to the apartment to go get some sleep, and again I stayed the night with Elder Fabrizio. That night I was informed by President Nichols that the Elders went to court and the proposal was rejected by the jury. They told them that they have two options, come with a different proposal or give up their passports to insure that the Elders stay and don’t jump bail. Well there is no way that would happen so they agreed to rewrite the proposal. Needless to say the Elders are in jail for another night. Sister Nichols called me to follow-up on Elder Fabrizio, and I explained to her that he was doing great. She told me something that meant a lot to me, she said, “Elder Nixon you have had to deal with the Perfect Storm. I am so happy because I feel that you handled things very well. I am very happy that you were there because I do not know how another Elder would have reacted in a serious situation like this one, you did exactly what needed to be done and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job.”
It was last night, as I lay down on the hospital floor, I just reflected on these past couple of days and was filled with so much gratitude. President Nichols on the phone said, “Elder Nixon this is preparing you to be a mission President someday.” How blessed am I for the experiences my Heavenly Father has given me. Not once did I think, “Why me?” Not once did I get caught up in negativity or get discouraged. There is no reason to ever get discouraged. This is true, the Gospel is real, and that counsel to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail is a principle we often overlook, all of our challenges are for our own learning. It makes me sad to think people complain because of all their problems and all there sufferings. Elder Holland beautifully illustrates how the path of discipleship requires us to take a step or two in the garden. When you have problems, welcome to the path of apostles and prophets, welcome to true discipleship where the Savior knows a thing or two about a “cross too heavy to bear” and a “cup too heavy to drink”. Salvation is not a cheap experience, and it is my testimony that everything is given to us for our own learning and to help us grow and mold us into what Heavenly Father needs us to become. I am so grateful for this week’s experience. I have received several confirmations that this is where the Lord needed me at this time. Believe me when I say that I know that this is the Lord’s work and that his hand is directly in this work. I am so grateful for this Gospel and the blessing I have to be part of a rich heritage of Proclaiming the Gospel. Nothing changes: “Mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calamity may defame, but the truth will go forth nobly, boldly and independent, until it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every nation, and sounded in every ear, until the purpose of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done!”
I woke up this morning full of energy. Today Elder Fabrizio was released from the hospital and I am optimistic that the Elders will get out of jail tonight. I came straight from the hospital to this computer to let you know that this is the Lord’s work and I am so happy to be a part of it. There is nowhere I would rather be than here in the service of my God.
Elder William L. Nixon
We found an auto that would take us to the church to pick up a member who was going to come with us to our appointment. As soon as we picked up the member my phone rang. “Elder Nixon, this is Elder Sakamaki, right now we are in trouble with an irate Hindu man who is calling the police on us. I called Elder Satyadi and Elder Ludlow to come and help us; we are behind Indi Joe’s Restaurant.” Before even having time to listen further, I hung up the phone. I called the two Elders who they called for help and told them they are not allowed to go there, they were to report to the Mission Office as soon as possible and call me when they get there. Then I called President Nichols and told him what was happening in a 20 second summary. I called back the distressed Elder’s, and with a very calm voice I said, “Elder listen very carefully, get your companion’s attention and tell him to ‘run’. Both of you run as fast as you can. When you get away from the angry man, find an auto and go directly to the mission office. There, the Elders will wait for you and I will be awaiting your phone call from the office.”
We continued on our way to our appointment, when I got a call from the Elder’s who were in trouble. When I answered, I heard yelling and people screaming, “Get off the phone!” Through the loud noise I heard “Elder Nixon, things did not work out, we are in back of the police car!” The phone died, and my heart sank. I pulled the auto drivers left shoulder hard pulling the auto out of traffic and off to the side of the road. I jumped out of the auto thinking that is not time to react, but to act. I immediately called President Nichols who was in Sri Lanka for a couple’s conference and told him what had happened. President Nichols agreed to get a hold of an attorney to meet the Elder’s down at the jail. However the problem was that we did not know what police station they were going to. I agreed to find out where they were going. I sent a text message to the captive Elders, inquiring as to which Police station they were heading for. I said a small prayer in my heart and attempted a half-dozen calls to the Elders who were in the police car. Finally one connected, “Indiranagar,” when again the phone call was disconnected, this time it would be the last we would hear from those two.
I called to follow-up with President as to which police station they were at and President explained that he had sent the attorney. Both of us were optimistic as to thinking that we would get the Elders out that night. I was assigned to notify all the Branch Presidents, the District President, and all the Elders of what was going on. Then I got a call I was not ready for, “Elder Nixon, this Elder Fabrizio. I won’t be able to make it the baptism tonight, I am so sick I cannot get out of bed.” Elder Fabrizio is our District Leader and our Branch was holding a baptism service for two people this evening. While I was notifying all these people, I was franticly flagging down an auto to go and pick up the necessary items for the baptismal service.
When I contacted everyone, I followed up with President and informed him that everyone was contacted. When we arrived at Elder Fabrizio’s apartment, I could tell that he needed to meet with a doctor. I arranged for a member to take him to the hospital to get checked out. Then I raced back to the church to prepare for the service. It was a very spiritual service, and it was a blessing to see John Issac, the deaf brother I baptized, baptize his own daughter. I also had the opportunity to baptize a man by the name of Naveen. However, I was in and out of the service and on the phone, not only with President Nichols, but also with the member who had taken Elder Fabizio to the doctors. When the Baptism came to a close we were informed that Elder Fabrizio was doing great, that he was back at his apartment and was given medicine to take. President Nichols informed me that the Elders should be getting out that night. Everything was going to work out.
As we went home, I felt that we should stay at Elder Fabrizio’s to make sure that he was doing okay and that he would be alright through the night. When we got to Elder Fabrizio’s, we ordered some biryani from the shop next to his apartment. While we were waiting for the food, President Nichols called. “Elder’s we have a problem, the Elder’s that are in jail will not be released tonight. The complaint was going to dropped and everything was going to work out, until a government official who found out about all this, forced the complaining party to follow through with the complaint. It looks like they will be moved to central jail tomorrow and we will pick up with all of this on Monday when the police office opens again.” President told us that he was going to catch an airplane back on Monday from Sri Lanka and he would like us to meet him in his office at 11am Monday.
Sunday was a great day. Elder Fabrizio did not make it to church, but both people who were baptized the night before were confirmed. Sign language class was held after church and we had a great turnout. Over 40 people came to learn sign Language. We then went to go see Jenny, the girl who we had to emergency cancel on because of the circumstances on Saturday. We went to PEC and the branch President agreed to make a list of all the part members in the branch, so we could go teach all the members family members who are not members of the church. That night Elder Briggs and I went to follow-up with an investigator who we had found that week, and it was a great follow-up. They had kept their commitment to read and they had questions for us. We taught them a little more about the apostasy and then we spoke a little about eternal families. We went home that night pretty happy with how that day turned out.
Monday we met with President Nichols and discussed the situation with the Elders in jail. The story came out about what had happened. One of the Elders had listen to my counsel and ran, while the other did not because he thought he could talk his way out of the situation. The other Elder got away and realized that his companion was not going to run, so he had to go back to get his companion, and by that time it was too late. A group of angry people had formed which restricted them from running again and the police showed up in time for the two Elders to get thrown in back of the police car. President Nichols was pretty upset that the Elder did not listen to the counsel, if both Elders would have run, they would both have made it out okay. What a lesson! We need to always listen to our leaders. Apparently that Elder understands that he made a mistake because he has told the attorney countless times, “Please tell President Nichols I am sorry!” President Nichols was hopeful that they would be released on Monday night. He had us prepare an agenda for a Bangalore Zone Conference where the Elders would receive future guidance and hear the testimonies and story of these two Elders. This meeting would be held the day after they are released. He also had us go and gather some of the Elder’s things to take to the mission office, so the Elders who are in jail could stay with President a few nights after their release.
That evening we were informed that the Elders would have to stay another night in Jail. Elder Briggs and I went to bed optimistic that everything would work out. Well, that night at 1am I got a call. “Elder Nixon, this is Fabrizio, I am so sick and my chest hurts very badly.” I told Fabrizio to wait at his apartment and we would come pick him up and take him the hospital. I woke up Elder Briggs and told him to get his clothes on. I called Sister Nichols and told her that I was taking Elder Fabrizio to the hospital. We ran to the main road to catch an auto to Elder Fabrizios apartment and then on to the hospital. When we got him the auto he looked horrible. As we were half way there I heard a scream “Elder Nixon, are we almost there I can’t feel my limbs and I can’t move my hands.” Right as we made it the hospital I sprinted up the emergency ramp and demanded that the security guard get a wheelchair. I ran the chair down the ramp and put Fabrizio in it and ran him into the Emergency room. The doctors threw him on the bed and began to give him IVs to treat him. I went to the front desk and admitted him into the hospital. I called Sister Nichols and informed her of what was going on. I sent Elder Briggs back to the apartment with Elder John to sleep. I sat next to Elder Fabrizio the entire night and did whatever I could to help him. It was hard as he groaned in pain, but I am so grateful I was there to help support him. He finally got a little sleep, but as for me I did not sleep at all that night.
The next morning (Tuesday) the results came back and come to find out he had a very serious case of food poisoning. He was going to have to stay in the hospital for one more day. I arranged for Elder Briggs to come stay with him from 1pm to 8pm while I took Elder John to go to some teaching appointments. Going on no sleep, we went and taught some very powerful lessons. That night we returned to the hospital and I sent Elder Briggs with Elder John back to the apartment to go get some sleep, and again I stayed the night with Elder Fabrizio. That night I was informed by President Nichols that the Elders went to court and the proposal was rejected by the jury. They told them that they have two options, come with a different proposal or give up their passports to insure that the Elders stay and don’t jump bail. Well there is no way that would happen so they agreed to rewrite the proposal. Needless to say the Elders are in jail for another night. Sister Nichols called me to follow-up on Elder Fabrizio, and I explained to her that he was doing great. She told me something that meant a lot to me, she said, “Elder Nixon you have had to deal with the Perfect Storm. I am so happy because I feel that you handled things very well. I am very happy that you were there because I do not know how another Elder would have reacted in a serious situation like this one, you did exactly what needed to be done and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job.”
It was last night, as I lay down on the hospital floor, I just reflected on these past couple of days and was filled with so much gratitude. President Nichols on the phone said, “Elder Nixon this is preparing you to be a mission President someday.” How blessed am I for the experiences my Heavenly Father has given me. Not once did I think, “Why me?” Not once did I get caught up in negativity or get discouraged. There is no reason to ever get discouraged. This is true, the Gospel is real, and that counsel to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail is a principle we often overlook, all of our challenges are for our own learning. It makes me sad to think people complain because of all their problems and all there sufferings. Elder Holland beautifully illustrates how the path of discipleship requires us to take a step or two in the garden. When you have problems, welcome to the path of apostles and prophets, welcome to true discipleship where the Savior knows a thing or two about a “cross too heavy to bear” and a “cup too heavy to drink”. Salvation is not a cheap experience, and it is my testimony that everything is given to us for our own learning and to help us grow and mold us into what Heavenly Father needs us to become. I am so grateful for this week’s experience. I have received several confirmations that this is where the Lord needed me at this time. Believe me when I say that I know that this is the Lord’s work and that his hand is directly in this work. I am so grateful for this Gospel and the blessing I have to be part of a rich heritage of Proclaiming the Gospel. Nothing changes: “Mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calamity may defame, but the truth will go forth nobly, boldly and independent, until it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every nation, and sounded in every ear, until the purpose of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done!”
I woke up this morning full of energy. Today Elder Fabrizio was released from the hospital and I am optimistic that the Elders will get out of jail tonight. I came straight from the hospital to this computer to let you know that this is the Lord’s work and I am so happy to be a part of it. There is nowhere I would rather be than here in the service of my God.
Elder William L. Nixon
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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.
__________________________________________________________
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.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
LONG OVER DUE: EXCERPTS FROM BILLY’S LETTER’S, Nov 4th thru Dec. 25th
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)