Change in the Air

The latter part of September was very busy. There was Seminary Graduation,

branch presidency training about the Self Reliance program from the Littles, the senior missionary couple over self reliance in all of India,

a breakfast with the Country and Asia Area Directors of Self Reliance,

and a Primary Activity where we practiced all the songs for the Sacrament Program.

We also helped put on a temple preparation fireside for the district and received training from Elder William, an Indian Area 70 who thinks we are getting close to being ready to become a stake! Yeah!

Of course we continue to visit families in their homes. In one of the families out in Dwarka, the Patils, the husband is a brick worker and he has single-handedly built his family a new home right next to the one-room they have been renting for quite a few years.

His wife is so excited and it really is very nice, though it was dark when we got our tour so the pictures don’t do it justice.

We also visited Br. Robinson, his wife, and baby son. Tradition here is for the expectant mother to return home to her village about 2-3 months before the baby comes and then stay about 5 months after their birth. It was pretty exciting to finally meet the little fellow in person and also be introduced to the Indian Baby Sling.

We were told that babies sleep in these slings for about 2 years. What a cutie!

The very end of September, our eldest daughter and her family came for a ten day visit.  We saw a few sights in Delhi--including church in Dwarka-

-then took a 5-day road trip to Agra (Taj Mahal and Agra Fort)

and Jaipur (Amber Fort, elephants, snake charmers, working camels, etc.).

Of course the best part of it all was visiting with kids and grandkids! Next week our son, daughter-in-law and their oldest daughter (10) will join us for a week of fun!

With October, the temperatures begin to drop, especially at night. It is now getting down into the 70’s, though still climbing into the 90’s for highs. The humidity is also dropping, so it no longer feels like you are entering a sauna when you step outside of your flat. Yeah! And the biggest festival of the year, Diwali, the festival of lights, is October 30 this year. The stores are already putting up their lights and selling sweets and other gifts for people to buy. There will be nights of fireworks as it gets closer.

Today marks the first day of our second year here in Delhi. We have loved it! But unfortunately, we won’t be here much longer. Last month during routine check-ups (you have quite a few after heart surgery), both Elder’s regular doctor and cardiologist advised him to stay inside with an air purifier during the winter months here when the air is so bad (worst in the world last year!) They emphasized that the pollution has long term chronic implications for the lungs but short term acute implications for those with coronary heart disease—which now includes our beloved Elder. What to do? The mission doctor in Hong Kong agreed with our doctors here so we made the painful decision to ask for a reassignment for the last 5-6 months of our mission. Our request was relayed to Salt Lake City the last week of September.  President Hodges talked to President Funk (Asia Area President) a day ago and learned that he expects to hear where we are being sent within this next week.  The decision is made by one of the Twelve Apostles, just like our original mission call. Stay tuned…..

Random pictures: A truck with eyes painted on its front.

The building by the Dwarka Branch continues to grow upwards.

A goat or two in an auto rickshaw.

Elder with a couple of the guards that work at our flat or the mission building. They are so helpful!

Comings and Goings

August ended with President and Sister Gygi leaving Noida Branch. Of course that little branch said their goodbyes in style with a huge farewell card,

a cake and lots of pictures.

They will be sorely missed! They shared their love of the gospel so freely with everyone attending that branch!

The four senior missionary couples took a day off to tour Old Delhi and Red Fort. Brother Anil, the mission driver, was our tour guide. Each couple had their own rickshaw, except the Hubbards had Anil as well.

The area was built by the Mughals in 1638-48 and heavily Muslim. The streets are narrow and well decorated. Here are a couple of views from the wall overlooking a Muslim Mosque.

But we did also tour a 1000 year old Jain Temple just a little ways away.

The Adams had to get back in time for the piano students she is teaching so they missed the Red Fort.

It is massive, but unfortunately most treasures (like the jewels that once adorned the ceilings and the peacock throne the king ruled from) are either in Afghanistan or Britain.

Some things couldn’t be carried away like the carvings.

The District sponsored a Perspective Missionary Fireside and was hoping for 15 missionaries with their parents and leaders. However, we ended up with 40 missionaries and about 100 people there in all. It was a great fireside! I guess the personal invitations that the branch presidents handed out in each branch really worked. Take a look:

Last week there was a reunion for any members who have ever served a mission. All the elders served here in India while some sisters also served in the Philippines. The oldest served about 1985 when India was part of the Singapore Mission.  Then some served when India was all one mission (1993-2007). Now most serve in the Bangalore India Mission down in the southern part of India. The organizer had contacted the previous mission presidents who sent messages via email or video which were shared. The returned missionaries also shared memories, both funny and serious. It was a nice evening.

We often see interesting scenes along the street while waiting to meet up with someone. Here are people setting up tables for a local market.

Kind of rough tables, but they get the job done.

Cute kids all in blue and yellow with their newly acquired Burger King Crowns on display.

What to do when the bus is full inside? There is more room up top!

A family of five on the family motorcycle. (See the child in front of the driver?)

Elder playing volleyball on P-day. (He’s the one with the white shirt and red hat.)

A last picture of Dwarka Elders before Elder Chand returned to Las Vegas this week.

(He is the third from the right, front row. He is full blooded Indian so he blends right in here—he even speaks Hindi!) He will be missed!

We found a Subway just a little ways from the church in Dwarka! For some reason, it is safe to eat all the fresh vegies we want at Subway. None of us have ever gotten sick. But we can’t eat the fresh vegies or fruit at a 5-star hotel. Yeah for Subway!

Just last night we got 5 more missionaries from the United States, including a Sister Gill, a descendent from President Gill, the first mission president of the India Mission back in 1993! Yeah!

August Highlights

August started out with a fun visit to the Chauhan family with one of the new couple missionaries, the Hubbards. Brother Chauhan is a chef and Elder Hubbard wanted to learn how to cook from him. We first went shopping for all the needed ingredients and then the cooking began, with both Brother and Sister Chauhan doing the teaching and help from their daughter and son as well. 

We first met the 3 Chauhan children in our English Class in Dwarka and they have since been baptized. Their mother joined just a couple of weeks ago. They are a great family!

Dwarka Branch was the location of our next wedding: President Arpit Pandey (1^st counselor in District Presidency) married an RM Sister he met while she was serving in Delhi a couple of years ago.

They are a very handsome couple!

And everyone dresses up for weddings!

Some of the Young Women loved the dance floor at the reception.

One of the youngest in attendance at the reception held by her proud father—Branch President Stanley Massey of Delhi 3rd Branch.

August 14 was the baptism of Brother and Sister Talwar.

They are a couple in Dwarka that we have been teaching since last fall. Their son joined 7 years ago but it was last July when they went to his wedding in SLC and they couldn’t go inside the temple that they decided they wanted to learn about the church. They spent a month in Utah and loved it.

They were all smiles after the ordinance, and then the next Sunday, they were confirmed members.

Now we are visiting them as new members. It has been a great experience getting to know them and watch their growth in the gospel.

August 15, we celebrated our 41^st anniversary by eating at Barbeque Nation.

Someone had gone all out and decorated it with lots of balloons and they even knew my favorite colors are green and orange!

Actually, it is India’s Independence Day, so everyone was celebrating something with us that day.

When we got home, I noticed all these returned emails that I had never sent. I had been hacked!

I immediately changed my password and hope that none of you were adversely affected.

We get excited when new missionaries join us, but the opposite also happens.

Here are five Elders from the US all going home soon. Elders Hagen and Gustin worked with us in Noida and are already sorely missed.

Now we are hoping the seven missionaries from the US waiting for their visas get to join us soon!

I finally bought and conquered a coconut.

It was delicious! My seminary students helped me enjoy it last week.

Here are some repairmen working on one of our air conditioners.

They brought it in from our balcony and bring their tools in their backpacks. It is now working fine. Yeah!

Last week India celebrated Raksha Bandhan—a festival celebrating the relationship between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie some bracelet around their brother’s wrist and he gives her gifts of sweets or acts of service. A couple of families we visited the next day shared their extra bracelets with Elder and I.

What a great relationship to honor.

Here are a few interesting photos:

13 passengers packed inside a share auto with 4 more upfront on our way to visit members.

One family lives next to a dairy.

Look what was causing a traffic jam on a narrow side road:

A Tractor!

A goat tied to a tree in the median.

Narrow side street scenes while waiting for a member to come guide us to their home.

Traffic Jam: when the light turns green, no one moves because there is no place to go.

A herd of cattle using the same road as our taxi.

Life continues to be very busy and most interesting here in New Delhi, even at our slightly slower pace.