Birthday in the Office

Elder Ram had a birthday the week before last week, but he was out of station (that means out of town). So, we weren't able to make a cake for him until this past week. We took a few moments to light the birthday candles, sing to him, and eat cake.







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We think he must have had a big wish! He blew all the candles out with one breath - not surprising given the huge breath he took. We made him a chocolate cake with chocolate icing (frosting if you prefer that word). It was oh so delicious. Sister Tiefenbach does not make fancy cakes with artistic decorations; she makes plain, ordinary cakes, but they taste good. We wish we could share this cake with everyone, but it would probably be quite stale by the time you would get it.



Speaking of sharing cake, one tradition in India is that the birthday person feeds his piece of cake to all the people who attend the cake cutting. Well, Sister Tiefenbach would not allow that because she is a "germaphobic," as Elder Ram says. So, she cut small pieces for him to share with those who were at the cake cutting. He started the custom with Sister Tiefenbach. In truth, Sister Tiefenbach was a bit reluctant because she thought Elder Ram was going to smash the cake in her face. Hmm.... why would Sister Tiefenbach ever think Elder Ram would
do something like that?????? Fortunately, he did not. Elder Smith is anxiously waiting for his turn.

Sister Smith was a willing participant in this tradition. This was her first birthday celebration in India, and she enjoyed her initiation into the Indian birthday tradition.  We think she was glad she got her own little piece of cake and did not have to take a bite of the same piece of cake that Sister Tiefenbach had bitten.







Elder Ram was less careful with Elder Barlow. Elder Barlow can really open his mouth wide. On the exterior, Elder Barlow looks like a mild mannered, serious, office-type of person (you know, the Clark Kent type), but he is just as wierd as Elder Ram. So, maybe rather than the Clark Kent/Superman comparison, maybe Dr. Jekel/Mr. Hyde would be a more appropriate likeness. They wanted a close up picture of the procedure so they could show everyone how the professionals do this. Obviously, they have this tradition down really good!! Elder Smith was also favoured with an offering from Elder Ram, but Elder Tiefenbach missed out because he received an important phone call just as we were beginning the celebration. The candles were already lit when the phone rang, so we went ahead with the cake.

After feeding everyone a small piece of cake, everyone had their own larger piece. So, how much cake did Elder Ram and Elder Barlow really eat???? Actually, the cake was shared with 8 or 9 other people who also work on the same floor as us and on the floor above us.

Oh look!! There is Elder Tiefenbach. He made his appearance between phone calls. The cake celebration was a welcomed stress reliever for Sister Tiefenbach. She was having an extremely stressful day. Here is the story. All the elders from the States have only a one year visa. At the end of that time period, they must leave the country to apply for another visa to India. The missionaires now go to the Philippines for this process. In order  to apply for another visa, they need to turn in their USA passports with their visa application. That would leave the elders without a passport in a foreign country (Philippines). So, to ensure that they have a passport, the elders have to apply for a second passport at least 3 weeks before they leave India. Applying for their second passport requires a flight to Hyderabad, unless one is already in Hyderabad. Regardless, the appointment is with the USA Consulate in Hyderabad. To apply for their second passport, they must show their first passport to verify that they are who they say they are. Well, Sister Tiefenbach received a phone call from Elder Hatch (a senior missionary serving in Hyderabad) tellling her that five missionaries were in Hyderabad for their interviews, and none of them had their passports (all passports are kept in the office for safe keeping). "Was this the day of the interview????" Panic stricken, and after a pause of silence brought about by the understanding of the gravity of the situation, Sister Tiefenbach replies, "Not only do they not have their passports, they don't have their applications for their 2nd passports!" So, how is that for a jump start for Tuesday????

We solved the lack of applications fairly quickly, so a bit of the stress was gone. Sister Smith suggested to Sister Tiefenbach that she have some chocolate. So, that seemed like a good time to bring out the cake. Later, we found out that the elders couldn't even get through the Consulate gate without a passport. Three of the elders had their driver's license, so the guards let them in. The other two were not allowed in no matter how much everyone pleaded. The three that got in were not really any further ahead than the two that were left out because the staff at the Consulate could not process the applications without the presence of the first passport. We were in big trouble again. The elders were told that when the leave the Consulate, they would have to make an appointment for the next available time, which was April 9th. April 9th!!!!! They are supposed to be flying to the Philippines that day!!!! STRESS!!!!!! No worries, they said. The elders were told that after they make the online appointment, they simply write an email requesting an earlier appointment. They could not guarantee that the elders would be able to get in the next day, so we were praying desperately for that. We don't know whether Elder Smith or Sister Tiefenbach thought of the brilliant solution to the problem. Or, maybe it was a combined solution, but we decided to fly Elder Smith to Hyderabad with all the passports early the next morning. We were counting on the Elders being granted an appointment for that day. The elders sent the request the following day because the office was closed by the time they were finished. Within 15 minutes of sending the request for an earlier appointment, they were told they could have an appointment for that day (Wednesday). By the time the elders knew they had an appointment for that day, they already had their passports in their hands. We believe the Lord truly stepped in so His plan would not be thwarted by the absent-mindedness of the mission secretary or by the lack of clarity on how this whole procedure of what she was supposed to do. We don't know exactly what happened, but we know what didn't happen. Needless to day, it will be done right next time. We even had a bonus: President Funk did not fire Sister Tiefenbach. Everyone agreed that the problem was systemic, and in the end, it didn't seem to be as much of a catastrophe as we thought it was. Elder Tiefenbach felt so bad for Sister Tiefenbach; he didn't think it was completely her fault, but he knew the difficult situation that Sister Tiefenbach was in. He felt helpless because he couldn't take it away like he would like to do.

But, somone can take it all away. This whole episode made Sister Tiefenbach think of the Atonement. Sometimes, we simply blow it; we mess up. But, if we show that we repent, the Lord steps in and carries us. Sister Tiefenbach is ever grateful for the Atonement. She knows Divine intervention was involved in this.

Wednesday night, after the stress was lifted from everyone's shoulders, we had the pleasure of seeing Elder Kumar. He was the Zone Leader when we first arrived in Coimbatore. He took such good care of us when we were new; he will always have a special place in our hearts. We were so happy to see him. Elder Kumar is a hard-working, dedicated missionary. Elder Kumar was in Bangalore for Zone Leader training. All the zone leaders in the mission came into Bangalore for the Wednesday training. We were actually favoured by two visits from Elder Kumar. He came Tuesday evening and Wednesday everning. Elder Kumar has already finished his Bachelor of Pharmacy and plans to do a Master's Degree when he is finished his mission. He will be finished his mission in about 5 months.

 Elder Aruldoss came with Elder Kumar on Wednesday. He served with us in Coimbatore. We feel a special closeness to all the missionaries with whom we have served. Elder Aruldoss spent a few years in Arizona as an exchange student before his return to India to prepare for a mission.

One way to deal with stress is to exercise. We walk every morning Monday to Friday in a nearby park. The park is filled with green trees and plants and is a haven of peace and quiet before we begin our busy days at the office. Our walk is always a great start to the day. This is the main entrance to the park. Obviously, we do not wear our missionary attire when we walk in the park.

In our daily walk, we see some of the same people everyday. We see a particular friendly group of men. We say hello to them every day. The men walk quite a bit slower than we do, and when ever we overtake them, they make some comment to us about us being younger or some other similar comment. One day, the more talkative member of the group was alone; the others did not come. He was coming up quickly behind us, and we jokingly asked him if it was his turn to overtake us. He laughed and then joined us for the rest of our walk. He owns a t-shirt company, and before we finished our walk, he had our phone number so he could phone us later to deliver some free t-shirts. He sent 2 girl shirts and 2 boy shirts.

The man's name is Santosh. He has two companies in Tirupur, which is about 50 km east of Coimbatore. But, he has his home in Bangalore. One of his companies is called GoGo Garments. His son has taken over the business now. Santosh did a good job of judging our sizes. Elder Tiefenbach looks great sporting his new t-shirt.

We went shopping at a different mall on Saturday. In the mall is a grocery store called Food Hall. It has a few things that the other grocery stores do not have, but the other grocery stores have things that this one doesn't have. But, it was nice to go somewhere different. Although we see many trees everyday in Bangalore, we don't see many lawns. We were surprised to see this rooftop lawn from the vantage point of the huge mall windows. The swimming pool looked inviting, too, as the weather has become hot.

Although the hot temperatures of the summer are once again upon us, Bangalore is favoured by many trees. This is one of the streets we walk on the way to church. The abundance of trees shelters us from the scorching rays of the sun, while allowing us to enjoy its warmth. This street looks like it could be any typical street in North America. Maybe, our memory of home has faded, and we now consider the things we see here to be the same as in Canada. There is something wonderful and inspiring about seeing a group of missioanries walking down the street together. They have a presence about them, and they look like they are definitely on the Lord's errand.

We are slowly getting to know the members of the church in our branch. This is Sesha Kumar (right) with his daughter and his wife (Anna Poorna). He is the Sunday School President. We can't remember the name of the man on the left. Elder Tiefenbach has been asked to teach the youth Sunday School class. It is not a calling, but he will be doing it each week. Sister Tiefenbach was asked to play the piano/organ for the opening and sacrament hymn at the last moment. Elder Barlow, who usually plays the piano, was delayed (with his companion, Elder Ram) in arriving at church because they dropped by an investigator's home to come to church with them.

This, dear family and friends, is about a 2 minute walk from our apartment. Can you believe  that we haven't been there, yet? We never seem to think of it during the week, but we are reminded every Sunday because we walk by it on our way to and from church. Don't worry, we are never tempted to go their on Sunday! You may be wondering why McDonald's is a wonderful sight to see, but it stirs up some wonderful memories of when we would always go to McDonald's after institute on Thursday evenings when we were dating. Elder Tiefenbach would almost always order a filet o'fish, and Sister Tiefenbach would order a cheeseburger.

 However, wonderful the sight of McDonald's may be, nothing can beat the beauties of the creations of our Father in Heaven. One of the beauties we see are the trees in Bangalore. We see many flowers on trees here; however, not all the flowers on the trees are actually part of the tree. Many trees have flowering vines that grow beside them and entwine themselves in the branches of the trees. The co-existence of the majestic trees and the delicate, radiant flowering vines is a wonder to behold. Throughout our lives, we will always have stressful moments, but as we take time to enjoy the grandeur of Heavenly Father's creations, we can be reminded of His precious gift he has provided us, His great plan of happiness. We know that in the grand scheme of His plan of happiness, this life is but a small speck of time, and our difficult and stressful times are smaller, yet. The Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is central to our Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness, will buoy us up and give us strength to pass through difficult and stressful times. We but need to take advantage of this gift.

Everything New and Beautiful

Welcome to our week where we had many NEW and BEAUTIFUL experiences. The first NEW and BEAUTIFUL experience of our week was sending four NEW missionaries off to the Manila Mission Training Center (MTC). They are (left to right): Elder Siyyadri, Elder Beeraka, Elder Sundrarajan (from Coimbatore), and Sister Nekkanti. We had taught Elder Sundrarajan the temple preparation classes while we were in Coimbatore; we have been blessed to have been so much a part of his mission preparation. Sister Tiefenbach finished preparing the documents needed for their trip and made some follow up phone calls to make sure everything was in place. Sister Wigg had prepared well for their departure, and we benefited from her hard work. What a thrill it was for us as we watched each new missionary come into the office on Wednesday to be set apart by President Robert William, 1st Counsellor in the Mission Presidency. What great joy we had as we watched each one come out of the President's office as an official missionary! All of them were enthusiastic, excited, and ready to go. They all got away in the evening and headed to the airport. Sister Tiefenbach had a restless night that night because she was worried about the missionaries, wondering if they got out of India okay, if they made their connection in Malaysia, and if they made it to the Philippines. The next morning, we received an email from the Philippines saying that all the missionaries made it to the Philippines safely. Whew!!! What a relief that was!

Another NEW experience was having the BEAUTIFUL sister missionaries from Coimbatore stay at our apartment when they came in for a multi-zone conference. We love to see (left to right) Sister Madbathula, Sister Jebamani, and Sister Dhikao. They arrived about 10:30 p.m., and then we fed them some scrambled eggs and toast before they went to bed.





We prepared pancakes for them in the morning for breakfast. Sister Tiefenbach is such a "Happy Homemaker!" That looks like a BEAUTIFUL stack of pancakes on the right.

The Assistants to the President planned to pick up the sisters after breakfast to help them get an auto to go to the Convent Road chapel for the conference. Well, the sisters took an exceptionally L - O - N - G time to get themselves BEAUTIFUL for the day. We have experience with BEAUTIFUL daughters, but this was definitely a NEW experience. Although the sisters took a long time, and the pancakes were cold by the time they ate, the sisters are BEAUTIFUL, physically and spiritually, and we just had to smile at their tardiness.

So, the Assistants had to wait for the sisters, and what else could Elder Ram and Elder Barlow do except eat pancakes for breakfast? They certainly didn't need much coaxing to sit down to a BEAUTIFUL breakfast to start their NEW day. A smile came across their faces, and their eyes widened. That was a good sign for us. Before they began eating, we told the Elders that they needed to eat fast so the sisters could be on time for their meeting with Sister Funk and Sister Gong (the wife of the General Authority who was visiting). Let's just say that Elder Ram can eat fast!!!! Elder Ram look at your plate; it is empty, and Elder Barlow is just beginning to eat. Maybe, Elder Barlow still has some pancakes left because he gives serious thought to the food on his plate. He does look serious!! Ahhhh, life would be so dull without the Assistants!

..So far, every Monday of each NEW week, Elder Solomon and Elder Aeshamalla come into the office. What a BEAUTIFUL ray of sunshine they bring with them. They both have such wonderful smiles that can brighten anyone's day. We look forward to seeing them each week. We are fortunate because we go to the same branch as Elders Solomon, Aeshamalla, Ram, and Barlow.






President Funk's driver, Sampath, particulary likes Elder Solomon. Every time Sampath sees Elder Solomon, he puts his arm around Elder Solomon. You can see in Sampath's eyes that he has a tender spot in his heart for Elder Solomon. Elder Solomon's father is a former mission president here and is the person who hired Sampath as a driver. Sampath has been driving for the mission president ever since. Sampath is not the only person that has a great deal of respect for Elder Solomon. One investigator, Titan, praises him greatly. He says the Elder Solomon is polite, convincing, caring, humble . . . . The list goes on. It seems he can't say enough good about Elder Solomon. We have been blessed here to have good missionaries; they have added to our NEW and BEAUTIFUL experience here in India. We had to think of a different way to get the word beautiful for this picture. We think Elder Solomon would not have been happy if we called him BEAUTIFUL!

A breath of NEW, BEAUTIFUL freshness walked into our office Wednesday morning! That was the day the NEW missionaries were set apart. Sister Mary William, who is from Coimbatore, was in Bangalore for some medical tests and came into the office. We felt such a thrill of excitement when she walked through the door. She is truly a BEAUTIFUL woman and an elect lady. She was one of the first ones, if not the first, to extend a genuine hand of fellowship when we first arrived in Coimbatore. Sister William is the mother of President William (center), President Funk's 1st Counselor in the Mission Presidency. President William also works in the same building as the mission office, one floor above us. He is the Manager of the Indian Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His brother, Lawrence William, is the branch president in Coimbatore 1st Branch.

Whenever we are involved in a multi-zone missionary conference, we are always asked to help provide food for the lunch. So, this is not NEW. But, this is the first time we have done this in Bangalore, and it is the first time we had another couple, Elder and Sister Smith, help us. So, this is something NEW! When we were talking with President and Sister Funk during the planning of this conference, President Funk asked if Sister Tiefenbach would be able to make cinnamon buns (rolls) for the conference. Of course, Sister Tiefenbach readily said, "Yes." So, making cinnamon buns for 43 people became a priority this past week. By the way, they were a big hit. They were so yummy!!!! The cinnamon buns were definitely BEAUTIFUL. The elders from Bangalore, who had not experienced this wonderful treat were amazed when they saw them. The elders from the Coimbatore District and those who were formerly from Coimbatore District told us that they missed us so much. We are not sure whether they miss us or Sister Tiefenbach's baked treats. The multi-zone missionary conference was held on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

We had a NEW experience right after the multi-zone conference. When the conference was over, President Funk asked us if we were going to the office when we were done. We told him we weren't sure. He then told us that Elder and Sister Gong wanted to see the office and that Elder Gong (his head can be seen over the shoulder of the Elder - Elder George, who happens to be from Coimbatore) wanted to talk with us. Okay  . .  . that was definitely NOT expected. We were nervous because we couldn't imagine why he wanted to talk to us. As it turned out, he was simply interviewing a few of the missionaries, and we were picked as some of the missionaries to be interviewed. Elder Tiefenbach had been interviewed by General Authorities before, but this was a first for Sister Tiefenbach. The interview lasted no more than 5 minutes, but it was a BEAUTIFUL, spiritual experience as we bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon to him.

We and the Smith's were also asked to help prepare food for the Area Training meeting that was held the day after the multi-zone missionary conference (Friday, March 15, 2013). We had never prepared food for an Area Training before, so this was NEW. We were happy to be involved in this great event. The training was held in the Whitefield chapel, which is a brand NEW, BEAUTIFUL building. We will show some pictures of this building later in the blog. We have enjoyed working closely with Elder and Sister Smith. Here we are waiting for the lunch break before we were to take all the food out to the brethren. We were happy to give up our preparation day to help with this Area Training.

One great benefit of this NEW experience of serving food at the Area training was that we were able to see the District Presidency from Coimbatore. Presidents Raghu (1st counselor), Vincent Paul (Pres.) and Allwyn (2nd Counselor) were, indeed, a BEAUTIFUL sight to our eyes. We saved some cinnamon buns and frosting for the Coimbatore District Presidency to enjoy after their training. They certainly deserve a special treat. They will always have a special place in our hearts. They told us they miss us and that both branches in Coimbatore miss us. They keep asking when we will return, and they tell us that they pray for our return. We love the people in Coimbatore, and we also love the work we are doing here in Bangalore.

After the lunch at the Area Training, the Smith's and we went on a tour of the NEW mission home/mission office/service center with Sister Funk, Sister Gong (wife of the visitying General Authority), and the wife of the District President in Sri Lanka (we can't remember her name). The mission home will be on the top floor, the service center on the 1st floor (2nd, according to North American terminology), and the mission office will be on the ground floor. The building is right behind the new chapel, which is a BEAUTIFUL stake-sized building. Although it doesn't look like much now, as it looks like a cold, square mass of hard, grey concrete, it one day will be a BEAUTIFUL building. Elder Tiefenbach was pleased that we had to wear hard hats when we were walking in the construction zone. His pleasure comes from working with work safety standards.

Here, we are learing to walk on water! Now THAT is a NEW experience!!! Throughout the building, we saw many places where water was standing. Here in India, they fill sections of concrete with water to test the integrity of the concrete seals. They want to make sure that no water seeps into the lower floors. So, in order for us to see some parts of the BEAUTIFUL mission home, we had to "walk on water." The workers put down blocks of concrete so we could walk to the bedroom section of the mission home. The mission home is going to be absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The living room/dining area is huge. There will be plenty of room to have the furniture arranged more central in the room with lots of space to walk around the furniture. This NEW building is scheduled to be finished in October of this year, but some people suggest that December of this year or January of next year is more likely.

 

This will be the home of the NEW mission office. The question is whether or not we will still be in Bangalore to work in this BEAUTIFUL environment. As we are scheduled to work in the mission office temporarily, Elder Tiefenbach took a moment to get the "feel" for the NEW office. 

 

As part of the tour, we were able to go up on the roof, where eventually a BEAUTIFUL garden area will adorn top of the building. From this NEW vantage point, we were favoured by a BEAUTIFUL vista of the NEW Whitefield chapel and the city of Bangalore. (The city is not as visible in the picture as it was in person.) We could picture the NEW mission president and his wife spending a few relaxing moments to rejuvenate their spirits and their physical strength in the BEAUTY and serenity of this space, surrounded by green, lush plants and colourful flowers. Unfortunately, President and Sister Funk will be released before this building will be done.

 

 

On Sunday, a special District Conference was held to dedicate the NEW, BEAUTIFUL Whitefield Road Chapel. It was a great meeting. President Funk gave the dedicatory prayer, in which, many references were made about the future of a stake here in Bangalore and the future of a temple in India. This building is a stake sized building; a stake-sized building would not be built if the Lord didn't know that growth will occur here. Now, the members need to get to work and be a "light unto the world." We know with every fibre of our being that India will get a temple in our lifetime. We can see it!!!! That is a BEAUTIFUL vision. This is the NEW chapel in the Whitefield Road building. It's BEAUTY is apparent.

 

The BEAUTIFUL dedicatory prayer that President Funk gave also emphasized that the building does not belong to us; it belongs to the Lord. In a short talk before the dedicatory prayer, President Gong reminded us that during the dedicatory prayer, we dedicate the building AND ourselves to the Lord. Every room of this NEW and BEAUTIFUL building is dedicated to the Lord and His work. This picture shows the view that members will see everytime they come out of the chapel. As people leave the chapel, where they have learned about the Savior and His Gospel, they will see a picture of the Savior before He ascended, instructing the Twelve before they go out into the world to proclaim the gospel. This BEAUTIFUL picture, chosen by Sister Funk, is reminder of the obligation and privilege we all have to be a living example of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be "a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places."

 

As we beome a disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by being a "light unto the world" and by "stand[ing] as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places," we can develop a NEW view of the world and see the NEWNESS and BEAUTY of God's creations, just as we have seen the NEW and BEAUTIFUL blossoms appear, gracing the branches of the tree we have seen out our kitchen window this week. We pray for the Lord's blessings and peace to be upon you throughout this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Pie

What is this?????? Yes!!!!! It is apple pie!!! It NEVER would have been possible if Sister Wigg would not have left a huge container of Crisco shortening in the apartment after she left for home. Thank you Sister Wigg. The pie tasted great! The queen of pie making, Sister Tiefenbach, had some problems with the pastry, though (as you can see with the cracks in the crust). She has not had trouble with pastry for almost 40 years (yikes! that makes us sound old). At home, she almost always made pastry with Tenderflake lard (it MUST be Tenderflake). Once in a while, she made pastry with Crisco shortening (it must be Crisco), and it turned out very similarly to the results from using lard. But, this time, she does not know what happened. The pastry kept breaking and splitting. Luckily, it tasted good. We still have some Crisco shortening left, so a few more pies will yet be made. We may be in Bangalore for only a couple of months, so we may have several pies in quick succession. Sister Tiefenbach can't possibly watch a good can of Crisco shortening go to waste! Ahhhhh . . .  apple pie.

For all those who think that we are simply on an extended vacation here in Bangalore, here is proof that we actually work. Sister Tiefenbach has her desk in the reception area. This space is good because she gets to see everyone that comes into the office. Sometimes, it is very busy with many people coming and going. All this coming and going interfers with the work at hand, but mostly it is wonderful to see the people, especially the missionaries. Right now is a slower time in the office. All the transfer document and documents for visa renewal have been completed. With this small lull in the work, Sister Tiefenbach has had time this week to begin going through all the electronic files and eliminate some files that have been around since before Sister Wigg was here and are no longer used and do not need to be kept. The whole process was like spring cleaning.

Elder Tiefenbach, on the other hand, has an important looking corner office with a window. His office provides a quieter work atmosphere where he can concentrate on the mission's finances, but he misses out on all the funny and exciting things that happen with the missionaries.

Doesn't he look very important sitting at his desk???? Look at that nice important looking window. Elder Tiefenbach breathed a sigh of relief early this week when the problems with the missionary payments were finally solved (the problems were not created by him - system problems). Now, he can focus more on and learn about other aspects of his work. We both have a lot to learn, yet. Sometimes, the President or someone else will come to one of us and ask us to do something. Our response is sometimes a blank look, but we say, "Okay!" We then quickly start to figure out how to do whatever we have been asked. The Wigg's did a great job in training us, but they couldn't possibly prepare us for everything that might come up; however, they prepared us to be able to find out how to do things. They also have not totally left us; they have skyped with us a couple of times and have given us good advice. The Wigg's are great teachers and great friends.

Bangalore has some definite differences from Coimbatore, but some things are the same. In Bangalore, just as in Coimbatore, we see piles of refuse being burned. At first, this was surprising because in Canada where we are from, burning refuse on the street is against the law. Here, people will simply burn excess leaves, etc. on the side of the road (street). We are suprised that more uncontrolled fires don't result from this. Our eyes have not become accustomed to this, and we end up having stinging eyes from the smoke.

We went shopping last Saturday and this past Saturday to the Gopalan Signature mall. It is not as big as Brookfields Mall in Coimbatore, but it is in a fantastic looking building. The building is new even though it looks like a train station or government building that would have been built in the late 1800's or early 1900's. We bought the bulk of our groceries at a store called Auchaun. We have several smaller grocery stores nearby our office, and we often stop in those stores to pick up a few odds and ends. We are still looking for a place that sells a larger package of icing sugar. We found a few places in Coimbatore. The more abundant packaging contains only about 1/2 cup of icing sugar, which is not enough for a cake.

Bangalore has many new, modern looking buildings, but don't start thinking that those small streets dotted with tiny shops that we saw in Coimbatore are not part of Bangalore. Here is a picture of some of the typical small shops in Bangalore. The area in Coimbatore where we lived was filled with these type of stores. We do not see these type of shops on our walk to the office here in Bangalore, but they are present when you get off the main streets.

This is a picture of one of the streets (just off the street where we live) we walk on our way to the office. At the end of this street is 100 Feet Road. It is a busier road, and we have to be very careful when we cross it. We remember the first time we crossed this street when we first arrived in India. We thought we were going to die. Now, we cross it like professionals.












This is 100 Feet Road. One side of the road is clear of traffic, but you can see that the other side is not safe to cross. Here, we cross one side at a time. We wait on the raised median in the middle of the road to cross the other side of the street. So, as we stand on the median, buses and cars, etc. are whizzing by within a few feet of us. We are used to it now, but we still get a bit nervous when two buses go past us on the inside lanes in both directions.

Just outside a little park that we walk by on the way to the office is often a street vendor selling a type of drink made from sugar cane. These are the canes of sugar. They are put through a press, and the liquid is sold as a drink. We have never tried it, and we will not be trying it. Many street vendors sell different types of food and drink, but the mission rule is that we are NOT to consume anything that is sold by a street vendor. Many of the young missionaries eat from some of these vendors, and inevitably, they get sick.


We had an interesting week at the office. India has a website that links to other websites that advertise free stuff. Well, someone put a link on that website to the church's website advertising a free Book of Mormon. MANY people responded, so the Assistants to the President (Elders Barlow [left] and Ram) were busy passing on these referrals to the missionaries in the areas where these people lived. Many of the people who requested a Book of Mormon do not live in areas of India where we have misisonaires, so the Assistants to the President phoned all these people to confirm their addresses. Then, they prepared packages to be sent to them.

Next week is Elder Ram's birthday! We did not know this until he received a package from home. He was just like a little kid opening things up. He was so excited about everything that was in the package. We find it interesting how the little things in life become so meaningful. He loved the Twinkies (not sure how to spell that - we don't have them in Canada). When he saw them, he said that his Mom really knew him well and knew his heart. Sister Tiefenbach usually makes a cake for the missionaries' birthdays, if she knows about it. Had she known, Elder Ram would also have had a cake on Friday. Elder Ram will be away all next week (the week of his birthday), so he will not get one of Sister Tiefenbach's cakes that week. Maybe, she will make something for the following week.

Many of the church buildings here are different from the typical LDS building, but they have the essentials: a place for Sunday Sacrament meeting and, of course, a place to play basketball. The basketball courts (or part of a court) are most often outside, but it never snows or gets cold, so that is okay.







All the church buildings have a water dispenser. The one in our Branch (Indiranagar Branch) is outside.











Elder Solomon (left) gave a talk today. He used Elder Uchtdorf's talk entitled, On Regrets and Resolutions" as a source for his talk. Elder Solomon said that one regret he already has is that he didn't spend enough time with his family before his mission. He said he was too busy going out with his friends and having fun, and now that he is on his mission, his friends do not remain in contact with him. Only his family regularly contacts him. He said that this shows who is most important in his life and who he should be spending more time with. We think he made some very mature observations about himself. The whole talk was good. (This picture was taken two weeks ago. We wanted to take his picture today, but he had a meeting right after church, so we were not able to get one.)

We have made a few changes in the apartment to make it our own. We have put up our family picture on the cabinet beside the fridge. We see it everyday, and we are reminded of the great support our family is to us as we serve the Lord in India. This picture gives us strength and joy. We are glad that we brought it with us, even though our stay here is supposed to be relatively short.





We also brought the pictures of our grandchildren (well, some of them) to put on the fridge. Again, we see these pictures everyday. They always bring a smile to our faces and warmth to our hearts. Some pictures of grandchildren are missing!!! Hmmmm..... we need new pictures of those grandchildren . . . . hint, hint.






What could be better than apple pie and family?  Life is all about family (and apple pie). May the Lord bless you this next week. Remember to spend more time with those who love you the most - your family. Let us not regret that we did not spend enough time with family or regret that we did not let our family know we love them.

First Week on Our Own in Bangalore

This is our new home for the next . . . well, we are not sure how long we will be here. We were asked to come to Bangalore for about two to two and a half months until the couple who have been called as the office couple get their visas to come to India. We live waaaayyyyyy . . . . up on the top floor of this house. The owners of the house live on the first two floors. The apartment is bigger than our apartment in Coimbatore, but it is older. There are things we like about this apartment over the Coimbatore apartment, and there are things we like about our Coimbatore apartment over the one here.

This is the dining and kitchen area. The door to our apartment opens straight into this area. We like the openness of this area. This kitchen does not have as many cupboards as our Coimbatore apartment, but it has a wonderful breakfast island that gives a lot of counterspace. We also have hot water available in the kitchen tap!!! We are thrilled about that. Hot water in the kitchen means we don't have to go to the bathroom to fill up a bucket with hot water to transport back to the kitchen. In Coimbatore, we had no hot water in the kitchen.

 

This kitchen as a free standing stove. From our experience, this is not common in India. Most people have  two burner stove that sits on the countertop. In Coimbatore, we had a four-burner stove. The stove here has an actual real oven. It is a gas oven, so that is a different experience for us. The oven is smaller than the ones in North America and Europe, but it is big enough to put a 9x13 pan in it. Sister Tiefenbach was busy preparing part of the Sunday meal on Saturday evening.

This is our living room; it is about twice of our living room in Coimbatore. The living room is to the left of the kitchen (if you are looking toward the cupboards) through a set of double doors. With the size of our kitchen/dining area and the size of the living room, we can entertain company quite comfortably. One of the things we like about this apartment is the number of pictures on the walls. All the pictures are based on gospel related themes. The picture in the living room is about Jesus teaching in the temple when He was a boy. You may have noticed the many large windows in our apartment. Every room has large windows, so we get a wonderful cross breeze throughout the apartment, making the temperature inside quite pleasant. Of course, we still need the fans, but so far, we have not used the air conditioner in our bedroom. We expect that when the temperature turns hotter, we will turn it on.

 

The front yard of the house where we live is small, but the woman of the house loves to keep plants and flowers. They truly add to the beauty of the house. The area in which we live has many trees. We live in an area that has mostly houses, and most of them put plants and flowers in pots along their driveways and in their courtyards. All the houses have walls and gates around them. Right outside the walls are the streets; sidewalks are found only on the main streets. But many of them don't have sidewalks either.

We have done a fair bit of socializing with other couple since we have come here. We went to The Only Place twice. Once, we went with Allison's and Smith's. The next evening, we went the ZoBell's, Allison's, and Smith's. The Allison's and ZoBell's come into Bangalore every 7 1/2 weeks to meet the residency requirements, so we will see them often. We hope to have their registrations transferred to their respective areas where they are working, so we don't have to fly them in so often. Here we see (left to right) Elders Smith, Tiefenbach, and Allison.

 

To get to The Only Place, we take the metro, as we mentioned in our blog last week. The metro is a clean, modern train. Here we are returning from our second evening this week at this fabulous restaurant. From left to right are the Smith's, Allison's, and ZoBell's. If you look carefully in the window, you can see us in the reflection.

The Smith's have been in India for about four weeks. They will be serving in Bangalore. They are from the Toronto area. They received their visas in about 2 weeks. We don't know why two other couples from western Canada are having difficulty getting their visas. The Loewer's are supposed to be in Bangalore on April 23rd, but they have not received their visas, as far as we know. The Leary's have been waiting for many, many months and have been temporarily assigned to work in our city with our son-in-law preparing documents for digitization. Our son-in-law works for FamilySearch as a camera operator.

 

 

We work hard in the office, but we always have time to talk with the missionaries. The Assistants to the President, Elder Ram (2nd from right or 3rd from left, if you prefer) and Elder Barlow (left), are in the office most days or for at least part of the day. We always have an extra warm smile when Elder Solomon (right) (our fellow Canadian) comes into the office and when other missionaries who served in Coimbatore and now serving in Bangalore come into the office. We met Elder Aeshamalla (2nd from left) when he was serving in Erode, so that is almost the same as Coimbatore.

 

Elder Ram has not changed. He is still . . . playful. We don't know what he did to Elder Aeshamalla, but whatever he did, Elder Aeshamalla moved fast!!! The other Elders know what Elder Ram did, but they did not share that with us. Maybe, we don't want to know.

 

We had quite an interesting experience (miracle, if you know the slow wheels of bureaucracy) this week. The ZoBell's (to our right) needed to come to Bangalore this past week to meet their registration requirements, and they needed to begin the visa renewal process because their visas expire the beginning of April. Normally, we should begin visa renewals 60 to 90 days prior to expiration. Well, they came to Bangalore and went to the FRRO (foreigner regional registration office) to find out what documents they needed to renew their visas. Upon obtaining that information, Sister Tiefenbach prepared their documents. The next day, they went to the FRRO to deliver the documents. At first, they were told they have the wrong visa and would have to go back to Canada (that sounds familiar). After a bit of explanation (and prayer), the people at the FRRO stamped their passports with their new visas and gave them a new registration for Bangalore. When Sister ZoBell phoned Sister Tiefenbach to tell her the news, Sister Tiefenbach thought that they must have misunderstood. But, when the ZoBell's returned to the office, we saw the stamp in their passports and the new registration. We couldn't believe it! Brother Sunil (works at our office) said that never before in the history of the church has an extension been done that fast. Allison's have been waiting for at least 6 months, and we have been waiting 5 months. The Allison's have been told their visas are ready to be picked up. They will pick them up on Monday.

 

 

We had many late evenings at the office. We have been busy with paying the bills; making sure the missionaries get their bi-monthly payments; making sure rents, phone bills, and other financial obligations are met;  getting leases for missionary appartments; preparing documents so all the transferred foreign missionaries get registered; preparing documents to get the foreign missionaries out of the country to renew their visas, get back in, and regisiter in their assigned city; and getting the couples into Bangalore to meet registration requirement and to renew visas. Fortunately, this week our late evenings were always followed by good food and good company.