Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all our readers who are fathers. We take this opportunity to thank our fathers, Allen Philip Walde and George Wilfred Tiefenbach for all they have done for us. We lost both fathers in the month of April. Allen Philip Walde passed away April 2011, and George Wilfred  Tiefenbach passed away April 1988. We honor them this day.

We enjoy our walks every morning. You can see why we love to walk here. It is so peaceful here. It seems that our morning walks invigorate us for the busy work we will face later in the day at the office. As much as we dread having to get up so early (6:00 a.m.) every morning (week days only), we enjoy getting out in the fresh morning air. The weather has become quite a bit cooler in Bangalore for the past two weeks. We actually feel a chill in the air - not that it is comparable to a -40 chill in the air that we get in the winter back home. Nevertheless, there is definitely a chill. The temperature is probably in the low 20's in the evening and early morning. Apparently, Coimbatore is also experiencing cooler weather right now, but it is not as cool as it is in Bangalore; we NEVER experienced cool weather in Coimbatore.

This may seem like a random picture, and in truth, we suppose it is. But, this gives you another small picture of life in India. Our laundry "room" is outside. This is quite common in many apartments. Doing laundry when it is raining becomes more complicated with the laundry facilities outside. As you can see, we don't have much room to walk to get to the washing machine. When the windows are open, which is basically all the time, we have to face the windows and bend backward to get by the open windows. We don't mind becoming acrobats while we do laundry because we have seen other people doing laundry outside on a washing stone. At least we have a machine. We dry all our clothes on drying racks inside the house. Most people hang their laundry outside on strings or wire they put up. We have seen many people lay their clothes on the roofs. We have an automatic dryer, but we have never used it. It is not vented outside, so we avoid putting more heat into the apartment.

Elder Tiefenbach is always interested in the way buildings are constructed in India. We are always amazed at the amount of manual labour that occurs here. The entire buildings are made from brick and cement, and each brick is usually sent up one by one in a human chain. An alternate method of getting the bricks up to the top floors is to pile several in a container and put it on the head of a worker (often a woman worker) to be taken up a ladder to the floor they are working on. You can see all the rebar sticking out at the top. Cement is poured around these to form the pillars that will hold up the next floor. We keep thinking of the weight of these buildings when we see all the bricks and the cement. This building under construction is close to our apartment. This is the view from our "balcony" where the laundry is situated.

We had an exciting week because on Wednesday, we welcomed two new elders from the Provo MTC. Welcome Elder Anderson. Elder Anderson is from Washington. He will be serving in Kakinada, which is close to Rajahmundry on the east coast of India.








The second missionary to welcome was Elder Mangum from Texas (not Magnum - he didn't even know who Magnum PI was. Nor had he heard of Tom Sellek!!!!). What is happening to this younger generation????? They both were pretty tired, as they arrived at 4:30 a.m. Elder Mangum will serve here in Bangalore.







After taking care of some business with them, the Assistants and we took them to lunch at a restaurant that served "meals." Meals means that you get a whole bunch of rice (as much as you can eat) with a variety of side dishes (mostly sauces - curries). We chose to order something else; we are not fans of "meals." The first thing one must do when having meals is wash off the banana leaf with a little water before the servers place food on it. Elders Anderson and Mangum seemed a bit apprehensive at first, but eventually figured everything out.

Of course, we had to teach them to eat with their hands. Elder Mangum seemed far more comfortable with it than Elder Anderson. We should ask Elder Mangum's mother if he normally eats this way. He said that he knew several Philippino people and that they ate with their hands, so he had done it before. Hmm.... we also know many Philippino people, and they never ate with their hands. We suppose it depends on who you know. Elder Mangum, you are doing great, but you are not supposed to put your fingers in your mouth. Don't worry, after a few weeks, you will get the hang of it.

Elder Anderson had a bit more trouble with the whole eating with the hands thing. He was being much, much too refined and dignified about it. Elder Ram was really good about helping him understand that you have to play with your food and form it into a ball type of mass before lifting it up to your mouth. Then, you use your thumb to push it into your mouth without getting your fingers in your mouth. And, oh yes, no food is supposed to fall in the process. Elder Anderson will have a LOT of practice time. Karnataka doesn't have Western style restaurants, so he will definitely get the hang of it.


This is Elder Anderson starting to figure out of how to play with his food to make a ball type shape before putting it in his mouth. Doesn't this look appetizing????? Both halves of the leaf belong to Elder Anderson. He tended to use the chip type food item to scoop the food into his mouth.





Of course, Elder Ram ate, and ate, and ate, and . . . you get the picture. Elder Kumar couldn't take another bite.

Elder Aeshamalla (left) kept up with Elder Ram. They both quit at the same time. At one time, Elder Ram looked over to Elder Aeshamalla's leaf to see how much more he was given so he (Elder Ram) could ask for the same amount. The food is always served to the restaurant patrons. They keep coming around to fill up the leaf until you roll your leaf up, which indicates you are done.





This week also brought visits from Elder and Sister Allison (back left) and Elder and Sister Zobell (next to Sister and Elder Tiefenbach). They need to come to Bangalore every 7 to 7 1/2 weeks to meet their registration requirements. We went out for lunch on Friday to California Pizza Kitchen. Elder Zobell is a hoot!! We don't care for the pizzas at this restaurant, but their sandwiches are very good. We couldn't eat all of ours, so we took a "doggie bag" back to the office. Our plan was to eat it for lunch on Saturday, but we forgot it at the office when we left. Later that evening, we received a phone call from Elders Kumar and Ram, who "found" our sandwiches in the fridge. They were very concerned that the sandwiches might go bad if they were left at the office all weekend and that they could be happy to help us out. They enjoyed the sandwiches. Not only did we forget to take the purchased sandwiches home, but we also left our lunch that we had prepared at home at the office. It, too, is gone now. We told them to eat it as well. They were working late at the office and were getting hungry. They check the fridge a lot to see what goodies are lurking inside they might liberate.

That evening, we had all the couples come to our apartment for a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables. Because I was at the office all day, Sister Smith volunteered to cook the roast. She did a wonderful job. She actually cooked it on Wednesday, and Sister Tiefenbach heated it up in a little broth in the oven Friday night. It was delicious! Sister Smith also made an apple crisp for dessert. The tradition for Sister Smith is to have custard sauce and ice cream on the apple crisp. She quickly made the custard sauce just before we served dessert, so the custard was hot. It was SO good! The hot custard sauce was poured over the ice cream, melting it a bit, and giving everything a great warm, creamy taste.

We had a great Friday!! But, the best is yet to come. Our granddaughter, Cassie, and her husband, Dale, gave us our FIRST great-grandchild!!! What a great blessing that is. We wish we could be there to hold him. We will make sure we hold him a lot when we return home. Congratulations Cassie and Dale on your sweet new son. We love you.













We had some visitors at church today. This is Brother Prem and his wife, Teresmica, and their son. Brother Prem works in the office, third floor, as the India MLS specialist. They live in Bangalore, but they attend a different branch. We are not sure why they were visiting, but we were glad to have them.







We also welcomed Brother Giles and Sister Jackie Odongo from Uganda. They will be here next week, as well. Brother Odongo is in Bangalore to see a doctor. Many people come from around the world to see doctors in India because medical procedures are so much cheaper here than in other countries. Of course, one has to go to the right hospitals here. Brother Odongo is a Patriarch in his Stake in Uganda. They seem like a very sharp couple.

This is Elder Tiefenbach's Father's Day present. We find that the older we get, the harder it is to find something to buy each other. We went shopping on Saturday, but found nothing. It is especially harder when serving a mission. So, Elder Tiefenbach loves apple pie, so Sister Tiefenbach decided that would be the best present. Again, the pie is possible because of the big tub of shortening Sister Wigg left for us.
Just like the apples are wrapped in this delicious pastry, Elder Tiefenbach is wrapped in Sister Tiefenbach's love. Awwww, isn't that sweet???? Happy Father's day, Honey!

Let us all "listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer" (D&C 29:1 & 2). May the Lord bless you and wrap you in the arms of His love and protection, as you partake of the fruit of the gospel of Jesus Christ.



Visit To Coimbatore and Back to Bangalore

The weather has turned a bit cooler now. Today, the temperature was only about 26 degrees C. The breeze is also much stronger now and is most refreshing. This week, we made a trip to Coimbatore for our residency requirements and to attend a wedding that fortunately occurred at the same time. We inquired about the status of our visa while we were there, but, as expected, they couldn't tell us anything because the application has gone to New Delhi. But, we were able to pick up a copy of a letter that arrived for Sister Tiefenbach that was addressed to Delhi recommending that she be granted an extension of her visa. Now, both of us have this letter, so it is a matter of more time before we get the visas. The second order of business was to clean up the apartment a bit and buy a few groceries so we could eat while we were in Coimbatore. We went to the newly opened Big Bazaar. It was being built while we were living in Coimbatore, so we were interested in seeing the inside of the store. We were able to purchase a few items that we needed, but we ended up going to our familiar Nilgiris Store to get everything on our list.

We arrived early at the church for the wedding of President Solomon (Raja) and Sujithra (Suchithra). Sometimes, the names can be confusing here. Sujithra's name is really Sujithra, but her school records have her name spelled differently, so the spelling with the ch instead of the j is used for things like weddings. We think this is the story of her name. President Solomon has chosen to be known by Solomon; the name Solomon does not appear in his legal name at all. You can see the stage set up in the parking lot of the church. This is the stage where the bridal couple receives the guests. After the ceremony, everyone made their way out of the church to the parking lot for the meal and to greet the happy couple. The guests started eating right away, and then at any time during the evening, they can go up and greet and give gifts to the couple.

This is Sister Shanthi (left) the mother of the bride. To Sister Tiefenbach's left (right in the picture) is Sister Shanthi Appasamy. On the far right of the picture is the grandfather of the bride. We were able to meet several people before the wedding began.











This is the happy bride. We were surprised to see her before the ceremony began. This is actually the third "ceremony" for their wedding. The first "ceremony" was a gathering at the home of the bride where a small ceremony was performed. Following this small ceremony, the couple went to the registration office, which was the second "ceremony."  This occurred some where around May 15. This all has to do with what India recognizes as a legal marriage, which we don't quite completely understand. Christian clergy do not have the legal authority to perform marriages. The "ceremony" at the church was their public ceremony. She was certainly beautiful. Sister Tiefenbach had the privilege of being the chorister for the wedding ceremony. They are looking forward to the most important part of their marriage, which is being sealed in the Hong Kong temple for eternity. They left today (Sunday), and will be sealed on Monday or Tuesday. In India, civil marriages are required before the temple sealing, so they are able to go to the temple immediately following the civil marriage.

This picture was also taken prior to the ceremony. We were honoured to have been at their wedding. The timing of the wedding was not the most convenient for us because we had a lot of work to do at the office. Six missionaries were making the trip to the Philippines to the Missionary Training Center to begin their missions. Actually, two of them began their missions prior to their MTC date because of difficulties we were having with obtaining visas for the Philippines, but that has all been worked out now. Having the wedding on Thursday evening would have fit our schedule better, but Elder and Sister Smith and the Assistants, Elder Ram and Elder Kumar, covered for us quite effectively.

Here are Brother Sekar and Sister Shanthi (left) - parents of the bride and the parents of the groom (right). We do not know their names. They are from a small village in Tami Nadu.

The meal was served on a plate that was covered by a rounded banana leaf. Banana leaves are typically used at weddings and other functions in Tamil Nadu. It was buffet style with servers, which is different from many of the other functions we have attended. At other functions, the guests take turns sitting at long tables, and servers dish the food up on banana leaves that are placed on the table in front of each guest. The wedding meal consisted of several dishes, including biryani, which is a favourite food of many people from India. There was an Indian sweet that was very tasty and ice cream for dessert. We had the opportunity to greet the bride and groom and have our picture taken. Notice that the bride is no longer in her white wedding dress. This saree is typical of the Indian wedding dress. As part of the tradition, they exchanged wedding garlands.

During the evening festivities, we were able to meet with many of the members of the church. Here we are visiting with Brother Kanniyappen and Sister Ranganaykai (husband and wife). He was baptized shortly after we arrived in India, and she followed several months later.










We were thrilled to visit with President Arul (left) and his wife Shanthi and with a dear friend, Sister Punitha (beside Sister Tiefenbach) that evening. Warm hugs were exchanged between the women and between the men, and hearty handshakes were exchanged between opposite sex pairs. We had to put that in so everyone knows that we are keeping the mission rules. Okay, maybe, just maybe, there may have been one or two hugs between opposite sex pairs. We were able to visit Sister Punitha and her husband, Brother Amalaraj and their sons, Akash and Abhishek in their home before we returned to Bangalore. They are such good friends, which meant that Sister Tiefenbach and Sister Punitha shared some tears again before we departed. They really need to stop doing that. They were fine until the prayer we had together; then, the tears started flowing.

On Thursday, we made our regular Thursday evening visit to the home of Brother Raja and Sister Sumathi and their three children. They have made great progress in the gospel and strive to implement regular daily family prayer and family scripture study in their home. They have literally been showered with blessings since they joined the church and started paying tithing. They recently purchased a table with four chairs and a plastic tablecloth to cover the table. They are thrilled with their purchase, and we rejoiced with them, as they have never had a table before.

 Our driver, Augustine, was so happy (elated) to invite us to his home for lunch and to meet some of his family on Friday. He comes from a family of 14 children. He is the youngest of the family. He is only a few weeks younger than our oldest son, Shayne. So, we often think of our son when we are with him. Augustine (left) has been a good friend, a helper, a photographer, a translator, and much more. We have developed a strong bond with him. His nephew, Charles (to Elder Tiefenbach's left), made the meal. He made a creamed chicken soup; coconut chicken, which was really, really good; butter chicken; chicken fingers (wieners - but they were presented beautifully), and a rice dish. He made custard with fruit for dessert. It was very good. Charles is holding his cousin's (in the pink) son. The other women are three of Augustine's sisters.

We finished our Friday with a visit to Brother Suresh's (red shirt) and Sister Shanthi's (beside Sister Tiefenbach) home in the evening. Brother Suresh had to leave to make a trip with his work. His co-worker, Shankar, (far left) accompanied him. The girl in the picture is a neighbourhood friend. Of course, they fed us, too. We ate so much on Friday that we thought we wouldn't have to eat again for a couple of days.

For some reason, we felt compelled to bake something while we were in Coimbatore. We made pineapple upside down cake. It made more than one cake, so we ended up with more cake than we expected. We shared the cake with Brother Raju (from Semedu), who came to our home Friday at 12:30 before we went to Augustine's house for lunch. We also gave a piece to Augustine, and we took some to the Amalaraj home when we visited them in the afternoon (the same place where the tears took place). We didn't take our computer to Coimbatore with us, so we relied on the internet for a recipe.  It turned out good. We will likely make it again. We took the extra cake back to Bangalore with us Saturday morning as carry on. When we arrived in Bangalore, we went to the office and shared the cake with the Smith's and the Assistants.

The Assistants arrived in Bangalore from their trip to Rajahmundry late Saturday afternoon. As they were on their way to the office, Elder Kumar was thinking that he was very hungry, but he never thought to stop to get something to eat. One of the first things they saw when they arrived in the office was the cake. They are so spoiled!! But, we love to spoil them. They work hard. On Saturday night, we invited them to our apartment for a spaghetti supper. We served ice cream with peanut butter sauce for dessert. For those of you who have not had peanut butter sauce, you are missing out on something fantastic. Elder Ram said that it is so good that he could swim in it. (Recipe: Heat in a pan over low to medium heat - 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 1 tablespoon butter. Heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup peanut butter and whisk until smooth. It can be used warm or cooled. Store unused portion in refrigerator. - YUMMY!!!)

We attended Indiranagar Branch, as usual, on Sunday. This is (left) Sister Usha, the branch president's wife and the Sunday School president's wife (sorry, we can't remember her name).









These are the two girls (sisters) who are taking piano lessons from Sister Tiefenbach. They are sweethearts!











Of course, we are always happy to see Elder Aeshamalla and Elder Prakash. Elder Aeshamalla ALWAYS has a big smile for us. He is the elder that has fixed a few things for us in the office.

Mango season is upon us once again. Mangos are everywhere. We are not particularly mango lovers, but we are starting to acquire a taste for them. We like to freeze the mango fruit and make mango banana smoothies. Now, those are GOOD!!! We often have fresh mangos on our cereal in the morning, too. The sweetness of the mangos remind us of the sweetness of the experiences we are having on our mission. We can truly say, "sweet is the peace the gospel brings." We have seen it in our own lives and in the lives of many people here in India as they tasted of the fruit of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ "which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet" (Alma 32:42).

Week of Welcomes and Farewells

This week was filled with welcomes and farewells, but we have to remember that with each farewell, a new welcome begins. We had a WONDERFUL welcome late Sunday night/early Monday morning. President and Sister Berrett arrived! We were so excited that they finally arrived in India. Although we were able to communicate with them via email and phone prior to their arrival, things run so much more smoothly when the mission president is in the country. We picked them up from the airport, and we didn't get back to our apartment until about 2:30 a.m. Of course, Sister Tiefenbach couldn't fall asleep right away; Elder Tiefenbach didn't have a problem with falling asleep, but getting up at 7:00 in the morning was difficult. We usually get up at 6:00 to go for our walk, but we opted to forgo the walk that morning. Surprisingly, we were quite alert all day at the office.

As tradition has it when we get new arrivals in the mission, we all go out for lunch. We went to an Indian restaurant across the street from the office. We invited the assistants. They were thrilled to be invited, and we were thrilled that they said yes. Come on, did anyone REALLY think they would have refused? They were very polite, however, and didn't presume they would be invited; they waited for the invitation and smiled when it was offered. We didn't have to coax them at all. You know, sometimes people will say ,"Oh, no, we don't want to impose." But, deep down they are thinking, "But, please don't withdraw your invitation because I really want to come." There was none of that feigned politeness. They came, and they ate heartily at the buffet. We still don't know how the elders can eat so much. We would be sick for sure if we ate so much.


Wednesday, we said farewell to six missionaries: (left to right) Elders Penumuru, Baddireddy, Kant, Kothangi, Sampara, and Raja. Yes, we had to say good-bye to Elder Raja. It is always exciting to have the office busy with many missionaries milling about.

We will always have a special place in our hearts for Elder Raja. Our hearts are becoming bigger and bigger to make room for all the people that we do and will hold dear to us. We pray for his success in his future. We have enjoyed working with him in the office for the past two months.

This was the first farewell dinner that Sister Berrett hosted. Sister Smith and Sister Tiefenbach discussed the farewell dinner before Sister Berrett arrived so she would have some support. Sister Smith was invaluable to Sister Berrett, as she went shopping with Sister Berrett and helped cook the food. Sister Tiefenbach would have liked to have been more involved, but office business always seems to get in the way of doing more fun stuff. We had spaghetti (which is the same meal we had for the last departing missionaries), salads (purchased from a restaurant), garlic bread, whole wheat baguette, fresh vegetables, and banana cake (made by Sister Tiefenbach) with ice cream.

Elder Raja is not a tall man, but he certainly can put away a lot of food. We think that sometimes he can eat more than Elder Ram. We don't know where he puts the food, but it goes some where. He said that this is the only farewell dinner that he is going to have so he wants to make the most of it. He was the last one to finish eating. We were all waiting for him to finish so we could have dessert.





Because Elder Raja was leaving before his birthday on June 1st, Sister Tiefenbach couldn't possibly let him go without making him a birthday cake. He was very happy to have his birthday cake from Sister Tiefenbach.









This was the first farewell picture for the Berrett's. Usually, President and Sister Funk had a group picture of everyone present at the farewell, but Berrett's wanted to do it this way. It is much easier to fit everyone in the picture this way.

For the past week, Elder Kumar (our special Elder Kumar from when we first arrived in Coimbatore who took such good care of us) has joined the Assistants to the President. He will be taking over Elder Raja's place in the office. So, for the past week, we have been entertained by the Three Stooges. With the departure of Elder Raja, we will be down to the Two Stooges, but that doesn't sound right. We will have to think of a different name. If anyone has any ideas, we are open to suggestions. Maybe, the Dynamic Duo would fit. Hmmm . . . But, then again, that sounds too good. It doesn't reflect the weirdness that all the Assistants seem to have. But then again, if you have ever watched the Batman cartoons from many years ago, the Dynamic Duo were a bit weird.

This week, we also welcomed Sister Jackson. She is from Utah, but was born in India. She is the daughter of the former mission president of the Delhi Mission. She arrived the afternoon of the farewell for the 6 elders. She was supposed to have arrived at 4:30 a.m., but as is often the case, her flight from London to Bangalore was over booked, and she did not get a seat on the flight. She was put on the next available flight, which was routed through Delhi. She was SO, SO tired when she arrived. President and Sister Berrett picked her up from the airport and then came to the office to drop President Berrett off so he could continue with his work. Sister Berrett took Sister Jackson and her companion who was waiting for her to the Berrett's apartment so Sister Jackson could sleep. This picture was taken the next day. Taking a picture of Sister Jackson the day of her arrival would have been cruel.

On Friday, Sister Tiefenbach was surprised by a birthday cake provided by Sister Smith to help Sister Tiefenbach say farewell to the past year and welcome in another year in her life. (Sister Tiefenbach's birthday was the next day on June 1st.) The cake was also for Sister Judy, who works across in the other office. Her birthday was also on June 1st. Sister Smith got a cake from a nearby place called The Cake Walk. Elder Tiefenbach had suggested to Sister Smith that a blackforest cake would be more than welcomed. It was definitely good. Everyone from the office was invited. Unfortunately, the assistants were not in the office for this celebration. Sister Smith waited for them, but they were held up helping someone move. Sister Tiefenbach appreciated the thoughtfulness and kindness of Sister Smith. We are surrounded by wonderful people and wonderful experiences here in India.

This is Sunil. He is a tech expert, and we always go to him when we need assistance. The tech stuff is not his official job, but we rely on him. Here he is instructing Sister Berrett on using her new iphone. That is the same phone that Sister Tiefenbach inherited from Sister Funk to take all the medical calls from the missionaries until Sister Berrett arrived. Although Sister Tiefenbach liked to talk to all the missionaries throughout the mission, she was more than happy to give up the phone and the responsibility that came with it.

The missionaries couldn't be outdone by Sister Smith. They went out in a torrential downpour to buy a cake and deliver it to Sister Tiefenbach that evening. Sister Tiefenbach heard a knock at the door. When she opened it up, she saw four dripping wet missionaries with big grins on their faces singing "Happy Birthday." The day couldn't get any better for Sister Tiefenbach. We welcomed them in, despite the water dripping off them all over the floor. That didn't matter one bit!

What could be better than this? We thank the parents of these wonderful young men, Elder Ram, Elder Kumar, Elder Aeshamalla, and Elder Prakash, who are so thoughtful. You have raised fine men who are close to the Lord and have developed many Christ-like qualities. They think beyond themselves. You should be well pleased with your sons.






Here is the cake. Although they were so thoughtful and kind, they just had to sneak in a little mischievousness. They put the type of candles on the cake that can't be blown out. Thanks elders!!

They had bought a raspberry chocolate cake, and it was SO, SO delicious. Two delicious birthday cakes in one day is a great way to celebrate a birthday. We provided the ice cream. The elders loved the ice cream. Two of them, Elder Kumar and Elder Aeshamalla, wanted to lick out the carton, but whenever we tried to take their picture doing this, they quickly put the carton down. We never did get a picture with their tongues gliding along the carton licking up any remaining smooth, creamy leftovers.




Here is a display of birthday and mother's day cards that Sister Tiefenbach received in the mail from family members. The messages in the cards and letters were all appreciated and uplifting. These seemingly small things are in reality so important to keep ties with home. It is always a reminder that the eternal unit is the family. Receiving these cards warms our hearts and helps us further feel the love our Heavenly Father and the Savior have for us. Their love is shown by the great plan of happiness they have provided for us whereby we can be united as families forever. What a great blessing this is from our Heavenly Father.

Today was District Conference in Bangalore. The district president was released, and we now have the opportunity to welcome a new district president, President Sunduraj. He is from Whitefield branch. This is a picture of some of the people as they gathered in the foyer after the meeting. Notice the number of young men. There are also many young women. During the meeting, the person conducting mentioned that 22 (22!!!) members of the Bangalore District are currently serving full-time missions. Twenty-two from a district is amazing. Back at home in our stake, we have never had so many young people serving missions.

Usually, missionaries from India don't serve in their home city. But, we have had a few exceptions. Elder Thomas (left) is serving in KGF, which is just outside of Bangalore and is in the Bangalore District. So, his parents were able to see him at district conference. We were happy to get a picture of Elder Thomas with his parents. Elder Jurial (right), is his companion. Elder Jurial served in Coimbatore while we were there.





As we leave you this week, we leave one final thought about farewells and welcomes. We must remember that the greatest farewell we can have is when we put off the natural man, and the greatest welcome we will have is when we accept the invitation of Christ to come unto Him. Let us all seek to live our lives so the Holy Ghost can be our constant companion as we seek to do the Lord's will.