Seeing Clearly in Coimbatore

We bought new glasses from the father of one of the members here. Unfortunately, the glasses that were made for Sister Tiefenbach did not work. She could not read anything with them. The store owner had three different pairs of glasses made for her, but none of them worked. She, however, was able to get a pair of prescription sunglasses that work for her. Elder Tiefenbach had no trouble with his new glasses.

We often see many pharmacies, but we buy most of our medications and vitamins from this particular one. It is typical of many pharmacies here in that they are open to the outdoors. We have seen some pharmacies that have a door that you open before you walk into the store, but the type that is completely open to the outdoors is more common. So far, we have been able to find most things we need. At first they did not have calcium citrate. We had found some in a pharmacy in Bangalore when we were there for a couples' conference, so we kept the package and took it to this pharmacy. They were able to order in the calcium for us.

 

We know this is January, and January has always been freezing cold in the past, so potato salad is usually not on our minds. But, the temperature here is hot, and Sister Tiefenbach had a craving for potato salad. Along with the potato salad, we made fried chicken breast and buttered beans with oregano. Of course, we needed some more colour on our plate, so we added fresh tomatoes to our meal to improve the presentation. It was so good! Potato salad is wonderful in January.

 

We visited Sister Vasanthia and her daughter Sister Evenjaline. They live outside the city of Coimbatore. The trip by car took about three quaters of an hour. The area in which they live is remote, and not many people live in the vicinity of their house, although some of the land has been purchased and the property lines marked in preparation for building. They have been in their house for about 3 years. Their house is a nice house. They have their own indoor bathroom, which is a plus because not all houses have that luxury. Many people have to share a bathroom with a few other families.

This a view of the outside of their house. You will notice that they also have a decent sized yard. Not all houses have yards here. We noticed a pumkin plant (seen in the foreground) and a watermelon plant in their yard, along with a few flowers. 

 

 This is a view from outside their fenced yard. This picture shows that their house is quite isolated from other houses.

 

 

We saw this house close to their home. We are not sure whether this is a permanent home or a temporary home while they wait to build a house out of bricks.

 

The road that leads up to their house shows that the immediate area does not have many trees. This pictures also shows the dryness of the wild grasses of the area. We have had little rain here since we arrived.

Speaking of grass, we have been watching the new tufts of grass around the church and have decided that they are beginning to grow. It will take some time for it to completely grow together, but hopefully, in a few months, it will look like a carpet of grass. Workers have been working in the church yard for close to two months now. We still see them hauling red dirt to different parts of the yard. New trees were also planted in front of the church. This time, we hope that when the workers are told to trim the tops of the tree, they actually trim the tops and not the bottoms. The yard is beginning to take shape and will look beautiful soon.

 

Here we see President Solomon (branch president of Chavadi Branch) teaching the lesson for the young single adult family home evening this past Friday. Every Friday evening, we attend family home evening with the young single adults. Unfortunately, not many people attend. We still enjoy the time spent with them.  He will be getting married this June. Once he and his fiancee get married and are not attending, we will re-think our involvement in the Friday family home evenings. Following the lesson, we always play a game of some kind and have refreshments that have been made by Sister Tiefenbach.

 

This is a man we see often and we look forward to seeing him. Every other day or so we always ask Brother Prakash, who is the security guard, if we have received any mail. Usually, the answer is no, but once in a while, we are presented with a parcel or some letters. All mail goes to the mission office in Bangalore and then sent to us in Coimbatore. The mission office people send all the letters in one package that is addressed to "the Coimbatore Elders." So, we often wait until the Zone Leaders open the envelop that contains all the mail before we know if we have any letters. Sometimes, we get to the security guard office first, and we go ahead and open the package of mail that is sent from Bangalore. Here is Brother Prakash trying so hard to look very official! He is a great guy, and we enjoy talking with him and joking around with him.

 

 

 

Here we see Sister Dhikao and Sister Madabuthala ready to go out to meet the challenges for the day. Because the weather is so hot and sunny here, we often carry umbrellas to sheild us from the sun.  Did they buy umbrellas that match their outfits, or is this a coincidence? Which ever it is, they look great! We love to see their excitement when they have success in their missionary work.

 

Now this is a great sight to see! Today, Brother Raja baptized his twin girls. Elder Justesen took the picture, so he is not in the picture. Elder Smoot was able to join in the picture. This is the family who we visit every Thursday evening. The parents were baptized in July this past year. It is wonderful to see Brother Raja and Sister Sumathi fulfilling their callings and being involved in activities. Brother Raja has caught on to how many things are done in the church and does a great job of blessing the sacrament. This is truly a great family.