Our week started in the usual way; it started with Monday (or Sunday, if you prefer). We did some cleaning in the apartment, visited a sister in the afternoon. While visiting this particular sister, Elder Tiefenbach and our driver, Augustine, purchased something called sweet apple. They are not apples at all, and they don't taste like apples, either. They grow inside a hard shell. Each shell has 3 - 4 of these fruit pieces inside. They are rather bland in taste. They probably taste better if they are refrigerated, but people in India don't drink or eat very many things that are really cold. You can see the shell being held in a man's hand on the left side of the picture. The white fruit is on the red tray in the center.
While in that same area, we stopped by another Sister's home so Elder Tiefenbach could give her a blessing. On the main floor of her apartment, we saw a small bakery, so we stopped in to have a look at it. We also bought some buns (rolls, for our American friends).
After that visit, Sister Tiefenbach taught a piano lesson. This was pretty much a routine Monday. We had already prepared the treat for the missionary district meeting, so we did not have to bake anything that day. We had prepared cinnamon buns on the Saturday before so we could take a treat to the Erode elders when we inspected their apartment on Sunday. By the way, the cinnamon buns were fantastic! We used the yeast that our daughter, Chantel, sent to us in the mail. The yeast made a world of difference in the final product. On Tuesday, we attended the district meeting in the morning. In the evening, we held a choir practice and visited the Sekar family at their home. Brother Sekar is in the branch presidency in 2nd Branch. We have visited them many times before. This is Brother Sekar and Sister Shanthi. They are holding the baby of Brother Renald and Sister Deepa. The Sekar's have two adult children. Their daughter Sujithra is getting married in June. We may go to the Hong Kong temple with them. We are excited about that possibility.
Wednesday started out being very typical. We were getting prepared for lessons, writing a letter to the newly called mission president, etc. when we received a phone call from President Funk. He asked if we would go to Bangalore for about 2 months to take over the mission office assignment. The missionary couple presently working in the office will be going home at the end of the month, and the President needs a couple to work in the office until the new couple arrives at the end of April. Well, that was a surprise!!! We were to fly to Bangalore Sunday evening. The rest of the week was a blur as we prepared for our trip. We had a lot to take with us. 
We managed to visit several people before we left. That was so, so difficult. Our new friends were shocked and extremely sad when we told them we would be going to Bangalore for two months. Many tears were shed by them and by us, especially by Sister Tiefenbach. We wonder how much more difficult it will be when we actually leave to go home. One highlight of our visiting with friends was going out for supper with the Amalraj family (Brother Amalraj, Sister Punita, Abhishek, and Akash. We had a great evening with them. We have said it before, and we will say it again: this is a rock, solid family. We are so glad they are our friends in the gospel.
We also visited with the Raja family. The night we visited them was the night that their drinking water was available. Sister Sumathi was down in the hole getting water from the tap. They fill up with enough water to last them 10 - 15 days. This time, they had to get enough water to last 20 days because of repairs that were to be done to the water pipes. The water is used for drinking, cooking, and personal washing. The tap is located just outside the house about 4 to 4 1/2 feet below ground level.
The water is on for only a short time, so they had to work quickly to get enough water for that time period. After filling up all the containers, Brother Raja carried them into the house.
The family recently purchased a brand new treddle sewing machine. They are so pleased that they have been able to purchase this "luxury." Most people still use treddle machines. 
Our driver is sad that we are leaving. He was thinking about us so much that as he was driving, he wasn't watching well and he ended up damaging one of his doors. We were not in the car when this happened. He had been wanting us to visit his home, so he insisted that we take a few minutes to see where he stays. This is his sister's place, where he has a room in a flat on the top floor. 
Sometimes, he stays at his parent's old house. It is in very poor condition and is really not habitable. Whenever it rains, he cannot stay there. Also, he always goes to his sister's place for meals. This is his parent's house. If you look closely, you can see the cracks in the wall on the left side of the house that run from the roof to the bottom of the house.
We have been trying for some time to get a good picture of the traffic in Coimbatore. We finally did it. This is a picture of an intersection on Trichy Road. Generally, the side street traffic and pedestrians inch forward a bit at a time, slowly creeping closer and closer into the main street. Eventually, the main street stops for the side street traffic. This is all done without lights. It is really quite amazing to see and even more amazing to be a pedestrian in the middle of all of this.
The tree in the church yard has finally lost most of its leaves, showing that fall does come to Coimbatore. Most trees do not lose their leaves. This one has not lost all of them. The people here have told us that soon the new leaves will be coming. Just as this tree is moving on to a new stage in its life, we, too, are moving to a new stage in our mission. Our new responsibilites may last only a short time, but we are sure we will have many wonderful experiences. 
One of the experiences that we are excited about is that we will be able to see many, many missionaries, including some with whom we have worked in Coimbatore and are now in Bangalore. Hello Elder Ram and Elder Solomon!!!! We are SO SO excited to see you. (Sorry, we don't have a picture of Elder Solomon. We saw him today, but we forgot to take a picture.) Elder Ram is now an Assistant to the President, but he is still just as goofy as he was in Coimbatore.
So, here we are in Bangalore. We are amazed that it looks so modern and beautiful. This is a totally different image than the one we had when we first arrived. The area that we will be living in is a well-to-do area, and it definitely looks different from the area where we live in Coimbatore. It is interesting how our perspective changes as we spend more time in India. This will be our home for the next 2 to 2 1/2 months. We are grateful to the Wigg's for letting us stay at their home while they train us in the office. They have always been helpful to us, and we are glad to count them as friends.
Hello beautiful Bangolore - the Garden City. During our short stay here, we will have many fond memories of the people and beauties, such as the flowers in the church garden, we found in Coimbatore.
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