Things to Be Thankful for in India



We are having a "Thanksgiving" Theme because tomorrow (October 14) is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Now, as you read this week's blog, don't start to think that our life here in India is a life of fun, games, and food - hmmm . . . maybe, it might be a good description after all! Honest, we WORK here, too. Sometimes, we have a lot of stress, and we enjoy the fun, games, and food that helps us relieve the stress from the office. Our week of fun, games, and food began on Sunday evening with having the Smith's and the four elders from Indiranagar Branch for spaghetti leftovers. The leftovers were from the youth activity we had at our home last Saturday. We are thankful for missionaries like Elder Mills (front left), Elder Ravi, Elder Prakash, and Elder Ramaraj (middle back). We are also thankful for Elder and Sister Smith. We have become good friends, and we look forward to being with them.

Elder Mills is a very spiritual missionary . . . . Elder Mills, please be serious for at least two seconds so we can show everyone how conservative and calm you really are! We are thankful for goofy elders who make us laugh.

On Sunday after our spaghetti supper, we went to the church for a farewell gathering for Elder George Anthony. We are thankful that everything worked out for him to leave on his mission. He had to wait for his brother to return from is mission before he could go. We are thankful that his parents consented to allow him to go on a mission. For this small farewell, we had a short program and then we had cake.

Elder Anthony kept with the Indian tradition of feeding cake to the guests. Smashing cake into someone's face seems to also be a common occurrence, too. This is our branch president, President Anthony (no relation to Elder Anthony). We are thankful that Elder Anthony did not feed the cake to us!

We and the Smith's have been working with Elder Anthony to make sure he had everything ready for his departure to the Philippines. He will be in the Philippines for 12 days, and then he will return to labour in the India Bangalore Mission. He will be a great asset to our mission. We are thankful for the great opportunity we have to help so many young people prepare for their missions. This has been a great blessing in our lives.



 On Wednesday, we went to the Ramamurthy Branch building for a stress management presentation given by President and Sister Berrett and the assistants. During the presentation, Sister Tiefenbach enjoyed identifying the psychological concepts and principles on which the concepts of the presentation were based. She had a great time doing that. Don't worry, she did not announce all this to everyone; she kept her academic tendencies to herself and to Elder Tiefenbach. On the way to and from the presentation, we had the opportunity to see many common sights along the streets of India. Here is an array of pots for plants and other things that people passing by can purchase. We are thankful for the unique things we see in India.


 Away from many shops and street stands, we came across a fruit stand. Although it seems quite isolated, it in reality is not. There were many road side "shops" along this street. We see MANY fruit and vegetable stands on just about every street. We have two fruit and vegetable stands within a one to two minute walk from our apartment.

Bangalore (and most other places we have been) seem to be in a constant state of construction. We saw a huge deposit of sand here. This is still on our trip between the office and the Ramamurthy Branch building. We are not sure whether this is for a new roadway that will eventually replace the small road on which we were travelling or for the above ground metro. Perhaps, they simply store the sand here. Nevertheless, it is a reminder of all the construction that is happening in Bangalore. We will be thankful when some of the expressways are completed so traffic won't be so congested.

Another thing we love about India is the absence of parking meters! We haven't seen a single parking meter in India. Some malls have parkades that cost money to use, but the streets are void of parking meters. But, that leads to some interesting parking practices. Often, cars simply drive right up onto the sidewalk (where there are actually sidewalks) and park close to the buildings. We never cease to be amazed by all this.

We are also continue to be intrigued by the versatility of motorcycles and scooters. People haul things on motorcycles and scooters that we would never think of. Usually, the load is carried by the person on the back.










This picture was taken on the road just down from our office. This is a typical street in the area around the office and our apartment. This street has a sidewalk, but many people, including us, often walk on the street. The sidewalks often have too many blockades, uneven places, and holes in them, so we opt for dodging the traffic on the street. We would never have thought we would have such extraordinary experiences in our lives. The streets and sidewalks are always bustling with vehicles and people. Yes, the sidewalks are sometimes bustling with vehicles - especially motorcycles!


Elder Anthony arrived in the office on Wednesday afternoon to be set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We always look forward to greeting these eager young people as they set off for their journey to the Philippines. They all seem to be somewhat apprehensive about their flight, so we do our best to educate them on the processes at airports and what to expect when they travel internationally. Here is Elder Anthony with us and the Smiths.




 We have noticed that everyone has bigger, brighter smile after they come out of the President's office than when they walk into the mission office. Elder Anthony had many questions about his flight. We gave him our cell number and told him to call if he had any problems. Well, at 11:30 p.m. the phone rang. It was Elder Anthony. His flight was over booked, and the airline wanted to put him on a flight with a different airline. He called to get permission! We said, "Yes!" We were thankful that Elder Anthony phoned us because we were able to immediately send an email to the Philippines to let them know that he would be arriving at a different time. The Philippines MTC always has someone waiting at the airport to pick up the new missionaries. By the end of our work day on Thursday, we received word that Elder Anthony arrived safely. By Friday morning, Elder Ferrin (our In Field Representative for Asia Area), who is in the Philippines, informed us that Elder Anthony was asked to be one of the two zone leaders for the new batch of 150 missionaries. We were delighted to hear the news!

 We spent Saturday morning and afternoon (and evening for Elder Tiefenbach) at the church for General Conference. We have a one week delay for the conference. Someone is asked to download the conference sessions, and then they are shown a week later. We have to have it a week later because of the time difference. Most of us would not want to stay up all night to view the sessions. Mind you, several people actually do that! Between the showing of the two Saturday sessions, our branch had an activity. We played some games, and then we had pizza (from Dominos Pizza). The pizzas from Dominos Pizza are a bit different here than in North America, but they are still good, although we prefer the Pizza Hut pizzas.

One of the games we played was "Giants, Wizards, and Elves."  Sister Tiefenbach organized this game. "Giants, Wizards, and Elves" is similar to a group game of "Rocks, Paper, and Scissors." Giants beat elves; elves beat wizards, and wizards beat giants. Each type of fantasy person has its own action. Each team decides on which fantasy figure they are going to be. Here we see one of the groups making its plan.




After making their plans, the two groups form two lines facing each other. On the count of three, the teams perform the actions of their fantasy figures. The team on the left were giants; the team on the right (with Elder Tiefenbach) were elves. Giants beat elves, so the giants would run toward the elves to capture them. The elves run back to their place of safety. Any elves that are caught join the giants' team. And so the game progresses. Everyone had a great time playing that game. We are thankful to participate in fun activities with the branch members.


Some of the youth wanted to play half court basketball after the other games were over. Following the games and pizza, we went back into the chapel for the second session of conference.










Between the second session of conference and the priesthood session on Saturday night, we invited the missionaries in our branch to our apartment for homemade cinnamon buns (or rolls, for our USA friends). They did not need much persuasion to have a second one. Oh, and we also gave them a piece of cake. Interestingly, we just learned on Wednesday about eating properly to help alleviate stress. Oh well, tomorrow we can begin to eat better!

While Elder Tiefenbach was at the Priesthood session of conference, Sister Tiefenbach decided to be industrious and bake some bread. She made two regular loaves and a mini loaf. It smelled so good, and it tasted even better. We are thankful for the yeast that was sent to us by our daughter and by Sister Ram, from Hawaii, that makes homemade bread possible in India. We can find yeast in India, but it is different, and we don't get the same results. Having homemade bread is a reminder of the love at home. It is basic just like family. It is the foundation of life. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration! But, it makes us feel good.


 On Sunday morning (today), we heard a familiar noise: a drum being beaten and some kind of horn being played. We knew when we heard it that the people would have a decorated cow with them. These are beggars that go around the streets playing a tune on their horns and beating their drums. It is interesting to see.







This afternoon, after the second session of the Sunday General Conference sessions, Sister Tiefenbach helped this young woman, Sister Aswini, with the written part of her application to BYU. Her father drove her on his motorcycle from Whitefield Branch so she could get some advice from Sister Tiefenbach. We are thankful that we have been able to get to know people from all the branches here in Bangalore.





Tomorrow is a holiday, not Thanksgiving, but a holiday nonetheless. We, however, will not be having a holiday; we will be at the office as usual. That means that we will not be having a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, etc. Hmmmm . . . are these turkeys?????? Maybe . . .








We have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our family who support us and show their love to us. We are thankful that they communicate with us often. This gives us incentive and courage to continue our work here. We are thankful for friends back home, friends we have made in other parts of the world as a result of our mission in India, and of course our friends we have made in India. We have seen the hand of the Lord in the lives of our children and in the lives of so many people in India. As we think of the blessings we have in our lives, let us remember that the Lord promises us that "inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances . . . with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance . . . the fullness of the earth is yours . . ." (D&C 59:15, 16). Our Father in Heaven is anxious to bless us as we keep the commandments. He lovingly tells us to "[ask] for whatsoever things, [we] stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always [return] thanks unto God for whatsoever things [we] do receive" (Alma 7:23). As we offer our thanks, the Lord will bless us again and again.