Trick or Treat - Mostly Treats!

Last Sunday, we had a great treat as we celebrated Elder Prakash's birthday. This was his last birthday to be celebrated on his mission, and we were happy that we could make a cake as a good memory for him.










Elder Prakash carefully cut a small piece of cake for each person and fed them to each of us. This is a tradition in India.











Elder Smith "helped" with this trick! They both always want to help each other with the cake. She ended up with cake and icing on her clothes and her face. We definitely will never let either one of them feed us cake! We don't like this kind of trick.









After we finished the traditional feeding cake to the guests, we all had a larger piece of cake with strawberry ice cream. The cake was delicious. We had a bit left over, so we froze a few pieces for a future time. That future time ended up being Saturday night. We had chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for our treat as we watched a movie from the 30's.






Monday was preparation day for the missionaries. You will notice that Elder Surya and Elder Kullai are in casual wear. They had been playing basketball with the other missionaries from the zone. They had a wonderful treat, but poor Elder Hodgson, who is NOT in casual wear, had to spend his p-day at the FRRO getting registered. He was on the receiving end of the trick.







The Smith's and we treated Bernard and Shawn at The Only Place. Shawn ordered the "All American Hamburger" for his treat, and Bernard order a steak.The other auditor, Nathan, was not able to join us because he was not feeling well. Being sick is an unpleasant trick!










The restaurant is set back from the street with a wall around it, so the only way one could tell that one has arrived is the sign outside on the street. Inside the walls on the street is a delightful treat. The restaurant has a roof but no walls, so it is an "open air" restaurant. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is peaceful and wonderful, and the food is great.

This picture shows the open walls of the restaurant and the beautiful plants just outside the restaurant proper. We told Shawn (middle right) and Bernard (right) that they need to be careful when they get up from the table because the floor is raised slightly from the surrounding ground. We wanted the evening to be a treat, not a trick! The restaurant looks empty in this picture, but by the time we left, it was full. Most people eat late here. We arrived shortly after 7:00.

Tuesday night was a second night in a row that we did not have to cook dinner. What a treat that is!! We had a farewell dinner and devotional for (left to right) Sister Jebamani, Elder Ram, Elder Prakash, and Elder Kashyap. Sister Jebamani was one of the four sisters to come when our mission was opened up once again to sister missionaries. She had been assigned to the Philippines, but when our mission was opened up to sisters, she was transferred to our mission. At first, she was very sad to be leaving the Philippines, but she decided that where she served did not matter. She wanted to serve the Lord, and she did not put importance on the place she served. We have a special relationship with her because she was with us in Coimbatore. We will definitely miss Elder Ram! He has been with us for a lot of our mission. Sister Tiefenbach was able to mostly control her emotions. She shed only a few tears at one point in the evening as she thought about Elder Ram leaving; however, when she said the final good-bye to him, she was a trooper! We hope our paths will cross one day. We have also been able to work with Elder Prakash for most of the time that we have been in Bangalore. It will seem strange not to see him every week at our branch or see him dropping into the office. We did not have the opportunity to work personally with Elder Kashyap, but during the devotional, we were touched by his testimony as he shared some personal experiences. We pray that each one of these faithful missionaries will continue to hold fast to the rod and will contribute in great way to the Lord's kingdom where they live.

Elder Ram brought "the sign." This was a great treat because we were able to use it one last time. Thank you Elder Ram!











Elder Ramaraj was transferred this past week, so this farewell was also the last meal we would have with him. This picture was taken at the Farewell Dinner and Devotional, but we also had Elder Ramaraj and Elder Mills to our house last Sunday for a lasagna supper. Elder Ramaraj loves lasagna, so we wanted to treat him before he left. Both of them ate heartily. Elder Ravi (center), from California, is the new assistant to the President. We are excited to work with him and Elder Mills.




Although farewell dinners and devotionals can be a sad time, we have happy times to counter the sadness. We had the treat of welcoming three new missionaries into the mission this week. This is Sister Arora. She is from Delhi. She had been attending BYU Idaho for 2 1/2 years prior to her mission here.








This is Elder Sharma. He is from Utah. He had a VERY long flight to India, and he was extremely tired when he arrived. Because of some re-routing of his flight, he missed his connection in London. He ended up flying into Delhi and then to Bangalore. His flight was not a treat for him. It was a very bad and unwanted trick! As a result, he missed the orientation for new missionaries, but he has an excellent trainer, Elder Willis, who just finished his training with Elder Ram. So, we know that he will be taken care of very well.


Thirteen days ago, we said good-bye to Elder Anthony as we sent him to the MTC in Manila. On Wednesday, we welcomed him back. His smile was bigger and brighter than the day he left our office thirteen days ago. He is being trained by Elder Randall.

The government decided to play a trick on us. We had to go to the post office this week. Our daughter, Brenda, sent us a package (exciting treat), which she has done in the past, but this time, the Indian government wanted us to pay some duty on the package (trick). So, we had to go to this post office to give them a receipt for the things she sent to us. We will end up paying about $60.00 duty for our precious package. Not only did they require us to pay, but they played a double trick on us: we will not get the package until this coming week. We thought we would be able to pick up the package when we went to the post office but this was not to be. That was a cruel trick!

On our way back from the post office, we saw this all too familiar sight. When the traffic gets too congested on the street, the drivers of motorcycles often take to the sidewalk to get past the stalled traffic. Pedestrians who use the sidewalks not only have to watch out for uneven surfaces as they walk, they also need to keep an eye out for motorcycles. This is something new to us since we have come to India. The first time we saw this, we were very surprised - shocked, but now it is just part of everyday life. We suggest that you don't attempt this trick if you live outside India!

 As we travel or walk, we are always on the look out for interesting signs. We loved this sign. We hope that the sign is not a trick and a reflection of the quality of these opticians.










Next to this shop, is a shoe shop. Of course, we see many "modern" shoe stores, but the streets are also full of these small shops. This is a typical street in India. Seeing all these small stores is still a treat for us. We continue to be amazed that so many stores can stay in business.

Saturday was another busy day for baking. We (okay . . . Sister Tiefenbach) made bread again - yum! We (this time it is "we") made muffins as well. We made banana raisin muffins and honey blueberry muffins. We have had a jar of honey in the cupboard, and Elder Tiefenbach doesn't particularly like liquid honey, so he found a muffin recipe that uses honey. We also received a free sample of liquid honey (shown in the picture) when we went grocery shopping on Saturday. All the muffins turned out pretty good. The recipe that we used for the banana muffins was from Sister Smith. This was definitely a GREAT TREAT!









For supper (dinner) on Saturday, we had tuna 'n cheese sauce over rice (my family knows it as tuna casserole not mixed together) with mixed vegetables and beets. This was the first time we bought beets in India, and it was a real treat to taste fresh beets. We are reminded of when we used to make pickled beets at this time of the year. We call them beets, but local people call it beet root.






Serving the Lord in India is a wonderful treat for both of us. We have been richly blessed by having met so many wonderful people, by having great experiences, and by receiving support from family and friends. We have certainly had difficult times, as well, but we have been sustained during those times. We trust in the promise that Paul gives "that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The Lord also revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith: "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another" (D&C 90: 24). This promise is the greatest treat of all.