The Great Escape

The title actually reflects one particular experience we had this week, but of course, we will not begin with that one. Although it relates to a specific event, we can twist it a bit to fit in with the experiences we had throughout the week. All the Bangalore missionaries, including President and Sister Berrett, made a small "escape" to Canada on Monday to celebrate Canada Day.  This was a great diversion for all the missionaries.




We had potato salad (so good), pasta salad, vegetable salad (fondly named Sister Tiefenbach's Rainbow salad), oven fried chicken, potato chips, pickles, and a beef dish that looked similar to chili (recipe created by the Tiefenbach's). It was delicious. The elders absolutely loved the food. The enjoyed having a North American meal.














The elders began gathering in our apartment at about 4:30 p.m. Here we have (beginning on the left) Elders Vaiphei, Penugula, Saroha, Mangum (on floor), Thanniru, Aydelott, Randall, and Mecham.









Our apartment was soon filled to the brim as all the missionaries arrived. Added here are Elders Kumar (2nd from the right) and Elder Kocharla. They enjoy any gathering when they can all meet together.









When Sister Tiefenbach told Elder Worton (Elder Ram is pointing to him) about the Canada Day celebration, he was a bit hesitant because it meant that the elders that work in the Whitefield area would be getting back to their area a bit late. He is the zone leader for Bangalore Zone. He asked me, "Does President Berrett know about this?" I laughed and said that he definitely knows about it because he is coming. Elder Worton is a very obedient missionary. Most of Elder Thanniru's face is in the picture and Elder Head made sure he was included in the picture. We are getting to know Elder Head quite a bit now that he is in Bangalore. We are enjoying him a lot.

The elders were quite orderly as they waited in line for the food. Elder Mangum (center) is displaying the feelings of closeness these elders have with each other. Elder Aydelott is very happy to be at our apartment to eat. The only elders that we can have at our apartment on a regular basis are the ones serving in the Indiranagar Branch (the branch we attend), so the others were happy to be able to come.

Elder Aeshamalla (the one stretching his neck to be in the picture) is great fun. He is in our branch, so we get to see him quite a bit. Unfortunately, he is being transferred next week. We will miss him. Elder Alosias (in the center) is from Coimbatore. He is a super fun loving person. He is always smiling, and he laughs readily. He is great fun to be around. We had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of discussions with him and Elder Head, and we enjoyed his spiritual nature. Elder Thanniru was one of our district leaders when we were in Coimbatore, so he will always have a special place in our hearts. He, too, will be transferred next week. We know transfers occur, but we still don't like them because we don't like to say good-bye. Mind you, as some elders leave, we always make new friends.

Elder Pace (left) and Aydelott are companions. Elder Aydelott will be leaving for the Philippines early Wednesday morning, at least we HOPE he will be leaving then. He is having some registration difficulties (we have many of those lately), so he will need to secure an exit permit in order to leave. He can't secure an exit permit until the internal papers arrive from his previous area to Bangalore. Monday is THE day he was told he could get his permit. We will see what happens.



For dessert, we had chocolate cake and ice cream. Mmmmmm . . . so good. We are enjoying working with President Berrett. The transition to a new president is working great. A few things are different but much is the same. Sister Berrett is in background. Elder Prakash (right) barely got in this picture.








Sister Tiefenbach and Elder and Sister Smith were able to enjoy the food, as well. Believe it or not, we had leftovers - not much, but leftovers, nonetheless.

Here are the Paisley Brothers (paisley ties). After the dinner, Elder Tiefenbach went with Elder Head and Elder Alosias to an appointment. The elders are teaching an older couple, and the couple wanted someone "with more experience" to baptize them. Elder Head thought of Elder Tiefenbach. So, they headed out to meet with the couple.






Sister Smith couldn't escape from her new assignment. President Berrett asked her if she could take over booking all the travel for transfers so the assistants to the president could spend more time doing missionary work and helping the other missionaries. This was her fist time booking flights, and we are sure she wanted to escape. She ended up booking about 60 flights. Elder Ram is teaching her how to do this job. He is such a good teacher. He is so patient and supportive, offering words of encouragement throughout his instructions. We are so impressed with him. We are SO SAD because he is being transferred this week, as well. We have been with him for so much of our mission that it will seem strange not to see him everyday. We will likely not see him again until he returns to Bangalore for his farewell dinner and fireside. This is a transfer we were expecting because we knew he would likely not finish his mission in the office. He will be going home in October. He has been the office since a week before we came to Bangalore. He is excited about his new assignment, as he will be training a brand new missionary in Vizak. He will be a GREAT trainer. We wish him well.

Okay, now for the real great escape story: This past week, we found out that Elder Eden's registration in Rajahmundry expired on July 7. July 7th !!!!! That is one month before he was scheduled to go back home. Somehow, that didn't get picked up. Actually, the FRRO agent in Hyderabad noticed it when Elder Edens registered in Hyderabad (his previous area), but the agent didn't inform us, and we didn't check the expiration date. The expiration date for Elder Eden's registration in the place before he was assigned to Hyderabd had the correct expiration date, so we never thought to check the date again. Our experience is that once an expiry date is given, all the ensuing issuing cities leave it at that date.

The Hyderabad agent talked to the authorities in Hyderabad at the time he noticed the different expiry date, and they told him that it would be no problem because he could simply apply for an extension when the expiration date was close. We didn't find out about the problem until our agent in Rajahmundry (Elder Eden's new city) phoned Sister Tiefenbach to tell her about it. Well, applying for an extension became impossible because the paper work from Hyderabad had not reached Rajahmundry, so Rajahmundry refused to grant an extension. We were then told that Elder Edens would have to apply to the central government for an extension. So much for the idea that he "simply needs to apply for an extension." We waited until the last minute to see if something could be worked out, but we were not successful. So, because his registration was soon to be expired, he could not stay in the country even though he had a valid visa. Yes, he could stay in the country past the expiration of his registration and work on extending it, but we would run the risk that it would take several weeks to months before his extension would be granted. Thus, he would not be able to leave the country in time for him to return to school on time back in the States. At about 7:00 in the evening, President Berrett finally made the difficult decision to fly him back home. Our GREAT ESCAPE plan was put into effect. Salt Lake City was contacted to arrange a flight for him to get out of India before his expiration date. Sister Tiefenbach contacted our travel agent in Bangalore to book a flight to Bangalore. It sounds so simple when it is written, but phone calls and emails were flying back and forth in a flurry of excitement and activity. By the way, did we mention that President Berrett was on his way to Sri Lanka in the middle of all this? We are so grateful for modern technology that allows us to communicate at times like this. It was a busy night!

Sister Tiefenbach emailed the flight tickets to Elder Edens between 9:00 and 9:30. He went to an internet café, and just as he was about to print the tickets, the power went out!! Agh! Sister Tiefenbach phoned Elder and Sister Allison, who are serving in Rajahmundry, to print the tickets for him. (They have back up power in their apartment.) He dropped by their apartment early the next morning on his way to the airport. Needless to say, Elder Edens reported that he didn't sleep much that night.

He arrived in Bangalore at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and we had a wonderful farewell for him at about 6:30. When we heard that Elder Edens would have to leave before his farewell, we were sad. But, as things turned out, we had time to organize a farewell for him. Sister Smith and Sister Tiefenbach planned a meal (roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, and rainbow salad, with banana cake and ice cream for dessert). After the dinner, we held a fireside. Elder Kumar and Elder Ram prepared the agenda. We were touched by his testimony as he shared several experiences he had on his mission. The spirit was very strong. This was the second farewell that Elder Tiefenbach had the privilege of presiding at. That, folks, is our GREAT ESCAPE story. All the pictures with Elder Edens were taken at his farewell.

Today, Elder Tiefenbach had the wonderful honour of baptizing the older couple we mentioned earlier. Their names are Brother Elisha Kommuguri and his wife, Sister Marthamma (Martha) Kommuguri. Their sons have been members of the church for several years, and they and their wives were so excited that their parents decided to accept the restored gospel and to be baptized. One son lives in Pudacherry, which is further away, so he could not attend the baptism. They were delighted to have Elder Tiefenbach baptize them because Elder Tiefenbach is a Canadian. Sixty years ago, Brother Elisha attended a Canadian Baptist college, and so he was very excited when he found out that Elder Tiefenbach was a Canadian.

Elder Head (left) and Elder Alosias (right) were the elders who taught them. They also helped with the baptism. Because of the age of Brother and Sister Kommuguri, the decision was made to have several people in the font to help. It all went smoothly. The baptism was in Whitefield Branch, and we will likely attend there next week for the confirmation. The other man, Brother Anand Sagar Kommuguri, is their son. Their son mentioned several times how happy he was because now their family can work toward being an eternal family. Indeed, this is the whole plan of the gospel - to link families together for eternity and to dwell with our Heavenly Father. The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). We understand that we can receive eternal life when we are sealed as families because families are the basic unit of the eternities. The Lord continues to invite all to come unto him so that all may receive the fullness of all the Father has.

Called to Serve

Another week and another month have gone by quickly. The speed at which time is flying by was driven home this past week as we began preparations for two couples to return home. When we are called on a mission, we know that it will come to an end; however, it seems to us that the end seems to have come quickly for these two couples. The Hatches (below) and the Allisons (to the right)will be departing for home on August 3, 2013. We will have a farewell for them on August 2. Both the Allisons and the Hatches had been out for about only 6 weeks when we arrived fresh on our mission.



At that time, we thought they had a lot of experience, and we felt we didn't know very much compared to them. Now, we know 6 weeks is not a big difference. The difference between their missions and ours is that they are both serving 18 months, and we are serving for 23 months. If we had volunteered for 18 months, we would be following them home 6 weeks later. That seems way too soon for us. We are not sure we would feel we had finished everything we needed to do. Mind you, the Allisons and Hatches also feel that way. We wish that we had more couples coming to India to replace them. We need more couples to answer the call of the prophet. The Learys will hopefully have success with their visas, and we look forward to seeing them the end of July (perhaps, if everything goes well with their visas).

 Whenever we prepare to say good-bye to some missionaries, we are always saying hello to new missionaries, fine young people who have been called to serve and have answered that call. This week, we received two missionaries from India who are going to England. Usually, young people from India are almost always called to serve within India, but there are a few exceptions, as is the case with Elder Botcha (left) and Elder Ganta. They are both from the same city, Visak. The are, however, going to two different missions in England. Elder Botcha is going to the England London mission, and Elder Ganta is going to the England London South Mission. They were certainly excited about their calls. We had the opportunity to have 3 different accents for the English language in our office for them to compare. We had the American English accent (Elder Pehrson), the Canadian English accent (Sister Tiefenbach), and the British English accent (Sister Smith). Elders Botcha and Ganta became a bit concerned because of all the different accents, they could least understand the British English accent. They wondered what lay ahead of them. We told them they did not need to worry because by the end of their missions, they would be talking like the Smiths.

President and Sister Berrett were in the USA at the MTC for the week, so President William (right)was asked to set these missionaries apart. Elder Tiefenbach has particularly enjoyed participating in these settings apart. The act of setting missionaries apart creates special connections between both the givers and the receivers of the ordinance, connections that will last forever.

We and Elder Pehrson had a victorious day this week. Elder Pehrson has been trying to register in Bangalore since last November. For some reason, the registration turned into a LONG drawn out process. Through a series of events, he was finally required to return to Bangalore to complete his registration. One would think that when one is summoned by the authorities to finish the registration, the process would be easy. But, this was not the case. We brought him in last Saturday, and he did not receive his registration until Tuesday. Here is the happy and triumphant Elder Pehrson with his registration certificate! At long last, it is over. He is now ready to leave India in August so he can apply for another visa so he can serve for his second year here. Then, he gets to register all over again! We bet he is SO looking forward to that.

The Assistants have been working hard in the office this past week. We will be having a lot of movement of missionaries going home and new ones coming in the next month, so they have been working on several possible arrangements. They have been getting ready for another round of zone conferences. Elder Kumar is in deep concentration at the computer. He was completely unaware that we were taking his picture until the camera flashed.




Here we have his enthusiastic looking expression for the work he is engaged in.

Elder Ram wasn't a whit behind Elder Kumar. Elder Ram is great at talking on the phone and working on the computer at the same time. This is proof that they actually work at the office. The work at the office is different than other missionary work, but it is just as demanding. They do an admirable job. They are great examples of missionaries who have taken their call to serve to heart.

Now, we have a less serious pose from Elder Ram. But, even in his more relaxed moments, he still remembers his purpose as a missionary. The boxes you see there are packages waiting to be sent by the courier to missionaries serving outside of Bangalore.








Sister Tiefenbach works a lot on the computer, but once in a while she gets the chance to be "creative." Here she is getting extra copies of a phone list that is put in the welcome packets for all the new missionaries that come into the mission. She prints the lists off, cuts them, and then laminates them. She is having SO much fun. But, as Sister Wigg always said, "All service is good service!" She indeed is correct.

While all this serious work was going on, Elder Tiefenbach finally decided to go and get a hair cut. He certainly can't use the excuse for his delay in getting his haircut that it costs too much. He pays 70 rupees (less than $1.40). Here he is before his haircut. His hair definitely looks a little . . .  wind blown. It is all that riding in the auto that he did that day.

Here is Elder Tiefenbach after his hair cut. He is looking more like a handsome, well-groomed missionary who looks determined to be true to his call to serve. Sometimes, when he looks so good, Sister Tiefenbach has a hard time concentrating on her work. It is a good thing that his office is in a separate room. At this point our children and grandchildren are groaning and rolling their eyes.







Elder Tiefenbach is posing with one the security guards at our office building. He is the guard who looks after the parking, and he often brings up mail to our office. Every morning he says good morning to us, shakes Elder Tiefenbach's hand, and invariably asks if we have had our breakfast. Our response is invariably, "Yes. It was good." And he responds, "Good." These seemingly little things make our experience here personal and unique, and we understand the eternal blessings that are in store for those who accept the call to serve. We wonder how long he will remember us. We don't know his name. We should ask him sometime.

Today (Sunday), the missionaries in our branch came over to borrow our stove. We wouldn't let them take it, so they cooked their meal in our apartment. Apparently, they ran out of propane. We didn't mind helping them out. Part of our call to serve is to help the missionaries. Elder Aeshamalla is a great cook. They roll chipati (spelling???) every Sunday. We tried some of the food, but Sister Tiefenbach found it a bit too spicy. Elder Aeshamalla said that it was about only 30% as spicy as what it would be at his house with his parents.




Later that evening, we all attended the worldwide broadcast about missionary work. It was very moving and motivating. The word of the Lord must and will go forth to all the world. We can be part of that work; as disciples of Christ we all have a responsibility to echo Nephi's words, "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life" (3 Nephi 5:13). We are humbled to be called to serve the people in India. We have a great love for the people here.

Reaching New Heights

We seem to always have great experiences every week. Some of them may seem routine to you, such as missionaries leaving or coming. But, to us, every missionary that comes is just as exciting as the first one, and every missionary that finishes his or her mission is just as wonderful and precious as the first one. It is almost like having children. Each one is wonderful. Each child is special. Each missionary is wonderful and special, and each one raises us to new heights. We are thrilled to be part of their lives. As you may have guessed, we said good-bye to a missionary, and we said hello to three new ones. Sister Anushuya,, who served in the Canada Toronto Mission but finished her mission here was released on Wednesday.

We had the privilege of having her stay at our place the night of her farewell. We all helped get the farewell dinner ready at the mission home. Here are Sister Singh (left), Sister Bathula (pink), and Sister Tiefenbach busily getting things ready.









Elder Tiefenbach likes the posed view better. Sister Bathula has been at a couple of farewells and is always in the kitchen helping with whatever needs to be done. Sister Bathula will be having her own farewell in just a little over a month. We are getting to know Sister Singh better as we are seeing her more now. She will be training a new missionary, Sister Yelamanchili, and is quite nervous about it. She is very tall, as you can see.






President and Sister Berrett are working hard to learn all their responsibilities. We can tell they are quickly getting to know all the missionaries. One thing that we have noticed here is how quickly we become attached to the missionaries. We have known Sister Anushuya a short time and have seen her only twice, but we and the Berretts have a close connection to her. We can't explain how we can develop these feelings we have for the missionaries so quickly.




The missionaries LOVE the couples. Sister Anushuya insisted on having her picture taken with the couples. As soon as Sister Anushuya walked into the office on Wednesday around noon, she spread her arms open wide and said, "Sister Tiefenbach! I need a hug!" Life can't get better than that! Experiences like this certainly takes us to new heights.







We welcomed Elder Penugula. He is serving in Bangalore for his first assignment. He is one of the missionaries that Sister Tiefenbach got ready to go to the MTC. Unfortunately, she was not able to officially send him off because that is when we were in Coimbatore. But, everyone made it to Manila safely and returned safely this week.






Sister Yelamanchili also returned on Wednesday from the MTC. She will be serving with Sister Singh in Chennai. We have 4 sisters serving in Chennai and four in Coimbatore. Sister missionaries do not serve in any other cities in our mission right now. By the beginning of August, we will have several more sister missionaries. The presence of sisters definitely changes the mission. The Assistants have to remember that extra work needs to be done with sisters. For example, when the Missionary Leader Council (formerly known as Zone Leader Council) meets, they have to think about where the sisters are going to stay. As long as the council consisted of elders only, they simply had all the zone leaders stay at the assistants' apartment. Obviously, the sisters can't stay there. Sometimes, the assistants forget about that until we ask them where the sisters are staying. They usually respond with, "Oh, yeah."



We had a surprise arrival of Elder Saroha. He is from Delhi and has not been to the MTC yet. There was an urgency for him to start his mission immediately because of family circumstances. The Delhi office tried hard to get him to the MTC first, but there was a delay for his Philippines visa. As soon as his visa is ready, he will attend the next available MTC intake date. Then, he will return to serve in our mission.




We and the Smith's went on a "field trip" on Saturday. We went to Mysore to see the Mysore Palace and a few other things. We had made that 3 - 4 hour trip when we first arrived in India. Smith's had not been there before. We enjoyed seeing the sights for the second time. Mysore Palace was spectacular. We were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the palace. We wish we could share the wonderful carvings in the ceilings and doors, the gorgeous paintings on the ceilings, the glorious pillars (reaching to new heights), and the ivory inlays on the floors and doors. Doesn't it sound wonderful? It is. This time, we used the headsets for the audio tour. It was much better taking the audio tour. There was much pomp and ceremony associated with the Indian Royal family.




Two animals are prominently featured in the carvings and grounds of the palace: the lion and the elephant. Lions are strategically placed at many of the entrances. The lions represent royalty and power.

Hmmmm . . . Who looks more fierce? Sister Tiefenbach does not have the fangs needed for a really fierce look, although some of her children's friends may think she is just as scary looking.









This is the front view of the Mysore Palace. It is definitely majestic in its appearance. It's English based architecture is evident.

The majestic front gates are about 300 meters directly opposite the front of the palace. One can picture the pageantry of the grand processions with the elaborately decorated elephants and horses, the bright colours of the guards, and the regal attire of the royal family members. What a grand sight that must have been! Thinking of this makes one almost feel taller. It can help us reach new heights as we remember that we are all of royal heritage as we are sons and daughters of God. We can think of the glorious day when we can receive a royal welcome when we are invited back into God's presence.


Here is a different view of the palace. It seems that it is in two different sections. The palace is filled with many archways, each one with intricate carvings.











We definitely reached new heights on our trip to Mysore. Here we are high in the air on the back of an elephant. An elephant!!! Did you get that folks? We rode an ELEPHANT!!!











We got on the elephant by a platform. We really weren't interested in trying to hoist ourselves up any other way. Walking up the stairs to the top of the elephant was way easier than any other way of getting on top.

The Smith's were on the other side. We were hoping to go on separate rides so we could take pictures of each other, but we were next in line for the same elephant. A kind man offered to take pictures of us. He actually followed us as the elephant took us on its course.

We were not content to sit only on the platform on the back of the elephant. NO!!! NOT US!!!! We bravely made our way further down and sat on the elephants head. Each of us had the opportunity to carefully make our way to its head.








Okay everyone, this is hard to believe, but the picture says it all! Who is on the elephant's head now???? Why, it is Sister Tiefenbach! We bet many of you are surprised. Actually, the elephant was much softer that we expected. Obviously, this was an Indian elephant, not an African elephant.















The elephant ride cost 100 rupees each (roughly $2.00), BUT the tip cost us 500 rupees per couple. Because we were foreigners, the "driver" did extra things like have us sit on the elephant's head and get a picture with the elephant at the end of the ride. We and the Smith's were deciding on the amount of the tip. We decided 100 rupees was a good tip, which is a 100% tip. When we handed him the 100 rupees, he said, "No, 500 rupees." We said, "No, 100 rupees." He insisted on 500 rupees. We decided that it wasn't worth bargaining over the tip, and we paid him the 500 extra rupees. It was worth the experience of the ride. It was great fun and was definitely a new experience for us, making us rise to new heights.

We were going to ride the camel, too, but we decided one 500 rupee tip was enough for one day.












This is an example of many trees in the palace grounds where vines co-exist with the tree. In other words, these vines are parasites. We found out that sandalwood is actually one of these parasite vines that grows on trees. We didn't know that before. That is what happens when we rise to new heights; we learn new things.













We had a wonderful time at the Mysore Palace. We enjoyed the company, and we enjoyed the break from our everyday work. We will be set for another week of surprise challenges that always seem to crop up in our work at the office.
















After we were done at the Mysore Palace, we went to the hill station of Chamundi. It is a quaint little town that is the home of the Chamundi Hindu Temple.
















The weather was cool and drizzly. Many of the little shop stands were closed or had tarps over them. This one that sells roasted corn remained open.










Even the monkeys enjoy the corn. Monkeys were everywhere.

A woman sat nearby, selling her flowers. Temple worshipers buy these flowers to make an offering in the temple. Many people wear knitted head covering when the temperature falls to the low to mid twenties.









Another reason to come to this hill station is to take in the view. Looking out on this panoramic view testifies of the immensity of God's creations. Despite the grayness and wetness of the day, the view was breathtaking.









We went back down to Mysore and stopped at the Saint Philomena Cathedral (It is both Saint Joseph and Saint Philomena.)
















Again, we enjoyed seeing the architecture of the building. We loved the high arched ceilings. We were able to go inside and down into the catacombs. That was a strange feeling.

We leave you this week with another view of the Mysore Palace. The towers of the palace seem to be reaching up from the beautiful earth that God has  adorned with rich, lush, green foliage, stretching upward, upward to the sky to find new heights and new possibilities. Elder Devere Harris (October, 1984) said, "there seems to be a yearning, a longing, a reaching up for something not had here. I think a wise man of old described it best when he said, 'Surely God has planted the seeds of eternity into the souls of men.'"