Sweets at the Beginning of the Week - Sweets at the End of the Week - And a Whole Lot of Sweets In Between

Yes, the week started off with SWEET chocolate chip cookies to take to the office. We took 3 dozen cookies on Monday morning, and by the end of the day, they were all gone. Hmmmm..... I wonder who ate so many cookies????? Missionaries perhaps?????? We recall Sister Tiefenbach using the word, "vultures" at one point in time that day.

We had a very SWEET experience this week as we said good-bye to two great missionaries. Elder Vinck and Elder Sodadasi have finished their missions and headed home this week. As a great send off, President and Sister Funk invited them, the Smith's, the Assistants to the President, and us to their place for a wonderful steak supper. The steak was so, so good. We also had pasta with a cream sauce, salad, and carrots. Dessert was a chocolate chocolate chip cup cake with ice cream. Mmmmm, good! Now that was one SWEET meal. This is the dining room at the mission home.

Just before we were to leave the office for the mission home, President Funk asked Elder Ram and Elder Barlow (the Assistants to the President) if they had the agenda for the farewell evening. We wish we had a camera at that time to capture the looks on their faces. Their eyes looked like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. For the first time since we have known them, they did not know what to say. Their jaws dropped; their voices were silent as they stared ahead with complete blank looks on their faces. Now, that was a SWEET, SWEET moment! The President jokingly said, "I guess not." The brilliant Elder Barlow said, "Ah . . .  were we supposed to do that????" We all had a good laugh. Later on in the week, as we all reminisced about the incident, Elder Ram and Elder Barlow came up with a better response they can use for when they haven't develped an agenda. They will simply say, "Yes, President. We will get that for you right away." They will then simply go to the computer, find an existing agenda and change the names. Simple! By the time the Assistants arrived at the farewell dinner, they were mostly back to their regular cheerful selves.

Here are Elder Vinck (right) and Elder Sodadasi. We first met Elder Vinck when we were serving in Coimbatore. He was an Assistant to the President at that time, and was visiting Coimbatore for a few days. We were impressed with him then, and we continue to be impressed with him now. As part of the farewell, both elders had the opportunity to talk about a couple of things they have learned while serving their missions. Elder Vinck said that he learned that serving a mission was not about him; it is about doing what the Lord wants. He said he gave up his ideas about how he could continue to keep up his basketball skills while serving his mission and turned his thoughts to having a desire to do the Lord's will. We never cease to be amazed at the maturity of these young men. Hearing Elder Vinck's testimony added a wonderful, SWEET touch to the evening.

We were also touched by the SWEET testimony of Elder Sodadasi. We met him briefly several months ago at a multi-zone conference held at Coimbatore. He has contributed in great ways to the Lord's work while on his mission, and we are sure that the strength he has gained on his mission will be invaluable as he returns home to contribute to his own branch.

A crowning SWEET experience was seeing Brother Akash Amalraj. Akash is from Coimbatore and flew to Bangalore for an interview with President Funk in preparation for a mission. Akash is like a son to us. When he walked into the door of the office our faces and our hearts lit up. Sister Tiefenbach wanted to give him a great big hug, but she thought it might be a bit inappropriate, so she settled for a good solid handshake. We can't say enough good about Akash. He comes from a solid family who is dedicated to the Gospel, and his great parents have trained up their children in the way of the Lord. We know that Akash will be a great missionary. He carries with him a great air of confidence, but his confidence is wrapped with a SWEET sense of humility. His English is exceptional, and he would do well anywhere in the world. Most young men in India are called to serve in one of the two missions of India, but a few are called to other parts of the world. We can hardly wait to see where he will be called.

We took Akash and his family friend out for lunch (sorry, we can't remember his name). The man sitting with Akash is a family friend who served in the army with Akash's father. He has known and looked after Akash since Akash was a small child. He travelled several hours to meet Akash at the airport in Bangalore. This shows his respect and SWEET love for Akash and his family. When we came back from lunch, President Funk interviewed Akash. After the interview, Akash waited in the office until it was time for him to go back to the airport.  Elder Tiefenbach took a few minutes from his busy work in his office to make some SWEET memories of our visit with Akash.

That day was a busy day with many people coming and going. Elder and Sister Smith came in to get a few things done. Sister Smith diligently comes in every day to see if more baptismal records have been delivered by the missionaries so she can enter them into the data base. Sister Tiefenbach is happy that Sister Smith so willingly does this job because if Sister Smith did not do it, Sister Tiefenbach would have to do it. Her SWEET contribution to the work in the office frees up time for Sister Tiefenbach to stay mostly caught up with other things that have to be done. Sister Tiefenbach wonders how Sister Wigg kept up with all the work.

And, of course the Assistants were busy at work, as usual. Ahem . . . Elders!!!! You could at least pretend to be busy the way normal people work! We love your SWEET, serious, studious, spiritual contribution to the work in the office.

We welcomed two new elders from the USA to our mission, Elder O'Dell (left) and Elder Thomas. Their arrival into our mission was delayed for several months as they waited for their visas. While waiting for their visas, they had many SWEET experiences serving in Arizona, so although they are new to India, they come to us with experience under their belts. They are excited to be in India. They will be in Bangalore for only a short time while they wait to be assigned to a branch in the mission. We wish them well as they continue to serve.

The day after Elder O'Dell and Elder Thomas arrived, they were welcomed to Bangalore with the leftovers of Holi. Holi is a holiday where people throw paint balls at other people. Hmmm. . . interesting. Holi was on Wednesday, but Elder Thomas was fortunate to be the recipient of someone's SWEET offering the next day.

We invited these SWEET spirits for dinner (supper) on Thursday this week. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and banana cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce was made by Sister Wigg before she left. Thanks, Sister Wigg for contributing to our meal in such a SWEET way. Interestingly, we had no leftovers. The bowl you see was once filled with mashed potatoes but is now empty.We love the missionaries. We enjoy the work we do in the office, but we LOVE the missionaries.

Each moring, when we go walking in the nearby park, we anticipate the SWEET refreshment the beautiful trees Banglore offers us. Sometimes the leaves of the trees diffuse the rays of the rising sun through fresh morning air, giving light at the end of the path ahead of us.  As we see the sunrays steaming through the trees, we are reminded of the picture of the Joseph Smith's first vision. A feeling of SWEET wonder fills our hearts as we think about the majesty and splendor of that moment. The timing and the conditions have to be just right for the sunrays to be visible in the park. On this day, those conditions were not there. One day, we hope to capture it with the camera.

Saturday, is our preparation day. For this past Saturday, we decided that we wanted to get out and see a few sights in Bangalore. We called the Smith's to see if they wanted to join us, and they were delighted to be with us. We all crowded into an auto (driven by Baskhar) and began our SWEET outing at the National Gallery of Modern Art. We had a hard time finding the art gallery, but after going by it about three times, we finally arrived at the old colonial "bungalow," as they call it, where the gallery is housed. The building was indeed wonderful, and the art was interesting to see. We could take pictures outside, but we could not take any pictures inside. The reflecting pool provides a sense of SWEETNESS and peace to the majestic building.

The main grounds of the gallery are to the left of the above picture, which is the actual front of the gallery, where a fountain graces the grounds with beauty and refreshment. Elder and Sister Smith are enjoying the freshness of the fountain. Of course, the reflecting pool and the fountain remind us of the fountains and reflecting pools that are outside the Temples of the Lord. We are grateful that Heavenly Father has provided us with reminders of the Temple when we are so far away from the nearest House of the Lord. As we acknowledge and show gratitude for these reminders, we can feel the SWEET love our Heavenly Father has for us. He knows we love the temple, which is the source of the Living Waters.

The trees in the grounds of the gallery are wonderful. The trunks of many of them are massive. How SWEET is this picutre of two people in love standing under a huge rain tree? The only thing that is missing is a heart carved in the trunk of the tree with the inscription, "T W + W T." (Our children are probably groaning at this point.) There aren't many leaves at the bottom of these trees.





The leaves are wayyyyyy up at the top. The branches and leaves at the top of the trees offer lots of room  around the trees on the ground and provide SWEET coolness from the hot summer sun. The weather has become hot here, with the temperature during the days rising to the mid-thirties.







Here we have the handsome Elder Tiefenbach surrounded by SWEET flowers and regal trees. He fits in well because he is both SWEET and regal. He is Sister Tiefenbach's SWEETheart, and he is a regal son of our Heavenly Father.

After our trip to the art gallery, we headed to the Bangalore Castle. We did not go inside the Castle; we simply walked around the front of it. We think they were shooting a movie there that day. Bangalore Castle is designed after Windsor Castle. Seeing this castle brought back SWEET memories of our trip to England we made with Elder Tiefenbach's mother and specifically, our tour of Windsor Castle.

Today, is the fifth Sunday, so we had a combined Priesthood and Relief Society meeting. President Anthony taught the lesson. Here in India, they would say, "President Anthony TOOK the lesson." He showed some videos of President Hinckley testifying of Christ and His Atonement. After the videos, some people had the opportunity to bear their testimonies of the character of Christ. Elder Solomon (this is an old picture) bore a SWEET testimony as he referred to a talk by Elder Bednar, who said that without the character of Christ, there would be no atonement. Elder Solomon said that he thinks the most important characteristic of Christ is that he always turned outward; He was always more concerned about other people than himself. He then applied it to himself and to all of us, saying that we, too, can turn outward and show this same characteristic. Elder Solomon has a sincere, genuine spiritual SWEETNESS about him. We do not like the thought that one day, he will be transferred to another place in India. We already had to say good-bye to him once.

One of the SWEET experiences we have here is to receive communications from home through the marvels of modern technology. Our daughter, Carma, and her husband, Rob, and two of their daughters made a trip to Salt Lake City for meetings with Rob's work (FamilySearch). Carma and our beautiful granddaughter attended the Young Women meeting at the Conference Center. They had a wonderful time, and we are so excited for them. This will truly be a SWEET memory for them.



We love the SWEET feelings we get when we see pictures of home, even if the pictures are filled with piles of snow. Somehow, even though we don't like snow, the snow makes us feel good. Maybe, the SWEETNESS comes from seeing our SWEET granddaughter experience a record amount of snow.

Elder Solomon's SWEET grandmother offered some SWEETNESS to end our week. She gave us an Indian SWEET today. We can't remember the name of it, but it is good. She always has a smile to greet us each week, and we look forward to seeing her and shaking her hand. The words "SWEET is the peace the gospel brings," comes to our minds when we think of Sister Solomon. We hope that your week to come will be filled with the SWEETNESS of the peace of the gospel.

Birthday in the Office

Elder Ram had a birthday the week before last week, but he was out of station (that means out of town). So, we weren't able to make a cake for him until this past week. We took a few moments to light the birthday candles, sing to him, and eat cake.







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We think he must have had a big wish! He blew all the candles out with one breath - not surprising given the huge breath he took. We made him a chocolate cake with chocolate icing (frosting if you prefer that word). It was oh so delicious. Sister Tiefenbach does not make fancy cakes with artistic decorations; she makes plain, ordinary cakes, but they taste good. We wish we could share this cake with everyone, but it would probably be quite stale by the time you would get it.



Speaking of sharing cake, one tradition in India is that the birthday person feeds his piece of cake to all the people who attend the cake cutting. Well, Sister Tiefenbach would not allow that because she is a "germaphobic," as Elder Ram says. So, she cut small pieces for him to share with those who were at the cake cutting. He started the custom with Sister Tiefenbach. In truth, Sister Tiefenbach was a bit reluctant because she thought Elder Ram was going to smash the cake in her face. Hmm.... why would Sister Tiefenbach ever think Elder Ram would
do something like that?????? Fortunately, he did not. Elder Smith is anxiously waiting for his turn.

Sister Smith was a willing participant in this tradition. This was her first birthday celebration in India, and she enjoyed her initiation into the Indian birthday tradition.  We think she was glad she got her own little piece of cake and did not have to take a bite of the same piece of cake that Sister Tiefenbach had bitten.







Elder Ram was less careful with Elder Barlow. Elder Barlow can really open his mouth wide. On the exterior, Elder Barlow looks like a mild mannered, serious, office-type of person (you know, the Clark Kent type), but he is just as wierd as Elder Ram. So, maybe rather than the Clark Kent/Superman comparison, maybe Dr. Jekel/Mr. Hyde would be a more appropriate likeness. They wanted a close up picture of the procedure so they could show everyone how the professionals do this. Obviously, they have this tradition down really good!! Elder Smith was also favoured with an offering from Elder Ram, but Elder Tiefenbach missed out because he received an important phone call just as we were beginning the celebration. The candles were already lit when the phone rang, so we went ahead with the cake.

After feeding everyone a small piece of cake, everyone had their own larger piece. So, how much cake did Elder Ram and Elder Barlow really eat???? Actually, the cake was shared with 8 or 9 other people who also work on the same floor as us and on the floor above us.

Oh look!! There is Elder Tiefenbach. He made his appearance between phone calls. The cake celebration was a welcomed stress reliever for Sister Tiefenbach. She was having an extremely stressful day. Here is the story. All the elders from the States have only a one year visa. At the end of that time period, they must leave the country to apply for another visa to India. The missionaires now go to the Philippines for this process. In order  to apply for another visa, they need to turn in their USA passports with their visa application. That would leave the elders without a passport in a foreign country (Philippines). So, to ensure that they have a passport, the elders have to apply for a second passport at least 3 weeks before they leave India. Applying for their second passport requires a flight to Hyderabad, unless one is already in Hyderabad. Regardless, the appointment is with the USA Consulate in Hyderabad. To apply for their second passport, they must show their first passport to verify that they are who they say they are. Well, Sister Tiefenbach received a phone call from Elder Hatch (a senior missionary serving in Hyderabad) tellling her that five missionaries were in Hyderabad for their interviews, and none of them had their passports (all passports are kept in the office for safe keeping). "Was this the day of the interview????" Panic stricken, and after a pause of silence brought about by the understanding of the gravity of the situation, Sister Tiefenbach replies, "Not only do they not have their passports, they don't have their applications for their 2nd passports!" So, how is that for a jump start for Tuesday????

We solved the lack of applications fairly quickly, so a bit of the stress was gone. Sister Smith suggested to Sister Tiefenbach that she have some chocolate. So, that seemed like a good time to bring out the cake. Later, we found out that the elders couldn't even get through the Consulate gate without a passport. Three of the elders had their driver's license, so the guards let them in. The other two were not allowed in no matter how much everyone pleaded. The three that got in were not really any further ahead than the two that were left out because the staff at the Consulate could not process the applications without the presence of the first passport. We were in big trouble again. The elders were told that when the leave the Consulate, they would have to make an appointment for the next available time, which was April 9th. April 9th!!!!! They are supposed to be flying to the Philippines that day!!!! STRESS!!!!!! No worries, they said. The elders were told that after they make the online appointment, they simply write an email requesting an earlier appointment. They could not guarantee that the elders would be able to get in the next day, so we were praying desperately for that. We don't know whether Elder Smith or Sister Tiefenbach thought of the brilliant solution to the problem. Or, maybe it was a combined solution, but we decided to fly Elder Smith to Hyderabad with all the passports early the next morning. We were counting on the Elders being granted an appointment for that day. The elders sent the request the following day because the office was closed by the time they were finished. Within 15 minutes of sending the request for an earlier appointment, they were told they could have an appointment for that day (Wednesday). By the time the elders knew they had an appointment for that day, they already had their passports in their hands. We believe the Lord truly stepped in so His plan would not be thwarted by the absent-mindedness of the mission secretary or by the lack of clarity on how this whole procedure of what she was supposed to do. We don't know exactly what happened, but we know what didn't happen. Needless to day, it will be done right next time. We even had a bonus: President Funk did not fire Sister Tiefenbach. Everyone agreed that the problem was systemic, and in the end, it didn't seem to be as much of a catastrophe as we thought it was. Elder Tiefenbach felt so bad for Sister Tiefenbach; he didn't think it was completely her fault, but he knew the difficult situation that Sister Tiefenbach was in. He felt helpless because he couldn't take it away like he would like to do.

But, somone can take it all away. This whole episode made Sister Tiefenbach think of the Atonement. Sometimes, we simply blow it; we mess up. But, if we show that we repent, the Lord steps in and carries us. Sister Tiefenbach is ever grateful for the Atonement. She knows Divine intervention was involved in this.

Wednesday night, after the stress was lifted from everyone's shoulders, we had the pleasure of seeing Elder Kumar. He was the Zone Leader when we first arrived in Coimbatore. He took such good care of us when we were new; he will always have a special place in our hearts. We were so happy to see him. Elder Kumar is a hard-working, dedicated missionary. Elder Kumar was in Bangalore for Zone Leader training. All the zone leaders in the mission came into Bangalore for the Wednesday training. We were actually favoured by two visits from Elder Kumar. He came Tuesday evening and Wednesday everning. Elder Kumar has already finished his Bachelor of Pharmacy and plans to do a Master's Degree when he is finished his mission. He will be finished his mission in about 5 months.

 Elder Aruldoss came with Elder Kumar on Wednesday. He served with us in Coimbatore. We feel a special closeness to all the missionaries with whom we have served. Elder Aruldoss spent a few years in Arizona as an exchange student before his return to India to prepare for a mission.

One way to deal with stress is to exercise. We walk every morning Monday to Friday in a nearby park. The park is filled with green trees and plants and is a haven of peace and quiet before we begin our busy days at the office. Our walk is always a great start to the day. This is the main entrance to the park. Obviously, we do not wear our missionary attire when we walk in the park.

In our daily walk, we see some of the same people everyday. We see a particular friendly group of men. We say hello to them every day. The men walk quite a bit slower than we do, and when ever we overtake them, they make some comment to us about us being younger or some other similar comment. One day, the more talkative member of the group was alone; the others did not come. He was coming up quickly behind us, and we jokingly asked him if it was his turn to overtake us. He laughed and then joined us for the rest of our walk. He owns a t-shirt company, and before we finished our walk, he had our phone number so he could phone us later to deliver some free t-shirts. He sent 2 girl shirts and 2 boy shirts.

The man's name is Santosh. He has two companies in Tirupur, which is about 50 km east of Coimbatore. But, he has his home in Bangalore. One of his companies is called GoGo Garments. His son has taken over the business now. Santosh did a good job of judging our sizes. Elder Tiefenbach looks great sporting his new t-shirt.

We went shopping at a different mall on Saturday. In the mall is a grocery store called Food Hall. It has a few things that the other grocery stores do not have, but the other grocery stores have things that this one doesn't have. But, it was nice to go somewhere different. Although we see many trees everyday in Bangalore, we don't see many lawns. We were surprised to see this rooftop lawn from the vantage point of the huge mall windows. The swimming pool looked inviting, too, as the weather has become hot.

Although the hot temperatures of the summer are once again upon us, Bangalore is favoured by many trees. This is one of the streets we walk on the way to church. The abundance of trees shelters us from the scorching rays of the sun, while allowing us to enjoy its warmth. This street looks like it could be any typical street in North America. Maybe, our memory of home has faded, and we now consider the things we see here to be the same as in Canada. There is something wonderful and inspiring about seeing a group of missioanries walking down the street together. They have a presence about them, and they look like they are definitely on the Lord's errand.

We are slowly getting to know the members of the church in our branch. This is Sesha Kumar (right) with his daughter and his wife (Anna Poorna). He is the Sunday School President. We can't remember the name of the man on the left. Elder Tiefenbach has been asked to teach the youth Sunday School class. It is not a calling, but he will be doing it each week. Sister Tiefenbach was asked to play the piano/organ for the opening and sacrament hymn at the last moment. Elder Barlow, who usually plays the piano, was delayed (with his companion, Elder Ram) in arriving at church because they dropped by an investigator's home to come to church with them.

This, dear family and friends, is about a 2 minute walk from our apartment. Can you believe  that we haven't been there, yet? We never seem to think of it during the week, but we are reminded every Sunday because we walk by it on our way to and from church. Don't worry, we are never tempted to go their on Sunday! You may be wondering why McDonald's is a wonderful sight to see, but it stirs up some wonderful memories of when we would always go to McDonald's after institute on Thursday evenings when we were dating. Elder Tiefenbach would almost always order a filet o'fish, and Sister Tiefenbach would order a cheeseburger.

 However, wonderful the sight of McDonald's may be, nothing can beat the beauties of the creations of our Father in Heaven. One of the beauties we see are the trees in Bangalore. We see many flowers on trees here; however, not all the flowers on the trees are actually part of the tree. Many trees have flowering vines that grow beside them and entwine themselves in the branches of the trees. The co-existence of the majestic trees and the delicate, radiant flowering vines is a wonder to behold. Throughout our lives, we will always have stressful moments, but as we take time to enjoy the grandeur of Heavenly Father's creations, we can be reminded of His precious gift he has provided us, His great plan of happiness. We know that in the grand scheme of His plan of happiness, this life is but a small speck of time, and our difficult and stressful times are smaller, yet. The Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is central to our Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness, will buoy us up and give us strength to pass through difficult and stressful times. We but need to take advantage of this gift.

Everything New and Beautiful

Welcome to our week where we had many NEW and BEAUTIFUL experiences. The first NEW and BEAUTIFUL experience of our week was sending four NEW missionaries off to the Manila Mission Training Center (MTC). They are (left to right): Elder Siyyadri, Elder Beeraka, Elder Sundrarajan (from Coimbatore), and Sister Nekkanti. We had taught Elder Sundrarajan the temple preparation classes while we were in Coimbatore; we have been blessed to have been so much a part of his mission preparation. Sister Tiefenbach finished preparing the documents needed for their trip and made some follow up phone calls to make sure everything was in place. Sister Wigg had prepared well for their departure, and we benefited from her hard work. What a thrill it was for us as we watched each new missionary come into the office on Wednesday to be set apart by President Robert William, 1st Counsellor in the Mission Presidency. What great joy we had as we watched each one come out of the President's office as an official missionary! All of them were enthusiastic, excited, and ready to go. They all got away in the evening and headed to the airport. Sister Tiefenbach had a restless night that night because she was worried about the missionaries, wondering if they got out of India okay, if they made their connection in Malaysia, and if they made it to the Philippines. The next morning, we received an email from the Philippines saying that all the missionaries made it to the Philippines safely. Whew!!! What a relief that was!

Another NEW experience was having the BEAUTIFUL sister missionaries from Coimbatore stay at our apartment when they came in for a multi-zone conference. We love to see (left to right) Sister Madbathula, Sister Jebamani, and Sister Dhikao. They arrived about 10:30 p.m., and then we fed them some scrambled eggs and toast before they went to bed.





We prepared pancakes for them in the morning for breakfast. Sister Tiefenbach is such a "Happy Homemaker!" That looks like a BEAUTIFUL stack of pancakes on the right.

The Assistants to the President planned to pick up the sisters after breakfast to help them get an auto to go to the Convent Road chapel for the conference. Well, the sisters took an exceptionally L - O - N - G time to get themselves BEAUTIFUL for the day. We have experience with BEAUTIFUL daughters, but this was definitely a NEW experience. Although the sisters took a long time, and the pancakes were cold by the time they ate, the sisters are BEAUTIFUL, physically and spiritually, and we just had to smile at their tardiness.

So, the Assistants had to wait for the sisters, and what else could Elder Ram and Elder Barlow do except eat pancakes for breakfast? They certainly didn't need much coaxing to sit down to a BEAUTIFUL breakfast to start their NEW day. A smile came across their faces, and their eyes widened. That was a good sign for us. Before they began eating, we told the Elders that they needed to eat fast so the sisters could be on time for their meeting with Sister Funk and Sister Gong (the wife of the General Authority who was visiting). Let's just say that Elder Ram can eat fast!!!! Elder Ram look at your plate; it is empty, and Elder Barlow is just beginning to eat. Maybe, Elder Barlow still has some pancakes left because he gives serious thought to the food on his plate. He does look serious!! Ahhhh, life would be so dull without the Assistants!

..So far, every Monday of each NEW week, Elder Solomon and Elder Aeshamalla come into the office. What a BEAUTIFUL ray of sunshine they bring with them. They both have such wonderful smiles that can brighten anyone's day. We look forward to seeing them each week. We are fortunate because we go to the same branch as Elders Solomon, Aeshamalla, Ram, and Barlow.






President Funk's driver, Sampath, particulary likes Elder Solomon. Every time Sampath sees Elder Solomon, he puts his arm around Elder Solomon. You can see in Sampath's eyes that he has a tender spot in his heart for Elder Solomon. Elder Solomon's father is a former mission president here and is the person who hired Sampath as a driver. Sampath has been driving for the mission president ever since. Sampath is not the only person that has a great deal of respect for Elder Solomon. One investigator, Titan, praises him greatly. He says the Elder Solomon is polite, convincing, caring, humble . . . . The list goes on. It seems he can't say enough good about Elder Solomon. We have been blessed here to have good missionaries; they have added to our NEW and BEAUTIFUL experience here in India. We had to think of a different way to get the word beautiful for this picture. We think Elder Solomon would not have been happy if we called him BEAUTIFUL!

A breath of NEW, BEAUTIFUL freshness walked into our office Wednesday morning! That was the day the NEW missionaries were set apart. Sister Mary William, who is from Coimbatore, was in Bangalore for some medical tests and came into the office. We felt such a thrill of excitement when she walked through the door. She is truly a BEAUTIFUL woman and an elect lady. She was one of the first ones, if not the first, to extend a genuine hand of fellowship when we first arrived in Coimbatore. Sister William is the mother of President William (center), President Funk's 1st Counselor in the Mission Presidency. President William also works in the same building as the mission office, one floor above us. He is the Manager of the Indian Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His brother, Lawrence William, is the branch president in Coimbatore 1st Branch.

Whenever we are involved in a multi-zone missionary conference, we are always asked to help provide food for the lunch. So, this is not NEW. But, this is the first time we have done this in Bangalore, and it is the first time we had another couple, Elder and Sister Smith, help us. So, this is something NEW! When we were talking with President and Sister Funk during the planning of this conference, President Funk asked if Sister Tiefenbach would be able to make cinnamon buns (rolls) for the conference. Of course, Sister Tiefenbach readily said, "Yes." So, making cinnamon buns for 43 people became a priority this past week. By the way, they were a big hit. They were so yummy!!!! The cinnamon buns were definitely BEAUTIFUL. The elders from Bangalore, who had not experienced this wonderful treat were amazed when they saw them. The elders from the Coimbatore District and those who were formerly from Coimbatore District told us that they missed us so much. We are not sure whether they miss us or Sister Tiefenbach's baked treats. The multi-zone missionary conference was held on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

We had a NEW experience right after the multi-zone conference. When the conference was over, President Funk asked us if we were going to the office when we were done. We told him we weren't sure. He then told us that Elder and Sister Gong wanted to see the office and that Elder Gong (his head can be seen over the shoulder of the Elder - Elder George, who happens to be from Coimbatore) wanted to talk with us. Okay  . .  . that was definitely NOT expected. We were nervous because we couldn't imagine why he wanted to talk to us. As it turned out, he was simply interviewing a few of the missionaries, and we were picked as some of the missionaries to be interviewed. Elder Tiefenbach had been interviewed by General Authorities before, but this was a first for Sister Tiefenbach. The interview lasted no more than 5 minutes, but it was a BEAUTIFUL, spiritual experience as we bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon to him.

We and the Smith's were also asked to help prepare food for the Area Training meeting that was held the day after the multi-zone missionary conference (Friday, March 15, 2013). We had never prepared food for an Area Training before, so this was NEW. We were happy to be involved in this great event. The training was held in the Whitefield chapel, which is a brand NEW, BEAUTIFUL building. We will show some pictures of this building later in the blog. We have enjoyed working closely with Elder and Sister Smith. Here we are waiting for the lunch break before we were to take all the food out to the brethren. We were happy to give up our preparation day to help with this Area Training.

One great benefit of this NEW experience of serving food at the Area training was that we were able to see the District Presidency from Coimbatore. Presidents Raghu (1st counselor), Vincent Paul (Pres.) and Allwyn (2nd Counselor) were, indeed, a BEAUTIFUL sight to our eyes. We saved some cinnamon buns and frosting for the Coimbatore District Presidency to enjoy after their training. They certainly deserve a special treat. They will always have a special place in our hearts. They told us they miss us and that both branches in Coimbatore miss us. They keep asking when we will return, and they tell us that they pray for our return. We love the people in Coimbatore, and we also love the work we are doing here in Bangalore.

After the lunch at the Area Training, the Smith's and we went on a tour of the NEW mission home/mission office/service center with Sister Funk, Sister Gong (wife of the visitying General Authority), and the wife of the District President in Sri Lanka (we can't remember her name). The mission home will be on the top floor, the service center on the 1st floor (2nd, according to North American terminology), and the mission office will be on the ground floor. The building is right behind the new chapel, which is a BEAUTIFUL stake-sized building. Although it doesn't look like much now, as it looks like a cold, square mass of hard, grey concrete, it one day will be a BEAUTIFUL building. Elder Tiefenbach was pleased that we had to wear hard hats when we were walking in the construction zone. His pleasure comes from working with work safety standards.

Here, we are learing to walk on water! Now THAT is a NEW experience!!! Throughout the building, we saw many places where water was standing. Here in India, they fill sections of concrete with water to test the integrity of the concrete seals. They want to make sure that no water seeps into the lower floors. So, in order for us to see some parts of the BEAUTIFUL mission home, we had to "walk on water." The workers put down blocks of concrete so we could walk to the bedroom section of the mission home. The mission home is going to be absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The living room/dining area is huge. There will be plenty of room to have the furniture arranged more central in the room with lots of space to walk around the furniture. This NEW building is scheduled to be finished in October of this year, but some people suggest that December of this year or January of next year is more likely.

 

This will be the home of the NEW mission office. The question is whether or not we will still be in Bangalore to work in this BEAUTIFUL environment. As we are scheduled to work in the mission office temporarily, Elder Tiefenbach took a moment to get the "feel" for the NEW office. 

 

As part of the tour, we were able to go up on the roof, where eventually a BEAUTIFUL garden area will adorn top of the building. From this NEW vantage point, we were favoured by a BEAUTIFUL vista of the NEW Whitefield chapel and the city of Bangalore. (The city is not as visible in the picture as it was in person.) We could picture the NEW mission president and his wife spending a few relaxing moments to rejuvenate their spirits and their physical strength in the BEAUTY and serenity of this space, surrounded by green, lush plants and colourful flowers. Unfortunately, President and Sister Funk will be released before this building will be done.

 

 

On Sunday, a special District Conference was held to dedicate the NEW, BEAUTIFUL Whitefield Road Chapel. It was a great meeting. President Funk gave the dedicatory prayer, in which, many references were made about the future of a stake here in Bangalore and the future of a temple in India. This building is a stake sized building; a stake-sized building would not be built if the Lord didn't know that growth will occur here. Now, the members need to get to work and be a "light unto the world." We know with every fibre of our being that India will get a temple in our lifetime. We can see it!!!! That is a BEAUTIFUL vision. This is the NEW chapel in the Whitefield Road building. It's BEAUTY is apparent.

 

The BEAUTIFUL dedicatory prayer that President Funk gave also emphasized that the building does not belong to us; it belongs to the Lord. In a short talk before the dedicatory prayer, President Gong reminded us that during the dedicatory prayer, we dedicate the building AND ourselves to the Lord. Every room of this NEW and BEAUTIFUL building is dedicated to the Lord and His work. This picture shows the view that members will see everytime they come out of the chapel. As people leave the chapel, where they have learned about the Savior and His Gospel, they will see a picture of the Savior before He ascended, instructing the Twelve before they go out into the world to proclaim the gospel. This BEAUTIFUL picture, chosen by Sister Funk, is reminder of the obligation and privilege we all have to be a living example of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be "a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places."

 

As we beome a disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by being a "light unto the world" and by "stand[ing] as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places," we can develop a NEW view of the world and see the NEWNESS and BEAUTY of God's creations, just as we have seen the NEW and BEAUTIFUL blossoms appear, gracing the branches of the tree we have seen out our kitchen window this week. We pray for the Lord's blessings and peace to be upon you throughout this week.