Our India Mission

All Of A Sudden

2010-09-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

The release letter came and all of a sudden we were no longer missionaries. "Guess we better go home! "

Instructions to readers. This getting out of town was so long that you will haave to click on older post three times to find it all and THEN ride along with us on the first of the going home from the amazing Bangalore Mission.

Goodbye Chennai

2010-09-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

Goodbyes And Baptisms

2010-09-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

A young man who joined the Church when we first arrived.

He wanted to see us off at the airport and after two weeks we finally talked him out of it. Visitors can not get in and it would be 3:30 in the morning.

Lastest new member on the other side of the city. She is beasutiful in green and rejoiced by bringing her whole family. Wonderful people!

Life Is Always On Going

2010-09-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

On the roof top across the street a woman is sorting through food. In this hot climate there is lots of cleaning and re cleaning to keep the food ready to eat.

Another Goodbye

2010-09-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

This goodbye was to the District leader and his family. Notice the arm around the shoulder and the hand holding.

All graduates of the marriage classes.

Romeo and Juliette, the newly marrieds.

The District President is a man of sound judgement and of course his wife is very smart and intuitive.

Very Special First

2010-09-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

We were so happy for this family. They were part of this last month that brought and an time high for our mission.

Firat Special Dinner

2010-09-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is the first time for this family to take friends out to dinner.

We were grateful for the special send off.

Personal First

2010-09-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

First time in a bath that takes two tubes to work.

First

2010-09-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

We saw her first time in the ocean.

More About Friends

2010-09-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

More friends and dinner...

Friends on Sunday with the sick...

Friends who came a long way to visit...

And friends we have served.

Friends

2010-09-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Friends in the presidency...

And clerks at the computer.....

And friends when we first came....

And friends forever.

Two Wheeler

2010-09-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

We were not allowed to ride a two wheeler, but everyone else did.

Things

2010-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Muchies and little gifts from our children are gone. All signs point to being done.

Winding Up The Birthday

2010-09-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

A gift is as much fun for the giver as the receiver.

Two glasses to remember India's unique way of drinking and not touching the rim.

No one was passed over. We all got gifts. Even the little boys got cars.

Late That Night

2010-09-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

There was a knock at the door and a whole...

Family including cousins showed up with a complete...

Birthday party and cake.

Goodbyes

2010-09-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to the art store...

In the strange, dark shopping complex...

And almost missed my birthday.

Nearing The End

2010-09-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

As people learning that we would be going home soon, dinner invitations poured in. There were not enough hours in the days and we had to start saying, no. We learned that gifts were involved and though appreciated as tokens of love our packing became more difficult. Still we enjoyed all the happy feelings with friends.

The Back of the "Bus"

2010-09-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Very few children are able to go to school. If they do, many of them ride with their parents on a two-wheeler. If there parents are already at work, they have to find another way to school. On these little "buses," there can be up to nine children or so. Sometimes there will even be seven or eight children riding on a bike being pedaled by someone.

Growth

2010-08-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Saw this missionary again at the last zone conference. It is fantastic how quickly these men take hold of the difficult work here. When they come to this big city they can have the "deer in the headlights" look for a few days, but very soon they are veterans. They can swing on and off crowded buses without falling and they can work all day in the hot sun.

This man was our math expert when he served in Chennai. He took time out from Stanford to serve in India.

Always The Gospel

2010-08-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Our friends. He is a new member at the first of 2010 and she has come to Church three or four times. Last time she came to a marriage class and really liked it.

Our young new member, there daughter and her cousins...

Listened to a Gospel messages and a tender story of early days in Utah.

They and their father liked the story.

Just In Case

2010-08-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Just in case this picture did not get in, here are happy primary children with their Baptism banners. They are learning to be the future of the Church.

The Last Weeks

2010-08-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

A new family is the latest baptism on this side of the city. You always want to finish strong. The last month one of the young elders dubbed our city "Madras Madness." Formerly the "Sizzling Chennai Zone" (When you're hot you're hot.) This was really fun because in the month of August 2010 our number was fourteen, the highest ever and with less missionaries than in past years.

Saving For A Long Time

2010-08-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

The official paper. Our friend has been saving for a long time to get his own auto.

We call it the sports model. They all come this way and you take it to another dealer to build the top.

A great moment for this family.

Our friend had saved a big down payment but he was struggling with the bank. You need a co- signer. Their prayers were answered because an announcement was given by the government that for one day you could get a loan with no co-signing. How wonderful that he was prepared.

Ready To Receive

2010-08-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wedding Details

2010-08-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

At The Reception

2010-08-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

Lots Of Weddings

2010-08-27T00:59:00.000-07:00

The End Of The Outing

2010-08-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

A minute in the shade and then we were ready for the rest of the outing.

Now a first time in the ocean for these girls.

Indian style swimming is fully dressed.

The Group

2010-08-27T00:42:00.000-07:00

When your group starts looking like this it is time to...

Feed them and give them....

Plenty of hydration.

Games

2010-08-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

Even the resting was silly and...

the games got faster and sillier...

Until everyone was wet...

And dusty.

The Branch Outing

2010-08-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

We arrived two hours out of Chennai at a place called Scripture Village.

We unloaded the bus and then just a short wait and we were escorted.....

Pass the cricket field...

To a tree lined arbor where we played lots of silly games.

What Else To Say About a Small Chapel?

2010-08-27T00:10:00.000-07:00

You can keep extra coconuts in the library....

There is reason to be reverent in the hall...

The entrance has a beautiful pine and...

Along this road the branch president has a quiet walk to Church Sunday morning. That is except for that one Sunday when an elephant picked him up, shook him and broke his arm.

The Small Church

2010-08-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

The baptismal font opens outside to a large porch...

That is bordered by lawns and fields,,,,

And the front has a steeple...

And a quiet country road.

Out In The Middle

2010-08-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

We were out of town for a zone conference and our hosts drove us 45 minutes out of their small city. Our destination was a chapel out in the middle of fields and no where. The outside was simple but..

Inside looked very familiar.

President Hinckley visited this area twice and...

Said, "They should have a chapel."

More Of The Palace

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

No pictures were allowed inside, but we fired away at towers and turrets.

Less than a 100 years ago India was ruled by Maharajahs. No wonder so many traditions hold the modern man down.

If you are "family" you can be married in the palace.

The cool porch where royalty and guests sat out of the sun to watch the sports and games.

We Did A Lot On The Way Home From The Safari

2010-08-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

We stopped at Mysore and saw the famous palace.

There is a left over prince who still lives in the back rooms. (White towers.)

Our guide.

Fierce looking but safe animal.

All Worlds Meet

2010-08-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Big highway, modern overpass and ancient transportation meet. They all belong to this giant sized city.

My Favorite House

2010-08-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

This was the most fun of all the country things we learned. There were a lot of these houses in trees and on very tall poles. This is your home when you are on field duty. You have to keep the wild animals out of your crops but you also do not want to be dinner for one of the animals. This is where you sleep. We were by this area late once and a familiar blue light shone from one hut. T. V.?

In The Country

2010-08-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

While out on safari we got up close to country living. Most kept their homes in good repair. Almost all seemed to paint the front side if not the whole house.

Art and life fit together resulting in the basic wagon telling many stories.

Going and coming home from the forest we saw the women of the village heading to the town pump for water.

People leave the small places for the cities to make a living. They sacrifice quiet and beauty.

Elephant

2010-08-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Just for fun! ! ! ! !

Roof Top

2010-08-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

We taught the gospel on a roof top as evening came on..

We had been introduced to a few in the small home, but then as we became a big crowd we all..

Climbed steep stairs and talked together of the Savior as...

The palms moved in the breeze and the sun began the end of its day's journey.

Primary

2010-08-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

Primary is always special. This day the children received awards.

Last Time In Bangalore

2010-08-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

At the joint zone conference we met many who had served in Chennai, many but not all.

Dinner at the mission home with our new leaders, President and Sister Funk.

Breakfast one more time on the roof of the hotel. Love the corn flakes and omelets.

Plumeria still in bloom.

Now

2010-08-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is how we are now. Our new Mission President and his wife. Two sets of senior missionaries from Sri Lanka and us in India. With us lots of really amazing young elders.

Not A Sari

2010-08-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

For a special friend I tried to wear a sari to a wedding. The style of the blouse for the sari is constructed very tight. When it came back from the sticher man I tired it on and lasted for only thirty minutes before it made me itch. I went for a new modern style.

Just A Bit

2010-08-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

This birthday cake came through the mail from the United States. I am pretty sure that it has been in the blog before. We were so busy on the birthday that the box and the can had to stay on the shelf for a little while until that perfect day for a treat. To all those who love Indian food, I am sorry but have to say that this is the best food we have eaten in India. (Did you know that you can buy a brownie here but the frosting is very thin and dry, crunchie.) Just look at that creamy birthday frosting!

Coming to the Surprise Party

2010-08-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Up steep and narrow stairs....

To a great honor....

With cake and....

Young friends.

The Birthday

2010-08-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Cake and then.....

Dinner with a great variety including pasta! First time for the cook.

Of course the way of India. They will serve and you must eat.

More Birthdays And Goodbyes

2010-08-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

This one is at our Branch President's home with their big family.

His is one of five children. The family joined when he was fourteen. His brother's wife is from Nepal.

I have the honor of the first bite of birthday cake.

A Fun Birthday Begins

2010-08-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

First a blind fold and an auto ride...

The hostess laughs and is surprised.

And so are the neighbors.

It goes on.

One Last Look At The Temple

2010-08-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

And then it was time to be on the road again.

Inside the Temple

2010-08-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

Inside, the temple was dark and it was

A lot smaller than expected.

More Of The First Temple

2010-08-06T05:24:00.000-07:00

The First Temple

2010-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

On the way home after the safari we stopped to see an ancient temple. We had visited these temples before but they were in use and it was not a place for visitors. This was the first temple that we had been inside. This one was being restored and was far enough along so that visitors were welcome.

Classes On Our Street

2010-08-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Part of the class involves walking the quarter block to the tiny market and choosing some biscuits. The girls work together to make an attractive arrangement for their snack.

The big moment comes when their sampler piece is complete. Don't be fooled by the face. It is traditional here not to smile for a photo. When you see smiles you know that we have been working hard to get them.

The girls start with a basic design and soon monsoon clouds appear giving the creation the Indian touch.

Some designs are painted much like the original, but even then there is a unique touch added.

Back on Our Street

2010-08-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

The balcony off our bedroom is referred to as the pigeon porch. From before we moved in the pigeons have claimed it and all of our machinations have not worked. The pigeons still have ownership. We moved the first sticks of a nest as soon as they appeared. It kept the population down for awhile, but then we were gone for a few days and when we returned there was a nest and an egg. We were defeated! With patience we let the little bird hatch. Here he is in his nest and soon ready to fly. Some people call pigeons the rats of the sky. Not hard to tell why.

Cinco De Mayo

2010-08-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

This American style restaurant serves the best lemonade. Another best is that the lemonade is endless.

Smiles from good friends enjoying good food.

This is Mexican food, but I claim it as southern Californian.

For us it was fun to celebrate a daughter's birthday even though we were on the other side of the world from each other.

Back In May

2010-08-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us got together for lunch and Mexican food was the favorite.

Endure To The End

2010-07-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

The finishers. The whole Primary came including a little girl from across the street and they finished all their cooking right on schedule. Our last job was to sample everything.

After Hard Work

2010-07-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

The finished product.

Onions

2010-07-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Lots of onion makes a good chutney..........................................

Bring on the heat................................................

You can never have too many cooks................................

One little burn so now everyone take a step back.

Primary Cooks

2010-07-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots of chopping..............................

Fresh ingredients.........................................

Compatible cooks..........................

You don't always have to grind coconuts on the floor, but this machine was a little broken and a knee had to be involved for a firm hold.

Goodbye

2010-07-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

Members of the Chennai District gathered to honor our out going Mission President. President and Sister Nichols were in the city for a multi zone conference and met afterwards with members...

To connect with young members who had been on missions. Now it was time to meet family and new children who had been born in these last three years.

We said goodbye too. The Nichols are now in Alaska and we are continuing to "hold down the fort" in Chennai. Chennai use to be called Madras and there is a fort here.

In The Kitchen

2010-07-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

One of the first people we met in India made us both aprons and kitchen head gear. Elder McKinley has become a breakfast expert.

During the hottest month of June and even starting as early as May this good man covers all kitchen duties 100 percent!

Out To Dinner

2010-07-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

It was one of the young missionary's birthday and this family invited all four of us to dinner. Their home is very small but love and hospitality...

Expanded it to create a fine restaurant. We enjoyed tasting several dishes with a different flavor than we had experienced before.

This is their bedroom and it became a place of great cuisine.

We ended the day with very happy feelings. Their plans were successful and we had eaten a perfect meal. (You may have observed from this picture that the family expanded from before dinner. A young neighbor is always there every time we come. He has a great five year old way. Holding up two fingers one on each hand he will say, "Watch the magic," and the hands go behind him and back out as he says, "I can turn two into ten." Sure enough there are ten fingers wiggling in the air.)

Sunday

2010-07-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Three people were baptized Sunday at the second branch.

This young man and......

These two friends were the first to be baptized in....

Our new font. The old one had engineering problems and began to leak. Our new one does not have stairs on the outside, but nothing stops the work. A step of bricks leading to chairs and our friends were ready for their hearts desires.

Ironing Man On Our Street

2010-07-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

The ironing man and his assistant work on our street. Besides long sarees and wide bedding they handle shirts beautifully.

The huge iron is filled with hot charcoal and they go to work. The assistant also gathers clean laundry from around the neighborhood then returns the finished work later that day. Does this seem an old fashion way to handle clothing? If you stand and watch for awhile...........

Like we did you will see that low-tech meets high-tech. Everyone in India has a cell phone.

Second Clue

2010-07-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

You can see that something is happening on the sidewalk of our street. What is it? Does this second clue help?

What Is Happening?

2010-07-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is our street very near our home. What is going on here? The other side of the world from us is asleep. When you wake try to guess what is happening. Post your comment and leave your guess. We will give you a second clue in your evening. Who will be first to figure the answer to this question?

Our Street

2010-07-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

Last year we were trying to talk about what goes on up and down our street. We got a little start but like anywhere life swooped in and got in the way of our plans. Finally we have caught up on the pictures of baptisms, conference, new districts and a bit of traveling. Well almost. There is one more baptism to be posted that we had to get out of another camera.

On our street you can buy coconuts. Every morning we hear the cries as vendors advertise their wares. If we spoke Tamil we could tell you all the things that are available, but all we know is that the cries for customers are enticing and unique.

More Families

2010-07-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Two families in the same day. The parents were first and then their sons came second.

The second family came all together.

Baptism For Brothers

2010-07-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Two great brothers. Each in their own time.

Everyone Came

2010-07-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

The whole family including the grandmother came for the baptism.

A Famliy

2010-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

A big family with one cousin take baptism.

More Baptisms

2010-07-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

On the day of his baptism. This is the man who just baptized his young son.

This man has received the priesthood and passed the sacrament for the first time Sunday.

This is the lady in red on the day of her baptism with her family.

July 11, 2010

2010-07-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday and we had a baptism! A mature lady named Daisy came into the Church. She may not have a smile but she was very happy. She has been a widow for thirty years and was a project manager at a private firm and at night made sweet snacks to sell for extra money to put her three children through college. She now has six grandchildren. There probably have been many night when she did not feel like smiling. When Daisy starts talking her face lights up and you know that she was given the perfect name.

Daisy's friend came today to be with her for the baptism. They were both born in Sri Lanka. It was fun to meet her friend and find out that her name is Elizabeth.

Grows and grows

2010-07-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

The lady in red and the man on the end were baptized three weeks before this picture was taken. They were introduced to the Church by the lady in white, the two are sisters. The husband in white was not ready and his wife was sad but happy as her sister and brother-in-law and their three children went ahead to take baptisum. Now today the second family is ready. The last lesson in their home started just with the parents, but before it was over Elder McKinley was teaching seventeen people.

This family just grows (children)

And grows some more (sister of the husband)

And even when someone says no they call two days later for a Book of Mormon. ( There will be more chapters to this story. The first couple have already talked in Church, and today they each received callings in the presidency of Young Women and Young Men.)

Next Generation

2010-07-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

I know this family was in before but these little children are cute enough to be in twice and before much time they will be old enough to take baptism.

Sisters and Brother

2010-07-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to write about this day. In other posts you may have seen our giant font and maybe even a picture of the side with all the steep stairs. This young man was baptized and with his youth did fine. Likewise the daughter of the mature lady was fine. However, we all held our breath when the dear little mother began to climb. The building owner had still neglected to build our hand rail and our sister is blind. What faith she had. Then later we learned that she had a leg operation that was still in the healing stage. Her pain was intense. Next Sunday she was right on time for her confirmation. (Just for a little privacy we don't put too many names or private details, but it would be fun to tell you that the daughter is a PhD candidate and in chemical engineering.)

Family

2010-07-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

This is the brother getting ready for baptism. Later, one year ago, he baptized his brother. They have been posted before but just thought you might enjoy seeing the before hair cut that was recently posted. Great men and they brought their younger brother to Church.

New Members

2010-07-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

A while ago our camera to computer system shut down and we stopped putting in baptisms. Now...

We are trying to catch up so some may get in again and some may be missed here but....

Heavenly Father knows them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A While Ago

2010-07-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last year we went to see his flower show. It was a marvelous success and a first in Chennai, India

Now he has joined the Church and is the Branch Mission leader.

Beginnings Come At Different Paces

2010-07-08T04:28:00.000-07:00

This young man bore his testimony for the first time. He was baptised a year ago. He celebrated that moment...

By getting a new and shorter hair cut for this fast Sunday.

The Very Same Day

2010-07-08T01:58:00.000-07:00

The very same day that the young man received a special remembrance in Primary was the day he got baptised.

His father was the one who baptised him. The special thing was that his father had been a member of the Church less than a month. Elder McKinley had baptised the father and now the father had received the priesthood and was ready to perform that same ordinance for his younger son.

The older son had borne his testimony a few months earlier about his father joining the Church and the whole family was praying for this to happen.

A good ending and a good beginning!

Baptism

2010-07-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

The cute little girl in red gave an amazing talk in Church a few months ago. In her talk she mentioned that when she was baptised she promised to read her scriptures everyday. A daughter-in-law gave me lots of Primary stickers and we are using this one for a special moment of commitment. See the next post to learn why this boy's baptism was extra special.

War

2010-07-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is the same war that I blogged about last year. It would best be described as a civil war and it has never stopped even lightened really. It just makes front page from time to time. This man will live the man coming home...

Did not live. His fellow police officers respectfully transport his body. There have been days and days of pictures in the newspaper that can not come into this blog. There is just a different way of looking at the loss of life here. There are many facets but one is if that man was your enemy then you do not owe him or his body respect.

The enemy are the Maoist, communist philossophy. These people are extremely poor. India still fights the Maoists with only the police force so it won't look like a real civil war. When you are dead I guess you would not care what kind of war it was.

School Is Out

2010-07-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of hours later we heard shots of the school children as class ended. The rain was staying steady and they were soaked. Has this ever happen to us or our children in California. The children were delighted and we were glad to see a real monsoon season in India. Last year there was no rain this time of year.

All Of A Sudden!

2010-07-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

The day started out with a bit of sun and then half way through it started to darken...

And right while I was taking a picture and hearing the weather report read from the Hindu Newspaper......

The sky broke loose with a heavy down pour of rain. This is the third monsoon storm - two in June and now in July. This one is to last four days. Today was easy as there is a strike and we have been locked down by our new mission president. Violence has started we learned on the Internet. Our city is OK. Very mellow. Tomorrow our friend the auto driver will tell us anything that did not make the news.

The Skinny on Silk

2010-06-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

There is the worm from the cocoon and...

That is why they have to keep the crows away from the outside tables.

We learned a lot about harvesting silk that day. Most impressive was that each cocoon unwinds to up to 3,000 feet of thread and that to start the process they put the cocoon in very hot water and then we were told that the worm dies a very natural death. Did anyone ask the worm?

Money exchanges hands, the farmer gets paid and the silk goes on its way to becoming a beautiful creation.

Worms, The Good Kind

2010-06-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

On the way to the Safari we stopped for a visit at the silk worm auction.

Rows and rows of cocoon filled tables were the first thing we saw just inside the gate.

Then we followed men with huge sacks on their heads and...

Found a room inside with fifty times more tables filled and ready for the sale.

The Birthday

2010-06-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream...

Gifts...

And Ronald...What self respecting birthday girl could ask for more? ? ?

(One day we were returning from meetings on the other side of the city. We turned right on a big street near out neighborhood and stuck in the center divider were hundreds of red flags. What holiday were they celebrating? There are so many in India. In a few blocks more we turned left and red flags streamed down ahead of us on that street too. Then we realized they were advertising that MacDonald's had come to town. India had arrived!)

Happy Birthday

2010-06-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Our friend Stefi had a birthday and we took the whole family to MacDonald's.

When we called to have the family pose the father put his arm around his wife's shoulder and we told him how American he was and he liked the idea.

This is the first time that the family has had the fast food experience or really eating out in general except biryani at a street stand.

We bought Stefi cake last year so this is the second time around for fancy cakes.

Protesting

2010-06-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

School children can be involved in popular causes, but it is a controlled "protest." An area of the street is protected and notices are posted of the time for the protest and lots of police show up first. When all is in place then the students march in support of their opinion.

Up On Poles Or In The Depths Of Buildings

2010-06-23T02:28:00.000-07:00

It amazes people when they see electrical wires in India looking like spaghetti. One day I came out of Church across town and at the bottom of the stairwell I happened to look right where a half sized door was opened. Sitting on the floor of an "elf sized" room two men pondered over yards and yards of electrical wires of at least six different colors. Swirling around and around the wires had tangled themselves and piled up to a couple of feet high. The men did not look like they knew what they were doing, but everyone in India is an electrician so I just hoped they would live through the day.

Schools

2010-06-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

Everywhere in India children attend classes in interesting uniforms. These can be children from modest, even very modest homes but still these are the fortunate ones. Public schools in India have fees. Also you must buy your own books and provide your own uniforms. You purchase the fabric from the schools and hire the taylor man on the street to make your outfits.

We saw a brand new PUBLIC school (owned by a minister's brother) It has a/c, white boards and computers and costs 76,000 Rps. Be happy to live in the Land Of The Free!

Friends And Food

2010-06-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

When the missionary couples get together for a conference they try to find time to go out to eat. Here are the last eight of twenty-four of us at a little upstairs French restaurant. Now one couple is in Utah, another couple will be in Utah in a week and Alaska has already claimed the other couple. We just got a phone call with details of the next conference and guess what? We will be the only ones left. We travel to Bangalore one more time. Luckily there are two couples coming from Sri Lanka.

So since oak meal with raisins is my breakfast most days (tasty but basic) we will search out a special meal while we are attending the last zone conference of our mission.

The Play House

2010-06-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

The first Sunday our one nursery child would not go in the little house.

The next week he was an expert at going through the front door and throwing toys in and out of the window.

The third week a new child came and now we are up to four.

If you build it they will come.

A Sewing Project

2010-06-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

Our friend the auto driver found this table at a used furniture store. As near as I could learn there was not such thing as a card table in India. I wanted to build a play house for the nursery room in our new meeting house. This table worked after we had it welded here and there and stabilized in other ways. Ideas come easy but they are difficult to execute.

The next step was to sew the house. No one seems to have a sewing machine here and if they do it is the peddle with your feet type (which by the way I learned to use here. My grandmother would be happy because she tried to teach me when I was ten and I just could not do it. If you break the rhythm the machine reverses and you are sewing backwards.) Mostly men sew on the streets and the Tamil speaking tailor on our street teamed with me. I gave him about a ten minute assignment. He would run down the street and sew and return and I would give him the next step.

It worked despite the language barrier. We now have toys and a comfy place to sit for the childen. PROBLEM, we only have one child.

My Birthday

2010-06-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

My birthday was in August and the primary children gave me a dress.

Our branch president at the time (he is now the president of our new district) shopped and picked it out.

If you notice where the flowers end across my knee you will see the length is the latest fashion, short...

But finally I found a brown skirt in Sri Lanka and could wear my special gift. Thank you Primary!

Morning

2010-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the morning we were packed early and ready to leave. We said goodbye to the tiger doll...

Earlier we thought this smiling tiger doll might be the closest we would get to the real thing. Coming to this beautiful forest land, we had adventures and before the airplane ride tonight we would have more, but for now it is time to say so long to the safari.