Dear Family and Friends,
I am healthy and well and so is my companion. He somehow contracted some illness that made him naseaus, diaretic (spelling?) and in pain. Sunday night some members wanted to feed us and I was about to say no but Elder Chagoya cried out "Yes!". He hadn't eaten very much since the Tuesday before, probably only a few bites of oatmeal and one slice of toast, so he was literally starving. Luckily his body accepted the food and he was 100% soon after that.
Well we are running into our next set of obstacles--the parents. We have many investigators around the ages 18-21 who are really good and really want to be baptized. Unfortunately their parents are not as optomistic. The problem we're facing is actually a pair. 1. The father is working and so we can't ever see him and 2. both parents don't speak English. So as much as we want to resolve the parents concerns and even teach them, they can't understand us. The solution is usually a visit from some one in the branch presidency but they too are also busy so scheduling seems to be our biggest obstacle.
But meanwhile as we wait for these events to happen we are making great progress with the investigators. I was on exchange but my companion told me that he visited Manikiyam, Manindra, Sagar and Vijay. Manikiyam, Manindra and Sagar are brothers and sisters and they're a little hesitant to talk with their parents about joining the church. We asked Vijay, the neighbor, about if his parents had any objections and if we needed to speak with them and he said "Not me brother. I'm ready to make a promise to God!". I wish I was there but seeing my companion describe it was pretty entertaining.
Also the anglo-indian we've been teaching, Angelica, is set with a date. Again I was on exchange but Elder Chagoya described it to me. The appointment was supposed to be of the 'do-or-die' fashion and I guess it was so inspiring that Angelica committed to baptism. It will be really interesting to see what happens with that. I can only imagine what exchanges with her would be like.
So I did go on exchange with an elder from Mt. Pleasant, Utah. His name is Elder Frederick and we had a blast. We were talking to a girl who had just gotten back from school and she told us there was a house down the street that might be interested. The house was huge and green (Mom your favorite!). Their was a large entrance patio going up to the door so this guy was pretty posh. There were also a ton of Jesus stickers, which means two things: A pastor or a converted Christian. Converted Christians from Hindu background love to put stickers everywhere that express their religion. We knocked on the door a met Sudakhar and he was a friendly guy and as I guessed, a converted christian. He seemed pretty good and we got a return appointment and then he asked "how did you see Jesus?". I wasn't quite sure how to answer so I just said I know that Jesus is the Christ through the Holy Ghost. Elder Frederick and I laughed but I've actually heard stranger things.
I'm not sure if I told this story before so forgive me if this is a repeat but one elder told me that he was teaching a guy that said that he saw God also and told him how he could see God also. He said that you have to fast everyday for 40 days and then at night spread a white sheet on the floor. On the first night you pray for 1 minute, then the next night you pray for 2 minutes. Then the next night 5 minutes, then 10 minutes and so on until you get up to 4 hours or something like that. Then after you pray on the 40th day you will see God. You find some pretty crazy things on a mission.
Sorry there isn't much to update on. Since Elder Chagoya was sick we were inside for a few days so not too much happened. Anyways I'm going to go read your letters.
Love you a million healthy companions,
Elder Mackay
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Another Transfer Done - March 17, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
First of all, I got the package and I had the most delightful belated birthday party ever. Elder Chagoya were extremely pleased with the kit kats and peanut butter cups. Also I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Paige's knock-knock joke written on the outside of the peanut butter. Also the handkerchiefs came just in time. I'm sorry to say that it won't be long before they are well used and worn. All of my old handkerchiefs have been spoiled and went from white to red and brown. A major part of our area is right next to train tracks, which sprays huge amounts of black and red dust. It's also about time I think about getting some new shirts also.
On other news I was shocked to receive a call from the Assistants the other day. When I first got the call I thought I was going to be transferred but instead he said "congratulations Elder Mackay, we're splitting the Rajahmundry district and you're the district leader for the second branch district". I was both nervous and excited. I felt like I just got over the hurdle of leading out an area and I wasn't quite sure if I'd be ready for more responsibility. But after some prayers and counsel from the zone leaders I think I can handle it. I'm really glad i get to stay in Rajahmundry because that means that I'll be able to move into the new apartment we found. It's really nice and it has sliding windows... which is a big thing for us.
I'm also glad to stay in Rajahmundry because we're once again setting ourselves up for more success. We received a referral from one of our investigators and we went to a pretty poor area called railway quarters. I've never gone finding in this area because I never suspected anyone to know English there but I guess once again I was sorely mistaken. We were lead to a family of five. The mother and father don't speak English and we never see the father because he travels so much for his work as a railway driver. But the three children are great and speak English, one of them even really well, which is like a cool breeze on a hot day. The oldest brother is Sagar, then the sister Manikiyam and then the young brother Manindra. Sagar is a play boy so he is usually out but we've been teaching Manikiyam, who is the one with great English, and Manindra who is a bit of a joker but a nice kid. The second visit they showed us their neighbor Vijay and we started teaching them altogether. Last week we set them for a baptism date in April and this week Manikiyam calls us up one night and asks us to come over to meet her friend. We go and we meet this middle aged woman with her nephew who are Hindu but have recently wanted to become Christian. Needless to say every prayer that I've ever said on my mission has been answered by this family.
Kranthi Kumar is in a strange state. We gave him the stop smoking lesson but he decided to make his own version and smoke only two cigarettes every day and then reduce it from there. I guess if it works then that's great but we explained that that wasn't the way the program was set up and that the best way to quit smoking was to follow the program exactly and quit smoking altogether. Not only that but he still can't accept why we have to follow Jesus Christ. He also feels that it's bad to offer a reward and punishment because it will become exploited and you lose your freedom your choices are based on the end result. We tried to explain consequence as an eternal principle to him but I'm not sure if he's ready to accept that idea yet.
Rinju is doing great but he's running into problems with his parents. They are devout Roman Catholic and they are opposed to him joining the church. Luckily for us one of our recent converts came from Roman Catholic background so we told Rinju we would like to bring him and have him talk to Rinju's parents. I hope it works. Rinju has a great testimony. He told us that the Book of Mormon was true and that the church was true so if nothing else works we'll build his faith in the restored gospel and hopefully his parents will see a change develop in him and soften their hearts. We run into this situation a lot and I often remember when Ammon spoke with King Lamoni's father and how Lamoni's father had his heart changed when he sawed that Ammon and know desire to destroy his son but only a deep love for him. President Nichols always tells us that parents are not the enemy, they are potential investigators.
So everything is going well and I found a new favorite roadside snack. One of our members, Prudhvi, was on exchange with us and he showed us a type of tree that grows red berries that you can eat. They look like small apples and tastes like a sweet grape. They are really good and tasty so I got myself a handful of them and had Prudhvi ride my cycle as I sat on the back eating my collection of berries. I kind of felt like the little kid at the beginning of the Restoration video who is eating the black berries.
Well that's about it for this week. I better get started on reading your letter. Also Mom, Dano's parents want to get my emails. Do you think you can put them on the list. Their email is Gunderson40@aol.com. Thank you so much. Also happy birthday in advance Dustin! I hope you have a lot of good cake for me.
Love you all a million small apples,
Elder Mackay
First of all, I got the package and I had the most delightful belated birthday party ever. Elder Chagoya were extremely pleased with the kit kats and peanut butter cups. Also I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Paige's knock-knock joke written on the outside of the peanut butter. Also the handkerchiefs came just in time. I'm sorry to say that it won't be long before they are well used and worn. All of my old handkerchiefs have been spoiled and went from white to red and brown. A major part of our area is right next to train tracks, which sprays huge amounts of black and red dust. It's also about time I think about getting some new shirts also.
On other news I was shocked to receive a call from the Assistants the other day. When I first got the call I thought I was going to be transferred but instead he said "congratulations Elder Mackay, we're splitting the Rajahmundry district and you're the district leader for the second branch district". I was both nervous and excited. I felt like I just got over the hurdle of leading out an area and I wasn't quite sure if I'd be ready for more responsibility. But after some prayers and counsel from the zone leaders I think I can handle it. I'm really glad i get to stay in Rajahmundry because that means that I'll be able to move into the new apartment we found. It's really nice and it has sliding windows... which is a big thing for us.
I'm also glad to stay in Rajahmundry because we're once again setting ourselves up for more success. We received a referral from one of our investigators and we went to a pretty poor area called railway quarters. I've never gone finding in this area because I never suspected anyone to know English there but I guess once again I was sorely mistaken. We were lead to a family of five. The mother and father don't speak English and we never see the father because he travels so much for his work as a railway driver. But the three children are great and speak English, one of them even really well, which is like a cool breeze on a hot day. The oldest brother is Sagar, then the sister Manikiyam and then the young brother Manindra. Sagar is a play boy so he is usually out but we've been teaching Manikiyam, who is the one with great English, and Manindra who is a bit of a joker but a nice kid. The second visit they showed us their neighbor Vijay and we started teaching them altogether. Last week we set them for a baptism date in April and this week Manikiyam calls us up one night and asks us to come over to meet her friend. We go and we meet this middle aged woman with her nephew who are Hindu but have recently wanted to become Christian. Needless to say every prayer that I've ever said on my mission has been answered by this family.
Kranthi Kumar is in a strange state. We gave him the stop smoking lesson but he decided to make his own version and smoke only two cigarettes every day and then reduce it from there. I guess if it works then that's great but we explained that that wasn't the way the program was set up and that the best way to quit smoking was to follow the program exactly and quit smoking altogether. Not only that but he still can't accept why we have to follow Jesus Christ. He also feels that it's bad to offer a reward and punishment because it will become exploited and you lose your freedom your choices are based on the end result. We tried to explain consequence as an eternal principle to him but I'm not sure if he's ready to accept that idea yet.
Rinju is doing great but he's running into problems with his parents. They are devout Roman Catholic and they are opposed to him joining the church. Luckily for us one of our recent converts came from Roman Catholic background so we told Rinju we would like to bring him and have him talk to Rinju's parents. I hope it works. Rinju has a great testimony. He told us that the Book of Mormon was true and that the church was true so if nothing else works we'll build his faith in the restored gospel and hopefully his parents will see a change develop in him and soften their hearts. We run into this situation a lot and I often remember when Ammon spoke with King Lamoni's father and how Lamoni's father had his heart changed when he sawed that Ammon and know desire to destroy his son but only a deep love for him. President Nichols always tells us that parents are not the enemy, they are potential investigators.
So everything is going well and I found a new favorite roadside snack. One of our members, Prudhvi, was on exchange with us and he showed us a type of tree that grows red berries that you can eat. They look like small apples and tastes like a sweet grape. They are really good and tasty so I got myself a handful of them and had Prudhvi ride my cycle as I sat on the back eating my collection of berries. I kind of felt like the little kid at the beginning of the Restoration video who is eating the black berries.
Well that's about it for this week. I better get started on reading your letter. Also Mom, Dano's parents want to get my emails. Do you think you can put them on the list. Their email is Gunderson40@aol.com. Thank you so much. Also happy birthday in advance Dustin! I hope you have a lot of good cake for me.
Love you all a million small apples,
Elder Mackay
Holi Day - March 11, 2009
Well there is a reason why I am responding later than usual and that's because today is the long awaited 'Holi' day. For those of you familiar with this holiday it is when everyone stuffs their pockets full of colored chalk and chucks it at each other. What some of you may not know that the true Indian way to celebrate Holi is to also toss eggs and tomatoes. So to avoid getting our nice white shirts from becoming all sorts of pinks and purple we had to stay inside until 12-o-clock yesterday and today. That didn't help so much because Elder Chagoya was on exchange in another area and he got pounded with a fist full of 'color'. When he came home he was completely pink:)
I had the history explained to me and it was kind of interesting. There was a boy named Prahalad who prayed to the god Venkat. Well Prahalad's father, who was a wicked man, told Prahalad to stop praying to Venkat but Prahalad disobeyed. The father asked for the help from Holi, some type of half goddess. Holi had the power to walk in fires and not be burned but only when the moon was full. She had the idea of tricking Prahalad into following onto a big pile of sticks and then lighting it on fire during the full moon so that he would burn while she would stay safe. Well Venkat got word of this and he blessed Prahalad with the ability to also walk through fire. When Holi got him on top of the pile of sticks she lit it on fire but was suprised to see that Prahalad was immune to the flames. Then Venkat caused to moon to become half full and Holi burned into a pile of ash. Now Holi is celebrated by throwing the ash of Holi around to celebrate the end of the wicked Holi. Kind of an interesting story and it kind of reminds me of Abraham's deliverance from his father.
Last was kind of a poor week and we're not quite sure why. We did have to spend some time working on getting a new apartment and it took some of our working time out. The most depressing part was that we only had about half the attendance at church as usual. It was strange and later most of the people came but they came really late. And we only had one investigator at church, which is really strange for an area like rajahmundry. We are usually getting about 8-10 investigators at church every week but I don't know what happened. There was a big Christian church meeting this weekend and we're thinking that that was probably part of it.
But the work is moving forward and I can feel the spirit working in many of the people we're teaching. Kranti Kumar and his family are doing a lot better. Thanks for the help Mom with the little girl. She's starting to trust us and everytime she comes I tell I have a chocolate for her and she can either be with us and play quietly or she can go to a different room and play. It works really well and she's even talking to us. Her name's Sri Mayi and she is actually a really sweet girl. As for Kranti Kumar he is doing a lot better both with the word of wisdom and with the gospel. Thank you so much Dustin for the article. I've read some of it and I'm definitely planning on using it. We're also working on strengthening Kranti and Neelima's marriage. There's been a lot of problems in this family but they are willing to do anything to finally find peace in themselves and in their families. Lucky for them the gospel focuses on the family and it's going to be an amazing experience to see this family progress... that is, if I don't get transferred.
We had a pretty amazing experience this week with the Paulson family, the family from a state called Karala. All the states have their local language so they don't know Telegu, so finding a fellowshipper is tough...or so we thought. The member who owns Moroni Model School is also from Karala and is best friends with this family. They are having a tough time with our message because we don't pray to Mother Mary, which is a huge tradition for them that has been in their family for many generations. We've explained why we pray to Heavenly Father but we seemed to be at a standstill. But a few weeks back Rinju, of the sons, told us that he read the Book of Mormon and prayed to Heavenly Father and he felt so good for the whole week. He said that he's never felt that way before. Well we met the whole family on Saturday but they're still at the same standstill. We focused on Rinju and he seemed so interested. The father started to voice his concern again and the member that was with us tried to convince just to try our message. After a few minutes it seemed like Rinju was even trying to convince his father (it was in Maleyalum so I couldn't tell). Rinju has definitely felt the witness of the Spirit and it was such a testimony builder for me because it's was so great to see the converting power of the Spirit.
It sounds like you all had a good week (except for you Mom, I hope you get better soon). Paige I'm so happy that you got all of those acceptance letters. I agree with you, Utah State does seem to be the better choice. 1) because Utah is a lot more fun than Idaho 2) Utah State is a good school and 3) by the time you finish your sophmore year I'll be back and we can both be in Utah together. Also I love your idea of going to Africa. It will be quite the experience and you'll probably be living in a lot rougher/cooler conditions than I'm in. Carly if you try to make Indian dishes than you have eat with your hands. I'll warn you though that your hands will smell like onion and ginger for about a week. Dad I like you're analysis of power. I wish I had more time to dig deeper in the scriptures but I think that I can leave that job up to you and you can give me the results (I've been practicing my delegating skills :). And I love Paige's birthday song. I got everything except the last verse and I don't think I want to hear the story behind that. I also heard that Elliott Dennis is home with a pretty nasty disease. I'll keep him in my prayers and well as Rafe.
Well I love you all and I wish that I had more time to write you.
I love you a million colorfully chalked up shirts,
Elder Mackay
Anglos and Gospel Seeds - March 3, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Now we're finally starting to be able to manage our time a little bit. We're still extremely busy but it is in a good way. Hey Matt we have a member here who is actually a principal of school. It's a private owned school so the quality is not probably what you are expecting but he is a pretty experienced guy so you may be able to get some information from him. But he also wants to talk to you and Dad also to get some tips on how to improve his school. His school is Kindergarden to 10th grade so you can relate on some level. Since it is a private school he chooses the name and after he was baptized he changed the name to Moroni Model School. Pretty great, No? Anyways his email is 'dineshkulathil@yahoo.com'
We had a pretty amazing experience this last Sunday morning. We received a referral from some members a few weeks back and since then we've been teaching this family. They are the Paulson family and the father doesn't have much interest but the two sons, ages about 21 and 23, are very interested. They've come to church twice but they felt uncomfortable with the services because they weren't devoted to prayer. Along with some other doubts it seemed like for a while that they were going to lose interest. But we told them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and this last Sunday we followed up with them. One brother Jithu said he didn't have time to read but the other (who was also busy just to note) read and prayed and he said that he felt a happiness that week that he had never felt before. I could hardly believe his words and I felt like that we were just handed a precious, fragile glass ball that would break if too much pressure was applied. Well we're meeting with him this Saturday and Elder Chagoya are sweating bullets trying to make sure everything goes okay. But I guess we'll just have to plan the best we can and then let the Spirit take the rest.
We have just run into our first serious word of wisdom problem. We are working with a guy named Kranti Kumar who found us because he wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ. The reason why is because when he read the Bible and prayed to Heavenly Father he felt a peace that he couldn't get anywhere else. Well we gladly accepted his invitation and taught him but now he having a struggle trying to grasp the idea that Jesus Christ is an actual person and not just a magical power. It's a very different and difficult idea for a Hindu man to catch. But he has been reading the scriptures and has found very much peace and is moving onto the next step: quitting his smoking habit. I don't meet very many people who smoke around here but this poor guy is stuck on a pack of cigarettes. **Both Elder Chagoya and I are very new at this so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.**
This Sunday he tried quitting cold turkey and so far so good but we'll have to see because he was smoking a pack a day before. Dustin I remembered all your letters about helping people quit smoking and I'm just starting to get a taste of what you probably had to go through every week. As he is trying to quit we're also expanding his knowledge of Christ and his testimony in Him. It's probably the most unique thing we have in the Indian Mission to teach Jesus Christ to someone who has a very limited if no knowledge. But Hindus make the best Mormons.
The heat is starting to pick up. We have to drink about 5-6 liters of water each day to keep up with our sweating. In May and June it should hit a humid 120 degrees. We were watching a church video where we saw the pioneers going across the plains and one of the other elders looks over at me and says "I will never complain about American heat ever again". And I agree.
Interesting Indian fact: There are many types of Indians, each with their own style and manner. There are Punjabi, Andhra, Karela, Tamil, and many more type of Indians. The most out of place though are the Anglo Indians. I'm not sure how they came about but they are exactly what the name decribes, half Indian and half English (or British). They form little colonies so that wherever you go you can find little Anglo communities. They speak very good English and all are pretty much Roman Catholic. Their skin is very fair and many times can pass off as a white person. Many times they are very American also. When I go into an Anglo's home I feel like I just got blasted back to America with their music, style, colors, and clothing. Many Anglos I know love country music and it's pretty funny to see an Indian wear a cow boy hat. Most are very nice but they're not too interested in listening to us. But we are teaching an Anglo Lady who is a single mother with three children. Her name is Angelica and she is very nice and likes the church. She came a couple of times and when she comes you can see everyone look at her and talk about her. We lost her after Sacrament meeting one day and found she wandered into the Gospel and Doctrines class. She had made some friends in there and we didn't want to disturb her so we just left her there. We went up to Gospel Essentials and ten minutes she bursts through the door and says in a booming voice "brothers I've already finished the class downstairs last time I came". I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about but we told her to just come in this class. Angelica is a character but she has a good heart.
Anyways I better get going. I just received an email saying the birthday packaged arrived in Bangalore so I should be recieving any day now. I'm so excited. By the way we celebrated my birthday very nicely. We had cake and good curry! Thank you so much for all your letters and love.
Love you a million heartfelt testimonies,
Elder Mackay
MY TWINKIE SISTER (that means twins by the way). Happy Birthday!! Sorry I meant to save it for the end of the letter but I forgot to send it off. Anyways here is you short personal blurb. I love you a million reeses peanut butter cups (including both the candy and our niece!) I hope you're 18th birthday is going to be fantastic! And you're going to be an adult. You can sign your own papers! You can go to 18+ years concerts. Wow you are so grown up.
I love you sooooooooooo much,
Curtis
Since you asked Carly, there are some interesting Birthday things in India.
The first is that there is a second verse to the birthday song that goes "may God bless you dear" repeated over again to the same tune. Also when you cut the cake it is customary to have the birthday person feed the cake to everyone else by hand. So I had some fun with that:) Also on your birthday you're supposed to give out candy to everyone. Birthdays here are more about giving actually and it's kind of fun.
Now we're finally starting to be able to manage our time a little bit. We're still extremely busy but it is in a good way. Hey Matt we have a member here who is actually a principal of school. It's a private owned school so the quality is not probably what you are expecting but he is a pretty experienced guy so you may be able to get some information from him. But he also wants to talk to you and Dad also to get some tips on how to improve his school. His school is Kindergarden to 10th grade so you can relate on some level. Since it is a private school he chooses the name and after he was baptized he changed the name to Moroni Model School. Pretty great, No? Anyways his email is 'dineshkulathil@yahoo.com'
We had a pretty amazing experience this last Sunday morning. We received a referral from some members a few weeks back and since then we've been teaching this family. They are the Paulson family and the father doesn't have much interest but the two sons, ages about 21 and 23, are very interested. They've come to church twice but they felt uncomfortable with the services because they weren't devoted to prayer. Along with some other doubts it seemed like for a while that they were going to lose interest. But we told them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and this last Sunday we followed up with them. One brother Jithu said he didn't have time to read but the other (who was also busy just to note) read and prayed and he said that he felt a happiness that week that he had never felt before. I could hardly believe his words and I felt like that we were just handed a precious, fragile glass ball that would break if too much pressure was applied. Well we're meeting with him this Saturday and Elder Chagoya are sweating bullets trying to make sure everything goes okay. But I guess we'll just have to plan the best we can and then let the Spirit take the rest.
We have just run into our first serious word of wisdom problem. We are working with a guy named Kranti Kumar who found us because he wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ. The reason why is because when he read the Bible and prayed to Heavenly Father he felt a peace that he couldn't get anywhere else. Well we gladly accepted his invitation and taught him but now he having a struggle trying to grasp the idea that Jesus Christ is an actual person and not just a magical power. It's a very different and difficult idea for a Hindu man to catch. But he has been reading the scriptures and has found very much peace and is moving onto the next step: quitting his smoking habit. I don't meet very many people who smoke around here but this poor guy is stuck on a pack of cigarettes. **Both Elder Chagoya and I are very new at this so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.**
This Sunday he tried quitting cold turkey and so far so good but we'll have to see because he was smoking a pack a day before. Dustin I remembered all your letters about helping people quit smoking and I'm just starting to get a taste of what you probably had to go through every week. As he is trying to quit we're also expanding his knowledge of Christ and his testimony in Him. It's probably the most unique thing we have in the Indian Mission to teach Jesus Christ to someone who has a very limited if no knowledge. But Hindus make the best Mormons.
The heat is starting to pick up. We have to drink about 5-6 liters of water each day to keep up with our sweating. In May and June it should hit a humid 120 degrees. We were watching a church video where we saw the pioneers going across the plains and one of the other elders looks over at me and says "I will never complain about American heat ever again". And I agree.
Interesting Indian fact: There are many types of Indians, each with their own style and manner. There are Punjabi, Andhra, Karela, Tamil, and many more type of Indians. The most out of place though are the Anglo Indians. I'm not sure how they came about but they are exactly what the name decribes, half Indian and half English (or British). They form little colonies so that wherever you go you can find little Anglo communities. They speak very good English and all are pretty much Roman Catholic. Their skin is very fair and many times can pass off as a white person. Many times they are very American also. When I go into an Anglo's home I feel like I just got blasted back to America with their music, style, colors, and clothing. Many Anglos I know love country music and it's pretty funny to see an Indian wear a cow boy hat. Most are very nice but they're not too interested in listening to us. But we are teaching an Anglo Lady who is a single mother with three children. Her name is Angelica and she is very nice and likes the church. She came a couple of times and when she comes you can see everyone look at her and talk about her. We lost her after Sacrament meeting one day and found she wandered into the Gospel and Doctrines class. She had made some friends in there and we didn't want to disturb her so we just left her there. We went up to Gospel Essentials and ten minutes she bursts through the door and says in a booming voice "brothers I've already finished the class downstairs last time I came". I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about but we told her to just come in this class. Angelica is a character but she has a good heart.
Anyways I better get going. I just received an email saying the birthday packaged arrived in Bangalore so I should be recieving any day now. I'm so excited. By the way we celebrated my birthday very nicely. We had cake and good curry! Thank you so much for all your letters and love.
Love you a million heartfelt testimonies,
Elder Mackay
MY TWINKIE SISTER (that means twins by the way). Happy Birthday!! Sorry I meant to save it for the end of the letter but I forgot to send it off. Anyways here is you short personal blurb. I love you a million reeses peanut butter cups (including both the candy and our niece!) I hope you're 18th birthday is going to be fantastic! And you're going to be an adult. You can sign your own papers! You can go to 18+ years concerts. Wow you are so grown up.
I love you sooooooooooo much,
Curtis
Since you asked Carly, there are some interesting Birthday things in India.
The first is that there is a second verse to the birthday song that goes "may God bless you dear" repeated over again to the same tune. Also when you cut the cake it is customary to have the birthday person feed the cake to everyone else by hand. So I had some fun with that:) Also on your birthday you're supposed to give out candy to everyone. Birthdays here are more about giving actually and it's kind of fun.
Families! - February 24, 2009
Hello everyone,
It has been a very successful week. On Sunday we had combined 11 baptisms in both 1st and 2nd branch in Rajahmundry. The goal is to get the minimum of 35 every month in the mission and we were looking like we were going to come up short but I think this week made up for that. Elder Chagoya baptized Adams and Jayalatha's family (yes his name is Adams with an 's' and don't ask me why). Jayalatha's cousin is the Relief Society President but we also recently found out that Adams is Venkat Polapolli's cousin, a return missionary who is my former zone leader (funny thing about this mission is that it is very common to be in the same branch with elders you served with). So apparently everyone is just family around here. But after hours of paperwork, interviews, lessons and hard work on the part of all parties involved, the family is finally a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...At least they will be officially after their confirmation.
Speaking of families, it is very strange how big of a town Rajahmundry is population wise and yet everyone is related. Families aren't even that large because of the birth control laws in India so most families only have about two children. But for example the other day we met an old auntie who had a son, Samuel John, who was married. We met him and his wife, Nikita, and they told us to come to the Nikita's parents' house. So we met the Nikita's parents and found that the father is an uncle to one of our recent converts. It gets a little fun to find out all of the connections, especially when you start to find out things that happen between the family members; it's like playing a game of clue. "Raju is uncle to Sushma and they got in a fight in the Dining Room two years ago".
One cool thing that happened is that one of our investigators, an old retired man named Murthi, had his son Ravi Kiran come to town. When we went to go visit we taught Ravi Kiran about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and shared the Restoration DVD. Ravi Kiran and Murthi were both impressed (Murthi because the DVD was in Telegu) and it seemed we peaked Ravi Kiran's interest. Sadly Ravi is going to Minneapolis for two years but he said that he wants to go the church over there. We're hoping to get him in contact with the Elders over there and he speaks really good English so I don't think that the Elders will have any problem speaking with him, but I have been developing an ear for the Indian accent so maybe my judgment isn't so good. Yesterday we went back to visit and we brought one of recent converts Peter Chinna Rao Mulaparthi. Peter is amazing and his testimony makes up for his lack of English skills. He is a former pastor and when the Elders first met him he didn't want anything to do with them but his sons were really interested and they convinced their father to read the Book of Mormon. Well he did and miraculously the spirit touched his heart. He left his church and was baptized with his whole family. Well that's the short story because I don't know all the details because I've never been able to understand his first hand account. But you can appreciate the effect his story has on the people, especially since pastors are so praised in Christian India. Well Murthi and Ravi seemed very impressed. Even Samithra, the wife, was impressed even though she doesn't know any English and so has probably very little idea of what is going on. Peter was very happy to share his testimony too, he is one of the most faithful members I know.
Yesterday we were also mobbed. We were riding in one of the poorer areas and Elder Chagoya's chain falls off. A little bit of side information, one of the worst places to stand in one place is near poorer houses where no one speaks English because as soon as they see two white Americans outside their door they flip out and go crazy. Usually the adults are fine but it's the children that are the worst. Within two minutes of fixing the chain we hear a child's voice yell out "Anglais" and a swarm of 30 or 40 kids start to roll into the road. I don't know where they all came from but they were crazy. All of them wanted to know our names and all of their hands were stretched out for handshakes. If you recall any zombie movie then you can imagine what this looks like, just make it a midget zombie movie. Well we got the chain fixed and we booked it out of there and those little kids can run fast let me tell you.
Anyways I hope that your week was as fun as mine. I hope you are all doing well and know that you're always in my prayers.
Love you a million zombie-midgets,
Elder Mackay
PS
Just got on. I'm so sad to hear that our beloved Vanhin Gandola has to go back to the MTC and I feel his pain a little bit (as I had to do the same thing when I was held back in the MTC). Let his parents know that I keep him in my prayers daily. Also that he will have some amazing experiences working in the call center. When Elder Nixon and I were there we talked with a girl from New Jersey who by the end we were sure would be baptized. Can't wait to hear from you! (sorry that my pictures aren't as good as Elder Gandola's. The Indian picture taking skills aren't good enough for me to let them handle my camera.
Love ya,
Elder Curtis Mackay
It has been a very successful week. On Sunday we had combined 11 baptisms in both 1st and 2nd branch in Rajahmundry. The goal is to get the minimum of 35 every month in the mission and we were looking like we were going to come up short but I think this week made up for that. Elder Chagoya baptized Adams and Jayalatha's family (yes his name is Adams with an 's' and don't ask me why). Jayalatha's cousin is the Relief Society President but we also recently found out that Adams is Venkat Polapolli's cousin, a return missionary who is my former zone leader (funny thing about this mission is that it is very common to be in the same branch with elders you served with). So apparently everyone is just family around here. But after hours of paperwork, interviews, lessons and hard work on the part of all parties involved, the family is finally a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...At least they will be officially after their confirmation.
Speaking of families, it is very strange how big of a town Rajahmundry is population wise and yet everyone is related. Families aren't even that large because of the birth control laws in India so most families only have about two children. But for example the other day we met an old auntie who had a son, Samuel John, who was married. We met him and his wife, Nikita, and they told us to come to the Nikita's parents' house. So we met the Nikita's parents and found that the father is an uncle to one of our recent converts. It gets a little fun to find out all of the connections, especially when you start to find out things that happen between the family members; it's like playing a game of clue. "Raju is uncle to Sushma and they got in a fight in the Dining Room two years ago".
One cool thing that happened is that one of our investigators, an old retired man named Murthi, had his son Ravi Kiran come to town. When we went to go visit we taught Ravi Kiran about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and shared the Restoration DVD. Ravi Kiran and Murthi were both impressed (Murthi because the DVD was in Telegu) and it seemed we peaked Ravi Kiran's interest. Sadly Ravi is going to Minneapolis for two years but he said that he wants to go the church over there. We're hoping to get him in contact with the Elders over there and he speaks really good English so I don't think that the Elders will have any problem speaking with him, but I have been developing an ear for the Indian accent so maybe my judgment isn't so good. Yesterday we went back to visit and we brought one of recent converts Peter Chinna Rao Mulaparthi. Peter is amazing and his testimony makes up for his lack of English skills. He is a former pastor and when the Elders first met him he didn't want anything to do with them but his sons were really interested and they convinced their father to read the Book of Mormon. Well he did and miraculously the spirit touched his heart. He left his church and was baptized with his whole family. Well that's the short story because I don't know all the details because I've never been able to understand his first hand account. But you can appreciate the effect his story has on the people, especially since pastors are so praised in Christian India. Well Murthi and Ravi seemed very impressed. Even Samithra, the wife, was impressed even though she doesn't know any English and so has probably very little idea of what is going on. Peter was very happy to share his testimony too, he is one of the most faithful members I know.
Yesterday we were also mobbed. We were riding in one of the poorer areas and Elder Chagoya's chain falls off. A little bit of side information, one of the worst places to stand in one place is near poorer houses where no one speaks English because as soon as they see two white Americans outside their door they flip out and go crazy. Usually the adults are fine but it's the children that are the worst. Within two minutes of fixing the chain we hear a child's voice yell out "Anglais" and a swarm of 30 or 40 kids start to roll into the road. I don't know where they all came from but they were crazy. All of them wanted to know our names and all of their hands were stretched out for handshakes. If you recall any zombie movie then you can imagine what this looks like, just make it a midget zombie movie. Well we got the chain fixed and we booked it out of there and those little kids can run fast let me tell you.
Anyways I hope that your week was as fun as mine. I hope you are all doing well and know that you're always in my prayers.
Love you a million zombie-midgets,
Elder Mackay
PS
Just got on. I'm so sad to hear that our beloved Vanhin Gandola has to go back to the MTC and I feel his pain a little bit (as I had to do the same thing when I was held back in the MTC). Let his parents know that I keep him in my prayers daily. Also that he will have some amazing experiences working in the call center. When Elder Nixon and I were there we talked with a girl from New Jersey who by the end we were sure would be baptized. Can't wait to hear from you! (sorry that my pictures aren't as good as Elder Gandola's. The Indian picture taking skills aren't good enough for me to let them handle my camera.
Love ya,
Elder Curtis Mackay
More Highs and Lows - February 17, 2009
Hello Family and Friends,
Well this week was like a roller coaster. It is sufficient to say that all five of the planned baptisms got pushed back one more week, which isn't a terrible thing at all by any means, but it was stressful at the time. When people are getting baptized things get really stressful because so much paper work has to be filled out. In India there is a problem of people giving money to have people join their church so if someone wants to be baptized they have to handwrite a document, sign it, put their address, and have two witnesses (one member of the church and one non member) put their name and sign it. It's very annoying especially when you have to fill out enough for every member of a family. Also for the baptismal record of the church it is difficult to fill out all the information because people just don't know sometimes. Especially for parents birthdays but that is mostly due to the fact that most parents grew up in uncertain times so they don't have any birth certificates.
But for every down there is an up and with the way the gospel works it seems like that up really gets up there. We visited Chaithenya and Indu, the family recently baptized and we shared a video about temples with them. They were very impressed and Chaitenya told us that it was his dream to go to the temple. At the end of the lesson he said "Elders I have three dreams: To meet the prophet, to go to the temple, and to go to Los Angeles!" We laughed at Los Angeles and I asked him where that came from and he said "they're just dreams". We then saw the reality of the situation, because as secure as the family is, to save enough money to travel anywhere would be nothing less than a miracle. Then we got very serious and told him that the dream is possible through faith and obedience to God's laws. The spirit was very strong in the room.
We had a great find the other day. We found a family in a big white house. Elder Chagoya and I were amazed when we saw the inside. There was a full kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, an office and a separate room for every member of the house. It was a house I would not mind living in. And they had the largest collection and assortment of dogs ever. I loved it because they ranged from small fluffy white dogs to giant police dogs. The father's name was Raju and the mother was Jennifer. Raju made his fortunate from a metal welding business that made metal frames for windows. India doesn't use wood because there aren't any good trees growing here that can be used for buildings so the two most common materials for building houses are concrete and metal. Needless to say the business is thriving but they are still a very humble family and say that the home is God's gift. Raju doesn't know very much English but Jennifer is a school teacher at an English medium school so she speaks very nicely. As we were teaching her she would share some of her beliefs and they matched the Plan of Salvation as we know it today. She even had a firm belief in a pre-earth life, which I've never heard anyone having even a concept of it before. She liked the message of Joseph Smith because she said that she was having the same doubts as him about other churches. Hopefully I'll be able to write more about this family later if they progress:)
This morning was very exciting because we got up early to bike across the Godavari bridge, the 1st or 2nd highest bridge in Asia apparently. Pictures are included herewith, I hope you appreciate the talents of Elder Chagoya to get the picture with me eating the sun and with the dove. I joked that the spirit of God descended on me like a dove and I ate it!
Last night was a little scary. We got into our last appointment and Elder Chagoya looks over at me and says he's not feeling to good. And he didn't look good. He was in full sweat and the color from his face drained. I took him outside and you probably don't know but if any Indian knows your sick or injured they will swarm you like flies to try and give some home made remedy. We declined the questionable medicines seeing as the apotharetic methods seemed a bit rudimentary and the lack of the scientific method was fairly evident. I suggested water. We called an auto off the street and went home and now Elder Chagoya is fine, sometimes a urge a naseau just hits for about an hour but after people usually recover.
Anyways I better read your letters. I hope you had fun on your trip Jeff, honestly I love camping so I'm extremely jealous. And Paige keep up the good work. Just remember that my first night managing I had to deal with Spider-man 2 and that was the time I started the movie a 1/2 hour late. So don't worry if you haven't messed up that bad then you're doing pretty good. Also I wanted to know how all the boys were able to do their missions in the snow. I can't imagine how you go about it. But it is starting to get pretty hot now. It hit about 100 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday and in the full summer time it does get about 120 degrees.
Love you a million dreams of a righteous future,
Elder Curtis Mackay
PS
Wow I am so jealous. It sounds like your having a blast in the boat house (I remember that when we first moved in that is what it felt like). I also miss baked goods. You can find them here but no one rivals Ashley's home cooked buns (sorry Ashley no pun intended and yes you can call me a dork :)
Love ya!
Curtis
Busy, busy, busy - February 12, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
First business. Did you ever get a chance to look at my bank account? I remember that I have that special CD account and I think I'm not suppose to take money out of it or something like that. Mom you were with me at the time so you're going to have to remind me.
Anyways I loved all your letters. Ashley and Dustin I wish I could help you move, but if I were you I would make sure to get piano movers but that's your wish :). And I can't believe how old all the children are getting, not to mention how well behaved they are. It sounds like Reese and Logan are maturing into the oldest child role. And thank you so much for the advice Mom. We will definitely do it.
Hey Matt I was talking to one of the members who is studying his bachelor of technology (b. tech). He gave me his email and said that you could email and talk with him about school. His name is Varun and his email: 7mech@yahoo.com. I'm not sure how skype works, I've only heard about it so if you want to skype with him you'll have to ask him about that. At the very least you can probably IM him. I'll keep asking though to see if I can find anyone else who is a teacher or works with schools.
So I just recently heard about that movie slumdog millionare. I was talking to one of the elders and he said that one of the return missionaries from India saw it and said that it was pretty accurate. Mom I wrote you a letter last week about the poverty but I've been looking around a little more and I realize the poverty is more rampant than I thought originally. I guess I zone most of it out because I see it everyday. The hard part is that most of the people who are in that situation don't speak English and I can't really get to know all of their troubles and stories. Now there aren't as many slums in Rajahmundry as there are in the big cities. Hyderabad has a couple but I think that Mumbai has the worst. It seems that in the cities the gap between the rich and the poor grows larger. There is one member, Levin, in Rajahmundry who is in a very poor situation. His father passed away when he was young and his mother is handicap so he alone has to take care of her. And Dad you are very right when you said how humble the people are. Levin is just that kind of person. He always comes on exchange with us because he has such a strong faith that it is the right thing to do. He's introduced many friends to the gospel and even last Sunday one of his good friends, Srujana, was baptized. Srujana is a completely different story of faith. She was introduced to the church 2 years back. Her parents allowed her to go to church but because of their deep Hindu roots they wouldn't allow her to be baptized. Well that didn't stop her. Levin and her other member friends kept nourishing her with the scriptures and she would come to church and institute all the time. Finally after two years of waiting she was finally old enough to sign her own papers and be baptized. It was very special and Levin was able to baptize her. She is so committed and even when the Branch President asked her about her future, mostly about her marriage, she said with a firm conviction that she would marry a church member.
Things are going great and they aren't slowing down. We've been consistenly getting around 8-12 to sacrament every week. It's been keeping us so busy at church and I feel like I'm herding a bunch of sheep or goat (which is something that I feel is very appropriate cause I actually see goatherders prod their flocks every day). We've been working with the branch a lot to make sure that there is strong fellowship going on as well. It's not perfect but it's getting there. Missionary work is like a water bed. When you cover one area another area pops up, making it very difficult to get a grip on everything. For example this week we had a lot of new investigators but we weren't ablet to visit any of our less active members who really need visits.
We have 5 baptisms this Sunday: Adams, Jaylatha, Percy and Peter, and Prasad. The Adams family (no pun intended) is amazing. Every time we visit we realize how much of a miracle it is that they are getting baptized. 5 years ago they first met elders and Jaylatha would only listen and Adams wanted nothing to do with it. They were introduced by Jaylatha's cousins, the Penegulas, who are members. I talked to Raju Penegula, who just got back from his mission last year, and he said that it's really a miracle that Adams and Jaylatha are coming to church now because when they first tried they were completely against it. Jaylatha even told us the other night that Adams wouldn't even go to her church! Prasad is the one who has had a lot of trouble coming to church because his wife, a member Surekha, was pregnant. But now he found he's able to come to church consistently and he even got a good job, great news for an upcoming father.
Anyways I better get going. I'm going to visit so many people in Hyderabad now:) Ashley I'm really sorry for your Grandpa. Know that he's watching you now and probably even comforting you. The Spirit World is a lot closer than we think and if we do those simple things (read scriptures and pray) we can shorten that veil between us and the spirit world.
I love you all a million Hyderabad Dum Byrani's
Elder Mackay
First business. Did you ever get a chance to look at my bank account? I remember that I have that special CD account and I think I'm not suppose to take money out of it or something like that. Mom you were with me at the time so you're going to have to remind me.
Anyways I loved all your letters. Ashley and Dustin I wish I could help you move, but if I were you I would make sure to get piano movers but that's your wish :). And I can't believe how old all the children are getting, not to mention how well behaved they are. It sounds like Reese and Logan are maturing into the oldest child role. And thank you so much for the advice Mom. We will definitely do it.
Hey Matt I was talking to one of the members who is studying his bachelor of technology (b. tech). He gave me his email and said that you could email and talk with him about school. His name is Varun and his email: 7mech@yahoo.com. I'm not sure how skype works, I've only heard about it so if you want to skype with him you'll have to ask him about that. At the very least you can probably IM him. I'll keep asking though to see if I can find anyone else who is a teacher or works with schools.
So I just recently heard about that movie slumdog millionare. I was talking to one of the elders and he said that one of the return missionaries from India saw it and said that it was pretty accurate. Mom I wrote you a letter last week about the poverty but I've been looking around a little more and I realize the poverty is more rampant than I thought originally. I guess I zone most of it out because I see it everyday. The hard part is that most of the people who are in that situation don't speak English and I can't really get to know all of their troubles and stories. Now there aren't as many slums in Rajahmundry as there are in the big cities. Hyderabad has a couple but I think that Mumbai has the worst. It seems that in the cities the gap between the rich and the poor grows larger. There is one member, Levin, in Rajahmundry who is in a very poor situation. His father passed away when he was young and his mother is handicap so he alone has to take care of her. And Dad you are very right when you said how humble the people are. Levin is just that kind of person. He always comes on exchange with us because he has such a strong faith that it is the right thing to do. He's introduced many friends to the gospel and even last Sunday one of his good friends, Srujana, was baptized. Srujana is a completely different story of faith. She was introduced to the church 2 years back. Her parents allowed her to go to church but because of their deep Hindu roots they wouldn't allow her to be baptized. Well that didn't stop her. Levin and her other member friends kept nourishing her with the scriptures and she would come to church and institute all the time. Finally after two years of waiting she was finally old enough to sign her own papers and be baptized. It was very special and Levin was able to baptize her. She is so committed and even when the Branch President asked her about her future, mostly about her marriage, she said with a firm conviction that she would marry a church member.
Things are going great and they aren't slowing down. We've been consistenly getting around 8-12 to sacrament every week. It's been keeping us so busy at church and I feel like I'm herding a bunch of sheep or goat (which is something that I feel is very appropriate cause I actually see goatherders prod their flocks every day). We've been working with the branch a lot to make sure that there is strong fellowship going on as well. It's not perfect but it's getting there. Missionary work is like a water bed. When you cover one area another area pops up, making it very difficult to get a grip on everything. For example this week we had a lot of new investigators but we weren't ablet to visit any of our less active members who really need visits.
We have 5 baptisms this Sunday: Adams, Jaylatha, Percy and Peter, and Prasad. The Adams family (no pun intended) is amazing. Every time we visit we realize how much of a miracle it is that they are getting baptized. 5 years ago they first met elders and Jaylatha would only listen and Adams wanted nothing to do with it. They were introduced by Jaylatha's cousins, the Penegulas, who are members. I talked to Raju Penegula, who just got back from his mission last year, and he said that it's really a miracle that Adams and Jaylatha are coming to church now because when they first tried they were completely against it. Jaylatha even told us the other night that Adams wouldn't even go to her church! Prasad is the one who has had a lot of trouble coming to church because his wife, a member Surekha, was pregnant. But now he found he's able to come to church consistently and he even got a good job, great news for an upcoming father.
Anyways I better get going. I'm going to visit so many people in Hyderabad now:) Ashley I'm really sorry for your Grandpa. Know that he's watching you now and probably even comforting you. The Spirit World is a lot closer than we think and if we do those simple things (read scriptures and pray) we can shorten that veil between us and the spirit world.
I love you all a million Hyderabad Dum Byrani's
Elder Mackay
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