Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Starting the New Year January 6, 2009


Curtis as Christmas Tata next to Sundar

Elder Chagoya, Chaitenya the younger, his brother and Curtis at his baptism

Curtis and Jithendra


Hello Family!

Well the week was busy but there was no work that didn't have it's reward. After some issues with permission slips and legal forms Jithendra was finally able to be baptized. I don't know if I've mentioned much about Jithendra but he has kind of a funny backround. His dad lives in Tamilnaru which is a good plane ride away from Rajahmundry and his mom lives in Kakinada which is about an hour and a half bus ride away. He's now living with his aunt and uncle while he's studying in Rajahmundry. His cousins are members of the church and ever since he's been in Rajahmundry he's been coming church. Even before I came to Rajamundry he was working towards baptism but he's underage and there are a lot of legal forms that have to be filled out by the parents. So after months of couriering forms and documents to the parents (and waiting for Jithendra to come to church on time...that lazy bum) He was finally ready for baptism. He is a sweet kid and already he's expressing his desire to serve a mission and even finish go to BYU. I thought that would be fun to go to school with a convert but as a missionary I couldn't say anything about so I referred him to the Branch President.

I must say baptisms are exciting but very busy. The Branch President also wants to meet with all baptismal candidates before their baptism so along with filling out forms, getting baptismal interviews, scheduling the baptismal service, we also have to find time to have President come. It wouldn't be so bad but to top it all off we're still not having a phone. So we're kept busy all the time because any time we aren't doing something we're finding a coin box to make calls (not to mention finding coins). But the work is progressing so fast in Rajahmundry. This month will be very busy and it sounds like February may also be busy but we have to keep finding new people or else by the time March rolls around we'll have exhausted our progressing investigators and be left with nothing.

The other night we were finding at some apartments and we found a sister and her two children at their home. They were Christian and very sweet. They wanted us to come in but since there was no male we could not. Both Elder Chagoya and I felt very good about this family so we shared a five minute version of the Restoration and made a return visit when the father would be home. Unfortunately when we returned we found that the father was a staunch Pentecostal minister and wanted to have to nothing to do with our message. I kept looking at the rest of the family while we were talking and my heart broke because even though they may have been willing to listen and hear our message their was no way they could even try the things we were saying. I really was sad and when I walked out of the appointment I kept thinking about them. But I hope that we may have at least planted a seed for the children so that when they grow up they can at least hear and try message of the restoration.

But we found so many good people this week. We met one guy the other day at his home. He was the only one home that spoke any English so we talked with him for a bit and asked if we could come back the next morning. He told us to come but when we did he wasn't there. Instead his brother, Ravi, was there and so we were able to teach him. He kept insisting that he didn't know English but he seemed to be understanding every word we said. I would ask him a question and he would give a perfect answer, or I would explain something and he would repeat it back in his own words so he definitely understood. In fact, he understood a lot more than many of the other people we teach and I think that he is one of those few people who listen with open ears and open eyes (as the Nephites did when Heavenly Father spoke to them in 3 Nephi). We explained the church and apostasy and when we said that the church was no longer on the earth. Then he would say "Yeah. There were no Prophets, no power, no Church!" Then he would get a puzzled look on his face and say "Where is the true church?" I almost laughed when he said that. So we explained about Joseph Smith and the restoration and he ate it up. He mentioned afterwards "Today I am very lucky. I was going to go to tution (class) but it was cancelled, so I stayed at home and now I was able to meet you". I'm almost nervous that there has to be something wrong or some concern that we'll find in the future but for now we are hoping for the best for him.

By the way I have to tell about this one street that we're teaching. There are four houses all in a row where we have progressing investigators, one who even has a baptismal date. There is Chaitenya who is a father of two little girls and with the sweetest wife ever, then there is Sirish and his younger brother Girish who are from Hindu background but came to church and are now way interested, Srinivas who has been coming to church but has less English but a great heart so we're teaching him both the gospel and English, and Kishore and Laxman who are two bachelors who have progressed so well. Kishore and Laxman left for Hyderabad for two months but they're being taught by the elders there. The other night we stopped by each home to make short visits and it hit me. I told Elder Chagoya "Elder, it may sound crazy but I think we can convert this whole street". We laughed but there may be some truth to that.

Anyways I still haven't received the package but don't worry, it may have just got delayed in customs, which is usually the case. I called the office and I think they sent me one too many emails saying that I recieved a package because I got messages saying I recieved three but they only have records of recieving two for me in the month of December. But I love you all so much.

Love you a million reeses pieces peanut butter cups,

Elder Mackay

More Stuff December 31, 2008

You got my package!! oh that makes me so happy! Really that does make my day. We have to spend p-day registering so I can't get anything done today. And the packaging is normal. They told me I needed to sew it in fabric and seal it with wax so I chose a christmas fabric. Okay I think I understand Reese's excitement. I think when the horse whinnies and says "WERHEHEHE" Reese thinks it's saying "Rereheheese". Check the pony I bet that's the case.

Byron I got your letter and I figured you would be a child in a candy store while in New York. I think I would be too if I came back to India. Congratulations on your grades, that's really awesome. I hope you do stay at BYU, our year together was too short and I didn't take advantage of it enough.

Dad I love the Quantum stuff. I asked a member about Hindus and meditation and it is a big thing. Even more so in the past century when one famous Swami taught that as one of his main points. And there truly is great power in that. I try to ponder during my prayers because I feel I can receive the most revelation at that time. I think revelation is not so much receiving as it is revealing some hidden domain.

Anyways, Love you all again

Elder Mackay

The Week December 30, 2008

Dear family,

Well this week has been an interesting week. Two days after you called Elder Brown was transferred to another area and I received my new companion, Elder Chagoya. I remember before the mission that I heard something about the India mission saying that transfers were far and few between. So far that seems to be a lie. But that is mostly because of the huge rush of new Elders coming in, I think it's finally starting to cool down. Anyways Elder Chagoya is a really great elder and super excited so I'm super excited to have him. His family lives near Chicago and his name comes from his dad who is from Mexico. He's been out for only one transfer so I think we're going to learn a lot this next transfer about missionary work.

Leading the area is tough, especially since I'm the only one who knows who the investigators and members are. The first weekend there were a couple speed bumps but I finally got hold of the reigns. Just as that happens the mobile goes missing. Elder Chagoya accidentally put it in his front pocket and as we were riding it fell out. The road was so dark and busy that we couldn't find it. We had a member call it but it didn't even ring hinting to me that it got ran over by a motorcycle or some auto. So that makes the situation a little tricky and replacing the phone isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I have to call the phone company and even though the language barrier isn't so much of a problem, call centers are just made to give headaches. I just hope we can get the phone back sooner rather than later.

But despite all of these complications and disturbances, it does not stop the work from progressing. Chaitenya was baptized on Sunday and we have Jitendra being baptized the next. Both are really good young men. Chaitenya is going to be a super star and Jitendra, while he is a little lazy, has an amazing testimony. Last time we met with him he said he developed a habit of reading the Book of Mormon everyday for at least 15 minutes. Chaitenya's baptism was really great. We had Siva, one of our investigators, stay and watch and afterwards he said he wanted to be baptized. I was happy and a little bit shocked. We tried setting him a with a date before but then he was hesitant and unsure. Now he can't wait. We're meeting with him tonight so I hope that enthusiasm stays.

Also at church we had a less active member, Sarathi, come to church and I was so excited to see him. We've been teaching his wife and at the same time trying to get him to come to church. He only came for 20 minutes before he received a call from work, but he called me that night and told me he had payed his tithing in full that day and that he was going to keep paying tithing for the rest of his life. He was so excited. He actually does have a good testimony but has a tough time conforming to church standards. Little by little though he's coming back and that is helping his wife Renukha so much. She is seeing how the church can bless her and her family through foremost her children's activity but also through her husband's reactivation. I have really been putting faith in the miracle of repentance and obedience when teaching this family and my testimony has grown so much because of it.

Sorry no humorous or funny stories this week. Everything has just been either super high or super low but I've always been told to expect that on a mission. But I love you all and all your support.

Love you a million new years,

Elder Mackay

Christmas Bells Are Riiiiingiiing December 23, 2008

Ho, ho ho! Merry Christmas!

Sorry I've been practicing my Santa voice because I've been chosen to be Santa this year (That's what you get when every one else is skinnier than you). And I know that's the reason. Just like in many other non-American cultures it's no problem to call someone fat. If you want to be nice about it then you just say they have a "big personality". The other day I had one of the other members behind me on my bike as we were cycling. He then grabs my love handles and says "This is why you'll make a good Santa Clause!".

Anyways as for business stuff: New change in calling plans. You can call my cell directly. The number is 011-91-900005816. You should still call around 10:00pm your time. I will give a miss call so you know when you can call me but there's the number and the time in case I can dial out for some reason.

So this week has been pretty exciting. We're preparing another young man for baptism. His name is Chaitanya and I love this kid so much. The first time we met him he was very shy and didn't want to talk with us. Now he's talking like anything, reading the Book of Mormon and doing all the things we tell him he should do. Nothing is more sweet then when we open to a scripture and he says "oh yeah I read this one yesterday". He's got a lot of support from his family. His older brother is a member (see what a great example older brothers are are Matt, Dustin and Byron) and although his parents are not, because they live in an area where the church isn't established yet, they show great support for both of their son's decisions.

On Monday we received transfer calls and I'm staying but my companion Elder Brown is going an hour away to another area called Kakinada. He's really bummed out because he's leaving one day before Chaitanya's baptism. I feel bad for him but I know he's going to do a great job in Kakinada, especially cause he'll be district leader :). As for myself I will get a new companion, Elder Surgoya. He's an American elder that came one transfer back. I was thinking about how much fun it would be to see a new elder learn to ride a bike after having some struggles myself but then I learned from another Elder that he raced bikes before his mission. So I think I'm going to be in quite a shock when he kills me up the hills. Other than that I'm really excited for him to come.

We met a couple white people in Rajahmundry the other day. Elder Brown and I are starting to get a little creeped out by these strange appearances. I guess now we know how it feels when other people see us. One girl we met as we knocked on a door and we see this early 20's white girl wearing a green saree. She was so pale I thought she was an albino Indian. There was a moment of shock between us for a couple minutes than we ask each other "what are you doing here?". We found out her name is Gabby and she is a Swiss girl who did a foreign exchange for a few years in Kansas and now she was teaching children Science and English in India. She had a mix of a Swiss/American accent (we called her American Swiss cheese afterwards) so it was very easy to understand her. She was staying with an Indian family so we took the opportunity to teach them. Unfortunately it was unsuccessful and the father of the family expressed his reasons and sentiments for not accepting which is a very common feeling in India. He said that he was raised a particular way in a particular church and even if that way was wrong he wouldn't change out of respect of his ancestors. That is just a part of the culture in India, it's very difficult to split away from the traditions of the fathers. Gabby explained also that she's heard about us before through a Mormon friend in the US and though she respected our beliefs she also didn't want to change. It was an interesting experience but I have the hardest time talking with white people now. It is so scary to hear a Western accent and I get nervous every time I do. Elder Brown feels the same and we both laugh at ridiculous we are now.

We saw another white girl, and this one was different from all the others because where as the other white people are trying to adapt to Indian culture this one was wearing jeans, a sleeveless tank top and riding on the back of a bike with a younger guy. We saw her in the strangest area where you would least likely to see another white person. Then we saw an Indian man with a mullet and we agreed that the corner we were on was the most awesome corner ever.

Well I'm really jealous of your Christmas in New York. That stinks that you didn't see the Russian dancers in the Nutcracker, that does seem like the best part. I hope the rest of the trip went well and I hope your feeling better Dad. I'm so excited that I get to call home. Byron you're going to have to tell me how it is to go back at meet your converts, I think that would be the coolest thing for any missionary to do. I hope it doesn't snow too hard so you can get out of there.

Love you a million Christmas cheers,

Elder Mackay

Hewwo Mackay Famiwy December 16, 2008

Hello,

Okay I have to explain the subject line. Elder Brown and were visiting the Chinna family. They know very little English but they are one of the most pleasant and delightful families ever. We love the two sons, Arun and Murali. They are always wanting to come on exchange with us and every time they see us they give us a big hug...or that is the biggest hug five foot, 95 lbs Indian boys can give us. We were teaching the family and the Father, Peter, takes one of his dogs who is super pregnant, takes her paws and says in a pretend dog voice "hewwo Brown, hewwo Mackay". I just about died laughing. When I call home I'll mimic the voice for you. It's very similar to Dustin and Ashley's 'Rithe' story ;)

Speaking of rice, I'm going to be eating a lot of it this next week. Holidays mean food, and food means lunch appointments and just to put the cherry on top of the cake there are three birthdays tomorrow, two of which are feeding us. So after all that time and effort trying to bring down my weight I'm going to put the pounds back on. So Byron get ready cause in two years I'm going to need some major wippage back into shape.

We have been really busy lately. This week is going to be really tough cause we're not sure if we can even visit all the people that we need to visit. I think it's a mixture of having a short week last week, a couple bunked appointments that we need to visit, and (my personal favorite) a ton a referrals flowing in from the members. It's amazing. I think we have 6 investigators coming from referrals and that may not seem like a lot but as any missionary knows, referrals are like gold. Elder Brown and I were analyzing and we noticed a definite higher percentage of keeping commitments from member referral investigators and the investigators we found on our own. Preach My Gospel says that the gospel flows most easily when it is supported by a friend out of love (or something like that). That is so true and it makes me so grateful to be in Rajahmundry.

We set Srinu for baptism in January. I'm not sure if I've talked about Srinu, it gets hard to remember what I wrote home and what I wrote in my journal. But Srinu is a cool middle aged guy with a wife and two little girls. He is a referral from a member, Anand, and Anand has helped so much in the process. We told him about baptism and he said he wanted to be baptized but first wanted to make sure he could come to church continuously. We were delighted to hear that he wanted to make a commitment to coming to church and we explained that by setting a goal he shows God his faith and by doing that God will help be ready by that day, if he should be baptized on that day that is. But he is really excited and loves church. The only problem that I can see facing them is Srinu's job and his wife's English. English is a hard thing in Rajahmundry, while most males know it for business purposes it's very hard to find a wife speaking English, especially if she's a house wife. We're trying to help her learn English, and coming to church would definitely help. Srinu's job is probably the larger obstacle. Getting Sunday off in India is very difficult since the Sabbath Day is such a new concept to many people. Most will have one day for a holiday (day-off) during the week and all the Christians try to get Sunday. Since there is such an overload of petitions for holidays on Sunday not everyone can get it off. There is just not enough supply of Sunday-holidays. So usually that means they will pass around the Sunday shift so that everyone can have one or two Sundays off during the week. It's a bit of a problem but it seems to be that if someone tries hard enough they can get at least part of Sunday off.

We met a really interesting guy last week. We were walking on the road searching for new homes and people to talk to and a guy rides up on his motorcycle and asks for holy water. He was in his 40's, wearing a dirty shirt, chewing tobacco, and had the smell of alcohol on his breath. We told him we didn't holy water but we could share a message with him. "I really want holy water. I'm not Christian but I need blessings, I'll do anything to get them. I've been reading your book, the Bible, and I want blessings." How could we say no? His name was Raju and he took us to his home. He owned a building with three floors. He rented out the bottom two and took the top for himself, which was a tiny two room flat. On his bookshelf we saw piles of religious books coming from all different backgrounds. He told us how he was rotten when he was younger and that he wasted his life but now he was feeling a need to come to God. He told us he was married but his wife lived far away, I think separated. She had his son and he was lamenting over how he wanted his son to be blessed. It was a pitiful sight to see and it tugged at me a little bit. We shared with him the Restoration and he seemed to be touched by it. We visited him again yesterday and he looked like a new man. He was wearing a nice polo shirt, he was clean shavened, and smelled to some extent kind of nice. He amazingly remembered everything we taught him last time. We were really impressed. Sadly he is going out of town for 2 weeks but he says he really wants to meet with us again. We're kind of nervous that he'll forget about us and won't want to meet with us again but we're hoping. I thought after him about the message we share and how great it really is. Raju wanted blessings for his son and we were able to show the way for him to do that. Not only that but anyone who knows the gospel knows it could heal his marriage. That's pretty powerful stuff if you know what I mean.

Well I have to come to a close but I have to finish with a funny story. The other day Elder Brown and I saw a cow walking into a home. I thought it was funny but Elder Brown told me of his cow-in-the-home-experience. While him and his companion we're teaching a family a cow walks into the room. The family was shooing it out and on its way it stepped into the other Elder's shoe and was walking away with it. So the Elder was chasing the cow trying to take off the shoe as it was taking a step. Not something that you see everyday.

I'm so sorry to hear about Jon. That really is tragic. Thank you for letting me know and I'm for his family and friends.

I love you all so much though. You are always in my prayers.

Love you a million cows,

Elder Mackay

p.s. sorry I couldn't get any pics the internet is so slow it times out every time i try to upload to email:(

The City Life vs Raj December 9, 2008

Hello!

Well we just had zone conference and that means all the missionaries from the nearby surrounding areas head over to Visak, which I think is the second largest city in Andra (second to Hyderabad). It's kind of cool cause now I'm reminded of what being in a city is like and I can compare that to the quiet laid-back life of Raj. And I must say Raj wins but the cities have their advantages. The cities do have good food. Just yesterday we had pizza hut and there's also a KFC knock off hotel that's pretty good. (if you think I'm using the indian lingo of "hotel" instead of restaraunt just so i look cool you are absolutely right:) But at the same time in the cities you have to haggle with autos, turn away a lot more beggars and deal with traffic and pollution. In Rajahmundry it is a lot more peaceful and beautiful. The air is cleaner and the people are just generally friendlier. But you won't see American food. But that's easily solved by stocking up on barbeque sauce and mustard while in Visac. But I've developed a stomach for Indian food now and it is evident by the size of my belly (i now fluctuate between 180-185lbs). And thank you so much for the package Mom. It got here just in time. Visak is famous for giving stomach problems so I packed the pepto pills and I think they saved me from deadly motions.

This week was kind of let down missionary work wise. It wasn't a bad week by any means but we were just planning on having a way sweet week. We were expecting to have 11 people at least to come to church and instead we had 2 on time and 3 come late. I shouldn't be complaining because that is still a lot but out of all the people that came none of the people we were really hoping for came. It's kind of a bummer when you work with someone all week and both you and him or her are so excited and then he or she can't make it to church. We met with Norman on Saturday night and he was loving the Book of Mormon. He read 2 Ne 31 and was able to explain the whole chapter to us, which is a big deal where ever you are. He was so excited to come to church and told us he would be there for sure. But he got in a bike accident Sunday morning. He didn't get hurt but his bike was out of comission for the couple of days so he wasn't able to make it. But the will was there so we'll just have to try again next Sunday. Sometimes that['s just the way life is though.

And after this Zone Conference I am a lot more excited to get back to Raj and get back to work. President Nichols gave a very inspirational training and practice on our purpose as missionaries. He said that we are all focused to much on getting people baptized as quick as possible that we lose sight of our whole purpose. Often missionaries, myself included, will set someone with a baptism date for three weeks away (which is the minimum amount of time in this mission) and we don't take any thought about what the person really needs. Our purpose is to bring others to come unto Christ, beating someone over the head with a baptism date is not the way to do that. Instead of thinking 'who should we set with a date' we should be thinking 'what does this sister need to make her life seem more valuable' or 'what does this family need to do to bring more happiness in their lives'. I started to apply this way of thinking to many of the investigators we're visiting and I realize that I've been going about missionary work the wrong way. I feel I've just been doing missionary things without any real thought or real effort. I don't regret any part of my mission so far but now I am ready to take it to the next level. Elder Brown and I are excited because we feel like that with this mindset we can start moving others forward towards eternal life.

President Nichols also spoke to us about being childish. It was a really interesting talk. He said that a study was done on families in the US and they found that adolescence (that middle stage between childhood and adulthood) is a made up creation that started in Western societies about 50 years ago and began to spread all over the world. Not only that but adolescence has no benefit whatsoever. But he said that this only proves that the Gospel really does benefit all aspects of life because when the Gospel is followed correctly the effects of adolescence are lessened. When a child turns 12 he goes to young men or she goes to young women. There they will recieve some calling and responsibility. Then when they turn 19, young men will serve missions and carry one of the most responsibilities the Lord can give to men. The world sees this as strange and wonders why the heck would the church send immature 19 year old boys to do a man's job, but the truth is that the world has been decieved by this false notion of adolescence and that at the age of 19 a young man should be able to carry that responsibility. Now I don't think I am quite at that maturity level, which makes me extremely grateful for the atonement which makes up for all my shortcomings, but I know that this truly is the Lord's way of working. I just thought that was pretty interesting and wanted to share that.

Oh I forgot to share one experience that was pretty cool I thought. Elder Brown and I were roaming looking for a family to teach and we met a short, stout sister on her porch. We asked her if any Christian families were staying nearby. She told us she was Christian and with a big smile invited us in (I have to take a moment and describe this smile. It was like the chesire cat but with big buck teeth and it seemed to be plastered on her face). Her name was Kalyani and she was living with her mom and dad who were very old and knew absolutely no English. We started to talk with and found out she had pretty much no English either, but we started to teach her anyway. And I'm glad we did because for as little English as she knew she was trying so hard to understand. By the end of the lesson she was able to say "prophets...speaking God...Jesus Christ...Apostles...Joseph Smith...next Prophet...Church back to Earth". I guess the spirit taught her a lot because I have no idea how she was able to get that with her English skills. We'll have to see what happens but it was a very precious and simple moment at the time. I learned that if someone has a desire and faith, anything is possible.

Okay well I have to go. I love you all and I can't wait to read your letters.

Love you a million pepto-bismal pills!

Elder Mackay

Time to Start Singing Christmas Songs Dec. 2, 2008

Dear my lovely family and friends,

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. We tried to make the best of it and I think we did a good job. I can't believe it's already December, and actually India has spectactular weather right now, especially in Rajahmundry. Today I'm going to see if I can catch a couple pictures of the scenery and send you some today. It'll be hard though because on Sunday the mission president is coming so we have to have squeaky clean apartments, and our apartment is a mess. It's not that we're slobs, actually all the missionaries in our apartment are very neat, but it's just an old apartment that elders have been using for years and the pile up of junk and dust in certain areas that never get used has made the cleaning task a bit daunting.

But all is well and I received a lovely package from the Del Mar Primary. Thank you so much! How in the world did you know I loved Reese's so much? I guess a little bird told you (*cough*mom*cough*). They were a sweet gift and the jerky made it extra nice. I didn't realize how much I miss beef until I had jerky.

Well I'm sure you have all heard the Terrorist attacks in Mumbai and I hope you all didn't worry about me. It was kind of funny because at the time I sent the first email saying I was safe I didn't know what the heck was going on. All I knew was that our District Leader called telling us there were some problems in Mumbai and that we needed to email our parents. I guess "some problems" could describe terrorist bombings pretty well. But we really are in the safest place in India and I'd say one of the safest places in Asia. Rajahmundry has the most laid back people ever. They don't give a hoot about what religion you are, what country you're from or whatever. I feel so safe with them.

I just heard that Elder Wirthlin died. That is so sad. I was just telling my companion the other day about how he wasn't looking so good last General Conference. What a brilliant man though. I would always pay special attention to all of his talks. His last talk especially touched me, and I'm not sure what he exactly said whether it was "come away and loveth" or "come what may and loveth" (we haven't recieved the General Conference talks from October yet so I haven't read the text) but either way the message is the same and clear. It is definitely something I have to say at the end of a bad day or appointment.

But this week has been very good. Sundar was baptized last Sunday and he's going to be such a great member. I love the guy. He's only 19 but he has such a strong testimony and he already has so many friends in the church. He was introduced to the church by his good friend Shanti and Bhindu. Just goes to show how important it is for members to look for missionary opportunities. I truly regret not sharing the church with more of my friends back home. It's kind of strange that even though we love the church and the gospel we have a tough time sometimes sharing it with people we love. I'll make sure to send pics of the baptism next week (sorry I forgot my camera :(.

One sad thing that happened is that Sunni, a kid from a family we've been teaching, had to have surgery for his acute appendicitis. He's already broken his back from falling off a forty foot bridge and it's a miracle he's alive and walking today without any permanent damage. We went and visited him in the hospital and he looked in so much pain. His mom was really scared for him and I don't blame her. The hospital they were at was really sketchy and dank. It did not show cleanliness that Hospitals have in America. I was just hoping that the surgery room wasn't as shoddy. But the surgery went perfectly well. They did a new surgery that required three tiny incisions rather than one long one. After the surgery they found that Sunni, being the unluckiest kid in the world, also had the beginning stages of jaundice. But as unlucky as this kid is, nothing can destroy his spirits. He is the most optomistic kid ever. I told him and his little sister, Johanna who is the cutest little girl and has the cutest little voice, to write notes so I can send them home. I hope you like them:)

The work is going forward but it wouldn't be missionary work without some funny stories. I have two this week that are worth mentioning. The first one, we were in a home teaching an old uncle and his 30 year son. In the backround were a bunch of younger kids and a baby boy. While we were talking about apostles and apostasy I see the baby in the backround standing straight up with an awkward look on his face. Then he lets loose and a steady stream of urine.after a minute the father turned around and saw the puddle and motioned his girls to clean it up. The girls didn't know what to do so they shrugged at each other and went outside. By the time we left the puddle was still there and I thought about saying something but I didn't.

The next evening we had just finished a lesson with an older fellow who lived out in some more open areas. Next to his house was a small cow pasture where the gate was open (cows wander freely around India). There was one white cow, which had some sort of breathing problem because it was taking huge heavy breaths, that was sniffing our bikes. We thought it was pretty funny and laughed. We told him to shoo and we then stood by our bikes to make some calls. While I was on the phone we hear heavy breathing (if any of you have watched Hey Arnold, it was kind of like that guy who always creeps up behind Helga) and we look around and the cow is licking my companion's back. Elder Brown had the most disgusted look on his face. We ran away and the was trying to follow us so we quickly got on our bikes and sped away. I think he has a crush on my companion.

Anyways I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to Christmas. I'm so excited! I get to call home in 23 or so days. Speaking of which I need to know what number I need to call. Mom I suspect that you're already on top of that. I think I'll be calling from some pay phone but we'll see.

I love you a million licking cows and peeing children,

Elder Mackay

Happy Thanksgiving - Nov. 25, 2008

Dear Family,

Wow the weeks fly by so fast here. I feel very comfortable and settled in Rajahmundry and I’ve even learned to love the bikes. In the morning and afternoon it’s a bit of a pain cause we’re in the sun but at night it feels so good. I can’t even describe how pretty it is here also. Today I’m working on getting pictures to send home so you can see the rice fields and the pink skies at sunset.

Riding a bike is a blessing. I get a cardio workout, we move between appointments faster and I get to see more of India. While riding one day I felt pretty confident. My companion and I were weaving in and out of traffic and we were coming around a turn. There was an old uncle in front of me so I decided to pass him up around the turn. My cockiness was my downfall, and quite literally too. I went around the corner too fast and I hit a small patch of dirt. My wheels slipped out from under me and down I went. I skidded for about two feet onto the side of the road bruising my hip and cutting up my forearm. Elder Brown rushed over frantically but I was on the ground laughing over my stupid mistake. I took a picture of the cut on my arm (it’s pretty cool looking) and now it stands as a reminder of why I should be careful.

Not only does the cut serve as a reminder but it also acts as an attention grabber. The Indian people are so paranoid over every scratch and every cough. If you have a fever of 1 degree (Fahrenheit) above normal they’ll think you have the plague. But it’s fun to tell people and see their jaws drop.

Other than that the week has been really successful. We had a confirmation on Sunday and a baptism coming. Sister Swapna, the girl with from Hindu background whose husband is a return missionary, was confirmed by Elder Brown and it was really sweet. Every time we see her she is just a lot happier. She smiles a lot more and she seems more confident. Before her baptism she rarely talked but now she is trying so hard to speak up, even with her rudimentary English. Her husband has been a great help.

Also there is Sunder who is getting baptized next Sunday. He is an all-star through and through. His English seems to improve phenomenally and it is because of his desire to learn the Gospel. He’s so proactive also. We were teaching him about tithing and fasting and he said “oh yeah, I know about that. I asked president last Sunday about that one”. Like I said what a stud.

It’s not only Sunder, but so many members in Rajahmundry are so faithful. There is one member from the other branch whose name is Sampath. He befriended Kishore and Laxman who are two of our investigators. He calls us one day and says “Elders, I called Kishore and Laxman, and they want you to visit them tomorrow at 3, can I come with you to that appointment?” How could we refuse such an offer? Last Sunday Kishore and Laxman came to church and they had a great time, mostly because there was a primary program (which was pretty darn cute and adorable if you ask me). Later we talked with Sampath and told him the good news and he said “good, I was afraid they weren’t going to come. They called me this morning and said they weren’t going to come because they had to study and I told them ‘sure no problem, you couldn’t come two weeks ago cause you were sick and you couldn’t come last week because of the rain. No worries brothers, you can keep pushing God off, but don’t expect Him to help when you need Him most’”. Wow. I was in between astonishment and laughter. I don’t know if I could be that bold in front of my friends but Sampath definitely has that faith (and the best part is that he was only baptized two months ago. Makes ya think doesn’t it)

Well this week was exciting but no week would be complete without some crap. We were on our way to this girl’s house, Prasana, and we had to take a dirt back road to get to it. There was one part that had been flooded and in the mud were chickens, pigs and breeding mosquitos. We had to make our way through so we were going on the driest parts. I went on the left side and half way through my front tire sinks into a half a foot of mud. My bike comes to a complete stop and I was just about to tip and fall full into the filth but luckily I got my foot on the ground and it stuck with a splat. If you have seen the Restoration video with the little boy getting stuck in the mud at the beginning, it was kind of like that except this mud was so much stinkier. So I guess every once in a while we’ll get our foot stuck in crap but if we laugh it off and find a spigot than really crap isn’t that much. It was a fun experience overall.

I have to make a shout out to all my friends who have been sending me letters. Sorry to all those who I haven’t been able to respond too. Know that I’m trying to get letters to you and I pray that they reach you safely (cause sometimes that requires some mighty prayers). LeGrand I love your letters so much and it is working perfectly to email me. I just print them off and save them in a special place. Katie and Jocelyn, letters are on the way so don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. And Dano good luck on your mission, I am so happy for you (though your probably already in the MTC so I’m not sure if you’ll get this. And Remington, I heard about your mission call and I’m so excited for you. I’ll try to get a letter over to you before you leave. And everyone else thank you so much for your letters, they always bring me comfort.

So now back to my beloved family. I hope everything is going well back home, especially as you all get together for Thanksgiving. I am so jealous but know that I’m there in Spirit. Today my companion and I are celebrating Festivas. We’re going to fry some chicken, make mash potatoes and have a feast. It won’t be as good as Mom’s cooking but home recipes are never a bad thing.

You are all an inspiration to me. I am so proud to have a family that loves and serves the Lord. I especially love you Mom and Dad. I look at your pictures every day and I reminisce in all times we’ve had together. And Dad I’m am ready to finally learn tennis when I get back so get ready.

Love you all a million “Festivas for the Rest of Us”

Elder Mackay

Followers