Doing the happy dance!

 It was a nice breather to not travel anywhere this week. Elder Dunlap was swamped at the office, catching up with finances and I don't think I've mentioned before that we received word that 4 of the 11 waiting American elders finally received their visas and are coming December 13th! With another 5 Indian elders and one sister starting soon in the Indian MTC, this will be a much needed boost for our dwindling numbers. So I had some preparations for their arrival to keep me plenty busy too. We squeezed in some apartment inspections in our spare moments that took us around town. It's a startling moment when realize your auto driver is drunk, his horn doesn't work, (actually we didnt mind that part) and has no idea how to read a Google map! While changing drivers we found these bricks by the side of the road that reminded us, everything we're experiencing is meant to be (MTB) and is ultimately for our good, (as long as we survive it!)

This mission is MTB! 

I should also mention as a backdrop that this week was Dewali, the largest Indian holiday of the year. There's so much I could say but I'll only tell the best and the worst of it. It's celebrated with lights and the lighting of candles and flowers and decorations everywhere. It is visually very beautiful!

                    Our neighbors front door

            The pavilion of our community

              Many balconies lit up with lights

                      The ascending walkway

People dress up in their finest traditional clothes and greet you warmly and smile and offer you sweets and it's all very lovely and joyful. Doesn't that sound similar to Christmas? There is a definite feeling of good will all throughout the days. We enjoyed celebrating this part.

The other aspect of Dewali is a 4-day fireworks onslaught, much like our 4th of July, but on steroids. Starting at 6:30pm, (it gets dark here about that time, all year round) it is a non-stop bombarding barrage of blasting. We live in the apartment tower that is right next to the driveway where all of them were lit. Being on the 17th floor put us on the exact level where they explode. Imagine those large BOOM firecrackers up in the sky going off outside your bedroom window. It was deafening! Nothing we could do could tune it out or distract us from it. We could only endure. It felt like a war zone and the enemy was bombing us for 4 hours relentlessly. By the 4th night of it, we were really ready for Dewali to be over. All these things are giving us experience and empathy for those that live through the actual terrors of war and we hope and pray we never have to live through the real thing. This was a close enough enactment. 

                        The Daily Aftermath 

         The sweeper ladies were busy for days 

Moving on, another joy for us, as you well know because we oft repeat it, is being with our young missionaries. We truly and genuinely love them. This week was the Bengaluru Zone Conference on our home playing field. Unlike our little band of Coimbatore Stripling Warriors, the Bengaluru Zone is beefy and "large in stature", and they have big hearts and testimonies to match. They are truly spiritual giants. We would not however, want to pit these two zones in a rugby game. 

                  The Bengaluru Beefcake Zone

One delightful difference in this Zone is to have two sweet and petite sisters in our midst. Sisters Kalyani and Portapotty (we know...it's Pollupalli but said fast, it sounds pretty much the same) do much good here and hold the fort down in two wards. We could use about 20 more of them in the mission, to be honest. We've got only 1 sister slated to come next month but we're losing 1 before Christmas. No gain there.

                  Such diamonds, such jewels

We are having a wonderful experience with two of these elders in the teaching of our friends, Juli and Avi in our home. That's all I can say about it at this point but what a joy to be included in that process. We have felt the Spirit testify of the truths found in the scriptures as we've studied them together. We went with these same Elders Macdonald and Rajendra to visit Sister Thilaka, a stalwart member who will have the distinction of living closest to the temple once its completed . Our SWM (small world moment) came when she pulled out her photo album, there were Elder Knut and Sister Edna Loewer, next door neighbors from the visa waiters group in Salt Lake! They served in India about a decade ago and are now in Australia. 

                              Sister Thilaka

Back in the day before digital photos

We also said goodbye to the Gibsons this week who have served not 1 but 2 missions here in India, one during Covid. They have primarily served in Chennai. After having visited there just last week not during the hottest part of the year and still feeling the immense humidity, I think these two deserve sainthood status.

It takes a special breed of person to live in India for 3+ years. They have given so much service to building the Lord's kingdom here and they will be sorely missed by the members in Chennai especially. We'll miss them too since that only leaves us now as the one remaining senior couple in the mission (and by January in all of India!). It's hard to say why it's part of the Lord's purposes to have so few missionaries here right now. These are questions we can only know the answer in hindsight but for now must trust that for whatever reason,  it is meant to be. 

To end this blog on a super happy note, the expat families in our Whitefield ward, some of who are over the YW/YM program decided to host a youth dance, unsure if it would be a success or not. It's never been done here before. It was a bold risk to take. The decorations were super fun, they put up lights and really made a fun atmosphere. Like most American dances, it started slow with only a few girls participating. We invited our little neighbor Joyce and tried to get her involved. 

                            Joyce in the hat

 Are senior missionaries allowed to boogie? You betcha!

There still was a little resistance from the youth to fully participate. Joyce said she had a headache so we walked her home and came back to a similar vibe. They had asked us to teach our pioneer circle dance and I wasn't 100% sure it was going to make any difference. But something about it always works a little magic. People lose their initial shyness and start smiling and having fun. Barriers between boys/girls, American/Indian, old/young, came down and a group spirit starts to emerge.

Holding hands is the first barrier to overcome

Once that worry is behind them, everyone starts to relax and smile.

It doesn't take long to feel like a pro. And it gives you the chance to dance with every person in the room.

After that, it was full steam ahead! Everyone was fully engaged at this point and having a blast. 

               Doing the Loongi dance was a hit!

                              Bust those moves! 

                      Heyyyyyy Macarena! 

         I would call it a smashing success!

         

       What a high note to end our week on!

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and the harp. Let the saints be joyful in glory!

Psalms 149: 3-5