What's in store in '24?

 

  2 month-old Luke tooting his own horn! 

2024 is only a week upon us and all signs say it's going to be a doozy! As you may remember from last week, our good friends KT and Mani were staying with us over the weekend to ring in the new year together. KT has lived in India for several years now so this uneven terrain isn't new territory for her, so it took us all by surprise as we were walking to church on New Years Eve morn, that she took a fall. Being young and nimble, she fell pretty gracefully, bounced right back up with just a small scrape on her hand and kept right on walking! Oh to be young again! In the same treacherous place on the way home, Mani got his foot tangled in some debris and nearly biffed it too! Luckily, he caught himself before falling and so we all just laughed it off. You can't bring us down! In our high spirits, we intended to walk down to the community festivities later in the evening but when night came, KT's ankle really started throbbing with pain when she put weight on it. So much for taking a casual stroll through our community and joining in a bit. So much for bouncing right back and having immunity from hardship. Well, call it luck or divine Providence, the couple before us had left some crutches behind in our apartment for such a time as this. 

                       The Lord doth provide!

Instead of joining in the community revelry, we stayed in and watched "Ephraim's Rescue" which tells the harrowing story of the handcart pioneers caught on the Mormon trail in an early Winter. As we watched their suffering, we counted our blessings. The next morning her pain was gone and her ankle felt good as new. Let's just call it a miracle! One day into it and it's already a year of hard times and miracles. 

Tuesday, the following day, my new friend Sister Reji had invited me to come with her to visit her husband's grave. Two years ago, she and her family had just finished their happy Christmas and New Year's celebration when her beloved husband collapsed and died suddenly. I considered it an honor she would want me to come with her to observe the anniversary of his death. She arranged a driver to take us across town to the Indian Christian Cemetery, the oldest and largest in the city of Bengaluru. We had a lovely visit as she shared many memories of him. He had been a professor of sociology at Christ University and was deeply loved and respected by all who knew him. I started to feel like I knew him too. And loved him as well.

                  Snapped from the car window

She told me of their unique conversion to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They were both Christians at the time living in Kerala and had a chance encounter with some nuns while hiking who told them quite out of the blue they needed to receive baptism, which their current church didn't say they needed. A seed was planted in their hearts at that time. Later when they had moved to Bengaluru for his new job, some LDS missionaries came to their home with a tract. They asked the missionaries if the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptized their members. That question led them and their two young daughters to study with the missionaries and eventually receive the baptism they knew they were lacking. They had always had an issue with infant baptism and when they read in the Book of Mormon that the Lord proclaims that all children are innocent and alive in Christ and have no need of baptism til they are at an age of accountability, that too solidified their newfound testimonies in this incredible book of scripture and in the prophet Joseph Smith. They already had faith in Jesus Christ, this just added a new dimension to it. I loved hearing her testimony as we drove to the gravesite. 

            Her beloved husband -Dr. Shaji Issac

She shared another incident of how her husband came to their Hindu friend after his death in a dream to tell him the scripture he wanted on his epitaph-Psalms 128:1-3 and his wish to find a frame that had a vine growing around it to accompany his photo. She absolutely knew that this was his favorite scripture but was also positive this friend wouldn't have known that, so his visit from the other side of the veil from her husband has strengthened her tremendously through her loss. And sure enough, with a bit of searching, they found the perfect picture frame he had described to his friend. Her assurance of their eternal temple marriage and his continued watchful care has allowed Sister Reji to move on with her life joyfully. I felt so bonded to Sister Reji for sharing these sacred experiences with me. While she was talking to her daughters (one that lives in Utah!) I took the chance to snap some photos of nearby graves for @Billiongraves.com. When I saw that this cemetery went on for blocks and blocks, I truly wished that there was more time and 10,000 more of me. Any Indian saints reading this, please know that the names of ancestors are what nourishes a temple. If you want to hasten the temple construction, get their names ready! Do your family history! Exaltation is a family matter.

After our morning together, I knew I had to get into the office to do some needed work so we told KT and Mani they could play pool at the office while we worked before they had to catch their train. Yeah. I know. Nothing says "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" than having a pool table in the front window of your office, right? What can we say, it came with the rental space.

Trouble with a Capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for POOL! 

No sooner had they left for Coimbatore, I started sneezing and feeling very feverish. Sure enough, I was stricken with a doozy of a flu bug for the second time during our mission. (The first was in the MTC) It was truly horrible. Both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I asked Rob for Priesthood blessings to petition the Lord to help me to sleep and to be able to breathe through my nose. I can't sleep and mouth breathe, it just doesn't work for me!  I also said many prayers that Sister Reji and our Coimbi friends who we'd been in close contact with for 5 days, not to mention the missionaries and employees at the office, would not experience what I was going through. So far no reports of illness. I woke up Friday the 3rd day, feeling surprisingly well enough to resume my duties. I consider it a great miracle that for something that came on so strong and debilitating, to be over so quickly. So thank you family and friends, for your continued prayers for us. You didn't even know how much we we needed them. Combined with our faith in the power of priesthood blessings through Jesus Christ, our Great Physician, we are up and running again in this new year! There's no substitutes to cover for us, so I believe the Lord wants to keep his work going here, especially with the skeleton crew he's got to work with. 

Since sick leave isn't the most exciting subject to belabor, I'll close this week with the latest pictures of our kids, our adorable grandsons and our two YA friends, Akash and Rithi who really are living the dream of starting at BYUHawaii for college this next week. We are invested in all of their futures! 

           Silas' newest achievement- sitting up!

       Akash, already reaching great heights
 

And who can top this? Rithi is in paradise! United with her love she met at a young adult conference before her mission, they wasted no time upon their reunion in Hawaii. They are already engaged!! 

  The Kunzler Family, wishing you a happy 2024! 

"I will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders that even you cannot feel them upon your backs..and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter...that I the Lord do visit my people in their afflictions".

Mosiah 24:14