Exchanges and Car Accidents

I had two different exchanges this week which will make the week go by pretty quick with all the traveling and different companions and different areas and everything. I got to be with Elder Pandian and Elder Rather in a trio on Tuesday in the Ramamurthy Nagar area. Then on Thursday I got to be with Elder Potter in the Indiranagar area. It was really good to be with the other missionaries in the zone and see different areas. In the trio on Tuesday, we roamed around all day talking to people and then had some awesome appointments in the evening. Two families they are teaching are preparing to be baptized so it was an awesome experience to teach them both and make a good relationship with them as we taught. We taught one family about tithing and fast offerings. We learned a statistic that almost 100% of people who pay their tithing within the first month of being baptized will stay active. When we go to church, there's two ways we can look at it. We can go with the attitude of, "What can I get out of going? What can the church give to me? What can God give to me?" Or we can take the more selfless approach and honestly have the attitude of, "What can I give back to God? What can I do to help the church? What can I give to others?" I promise the second approach will bring more happiness and a more enjoyable time each week as we go to church. 

On Thursday, I was with Elder Potter in the Indiranagar area and it was lots of fun! We cooked some curry and chapatis for lunch together, we talked with lots of cool people, we had a great appointment, I found two new people to teach in my area, and we got RAINED on hard. So we were in Elder Potter's area and we were teaching a 12 year old boy named John. He had an uncle and an aunt at his house that I invited to join us for the lesson. We taught him about the plan of salvation and I have some little cards to help visualize the plan so I layed them on the floor to see the whole plan. The uncle totally loved it and asked to take a picture of the plan. Even better, he invited us to come to his house and teach him more about it and he lives in my area! How cool is it that I was on exchange on this specific day teaching this specific family in this specific area just to find someone in my area ready to learn the gospel. God's plan people. Anyway, we left the appointment and it was pouring rain.  Like, I was literally soaking wet in less than a minute. It actually felt like I was walking through a really powerful shower. That was a good story and it was fun. Everyone was staryng at the crazy 6'3 white guy with a huge smile on his face enjoying getting soaked as they took cover from the rain. It was an experience. One lady was just laughing at me because I was still so happy to be soaked and I just looked at her and said "enna che?" And then she really lost it because I spoke to her in Tamil. (That means 'what happened?') 

OH, so guess what happened to my companion Elder Nathaniel and Elder Potter's companion Elder Masih during the exchange in my area?! They booked an uber ride to get home after an appointment at the end of the night and turns out the driver was drunk and they got in a car accident!! They both got banged up pretty bad but nothing too serious. The freaking driver drove straight head on into a cement road barrier and totalled the car. The one night I leave my area on exchange, my companion gets in a car accident, dang. You better believe they didn't pay for that uber ride. 

Awesome news!! So there are two young women that have been being taught by the missionaries and coming to church for a long time. They are sisters and really love and enjoy coming to church. Their father is a pastor of a different church and never accepted them or allowed them to be baptized. Although their father never allowed them to be baptized, we have still been visiting them, meeting with them regularly and they come to church still. This week on Saturday they came to our Pioneer's Day activity. They came right up to us when they saw us and said, "Elder! I have to tell you something!! Something happened. We talked with our dad again and he said that we can be baptized." It was such a happy moment to see them so excited as they have wanted this for awhile.

Speaking of pioneers, they will now be the pioneers for their family to experience the joy that comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Monson defined pioneers in this manner, "The definition of a pioneer is 'one who goes before to prepare the way for others to follow." They will definitely be the pioneers for their family members who hopefully will follow their example and see the happiness in their lives.

I am doing great right now in my mission and I know I'm happy in my life thanks to this gospel. I'm grateful for the peace and joy I can receive because of Jesus Christ. I love you all!! Have a great week. 

Love, Elder Baker

                                   

                                                        Soaking wet from the rain.

                                                 Selfie with random people in a shop 

                                                Trio with Elder Rather and Elder Pandian

                                              "Don't put garbage in this area" India...

                                                   Pioneer's Day ice challenge activity

                                                  Awesome family we taught in the trio

                                                   Elder Potter and I with our curry

                                              I found a place with churros!! First one in India.

                                    

                                                Exploring the wild jungle of India

Heavenly Father knows His children

Hello! I've survived another week here in Bangalore, India. This week was a little bit slower but it was good. It was a week where I learned a lot and was reassured of how much God really knows who we are and He understands how to help each one of His children. I'll share with you how I know this.

I will tell you about Brother Wilson. We were walking in our area street contacting one day this week and a brother looks at us and then darts right at us. He immediately says, "Are you from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints??" Now in Bangalore you got to be careful when someone asks you this because we thought he might be from a big political party trying to take us to the police or something like that. So, we hesitantly said yes. Then he was like "okay, cool. that is my church also." ahah what! We talked with this guy for awhile about how he was baptized when he was 17 years old, now he is 37 years old and hasn't been to church since his baptism. He has gone down the wrong path the last 20 years and is really struggling now. He was praying for help and wanted to come to church but didn't know if anyone would know him. We got his phone number and he called us that same night. His mom talked to us on the phone. She was really excited and wants us to come to her home to teach her about the church! This was one example of where I just knew even though Brother Wilson turned away from God the last 20 years, God never turned away from him. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who knows who we are and wants to help us as long as we are turned to Him.

Yet one more example this week of how I know for a surety that God is directing me in my path and knows his children one by one! Okay, so we had a lunch appointment after church at the Bishops house. We went there and it was a great appointment. We talked about the ward, the upcoming activity, how we can help, and had some great food. My companion was fasting for a personal reason so we asked if she could pack up the food in a tupperware container and we can take it home. She said okay and packed us up his food. We left their home and we usually would catch a bus or an auto but the weather was nice and we had time so we started walking! After about 30 minutes, a homeless man came up to us speaking perfect English and was asking for some money to get him some food. We explained that we can't give away money but would be happy to give him our lunch. Then, he talked and talked and talked and explained his whole story to us for the next 30 minutes. It started raining but we listened. I just had the feeling this guy is a child of God and just needs someone to talk to. So, we just listened to him. At the end, we gave him our church address and invited him to come. I saw this guy at his potential, not as a homeless guy. Sure he was dirty, but nonetheless a son of our Heavenly Father.

I know that we have a Father in Heaven that loves us so much and wants us to be happy. He knows exactly what we need and often times blesses us and answers our prayers through other people. Who knows why we set an appointment with the bishop that day, who knows why we had lunch instead of dinner, who knows why we asked her to pack up the food, who knows why we walked home. Well, I know that God knows it all. This is His plan and we are His children. I really needed to know that this week. Because of Him, we can have more hope, peace, love, and comfort in this life. I love you all so much!

Love, Elder Baker

                                                                 Cutest little girl

                                                                     Elder Babu!!

                                                         Some members in my ward

Miracles and Udit's Baptism!!

What up what up, this week was so so good. I am excited to type it all up and try to explain my experience and feelings but it was a sweet week. The spirit is directing our teaching and the work so much. 

Last P-day I had the most amazing experience. I taught a brother in Chennai about 7 months ago named Apoorv Singh. We got really close and he really loved everything about the church. Everything was going great in the teaching and then he suddenly moved to his native place in Punjab. We lost contact for awhile until one day he called me and said, "Elder Baker!! I finished the book. The book you gave me, I completed it." That is when we got to catch up with each other and talk. This last week, he emailed me and we talked again. Right then, I was talking to my best friend Elder Brady who is serving in the India, New Delhi Mission. Elder Brady got super close together in the MTC and then we even served together temporarily in the Florida, Orlando Mission. When we were together we always wanted to serve together but we knew we never would because we were going to two different missions. So, my man Apoorv Singh that I taught in Chennai now moved to Punjab which is in Elder Brady's mission. So, I thought I could refer him to Elder Brady because Apoorv was looking for the church there anyway. I had the idea to do a conference video call with Apoorv and Elder Brady so I asked them both and we did it. It was so awesome to see them both and I got to teach with Elder Brady!! Oh, it was the best lesson ever. Elder Brady is a total stud and an awesome missionary. This was an awesome experience for all of us. We invited Apoorv to be baptized over the video call. He committed to read 2 Nephi 31 and pray about it. If he really decides to be baptized then he would have to take an 11 hour train ride to the nearest church we have and be baptized. Pray for him!

The other miracle this week is with Brother Udit Bhalla! This guy is so freaking awesome. Him and his mom came to us and his mom said that she wanted her son to be baptized pretty much. We started going to his home a few weeks ago and started teaching. For awhile it kind of felt like his mom was pushing him to be baptized until one lesson with him. We read the most powerful chapter, 2 Nephi 31 with him and the spirit HIT HIM. After about verse 14, he just shot up and his jaw dropped. He said, "For the first time, I feel that I need to do this because I need to follow Jesus Christ. I want to be baptized for myself, not because anyone else is telling me to." Udit is a really smart kid. He said, "Can I be baptized on Friday?" hahah YES! So, this week we made sure everything was ready and planned everything and then Friday was perfect. We got up early and went to the church to clean the baptismal font because it is on the roof of the church building! It was super dusty but we were inside the font making sure it was nice and clean. The baptismal service was really nice. Udit's family all attended and they really enjoyed it and said it was a really good night and they could "really feel the good vibes." (that's the spirit!!) They felt the spirit present and hopefully it leads to them also wanting to be baptized. It was just the sweetest feeling to baptize Udit. I was very honored that he chose me to perform his baptism. We became real close friends really fast and it is a blessing that I got to teach him. It is also a blessing that I am able to teach people in English here. I can't wait to see his growth throughout the rest of his life. 

Well, a lot is happening right now and time is just flying by. We have been so busy lately here in this area. On Sunday, we left the apartment at 8 am and didn't get home until 11 pm.(don't tell my mission president, we got stuck in an appointment!) hahah I am having a great time lately. I've seen so much happiness in others lives as they allow the gospel to change their lives and being apart of that is changing my life. I have learned a lot and grown myself I feel like. We'll see when I get home in about a year. 

Everyone have a great week, I love you all! Love, Elder Baker

                                                                 Udit's baptism

                                                    Udit and I right after the baptism!!

            Our baptismal font is on the roof of our church building which is like five stories high.

                                                     Anesh and his dad at the baptism

                                      Anesh Udayakumar's baptism with his whole family

                                           Cute little kids just come and jump on my lap

The days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days

The weeks are going by so fast. Transfers are so much fun. I am starting to settle in well and I am learning the area here in Bangalore. We have so much work to do which is awesome. I love it because teaching is so much fun and the members are great and the people we are teaching are also doing great right now. The more appointments we can get in a week, the faster the weeks go by. It's like I can't get a hold of the weeks. Sunday nights are like a shock each week. My companion and I were getting home from a late appointment Sunday night at like 10 PM and both of us were like, "what the heck, tomorrow is P-day!!" 

So, we had MLC this week which is Mission Leadership Council and we got to meet with the new mission president and his wife. The training we received was so good! It was awesome because President and Sister Thomas just came from the MTC. Their MTC is the mission president seminar which is three days straight with the Prophet, The First Presidency, and the twelve apostles. So, the training we received was pretty much straight from the prophet. No big deal. We learned about changing the culture in the church, the mission, the home from a "rule-based checklist" to a more true disciple based culture. Are we living the gospel and keeping the commandments because we need to check that off of our list or is it because we love God? We also learned about spreading the missionary work through the ward members because every member is a missionary. Heck, we don't even wear our tags here so we are like the same.

We are visiting as many members as we can and really building the trust to work in unity. It is going great because most of the people we are teaching are members friends and family which is great because they are progressing. One really cool blessing happened this week for us because of working with the members.

So, when I first got here I was trying to meet the members. I talked to one family and got to know them a little bit and we made a good relationship pretty quick. They know Tamil, I know Tamil. They like America, I am from America. They like baking, I'm Elder Baker. hahah lots of other things as well. Anyway, I made an appointment to visit their home and meet with them! They said sure and were excited to have us over. I told my companion and he was like, "who??" Turns out this family has been inactive for 10+ years and felt like they should just come. They were so happy someone talked to them and wanted to come to their home. We went to their home and got to know more about the family. We thought we were just visiting a member family but we came to find out that he two kids, a 19 year old daughter and a 13 year old son have never been baptized but they said they want to!! Oh, it was a good shock. 

I am just so grateful for our Heavenly Father that loves all of His children on Earth. He knows exactly what needs to happen on Earth and who we need to meet. I am grateful also that I followed the direction of the spirit and talked with this family. Once again a testimony and example that God knows His children and has a plan for them. God's Plan is the best plan. It is up to us to live that plan though. It's not up to me whether you follow God's plan and I don't know how you will end up but I know the answer lies in your hands! Just consider the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments. Mosiah 2:41

That's all I have time for this week everyone. I love and miss you all. OH, I forgot to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July. I almost forgot because that is not a thing here in India obviously. No parades, no fireworks, no barbeques, no family games. It was just a normal ol' day for us. Bangalore is really treating me well though. The weather, the work, the people are all great. I know I am exactly where I need to be in my life rn! I am happy and that is all I can ask for.

I love you all. Love, Elder Baker

                                                                   MLC Training

                                                      Cooking beef curry with Regina 

There are so many colorful houses here and I think it is so cool

                                      Selfie on the roof of a family we are teaching's home

                                       Chicken biryani cooked inside bamboo... It's fancy.

Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

One week down in Bengaluru and it has been great. Holy, I feel like I have traveled back to the future. My last area that I lived in for 9 months is more or less like a village. Now, this city is like so much more advanced and so many buildings and people and everything. It is a huge city and the technology is far more advanced. My favorite part so far is the weather!! The weather is awesome. It is just like Southern California. This last week it has been around 75 to 80 degrees with a cool breeze and a little rain sometimes. If you have been reading my emails and have seen my pictures, you know my last area was super HOT. 

In my new area Lingarajapuram, the people are a lot different. We have to be a lot more careful in my area with who we talk to and what we say because of the political parties here. We will do a lot of activities and visit members and really strengthen the ward. Also, of course we will wok with member referrals and stuff like that. Every member is a missionary though so it should be good. Also, crazy thing here in Bengaluru is we don't even wear our tags as missionaries so we really look like students or business men or something like that. 

The work will still go on despite all of that. My companion is Elder Nathaniel and he is from Mumbai. We get along great and are doing good work. We taught some people this week named Regina and Angel and they are a mom and her daughter. We taught them about the commandments and they are actually preparing to be baptized in July!! They totally love the missionaries. When we go to their house, she likes to have us cook with her. So, we cooked all this food together and she made us eat so much! Like, I was dying haha but I gotta show them I love them(by eating their food). 

On Friday, we sent off President and Sister Mortensen and we received our new mission president and his wife!! President and Sister Thomas came and we already had a Zone Conference with them. We are lucky because we are in Bengaluru and that is where the mission home is so we all got to meet him and his wife. They are both converts to the church which makes this the first time they are even serving a mission. They are amazing people and amazing teachers looking forward to helping us. I could just tell how happy and excited they were to finally be here in India. 

Well, you will probably here more from me next week. I love you all!

Love, Elder Baker

                                                      Colorful houses in Bangalore

                                                                     Bigger city!

                                                         President and Sister Thomas

                                                            Elder Nathaniel