This
week, Elder McGuire and I both were pretty sick but I loved this weekend a lot!
We went to the mall on New years day and I took like 50 pictures with people
because they thought I was a famous English movie actor. We had a wonderful
zone conference and then had a baptism that night for Pawan. The next day,
President and Sister Thomas came to Kakinada and attended our ward. The members
loved it and I also loved it!! I love having zone conference and interviews
with President Thomas, he is a powerful man and gives me so much inspiration
and confidence. I really felt how important the work we do as missionaries is.
We are helping people enter the gate to eternal life. Only through us, they can
enter that gate. It made me sad to think it is 2020 and I come home this
year.
We
started teaching a new family this week and I'm really excited to teach them!
They are a family of 4 and they really love each other. It is the family that
gave us a dance performance last week. I am excited to teach them about the
Plan of Salvation and how as they understand that God's plan is a lot bigger
than just this earth life, we can find more peace and hope and happiness and
joy. Even I have learned a lot of more about the plan of Salvation on my
mission. I've learned why we call Jesus Christ our Savior. I have always know
that he suffered for our sins and died for us. It never set in my heart but now
I understand. If Jesus Christ didn't come to earth and suffer in the garden of
Gethsemane and resurrect, then all of us could never see and live with God
again. Jesus saves us from sin and death, the two things us as humans can't
overcome during this earthly life. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone dies.
We can't do anything about that. That's why we NEED a Savior to make it
possible for us to overcome sin and death. He gives all of us resurrection
freely. We all will overcome death. To overcome and be made clean from our
sins, that is in our hands. That is the repentance part. Repentance is
such an important gift and opportunity we have to prepare to meet God!! Knowing
this for myself made it really really fun to teach this new family.
The
Kuna family is doing amazing!! They are progressing so well as a family. Out of
all four of their family members, the 15 year old daughter Deepthi is the best.
I've never seen someone so attentive in my teaching. She is on the edge of her
seat trying to understand every time we teach her family and then she will
translate to her family. This week, we taught about the temple and it was
really awesome. Deepthi and her brother Chandu really want to be baptized asap,
their parents want to be baptized soon. They are afraid to tell their relatives
that they want to be baptized because they are scared they might not talk with
them anymore because some of them are Hindu. I feel a deep love for this family
and it makes me want to help them he baptized because I know it can and will
change their life!! The children's future cloud be changed for the better. I
really want to see that for their family. Also, more importantly like I just
said... baptism is the gate for them into the Celestial Kingdom. Sunday, they
came to church and met President and Sister Thomas. Deepthi went up to
President and Sister Thomas and said, "You can't transfer Elder Baker. He
has to stay here. Please!" It was cute and makes me sad when I have to
leave this place.
Pawan
is an awesome example and if I didn't know better, I'd think he was already a
member when I got here!! He has been coming to church for over a year and a
half and loves it. When he was born, he was born really early and the doctors
said that he was not going to live. So, his parents took him as a baby to their
pastor and he prayed for him and then Pawan lived. So, their parents equate the
miracle with their pastor. They are strong followers of this pastor and have
been their whole life. Pawan found The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints about two years ago and felt different here than his whole life. Now, he
says he has learned more in the last two years than his whole life. He has felt
the spirit here and it is different. He has been waiting a long time for his
parents permission because he is under age. Finally, he got permission from his
parents and he was baptized this week. He had wanted to get baptized and his
parents wanted him to get baptized his whole life but he was waiting to find
the church that baptizes by water and also confirms the gift of the holy ghost
by the laying on of hands just like the apostles teach in the bible. His
parents even had him be baptized in their church but he never received the gift
of the holy ghost. He said how he just felt like something was missing, like it
was half a baptism. Finally, Pawan is baptized and confirmed a member of
Christ's church after his long search and journey.
I
love you all, talk to you next week!!
Love,
Elder Baker
The
trio. Me, Bhandari, and McGuire
Sandeep,
his cousin, and us elders at a members family home evening.
This is
Sindu and Vinay, members in Kakinada. Sindu is a return missionary and
Vinay is preparing to go soon.
New Years
chalk art the ladies put in front of their house
Pawan
at his baptism!!
Bishop
took us and some ward members to the mall for biryani and ice cream for
New years day!! It was way fun
More New Years art
Pawan and I right before his baptism!
The
chicken biryani with boiled eggs we had for New Years
The ward members were teasing me at the mall because
everyone treated me like a celebrity. One person asked to take a picture
with me and I said yes, then I had a line of probably 10+ people that
wanted a picture. One girl actually asked what English movies I act in.
HAHA she thought I was actually famous.
My
blackout year calendar completely marked off!
Elder
Bhandari and I
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