July 28, 2010 Update

Namaskaram,

Last Monday and Tuesday were very uneventful, and I feared that the rest of our week would turn out to be less than what we thought, but after Wednesday the whole week was amazing. On Wednesday night we visited with Ashwini and taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She was very in tune with the Spirit and is very excited about her baptism next week. We then visited her on Friday and taught about Baptism and Confirmation, meaning the promises that happen when we are baptized and confirmed, and it was a phenomenal lesson. We taught about how we are cleaned from our sins and how that is the only way to live with our families after this life. Kavitha lost her father a year back and is really interested that she can see him again. But Kavitha hasn’t prayed to know what she should do to see her father again, or if it is true. Right before we went home that night we stopped by and told them that we wanted to share another small message. All we did was have Pavani bear AMAZING testimony about temples; she and her husband are sealed. After that we all got on our knees and asked Heavenly Father is it was possible to live without families after we die. One by one we all said a prayer, and the Spirit continued to grow. It was a great testimony strengthener for me, and I am forever grateful for the experience we had that night. Kavitha said that she did feel like it was possible, and that she wants it.

On Saturday we all went out to the Pioneer Day activity and Ashwini made me chipathis and jam b/c she knew that the tiffin, or breakfast, provided would have milk in it. She is way too nice. On Monday we taught them about the Restoration, and how everything we do in life needs to have power and authority. Pavani was doing the translation and asked, "How do you say 'power and authority' in Telugu?" Now, she is from Hyderabad, so this was a huge compliment for me. I said, as I pumped my left fist, "SHAKTI" and as I pumped my right fist, "ADIKADUM.", they got a real kick out of it and I was happy that I could speak some Telugu still. At the end we asked Kavitha to be baptized. She said that she wants to stay Hindu, but her family members said they will fix that. Hopefully she will overcome whatever fear and join the fold of God. Her uncle served a mission and he promised us that he will get to the bottom of it.

Another great lesson this week was when we taught Dean and Beth. I dunno if I have told y'all about them, but they are a young married couple who just moved into our area. Dean is a comic book artist, and he is one of 4 people in a country of 1.2 billion people who can do what he does. When we shared about the Restoration last week they were so excited to come to church and learn more about what a prophet, "not some man who says he understands the scriptures" has to say. We brought Pavani over yesterday and she did amazing. She asked them if they needed to have someone show them the church. They said they would be there and would like to sit with her. Dean and Beth both said that they believe the Book of Mormon is true, and are excited to know more about it. Beth even said, "The BofM is better than the Bible b/c it helps us apply things to our lives." I have never had a Catholic tell me that. lol. Dean said, "It never made sense to me that the Bible stopped; it shouldn’t have. The religion didn’t, so why should scripture?" They are wonderful. Dean has some legal issues that he needs to get straightened out and then everything will be well for their baptism.

I love you guys. I am excited to be a missionary. Never have I enjoyed my life so much, than I have in these last 2 years. It has been a great blessing to serve in the Lord's vineyard. I know the Church is true, and that the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and His love for me. I love the Savior. Hugs and kisses!

Love,
Elder Sorensen

December 30, 2009 Update

Dear Everyone,

This was an interesting week. I learned many things about myself, and I realized how much I have learned. It started by an interesting experience I had with an auntie. In prayers here, people like to mumble their own prayers and shout, especially the Pentecostal women. This one lady said her kids couldn’t come to church. So we talked for a while and they said they would come. My companion said the closing prayer, and immediately she began to mutter words and say things “in tongues.” I remembered a quote that went something like, “If you are on the Lord’s service, you are entitle to His Divine assistance.” So when I thought this, I wanted the auntie to shut up. I said in my mind, “God, silence this auntie.” And before I could even say Amen, she was quiet. It's nothing too special, or exciting, but I thought it was cool. It was something that I will be able to remember, and it will help me to rely on the Lord more.

I realized that you can’t know what our mission is really like. I have this culture of India book, and it describes the culture. I read it in the morning, and when we were going to our first appointment we turned a corner and realized that we were sharing our small lane with 7 HUGE buffaloes. One of them even charged us. That’s when I realized that a book cannot tell you how to avoid that, or what to do in the scenario.

I realized how much I have left behind. A lady was telling us that she was afraid to leave her church for a few reasons: she doesn’t know English, she was raised in that church, and her friends are there. I bore testimony and told her about how I left my home country, my language, my friends AND my family. She realized that our Church is correct, but she is afraid. I don’t know what else we can do. I love her family to death, but she fears the world more than the Savior.

We had a bit more luck with a new Roman Catholic family we are working with. They have met with us 3 times and we decided they needed to be set…mostly because we haven’t had anyone set for about 3 weeks. They accepted the date easily. Yesterday, before we came to meet them, the mother called and told us not to baptize them, but to come and do prayer. We went with a sister from the branch who was R.C. She was a huge asset; she helped so much. The father didn’t know his wife called, he said, “I still want to be baptized. Why are you talking about authority? I understand and I still want to be baptized on the 24th.” The wife said, “Absolutely no way.”, but her 2 sons are still excited. She is also afraid of what others will think about her if she leaves her church. Even though she was crying when she said that. We are pretty sure she knows the Church is true. I love you guys. Thank you so much for the letters and the support. I will see you all next Christmas.

Love,
Elder Sorensen

The twenty-first week...

Namaste~
This will be known as the week of a few losses. First, we had an exchange on Friday, when we went to English class and I met with my companion I saw that none of our investigators were there. James Lowmanth and his wife, Venkat Rutnam, told Elder Castagno that they will only be going to the Allipurum Baptist Church from now on. It's because of the lack of English they know. Oh well. We went over there and they told us again that they don’t want an English church…it hurt. So the Abominable Church of V-Shack won round 3.

On Saturday morning we went to an investigator’s home. Her name is Gayatri - she has been investigating for 4 months - and her mother would not allow her to join the church though. Her mother has been on dialysis and has been a huge road block. But, on Saturday morning we went over and there was a big tent up with people around it. That’s nothing unusual for India - it happens all the time. This time her mother was lying on a bed in the street with flowers covering her body from head to toe. She dies 10 hours before we got there. She didn’t really feel all that different. I think she was prepared for it, and that it hadn’t quite hit her yet.

The next morning we went to pick up Rama Laxmi for church. We got there and she was crying - her uncle had died in the night. She didn’t go to Hyderabad with her brother because she would miss her baptismal date. I was very sad for that one. After church we went over the Plan of Salvation.

Enough sadness, some funny things about the week. We were chased for 10 minutes by a beggar. That’s not too unusual, but this time the guy was quacking and waddling like a penguin. We tried to hide in stores and everything, but he kept following us. He almost got ran over by a bus when I ran in front of it. He was funny. Then, we went to a new investigators home, he is a 7th day preacher…enough said. He brought us into his home and within 5 minutes - 30 aunties and kids were there asking for a prayer - everyone in India asks for a prayer. After 10 minutes of telling him we wouldn’t do an apostate prayer, my companion gave in. It was really weird, because in India everyone chants in the middle of prayers. Some words are in Hindi and some are in Teligu - but they are all saying the same thing, praise. After I lost my patience I just told the man, “Brother, we need to go. We will try and visit you all again.”

I also found out this week why I have been sick for the last 2…I don’t have malaria; I have something better…little friends living inside stomach, eating my chicken biryani. Lol. No problem. I actually think it’s quite funny, even though my mom probably doesn’t. Have you ever had one of those hot days where you think, “It doesn’t matter how much hotter it gets, because once it’s over 100 its all the same?” Well - that’s the kind of week I have been having. It’s so hot here, but I love it.

It’s time to go. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss Texas, but the V-Shack is starting to rock.

Dad- Philmont=Wilmont
Mom- What are you doing at Kroger?
KC- shift bus driver, shift!
Burke- did u want pearls too?
Gavin- send me pics of dad “playing” softball
Chance- can u beat burke @ rock band yet? Its not too hard.
Boudreaux-keep doing you thing man

The fourteenth week...

HOLLER!

Well it’s been another exciting week on Mosque lane - nothing too exciting. We have 8 baptisms lined up for the first 3 weeks of March. We set Dinesh and Rajesh last night, I got to do the honours. They were my first successful set, so I feel really god about them. We had to push back the Abraham family. He couldn’t give up tea, or make it to church, but the daughters and mother are still coming and have a date for the 8th. The last 2 days have been spent building our finding pool. Last week we had an all time low of 6 new investigators for the week. So we are busting our hump, check it out, to get some solid people baptized. We walked for about 8 hours in the last 2 days with no avail. We are finding more and more anti-Christ’s, but less people who want to know about Jesus. It’s kinda frustrating when people yell at you to go to hell. But I am sure everyone gets that on their mission. No worries.

We also set Simon, Yohan’s brother, for baptism on March 8th. We dropped him a few weeks back thinking he was just a punk, but it turns out he really had no time. He likes us and he has said that he knows the Book of Mormon is true. Abel (our actor friend from last week) was off at some “rich people meeting with Parliament” this week so we didn’t get to see him - but we are planning for him tomorrow. He said he will get us something really nice to eat. I trust his judgment.

On Sunday I was told that I should marry a Tamilian woman. We had mother Stella feed us this week and it was da bomb. The next day she said “Marry a Tamilian woman.” Lol. So we also made plans to go back this week. My companion is hurrying me. I love you all. Thanks for all the supoort. Sorry this update is short.

I look forward to hearing from y’all.
Elder Sorensen

The thirteenth week

Holla Party People!

Well as Elder Mehan and I always say, “Another one bites the dust!” This week is gone and more wonderful experiences were there. Elder Mehan had it rough the beginning of this week. He got some really bad motions and our Monday and Tuesday mornings were both shot till about noon. But we still have 5 new, solid, investigators already. One brother we met last week lives in Jubilee Hills. It’s a part of our area that we just started to develop. It’s the Beverly Hills of Hyderabad. We actually got lost and saw HUGE houses. So we went that way. People gave us weird looks but hey, we are Americans in India. I pointed out his start, indicating that he’s Christian and has a higher likelihood of talking to us instead of killing us, and we went up to his door. His servant ran and got permission to let us in. When we went in, his entourage was playing UNO on the downstairs table. He had 2 other floors and another house backside. We went to the 3rd floor in house number one to teach him. When we went upstairs he was chillin’ with his public relations guy. We taught him the first lesson. He pretty much has the Bible memorized. He accepted the Book of Mormon, but when we went back he was sick and didn’t read. I was bummed. He gave us another ride though. He has a huge SUV with leather seats and A/C. It’s the small things in life that I miss about the good ole U.S. of A.

We have been walking a lot this week. The first morning Dwight got sick he was leaning back in his chair, and when he came down he landed on his camera. Not good. So we have been trying to save his money for a camera. It has been going good so far. The more we walk the more we find. The other night some Muslim guy started bombarding me with questions about my perception of Jesus. I bore testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that he came down to be the Savior of the world. This guy, the first Muslim I have ever really talked to, listened then started quoting the Bible and how things in the Bible say there is no Christ and that I am going to hell because Jesus was a Muslim. Lol. All I really wanted was a Qu-ran. So when he didn’t have one I bore testimony again and left. I learned some interesting things from him though. Their view of Allah is very different from our view of God; I thought they were the same. They say Allah has no children…so we are all randomly here but will somehow live with him again.

Anyways Michael Jackson is still weird - other than that nothing too exciting. Abraham and Cucila will probably be baptized in mid-March - neither can seem to give up tea fully, but the daughters and their one son will still be taking on February 22, 2009; which is very good. Well all is well in India. It’s time to go. I hope everyone is having a good Valentine’s week. They love it here in India. Thanks for all the support to me and my family.

Much appreciated,
Elder Sorensen

The fourth week....

Sorry, I didn't keep my promise...Tut, parties, Bethlehem, and a fast drop in temperature have kept my attention else where...


Here's the update from Elder Sorensen on his fourth week in Hyderabad. This was a rough week for him, or so it seems. I think the newness and excitement are wearing off. He could really use some mail if you have the time. He has only received one regular letter from home. Logan gave us his Flat address, but he might be transferred, so we'll wait to give that to y'all until we know for sure. If you'd like to send him something, you can always use the Mission Address (which is probably the safest anyway).


Investigators:

Elder T and Elder S met Anoj on Tuesday and set him for baptism on Thursday. He didn't make it to church Sunday though, so the baptism will have to one week later. Rajini is the only investigator that made it to church this week, so the other 5 possible baptisms aren't going to happen before Christmas/transfers. Apparently, they need to come to church for 3 weeks before baptism.


India news...

We asked Elder Sorensen what he knew about Mumbai and how that affected them. He was aware of the death toll, but mentioned that the Indian news reported different numbers than the international stations. He also reported that they probably won't be able to go to the Mariott for Christmas (like Thanksgiving) because there are still terrorists "at large" and the India AirForce is on high alert.


There was a shooting in his area last week that happened right after he and his companion had left. He didn't provide any more information than that.


Religion...

Last week I asked Logan to start looking for a Nativity for Mom. She loves these things and one of her dreams is to have each of the boys bring a Nativity scene back from where they serve their missions. Logan has been looking and he's come across a couple, but he asked an interesting question...


Do you want one that portrays everyone in a sad way - like everything related to Christ is here - or, do you want a regular happy one?


Do you like the sad one? It's sad that Christ is depicted as a sad thing in India. I will trust you to pick it out. How will you ship it so it doesn't get stolen and makes it in one piece? Maybe you should bring one when you come home.

Well how soon do you want one? It actually makes me kind of angry, 'cause everyone here displays their religion with pride. The Hindus have their gods all over their doors and windows and things like that. The Christians all have their crosses and pics of Jesus up everywhere too. When I see the sad ones it angers me, but I am getting used to it. Like Sister Dew said, I am becoming accepting of it.

But Pres. Hinckley said that we tolerate all religions. He said to bring what you have and see if we can't add more to it. I think for the people there, their religion is centuries old. It's the traditions of their fathers. It's like the Lamanites they just don't know any better. You can help them to know Christ by the way you treat them. Be loving and kind. Remember they are each a child of God and all are born with the light of Christ. I can understand though how it would get to you when you have this amazing message that can change their lives but they aren't ready to hear it yet. The key word is yet. Remember too that by their fruits ye shall know them. The fruits of the gospel are new to India. The people in your branch are truly pioneers.

Ya I think of those things all the time. Some people here are really amazing. We are looking mostly for Hindus because they are most likely to become LDS. Christians think it's a sin to be baptized twice. lol. junk fellows.

Junk fellows?

Junk fellow is like calling someone a bum. It means you don't like them but it's not enough to get you jumped.

Logan sometimes forgets to install his "Mom filter" before emailing.

Do missionaries get jumped there?

It's nothing to worry about...so Elder Evans, his area has a lot of BJP people and we were totally safe. Some people tried to punk us but I shared a message with them and they left us alone. Pretty cool.

What are BJP people?

The BJP is just a group here.

A group of what kind of people?

Christian haters.

Moving...

Elder T and Elder S finally moved into their new flat, closer to their area, in Scientist Colony, Habsiguda, Hyderabad. It took some time to get them in because they had to get some things taken care of...

The EQP has said so many times that he will send someone to fix the washer and geezer, so we spent a lot of time waiting for that, and when they are there they go super slow.

What is a geezer?

A geezer is a water heater that heats for about 5 minutes. It's horrible. I have had so many showers that make me lose weight from all the shivering.

Food...

What was your favorite food this week?

Someone made us this AMAZING sweet (dessert). It was some form of noodles - fried, then put into warm milk, which always contains...SUGAR!! So it was amazing. It was so good because the food was so spicy. lol. Nah, not really. I didn't even break a sweat.

Didn't want to die from hot food this week?

No...but Kennedy's family is from Chennai and they serve the HOTTEST food. We eat there this week...I am hoping I don't die. I've eaten a lot of mutton this week. Mutton is rubbery and not too good. We ate a ton of Doll and Buffalo from Kennedy. He's really awesome.

What kind of buffalo? Do you like dahl? I wanted to try and make some before you left.

The dahl was way good. Everything here has tons of tomatoes and peppers in it, so I "like" them now. We had water buffalo. Water buffaloes are plenty here and we drink that milk too, cause no one milks cows. Tomatoes are on the bottom of my list. I can tolerate them. Maybe I will like them before I leave. T can eat onions and tomatoes raw now. I will be able to do that too. We eat them in everything!!!

I am so proud of you for completely stepping out of your comfort zone and preferred taste zone too. I know the Lord will bless you your whole life through for serving and loving the people of India.

I'm seeing it already. I wouldn't like these things back home but here I do. That's just one small blessing.

Losing weight...

The water is keeping me a little sick. Monday T and I were fighting back the urge to upchunk. I felt better around 2...it took him till 5, but we are better now.

Have you lost anymore weight?

YA!! I lost another 2 kg - that's about 5 lbs - so I'm around 220 now. Everyone says I'm looking way different. I'm down 3 things on my belt since the MTC. My waist looks smaller.

Hey - tomatoes will do that for you or maybe it's the parasites...

I will put some back on later in life. We have to take this pill the size of my fist every six months to clean out our system for parasites.

Members
Logan told us a little bit more about some of the people he often mentions from their Branch.

Is Rajini Hindu? What was Kennedy?

Rajini was Hindu, Christian now. Kennedy was Roman Catholic, so is the rest of his family still. We started teaching Kennedy's family and his mom is so ready for baptism. We just need to set her.

What is Kennedy's calling? How did he join the church? Do the members feed you often?

Kennedy is the Young Men's 2nd counselor...something like that and I don't know how he joined. His lil bro is in the Bangalore mission. He's in KGF. I already love the people here. I love how they feed us SO much. Some members really help, and some just say stupid stuff that actually hurts the investigator's testimony.

Funny Story of the week....
(more of Logan forgetting the Mom filter)
Gavin wants to know if your building has a baptismal font?

Tell Gav that everything about this building is better, the only reason it's not better is because the Indians treat it differently. You'll see what I mean. It's really nice but they don't treat it the best.

That's the exact opposite of what I thought they would be like in regards to the building. I thought they would really treasure it. Does it have regular potties?

Yeah - regular potties and sprayers. It's nice. They like the building but they just don't understand the respect it deserves. If a General Authority saw that in America some people would feel the wrath of God.

What are sprayers? (why did she even ask....)

For your booty when your done with your business...you spray and then clean with the left hand.

YUCK!! What about toilet paper? Do you have to use your left hand? Can i send you toilet paper?

Most stores here have TP. I always use it. I haven't used the hand yet. I'm waiting for the absolute last moment before I do. lol. I still don’t understand...because I think all your clothes would get wet, right? Instead of drippage in the front you'd have drippage in the back. No fun!!

Wow what an amazing experience you are having. Does it seem real yet?

Sometimes I forget I'm in India.

Letters from home...
Have u gotten any snail mail yet?

Nope no snail mail. Have you gotten any?

I've sent you so much snail mail. I figured you had to have it by now.
And, lol!!!! Yes!! I got my first after we emailed last week. I sent you a snail mail about it, but I'll tell you now...Skittles. She spent the majority of the letter telling me "It might make a good story, but don't get thrown in jail."

When do you write your snail mail?

Wednesdays. I am sending pics and videos soon. I miss my music and movies. How is that coming?

It's coming I suppose, maybe for Christmas.

Well how long? Because we can file a report if they "lost" it. T said his mom complained once and they haven't lost any more of his packages.

We are just trying to get your Christmas in the mail. I know Kaycee and Daddy have mailed letters as well as the Finneys.

I know and I love that. Tell everyone I said thank you. I am trying to get y'alls to you too. I found these really cool cards.

Did you get their letters then?

No. I only got the one from Skittles.

Liahona...
Have you read the Liahona?

I will certainly try to find one. Is it the Nov. or the Dec. issue? Where do you get a copy?

Oh man, you need to steal one or something. It was the best thing I have ever read. There were so many that reminded me of Christmas in N.O. There was one about "I Stand All Amazed" by Elder Holland - he's a G - and it made me cry so much during the middle of Sunday School. lol. Pres. Monson's was really good. And Elder Neil A. Maxwell wrote a really good one about "Consecrating Thy Performance". Check them out!

Short little explanation - the Liahona is one of the magazines published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in addition to the Ensign (for adults), New Era (for youth), and Friend (for children). The church magazines include articles by General Authorities, including latter-day prophets, and other materials that help to build faith. The Liahona is the international magazine and it is published in many languages. It often includes the same articles as the Ensign, New Era, and Friend, but also has original articles and local news included. You can order your own subscription for any of the magazines or read the articles online. Here are the links for the articles that Logan mentioned:

• "Amazed at the Love Jesus Offers Me" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
• "The Best Christmas Ever" by President Thomas S. Monson
• "Consecrate Thy Performance" by Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Animals

How goes the monkey trapping? Does the new flat have interesting animal life?

The only animals around the new flat are Pigeons. I hate pigeons!!!!! I'm so bummed.

You like dirty little monkeys though. lol. Hey remember the pigeons in D.C.? They were fun. You do seemed bummed. Don't be bummed.

lol. I loved those pigeons, but these are just different. No love. Today I got to watch two monkeys. I love monkeys and that lifted my spirits so much. I couldn’t even describe it. I want an elephant. I have seen people with elephantiasis and leprosy. I never knew but I have seen so many. Interesting huh?

Do you stare? Leprosy huh? Are you given instructions on how not to get leprosy? O.K. Mowgli. Do you want a Baloo and a Bagera too? Maybe some vultures to be your friends. Elephants good. Elephantiasis bad!!

I don't know how to get leprosy, therefore I don't know how not to get it. I have wondered about it tho. And I would love Baloo and Bagera.

Tell everyone I love them. I miss you.

Hugs and kisses from India.
Love
Elder Logan Sorensen

running "lol" count = 184