The third week....

Wow - Thanksgiving really put me behing schedule! This is the email from week 3 (ending 2 Dec 08). Week 4 will be up by Friday! Enjoy...and please comment. I am sending the comments to Elder Sorensen in email form so he knows what y'all have to say about his adventures.

New Key:
Elder Sorensen
Mom
Kaycee
Gavin
Comments/Guest


WEEKLY UPDATE

Hey Everyone,
Well another week down. The Mumbai blasts still kinda have everyone on high alert but we have been told not to worry. The "kg count" is still on. I have lost 4kg since being in India. That's alomst 9 pounds. I'm sitting at about 222lbs. It's funny because I can tell all the locals that I'm going on a diet. They usually get a good laugh. Yesterday we met a really cool new investigator. He came to the other elders in the branch and told them "I've heard about your church. I was taught the lessons a while back. and I have a Mormon book. when can I be taught? I'm really loving your church and all the good things that come from it." We met him and kinda figured out what he knew about the Book of Mormon. He knew quite a bit. We explained to him that we worship Christ and Heavenly Father not Joseph Smith. He was like "that's what I thought." He's so prepared. We are hoping to set him before Christmas transfers. If all goes well we will have 6 people baptized around Christmas time. Tonight we are setting Rajini. He told me that I'm his favorite missionary. It was cool. He said that he would take baptism if I took baptism. I'm pretty sure I was baptized already. I told him that, he kinda pondered it for a while. We met with him Monday night and we are committing him tonight (Wednesday). He kinda mentioned that he wants me to baptize him. which would be freaking amazing. I'm so excited for him. Other than that nothing too big has happened. Peter and his family kinda dropped us so we haven't met with them in a while. We found another really good family. When we met the son didn't believe in God. T was talking to his friends. By the time I left he said that us finding him was a sign from God and he is meeting with us Sunday and his friend is meeting with us tonight. Well that's all. I am picking up some Teligu. I still sound like a gringo, but it's fun. I love y'all. Thanks for the prayers.
Elder Sorensen

CURRENT INVESTIGATORS: Rajini, Radjshakar, Anoj, Madhu, Sagar and Vanisha, Dilip and Laxomi, Monoj, Jesu Ratnum Family,and Nagaraj

A few explanations...The country is not necessarily on high alert, but "kinda nervous." Logan explained baptism a little more to Rajini by showing him his Priesthood Line of Authority. Peter is the father of the 8 member Roman Catholic family they met the first day.

Music and Rules...
Have you sent my Ipod yet? No one here has any good music.

What kind of music do they have?

Some places have American music - we just listened to Colbie Calliat - but mostly Teligu music. It's ok but I don't know what they are saying.

Why are you listening to American music? I thought you weren't supposed to. You did so well on the way to the MTC. How would you rate yourself on following the rules?

There have been maybe 3 days that I was late getting up, or late to studies and those days i knew it. The music is on at all the places Americans go. They know its what we like. It's all good. I'm not really listening. It's not really music i like anyways.

Your rating on following the rules???

Probably 9. I know there are some I don't know and I break my English because they can't understand if you don't.

Is breaking English a rule? like saying so big?

I think it means speaking English and Teligu together, but somethings could work in America and some wouldn't.

Illness...
Logan has been sick off on and throughout the time that he has been in India. Part of the problem is adjusting to the food, but also the water. Logan doesn't drink it all the time, but when he does, he's getting sick. The usual is a stomach ache and fever, but he doesn't let that stop him from doing the Lord's work. He said that being sick is a pretty frequent thing, but staying home isn't. He had a sweet moment with Rajini when he was sick though...

On Saturday night I was sick so we slept for 30 minutes before meeting him. We met him 30 minutes after waking up. He noticed I didn't look well. "Brother, you're looking very dull." I tried to get him to not worry about it. Snday he brought me chocolates and some warm milk,which is actually really good. Go boil some milk and put a good amount of sugar in it.

PMG....
Elder Sorensen talks about PMG all the time now. (PMG = Preach My Gospel) He is telling anyone and everyone who will or won't listen that studying PMG will help and it tells you how to be a great missionary. While in the MTC, I sent him a mini copy of PMG to use. He says that all the other Elders are jealous and that he likes having 2 copies to study from because he can pass one along to the next Elder Sorensen.

Moving...
Elder T and Elder S have yet to move to the new flat. They did go shopping for a couple things for the flat though - a stove, fridge, washer, cups, and utensils. Logan doesn't mind that they haven't moved because he likes the other guys in the flat. Logan is excited for the new flat because it's nice or as he put it his current flat "on steroids."

Thanksgiving Dinner...
It was delicious, not the same, but not India. So I was super happy about that.

Logan explained that they're not allowed to purchase large meals like that, so they all gave their money to the senior couple who paid at the hotel. Interesting. We don't quite understand it, but he was excited to have some good food.

Mail...

Have you gotten any snail mail yet? If so from who?

Nope. None yet. u? I sent some yesterday and last Monday.

Can we send stuff directly to your flat? Some wardies want to send you a package...

Send it through the mission office. The 6 packages thing is a bluff. I can get 6 for the rest of the year. It's year ending, not my mission year ending.

Teaching....

So tell me what it's like to teach. Do you usually follow the same pattern?

It is very intimidating. We hardly ever follow the same pattern. The only pattern we follow is the outline, but we always use different scriptures or teach different points in a principle. It's so much fun though. You feel so good afterwards.

I so wish I could be a fly on the wall to see how wonderful you are doing. It sounds like you are learning alot.

Lessons are a lot of explaining and re-explaining. We usually go over a few things and you can tell really fast if they understand or not. T does a lot of talking in most and I do about 40% in those. The others that I lead are more 50-50 and kinda random, but I'm getting there. Study PMG lesson one. I pretty much do that - thats what it's like.

No one we teach has more than one room. Most are about the size of the living room - the one with the tv - and we sit on the floor sometimes. Rajini has one room. It's the size of mine and the school room minus the closets and a few feet. His bed is a metal frame. He sleeps on newspaper and has a blanket for a pillow. That's what we see all the time. One family we visit has 2 rooms, and some have comfy beds, but only some.

Sunday...
Each week I feel less green. Our BP (Branch President) is amazing. He always says "Elder Sorson, what do you think? How is it done back home?" He helps me a lot and the EQP is actually trying to be better, so I try too. We had a nice conversation - he's a really smart guy. Church was good. Class was fun. Rajini was having fun. It was so funny. Rajini kept getting T and I to read and he loves to participate, so he just has fun.

A 14 year old boy or Sister Kasper plays the piano. This kid is pretty good too and they have an organ nicer than the one at home. The building is really new.

Food...
Are you thinking of making wild chicken and rice? I don't use as much curry as they do there in mine.

I want to make chicken. There are a million places here to buy chickens, but I want to catch one with razor sharp talons.

Some food advice:

• Don't drink excessive caffeine - especially energy drinks. They cause osteoporosis and the dehydration. (Name the movie....Gator-ade)
• Go for low cost items like an appetizer instead of an entree when eating at places like Friday's.
• You can also go for the kids menu.
• Share something with Elder T. If there's something you both want it makes it cheaper and you get to enjoy 2 things!
• Don't order dessert - it's just sugar and sugar won't give you sustained energy..."no nutrients" (movie?).
• Go and have a salad or something.

I don't have too much coke, and everything kinda comes out easier but not like runny. You know. I have some food at the flat. I found some Ramen thats from China, so it's not Indianized. It has no dosa or masala, which are weird and not delicious to the taste.

Bathroom...

What is the potty situation like these days?

Yesterday I had to go so bad and our driver wouldn't stop and when I finally could go there were about of beggers asking me for money. I thought seeing me Pee would be enough.

Beggars ask you for money when you are peeing?

They ask for money whenever, especially when we pee because I can't run away. They pull and scratch and everything.

They pull and scratch while you are peeing? Do you really think peeing in public is modest? Can't you go somewhere private? i'm sorry you have to go in the street and beggars harass you. I would imagine that is very hard to see people so destitute.

Man I wish I could help them. It's horrible but there are no places to go. They have one public restroom in our area and it's at Kennedy's house - the "thing" behind his house.

Gavin's thoughts...
Daddy & I were watching a movie yesterday. It was about a football player that was 5 foot flat. He wanted to play for Notre Dame but everyone told him he couldn't. It's one of the best teams in the NCAA. It reminded me of how people said to you that is was going to be really hard to go to India. That you are wasting your time. It made me cry at the end of the day because I thought of you and how you were like that football player Rudy.
Love ya, Gavin (Impulse)

If anyone tells you that I'm wasting my time you ask them why? Then tell them it's for the Lord and we are sharing a message about how God loves everyone not just the [people] in America. It's ok buddy. Thank you tons.

Mission Plaque...
We asked Logan what scripture he wanted for his mission plaque...the response was greatness!

Romans 1:16. or the one about the Lamanites fighting like dragons - cause thats what we do here. If you can find that one use it.

Fighting like dragons? That doesn't sound very missionary like!

Yes it does. We fight for our lives, don't tell mom. We fight with the spirit - even though the dragon there means Satan.

How do you fight for your lives? Is there street fights? Fun!

Is this KC or mom? Then I'll tell. lol.

It's Kaycee. I type fast so we're tag teaming the email lines. Mom went to the bathroom.

Ok. There are people ALL around who try and get us outta the country. They are haters. They always tell us we aren't welcome and try and steal our passports and stuff like that. Sometimes they threaten us, but they never get away with it. Crossing the traffic here is insane.

So do you carry your passport on you? (It's your papers) Do you need something to wear under your shirt to keep stuff safe? I'm guessing that is part of the reason they don't send the scrawny Elders there.

I carry a copy, not the passport. That's bad. All my stuff is safe. It can't be stolen unless i'm beaten down. Don't worry. T and I are big boys. We are safe, but Pres told us if we do get into a confrontation, we need to be hit first, then we swing and run like crazy.

Pictures...

I didn't really take any new pics this week, but T and I are hoping to make Christmas cards today and send them out. We have been trying to get pics in front of the church forever!! We can't have our cameras while we prosy that's why you dont have too many pics, but I will find a way.

Questions...

Is Elder T teaching you how to be a good trainer? Will you get new missionaries after Christmas? What are the names of the other missionaries in your flat? Were you able to meet with the Pres last week? What did y'all talk about?

kinda. yes, 6, not as big as our batch. Siyyadri-Tuscano,Ward-Evans.
Yes we met, and we didn't really get to talk much because he had meetings.

What does kinda mean? I'm guessing Elder Siyyadri is a native?

I'm just learning from example. Siyyadri is from Radj, the poorest place in the mission.

Does that mean Siyyadri is poor? How does he pay for his mission? Did he have to go the MTC in the States? How does he afford Friday's?

We usually pay for what he can't. He's good with his money. He had to pay 20,000/- before he came out. Natives have to finish their degree before they leave and they go to the Phillipines MTC. I think his family is a little better well off, so I think he has some money.

Uncle Chris Says...
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! GEAUX LOGAN!

He also said that it's amazing how cool and comfortable you look over there in India. He is way proud of you and glad that you're doing well and safe! That was his comment on the blog this week.

Sweet. Tell him thanks and I love him. I had a few letters with him and the fam at the MTC. Tell him I try to look natural even though I stick out like a sore thumb.

Do you stick out like a sore thumb because you're white or because you're "Fat?" How's Bob? Have you taught him any lessons this week?

Bob has been "too busy" and I stick out because I'm white and I'm tall. Very few people here are tall. There are a lot of people who look like Faruk. They have rice bellies.

Fun Stories of the week...
I'm getting way good at Table Tennis because we play a lot. We give church tours and they always want to play table tennis. If they get a point they can ask a question. If we get a point they have to do something, like committment or read, something like that. There's a pretty sweet table upstairs at the church and rajini loves to play, but he always tries to get us to. It's super fun and I'm way good now. Rajini likes it.

I found out last night that if 3 or more cars go the wrong way it's legal here. They all crossed over traffic last night and they were just going and our lane was just going around them. It is so weird here.

Something interesting I saw was a ritual. When a girl has her first menstual cycle they get all the people together and pour goats milk all over her. I saw it in passing...but it was still weird.

We saw a TON of monkeys the other day. T was a little nervous. I thought they were cute. We havent been bat watching because we have been working out at night too - trying to get "so much big" T actually is taller than me, but a little pudgier and "so much big" is Indian for bigger. It's just how they speak and I am getting that way. T had a bad experience (before with the monkeys). He lost some bananas and got chased. I tried to catch a monkey the other day. He ran to another bigger one so I stopped.

running "lol" count = 123

The second week...

Wow! Can you believe it? Elder Sorensen was set apart as a missionary 7 weeks ago! He has been in Hyderabad for 3 weeks as of tomorrow.

This post is from the email conversation last week. Sorry for the delay....we were out of town and I wasn't able to edit on my cell phone. I figured I would get this posted before I had another jumbled conversation to sort out. Enjoy!

*Reminder!!!! Elder Sorensen's quotes look like this. Mom's look like this.

Getting to the area...
Logan had to fly to Hyderabad, as he will for most transfers according to the letter from the mission. We kidded with him before leaving that he would have a chicken on his lap, but he informed us that there was no chicken. They flew Jet Airways and he says it was pretty nice. There were 4 missionaries going to Hyderabad and his buddy from Mr.Mac and the MTC Elder Pacanos was headed to Visac.

Eating....
Logan is feeling a little better, but he told us he hasn't been eating much since he doesn't have money for groceries until Monday. With the constant need to use autos, the cost is starting to hit him a little hard and he hasn't been able to buy as much food. He did tell us about eating buriyanni from Paradise - it's the best around and pretty cheap - and missing burgers. He has heard that you can get burgers in Chennai and Bangalore, but they're not the same.

ES: All we eat is curd and buriyanni. Buriyanni is just a weird rice with chicken or whatever you want in it. It's all ok. One food was so hot I thought I was gonna die, but I was ok. I say a prayer every time before I eat.

M: Too hot for a Cajun boy?? That's crazy!! Prayer before food is always best no matter what continent you are partaking it on.

ES: I lost my Cajun senses when I was brought to Texas unfortunatly. lol.

Logan told us last week that whenever he has a little of the water that it makes his stomach feel a little woozy. We asked why he was drinking the water if he had been told not to and he explained that he could drink the water only when he has to. Some people are too poor for even water bottles , so he takes what they offer.

ES: It's alright. If I get sick...I'll have to be tough.

The Elders got to enjoy some American food at the Marriott for Thanksgiving day. Logan was excited to have some mashed potatoes.

Turkey Bowl...
Elder T and Elder S planned a Turkey Bowl for all the Elders in the area (20). Logan was pumped! J-Wall had apparently given him a hard time about missing it, so Logan was thrilled to be able to continue the tradition.

ES: There's a big soccer field around here that we played on. We rented it out for 1000. There were 20 elders. It was really cute to see the natives running around doing what they thought was good. I scored a few times, but I was Qb a lot too. I threw to everyone about 3 or 4 times except my companion. He was letting everyone else do their stuff too. It was lots of fun. I scored a rushing, recieving, and throwing TD. I had a couple of both. and I didn't throw one pick. It was an amazing game.

M: Sounds like a fun way to met possible investigators. Sounds like you were being a good sport.

Communication...
M: Talking this way is a huge blessing!! Do you miss snail mail letters? Or do you like these quick conversations?

ES: There have been 2 parcels so far and I haven't gotten anything. Whatever is best for y'all.

I think that means he would like to get some mail. If anyone wants to send him something, check out the mailing address on the top right on the blog homepage.

Teaching...
The other elders in the their flat have been sick. Logan said that it's been draining because they worry about them in addition to all the people in their area.

ES: Hyderabad is 13 million people. We have over 3 million.

Elder Sorensen has taught a few lessons, but he shared that it's pretty intimidating and that Elder T saves me when I freeze. It's all good. I'm doing 2000x better. He expressed that it is difficult to teach because it's hard to describe how the Spirit feels.

ES: It's kinda hard to describe it to them, especially when we know they have felt it. Any insights?

M: Erik says galatians 5:22-23. Seth says it's a warm fuzzy feeling. Ask them if they are feeling it. Stop and describe when you feel the spirit and how it feels to you. Just remember you don't have to be the only contact they ever have. You maybe just the first. Help them to recognize how they feel when you teach. Sounds like trying to describe salt to someone that has never tasted it.

ES: As the days go on and I know more about India the easier it is to apply it to their lives. It's pretty sweet. I'm loving it.

Also, there are many Anti-Mormon and Anit-Christian groups and the people will go speak with friends or pastors and then they never meet with the missionaries again. Elder Sorensen was positive though!

ES: I'm not too worried about it. Thanks for the prayers. We usually have about 8 or 9 new investigators a week. We teach all of them a lesson. We are spending a lot of time finding Hindus because they don't know much about Christ yet and they haven't been baptized, and they have no pastor to go to. lol. We teach about 3 lessons a day. We plan to have some baptisms before we leave.

Before leaving, Pops kidded with Logan about meeting "Bob" from Tech support. Last week, Logan met a Bob and they are teaching him. They met him after being bummed about Rajini telling them that he had changed his mind about being baptized.

ES: We were talking to someone...He saw our tags, stopped, got off his bike, and started talking to us. He told us to just call him Bob. He was pretty cool. We are teaching him again soon. AWESOME!! The Lord works in mysterious ways.

M: Keep teaching!! You will have baptisms. Remember Abinadi never knew he helped convert even one person - that was Alma and through Alma every other Nephite prophet. Sometimes we don't know the good we do in this life. It's so great that you get to teach that much!! That's lots of practice and experience with the scriptures.

ES: We tract a lot and we have about 2 or 3 study hours a day. I know that if these people are willing to talk to us now they will be in the next life and there they will be able to understand. It's cool. I'm not too worried. I know somehow I'm making a difference. The other elders and I get along so well. The members are so nice. They always ask how i'm adjusting.

The Roman Catholic family mentioned from last week stopped accepting them, but Elder T and Elder S see them every day. He mentioned that they hope to get in to see them again before the weeks' end.

Some Funny Anecdotes...
ES: Monday night I almost hit the BP (Branch President) in the face. He was riding by on his bike and he almost hit me, joking, so I almost swung. I saw his tie so I knew he wasn't too bad. And then Kennedy was behind him laughing so we were ok.

M: Kati and Seth wanna know have you named your new monkey friends and can you bring us home one? Erik wants to know if they throw stuff at you.

ES: I'm working on a fool proof monkey trap as we speak. lol. They don't throw anything yet. They usually scavenge and we keep our distance because T hates them. lol.

An interesting observation from Kaycee: Upon compiling these emails, I noticed the frequent usage of LOL by both Logan and Mom. LOL was used 29 times in this series of emails alone! I guess that's pretty appropriate seeing as we are a Laugh Out Loud type of family.

ES: I love y'all. This is my last transmission this week. I love y'all. Thanks for the encouragement.

HOG TIE!! WITH LOTS OF KISSES!!!
SPREAD THE HUGS AND KISSES AROUND!!!!!!
I love you.
Logan

Elder Sorensen is safe...

Pres. Nichols gave special permission for the missionaries to email last night. He sent us a quick note:

Wussup baby? i know you're in the car on the way to new orleans, or something to that affect. but...we were given special permission by Pres. Nichols to email home today. Tell the boys, by name, that i love them. i want u to know that i'm safe. i hope u have a wonderful turkey day.

We also got some pictures! Enjoy!

The first week...

So we were able to "talk" to Logan last night via email. It made for an interesting around the globe discussion to say the least. For Logan, it was around lunch time and for us - the middle of the night. Mom and I were the only diehards to stay up and "chat" but we'll forgive Dad because it was his birthday and he hasn't been feeling so well!

I have tried to make a semblance of order to randomness, but I don't know how well this will flow as you read it. Just remember - this was about 50 emails we received from Logan over the space of about an hour.

The actual emails will be preceded by "ES:" for Elder Sorensen (duh!) and "M:" for Mom.

ES: Guess who's here?????? Logan!!! ANYONE THERE???

Logan chose to email like an instant message after Mom asked him a load of questions. He said that it was easier to answer one question at a time. He can only check him email on p-day, but his District Leader/Companion said it was ok to check the day before since they were working out some moving arrangements. Mom wondered if the move had something to do with the Bangalore and Sri Lanka areas being closed. Logan explained that the Brethren have said only one companionship to a flat, so since there are 3 companionships in their flat, they are moving. The areas closed have specific restrictions right now. Logan told us that "conversion" was a touchy word to use in India.

ES: the word "convert" here has different meanings. we say that we are "teachers from church." conversion here is like we bribe or force them to join the church. and this guy heard what they were doing and asked them to come teach him back at the apartment and when they got there he had camera crews and everything. he was yelling "These men said they would give me anything to join their church." it was all over the news here and they had to go on lockdown all over the mission for about a week. the missionaries in bangalore have to take off their badges when they tract or eat. they can only wear them walking. and DL and ZL have to wear color shirts. and no one wears ties when they eat. i dont know why.

M: so what do you call a new member or the process of being born again?

ES: we just say "We are teachers from church with a very special message we would like to share." everyone will say yes.

The lockdown happened around the end of October (the time when Logan was in the MTC).

ES: it was a while back. i feel safe. its awesome. i feel safe.

How do you get around?

Since the area is the size of The Colony, Carrollton, and Frisco with about 3 million people (or so he has estimated), they walk or take "autos."

ES: Autos are little rickshaws that have 3 wheels and are an amazing experience. once we are where we need to be we walk the rest of the day. we walk about 6 or 7 miles. maybe more. we walk a lot.

How's Elder Toleafoa (companion)?
His trainer is the District Leader and he's a Samoan from Hawaii. Logan says that they have "too much in common," "get along too well," and "love each other." I am guessing that means that they might be having a little fun while they're serving the Lord.

ES: my companion is amazing. he lets me say things is lessons and whatever. he lemme b/c no one else would.

Logan says that the next transfer (Christmas) they will be split and "the hard mission will start" since it seems that everything here has been too perfect.

ES: i'm waiting for the storm.

How was church on Sunday? How many missionaries are in your branch? How much area does a branch cover? How does the caste system affect the church?

ES: i ruffled some feathers at PEC. i was told that i would see a major divide between some ppl and no one would support the president. i chose the presidents side and upset the EQP. he was bashing the President and i told him to stop. "from what i see the president is doing amazing and its his job to run the branch not yours."

M: Bishop Miller will be proud you are sustaining the presiding priesthood. Just make sure you do it in a kind and Christlike way.

ES: there are 6 missionaries. and an older couple. the kaspers. there are 150 ppl in the branch. No one here knows the size. there are 4 branches in hyderabad. the difference between the caste system here is amazing. we have ppl who we teach...their house is smaller than our front room, minus the dining room. and our landowner doesnt let anyone but his brothers and colleagues sit on his couch b/c he is so high in the system and he lets us sit on the couch.

How are your feet in those shoes with all that walking? A rickshaw - What does that cost?

Logan keeps expressing just how cheap everything there is. Since Logan is his mother's son, he is a good bargainer and they usually spend 20-40 rupees (or about 50 cents to a dollar).

ES: last night i spent $1.10 on an auto. that was from one end of our area to the other. so it was the most expensive one yet. but its still super cheap here. everything is.

He says his feet are doing great and never hurt, but he teaches lessons sitting on the ground and that hurts, "but its ok." They sit on the ground to teach because people don't have beds and chairs, but just mats on the floor. Logan said that people will try to give them a seat whenever they teach.

ES: i wouldnt feel right if i sat in a chair while they sat on the floor. so we sit indian style on the floor.

M: that's my boy!! that is why you are in India. You are awesome!! You love people!!

Logan is also quite amazed at the "bathroom habits" of India. Apparently, he is reverting back to his 2-year-old days of camping and learning to pee on a tree. He has already learned to check before you go though because it might be someone's home (like your investigator). This makes for an interesting aroma as you can imagine -

ES: the smells here are too hard to describe. its a mix of poo, pee, trash and fruit. awesome huh. some places are just poop smell though.

ES: some unique things about India:

• put the food in a tuperware when u send it.
• ppl shake their heads for everything, if the chin moves then they mean "no" if it doesnt move then its a "yes" or a sign they understand.
• i never see kids at school. all day everyday there are kids running around. my first day i played soccer in the street with some kids. its amazing.
• i've been called fat about 30 times already.

How's the food? What do you eat?

ES: the food is amazing. i've eaten some really good food. what i've eaten hasnt been bad. some was super spicy. but they have a lot of cheap american food. subway and KFC and TGIFridays. we go there when we wanna listen to american music.

They went to KFC for lunch on p-day and we pointed out to Logan that the prices at those places are about the same as in the States. Since everything else is so cheap though, they have enough to eat out occasionally, especially since they don't eat dinner. They eat cereal at home in the morning and then have lunch wherever they are during the day. With all the walking and the lack of dinner, Logan has already lost 6-7 lbs and he says it's "mostly in his legs."

Are you feeling better after the flights, mtc sickness and time change?

ES: honestly i dont feel like i'm on the other side of the world. i feel like i'm just in south texas. like EFY. jet lag was gone after 3 hours. and my stomach feels weird every now and then. thats b/c i drink a little bit of the water each meal just so i can get used to it. we buy a water bottle a day. its like 10 rupees. CHEAP! and i wanna get used to it so i dont offend ppl when i enter their homes. everyone offers us Tea, Coffee, water, food, anything.

Have you seen elephants, monkeys or the unmentionable rodents?

ES: i have seen tons of monkeys. no elephants. there are tons of monkeys around our flat. we saw some stealing food on sunday. they are hard to get pics of. and they are greyish brown. they are "Dirty" and they are not lazy.

Gavin will be excited that he saw "Apu."

What is it like when you teach people?

ES: its super hard for ppl to understand. i pray for the gift of tongues almost everyday. and they dont get it too much. they need lots of understanding and explaining. its all good tho. they are really sweet. and a lot have the light of Christ. but its really intimidating...it's ppls eternal salvation at stake u know?

On his first day in Hyderabad, they were able to find 8 new investigators, including a Roman Catholic family who had a good understanding of the Bible and understood what prophets are. Logan was excited to teach them because many of the people they speak to don't have that understanding.

Logan also told us about one of their investigators - Rajini - who has been learning for 3 months. They haven't been able to teach him because "his family thinks we are of the devil." He's a young guy with his own place and he comes to church every week, but was missing this past Sunday. Elder T and Elder S decided to go visit him. He had been sick for a week and boiling dirty bath water to drink and only eating rice. He didn't want to worry his family by asking for help.

ES: he looked horrible when we saw him. i felt horrible. i just wanted to lay him down and pray for him. we brought him medicine. he wouldnt take it. we asked if we could give him a blessing. we explained them to him. he said yes. elder t asked who should give which part, he turned to me and asked me. i looked like a deer in the headlights. my heart swelled for this man. i was so happy. we used my oil and gave him a blessing. i almost cried. we went to another appointment and came back. we read Matthew 9 and pulled out some bread and water. we told him "We arent Jesus, but we are His servants." he finally ate some bread and water. at this point he was so much better. we answered some questions he had about church. he finally said he wanted to be baptized. he brought it up not us. we taught him the Word of Wisdom. we are meeting with him later today, wednesday, to answer any more questions. we called him back on tuesday and he was out and about. didnt feel sick or anything. it was truly a miracle. everytime i see him now he says "Thank you brother." and gives me a big hug.

He made it to India!!!

Please remember - he is sleep deprived and he only had 5 minutes!!!

From: Reid Sorensen
Subject: Re: Fw: Did you make it to India??
To: Mom
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 4:31 AM

i'm not gonna be able to respond to all u wrote. wednesday is my p-day. i'll get on around 11AM my time. so if u want we can chatter together. kinda like a txt or an IM. they said i have 5 minutes so i'm hurrying. i love this place. its so amazing. y'all cant even understand what i'm seeing. things i thought i would only see in new york. except there are little children running around and in front of cars and riding mo-peds. its awesome. the cows here are twice the size of the longhorns around EDS. thats why no one moves them. i saw a few laying around. its so amazing. well...i've gotten 5 hours of sleep since i left the MTC. the plane rides were horrible. we got off the plain in frankfort and we literally ran to the next teerminal and we waited in line for 3 minutes and were on the plane. thats how close we were. i wont know where i'm serving till tomorrow. they might let us email u. but i'm not sure. Pres. Nicols and his wife are awesome. he said i can email brian but not every week and i have to email y'all first. they made us eggs and pancakes this morning. we'll never ahve another good breakfast they said. we got here last night at 1:30. by the time we got through customs and got to the apartment it was 4ish. we didnt get to sleep till 5. y'all were playing around. then we had to wake up at 6:30. not fun. pres. nicols will be sending some pictures soon. he said when u send packages write "Missionary Supplies". dont write on there the value. the ppl delivering the package will charge about 50% of what u put on there. they say not to b/c the ppl are corrupt not b/c we are trying to jip the gov't. i got alot of ruppies. 1150!!! the exchange rate is 48 ruppies to $1. so thats about $50 or something. thats for the next 5 days. you'll do awesome on your talk. u wanna know how i know? cause your an awesome mom. i love all of you. i miss ya tons.

Lots of hugs and lots of kisses.
-Logan

A Letter from the Prez

From: Melvin Nichols
Subject: Elder Sorenson
To: "Elder Sorenson Family"
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 8:52 AM

Elder Sorenson arrived safe and sound in Bangalore early this morning. We picked up he and his companions and brought them into Bangalore. They got to bed about 4:00 AM. We then had them come over to the Mission Home where Sister Nichols fed them a great breakfast. We then gave all the elders an orientation. Then we took this photo of Sister Nichols and I and your son. This afternoon we brought them all into the Mission Office and covered a number of items with each elder. I then had a wonderful interview with your son.

I will meet with him again tomorrow morning and give him his first assignment. He will be assigned to the Hyderabad II Branch, in Hyderabad, India which is due north of Bangalore about 500 miles. His companion will be Elder Toleafoa, a district leader and an outstanding young man that I trust very much. Your son will be in good hands.

Hyderabad is the city where the church is strongest. He will be in a great branch with a brand new chapel.

He seems to be doing well and adjusting though he is still suffering some from lack of sleep and jet lag. Thank you for sending us your wonderful son.

Please do not hesitate to contact me.

President Melvin R. Nichols
India Bangalore, Mission

They're back!

The Krewe arrived home in the wee hours of the morning today, and Mom has left again. She's off to Time Out for Women with Kati. I'm sad I couldn't go, but I'm glad Mom got to go!

I snagged the pictures off the counter, so I could let everyone see the adventures mentioned...

Check em out -