September 27, 2010 Update

Dear Everyone,

This week was a bit tough because we were still under restrictions because of Ganesh Festival. We were unable to do any finding, which has caused our teaching pool to become rather small. That's what happens when you cannot find for 2 consecutive weeks. However, we did manage to go over a Map to Baptism with Jay Kumar and his family. We set a date for October 16th, but they were unable to stay for all 3 hours at Church, so we will have to set them again. We think they want to be baptized on the 17th, and that’s why they left. If it is the 17th then I am fine with that; it will be my last Sunday. What a way to go out!

Saturday was Giri Babu's baptism with his wife Lalitha. Giri was baptized twice. Lalitha, the one who I baptized, basically threw herself in. She lifted her legs up and just went down like it was no big deal. Then, the following day, Giri was not properly confirmed, so they had to call him back up in front of everyone, and do the confirmation properly. If it was anyone other than Giri I think they would have been frustrated and would have left the Church. lol. Lalitha's was done correctly. I did not do either of the confirmations because I have been sick with the flu for the last week. After Church we went to our Branch President and asked him to sign in the spot that says he saw the confirmation. Well, he signed in the spot that was for the person doing the interview...on Giri's record! So now he needs another record! lol. How much more can he take?

The Deville's are excited for Josh's baptism. Sister Deville was devastated when she learned that her 2 daughters would not be able to attend because of visa problems. Josh is doing well and he is pumped for his interview. I told him that it was more to test his heart and not his knowledge and then he was perfectly comfortable with it. Brother Deville is becoming more and more active as the weeks go on. He is so helpful when we teach, and I can see the fire coming back into his eyes.

I love you all. Thank you so much for your support. I hope you all have a great week. Hugs and kisses from India!

Elder Sorensen

September 6, 2010 Update

Namaste,

Something happened that was of the most importance to me this week, but may seem a little less important in America. This was the first time in 14 months that I had pizza!!! Yah! And I went big and got a pork pepperoni pizza. I was happier than that fat kid in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! I was only gonna eat half and save the rest for later, but I couldn’t control myself. It was so yummy.

Another good thing was more of a mental boost. We got permission to set Giri and Lalitha for baptism! Well, that’s only half the battle. The other half was challenging them. lol. Challenge? Giri was the most accepting person of baptism ever. We challenged him and his wife for September 25th and both accepted! Giri was bursting with joy, and for all the right reasons. I was also very excited. It has been a while since we have had someone set for baptism and this was a family that Elder Gervais and I worked with since the beginning. It’s always good to have someone set for baptism, and this family was a good boost when they accepted.

After Giri's appointment we went to teach the Deville family. Last time we tried to set Josh for baptism, but he said he didn’t know enough. Well, the next morning I studied about baptism and wrote down every question I have ever heard about baptism, added scriptures to support the answers, gave a brief explanation, and showed it to Josh. When I did he said, "Ok, this is all I need to know." We challenged him for October 16th, but his dad will be in Melbourne Australia. So we somehow ended up on October 3rd -good thing we don’t have conference that week! lol. Josh was really excited, but I don’t think anyone was more excited than his mother. She has been feeling really bad for being inactive and not teaching her kids gospel standards. But she is in the process of making it all better. I love their family so much.

This week I was studying about the Atonement and all that it does for us. Then my companion turned on the iPod and a song called "All About You" from one of the EFYs...I think...and the song talks all about how sometimes we think we are great and awesome. But for everything that is awesome or goodt about us there is something that Jesus did which was more important. The song goes on to say, “It’s not about me its all about You." As I pondered about all the things that the Savior did for us I thought, "Should it really be all that hard to do what He asks?" I thought about my personal life, and why I would make mistakes. Then I thought about the Savior and how much love He has for each of us. If He didn’t love everyone, then He would have gotten angry or been disobedient, and that would have ruined our Heavenly Father's plan. There would be no salvation; there would be no Atonement. There would be no eternal life. Everything that the Savior did was not for Himself, but was for us. I stand all amazed that Jesus was able to do it. I don’t know how He had such love. It has given me an added desire to serve Him until the end and to focus everything I do on Him.

This upcoming week will prove to be difficult. It seems like SATAN doesn’t want anyone to work here in Bangalore. There is a 10-day festival, Ganesh Festival, that will shut down the city. People usually go pretty all out for this festival. So Friday night, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday we will be stuck inside cleaning our flat. lol. We don’t know how long it will last, but at least I will be able to catch up on some sleep.

Thank you all for your support. Have a great week.

Hugs and kisses from Bangalore!
Elder Sorensen

July 21, 2010 Update

Namaste,
This has been an eventful week! Last Thursday we found this Anglo-Indian couple named Dean and Beth. They immediately invited us in and were eager to learn more about the gospel, and what we thought about India. They thought we were pulling their leg when we told them we love India. They kind of wanna be American. They invited us back for the next day, and asked, "Are you affiliated with the Mormons?" I looked them in the eye and said, "We are the Mormons." They thought that was pretty cool. We pulled out a Book of Mormon and told them we would use scriptures from it and they got excited to see what it was about. When we finished the lesson they were in awe. They thought it was so wonderful that we have a living prophet today; they think it’s important that we don’t teach from our own knowledge, but God's. They were unable to come to church because Dean has some legal issues he wants to get sorted out first.

This has been a fun last 2 days with zone conference and interviews. President Funk just took a bunch of time to get to know us. I brought him all my photos and he got really excited. He asked me about what I am gonna do with my last 3 months and I basically told him all my goals and how I related them to football or to some sport. But the best part about zone conference is when all the other elders, from the rest of the mission, get to come and stay with you. Elder Chigurupati has been staying with us! He is awesome, and Chennai is doing really well. He gave me the phone last night, and said, "Talk." I was so happy to hear Donald and Pethal, 2 of the people who I worked so hard with to get baptized. Pethal said that they talk about me every day and in their prayers they always tell Heavenly Father thank you for sending us Chigurupati brother and Sorensen brother. Pethal is about to get a calling as YW teacher. Donald, like only he can do, said, "Brother, I am angry with you. Why didn’t you come to my baptism? I asked for you to baptized me. But instead I had to have Elder McKinley do it." I laughed at him, and he did too. Elder McKinley is one of the senior missionaries who helped us out a TON with getting him baptized.

Then, this morning, Leslie and Cheryl call!!!!! Oh how happy I have been! Leslie is doing wonderful. He hasn’t been hanging out with his old friends, and last night he did, and denied their request to drink with them. He still doesn’t have a job, but today and tomorrow he has interviews. Please pray for him! Even if you get this months later. Please pray for him. They were all so happy to be talking with me. Leslie is a teacher in Gospel Principles and in the YM. Cheryl is the YW first counselor. They are doing wonderful and are a great addition to the branch.

Time is less, and I gotta run. I love all of you. Thank you for your letters. I know that this is God's true Church. I know that the BofM is true. If you don’t believe it go read Jacob 5, or 2 Nephi 31. I love being a missionary. I know this is what He wants for all worthy young men. Hugs and kisses till next week.

Elder Sorensen

July 14, 2010 Update

Wanaste,
That is a mix on WANACUM (Tamil), and NAMASTE (Hindi). The biggest news of the week is the change in momentum. Last night we met with a sister name Ashwini. Ashwini went out of station in June, and she challenged herself to read the entire Book of Mormon while she was gone. Sadly, she only got to Moroni, but promised to read it today! Ashwini is a Hindu and her father is also Hindu. She talked to him about getting baptized while she was in her native place. He agreed to do whatever she wanted so that she could be baptized. We met with the 2 of them last night and set a date for Ashwini to be baptized. She will be baptized on August 7th!! It was such an uplifting moment. I have been wondering why nothing seemed to be working. We had people to teach, but it seemed like Satan was working harder than ever to keep them from progressing. It has been really difficult in Bangalore, and I have been really discouraged. Now, however, the ball is rolling. "Give me an inch and I’ll take an eel." Now that the wind is back in my sail Bangalore will never be the same. It just takes one set to give you that boost you need.

On Monday night we met with Daniel and Amita; this was not a good meeting. Daniel was searching the Church on the internet, and you guessed it, he found a bunch of anti-Mormon literature. It was nothing new to me; I have heard all the points before. He just had a really hard time with the fact that God told Abraham to lie, but he feels that it was necessary, so he may be ok. He was really concerned about other stuff pertaining to the nature of God, like D&C 130:21-22. He still wants to meet, but I don’t know how much farther it will be able to go. He is into some deep waters.

In more uplifting news, Giri Babu came to Church again!! He is still very excited. This week we taught him about the Word of Wisdom, and committed him to keep it. He promised that he would never drink tea again. He has such a strong testimony already. We committed him to practice English every day for one hour. We did this by telling him to read his BofM in Telugu, while a member, Mary (they work together), read in English. I have seen this to be the most effective way for someone to learn English. On Friday we are going to set Giri with a baptismal date, probably the end of August, that way he can learn English! I love Giri. He is a great example of what it means to become truly converted.

Thank you so much for all of your support. I love getting letters and emails from all of you. Remember "Every member a missionary". I love all of you. Remember, this is Jesus Christ's Church, and we are his disciples.

Love,
Elder Sorensen

June 30, 2010 Update

Namaste,

This was a very good week here in Bangalore. All of the really cool things happened on Monday, but that was also the day that we had to say good bye to President Nichols. It was a fun event filled with biryani and singing. Afterwards we had a lot of wonderful spiritual experiences. We first visited Daniel and Amitha; they are Jehovah Witness/Baptist background. We shared the gospel of Jesus Christ and answered some questions about the Book of Mormon. We were planning on setting them, but we ran out of time. When we were leaving Danny said, “You know what, instead of Monday, can you guys come on Thursday? I have lots of questions about which baptism is correct.” Sure enough, we are going over there on Thursday with plans to set him and his wife. While we were in the lift (elevator) I had the thought, “This family will be baptized.” It was so strong that I know he will accept the date on Thursday.

This just in, I finally got the photos from the baptisms of Donald and Pethal. They were the family that smoked and drank tea like no one else’s business. They are awesome! I am so excited. I got great news from my last area; Leslie Browne is getting a new job soon and he is going on lots of exchanges with the missionaries!!!!! Words cannot describe how happy I am!!!

Then, later on Monday went to visit a brother named Rajendran, his wife, Mary, and their son Jeevan. This was our second visit but our first time to teach. We taught about God and the Restoration. Raj said, “I thought they were all one. We believe in the Trinity, right dear?” lol. I am TIRED of people saying that. So we explained it and he said, “Huh, I never knew. What else don’t I know?” We then got to the apostasy and talked about how the people didn’t want to leave their traditions and they missed out on great blessings. When we shared about Joseph Smith his eyes got really big, excitement filled his body, and he said, “I really wanna know if this is true.” We invited them to pray and to come to Church. They committed to do both. He was hesitant about coming to Church because of his father at his church. I reminded him about what he said before about the apostasy and he said, “Alright, we will come. See you on Sunday.”

We really had a good week. Thank you for all of your prayers. I feel them, and appreciate them. Bangalore is a wonderful place; I am grateful to be serving here. I love the people, and He who sent me to teach them. Hugs and kisses from India!!

Love,
Logan
Happy Independence Day

July 7, 2010 Update

Dear One and All,

This was an interestingly good week. It began with all the Bangalore Elders meeting our new mission president President Funk and his wife. They were shell shocked like anything else. It’s hard for me to believe that I was ever like that. lol. The meeting was small; nothing too exciting happened. All we did was sit in a circle and tell about ourselves and what we liked about our companion. After the meeting was over we had lunch. I got a huge beef burger, while everyone else ate lasagna...I was jealous. lol. That night we got a call from our zone leaders. Apparently President Funk decided to press the big red button on his desk and we were all on lockdown this Monday. The BJP had a huge bandh (strike) and those are usually when people die. SO, we were all told to stay inside.

While we were inside we had lots of time to write letters and go crazy. I had too much energy. I began running routes in our living room while my companion would throw to me from his study table. we also set up our living room so that we could play soccer with these little inflatable balls that we have. Needless to say, my companion still hasn’t beaten me. lol. I feel like the Netherlands - nothing can stop me! While we were in the midst of our letter writing we got a call from one of the assistants, he said, "President Funk will be coming to your companionship study tomorrow." It was really cool, until we noticed our apartment was trashed. We spent a few minutes cleaning, and I easily became side tracked with letters and soccer and anything besides cleaning. lol. Well, he did come, and it was an awesome study. We talked about a new investigator name Sam and how we wanted to set him for the baptism. He gave us valuable insights and taught us about some qualifications for baptism. He is an awesome mission president. I think he is going to do amazing things here. He told us that our companionship study was "exactly what it is supposed to be. I am very pleased." We think he is going to make my companion a zone leader on Monday....we will see.

We have been blessed with great investigators. Heavenly Father led 2 bachelors to us this week, Christo and Abi. They are both searching for who God is, and what He can do for us. They are awesome. I shared a very personal experience with them about Brian and I and how we knew that God loves us. I have only shared that experience about 3 times on my mission. I think these 2 brothers are gonna feel the Spirit and join the Church. They are only free on Saturdays, so I will have to let you know how our next meeting goes. They both committed to pray and ask Heavenly Father if He loves them. We have followed up with both of them, and both have said they know God loves them. We will set them for baptism soon. I love being a missionary. Nothing is harder (especially with UPC) but nothing has been more rewarding. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. Hugs and kisses from Bengaluru.

Love,
Logan

June 23, 2010 Update

Hello,

Well, I just wanna start of with a funny story. We taught an investigator about the Plan of Salvation, and he said, “Well, what about hell? I cannot accept this message if there is no hell.” So, I pulled out my picture of Calvin burning his butt off in hell, and I explained it to him. I said, “Only a few people like Cain and Judas go here because they had a perfect knowledge.” He replied, “Why does Judas go there? He repented. That’s why he hung himself. That’s what they teach in our church.” Well, he doesn’t believe in his church anymore because 2 20 year-old boys came over and taught him something that his pretty pastor knows nothing about. It felt good. Daniel, the investigator, is going to become a member soon. He is excited to see what else he doesn’t know because his former church did not have all of the plain and precious parts of the gospel.

On Sunday night I had an awesome, eye-opening, experience. We had a bunch on members lined up to come with us and meet our investigators. Well, everything blew up in our face and we were unable to meet with anyone. We decided that since our week was pretty successful thus far we would go a visit some less actives and some recent converts. The less active family that we visited was amazing. They told us all about how they were treated poorly and how the district president thought that the daughter was going with a married man. But, they said that they would come back to church if they could speak with the district president and he would say sorry. So we set it up and hopefully everything will go well. The daughter Preetha is 23 and just needed to cry. She loves the Church and the gospel, but her mom won’t let her go to church because of this incident. The mom only speaks Telugu and I think she likes us so much because we can speak Telugu.

The recent convert that we visited was Timothy. I really wanted to watch the Finding Faith in Christ DVD, so we did. Timothy broke down and told us about all these problems he is facing. He got a new job and is sad because he cannot come on exchanges with the Elders. He talked about how it’s difficult being the only member in his family and how he needed the DVD to help him stay positive. It was a touching appointment. That night I realized, not that I hadn’t before, how much Heavenly Father’s plan is more important than mine. He needed those people to be taught, and He sent us. I was grateful that my attitude about the night changed when I prayed at night, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

I love being a missionary. It’s been the greatest experience ever. I know that this is God’s true church, and that the Book of Mormon is true and that it was translated by the gift and power of God. Hugs and kisses from Bangalore!

Love,
Elder Sorensen