Today was fast Sunday in Chennai and we had the privilege of listening to some spectacular testimonies on faith, prayer, and the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The saints here are so strong. Strong really isn't the word for them. Maybe the word is devoted? Yes. Devoted. They teach simple doctrine and don't get caught up in more complex things that aren't necessarily as important. It was fun listening to their testimonies-- their own pioneer stories. They've given up coffee and tea-- and for the people in India, it's a big deal. They travel far to come to church. (We drive about two hours from Rising Star.) There's only one stake in India and they're about 800 members short of a second stake.
We talked a lot about visiting teaching, home teaching, and mother-in-laws (we talked about Ruth and Naomi). Surprisingly, the Old Testament story of Ruth and Naomi makes so much more sense now that I know a little bit more about Indian culture. It was neat to see the little pockets of culture through out their lesson and how they may have interpreted the story. Many times during Relief Society they would pause and translate for us. Many of the women speak English-- but sometimes they'll be talking in English and suddenly switch over to Tamil or vise versa. It's funny. They are so kind to us here. I don't know what we ever did to deserve their kindness, but they love us regardless.
I think my favorite part about church was finally being able to take the sacrament. We were running a little late. Traffic was a bit crazy today because it is the day before school starts and everyone is on the streets shopping last minute and spending time together before they send their kids off to boarding school. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to renew our covenants, however, when we arrived they had just started the sacrament hymn. We made it just in time. Thank goodness. My second favorite part was reciting the Young Women's Theme in the Relief Society. It was a bit like glue. I felt like we became more unified when we recited it. The Young Women were conducting opening exercises so I was able to meet this awesome girl named Diviya. She is impressive. She leads the music every Sunday, today she bore her testimony, and she volunteered to pray in Relief Society. She's 13, but her prayers are so eloquent and thoughtful. I didn't take my camera this week, but I'll show you a picture of her next week.
The kids arrived today! They're all here! I got to see Mymonisha and Tamilselvie. I also met some new friends, including ValenKannie. She's a little one, and she's stolen my heart. We didn't get to spend much time with the kids today because things were a bit chaotic and they were all just settling in. But I got to play a little bit with them and I really think that I could stay here forever. It really isn't realistic. These kids will grow older and eventually finish school here at Rising Star. Time moves on like that. No matter how much we wish we could freeze it, even for the day.
Today we had a bit of down time when we got home from church so I was able to catch up on some of my writing. I feel like there aren't enough words to describe what I'm feeling here. There isn't enough room on paper to share my experiences with you. They are so much more real and tangible. Describing them in my words could never give you an adequate picture of it.
We talked a lot about visiting teaching, home teaching, and mother-in-laws (we talked about Ruth and Naomi). Surprisingly, the Old Testament story of Ruth and Naomi makes so much more sense now that I know a little bit more about Indian culture. It was neat to see the little pockets of culture through out their lesson and how they may have interpreted the story. Many times during Relief Society they would pause and translate for us. Many of the women speak English-- but sometimes they'll be talking in English and suddenly switch over to Tamil or vise versa. It's funny. They are so kind to us here. I don't know what we ever did to deserve their kindness, but they love us regardless.
I think my favorite part about church was finally being able to take the sacrament. We were running a little late. Traffic was a bit crazy today because it is the day before school starts and everyone is on the streets shopping last minute and spending time together before they send their kids off to boarding school. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to renew our covenants, however, when we arrived they had just started the sacrament hymn. We made it just in time. Thank goodness. My second favorite part was reciting the Young Women's Theme in the Relief Society. It was a bit like glue. I felt like we became more unified when we recited it. The Young Women were conducting opening exercises so I was able to meet this awesome girl named Diviya. She is impressive. She leads the music every Sunday, today she bore her testimony, and she volunteered to pray in Relief Society. She's 13, but her prayers are so eloquent and thoughtful. I didn't take my camera this week, but I'll show you a picture of her next week.
The kids arrived today! They're all here! I got to see Mymonisha and Tamilselvie. I also met some new friends, including ValenKannie. She's a little one, and she's stolen my heart. We didn't get to spend much time with the kids today because things were a bit chaotic and they were all just settling in. But I got to play a little bit with them and I really think that I could stay here forever. It really isn't realistic. These kids will grow older and eventually finish school here at Rising Star. Time moves on like that. No matter how much we wish we could freeze it, even for the day.
Today we had a bit of down time when we got home from church so I was able to catch up on some of my writing. I feel like there aren't enough words to describe what I'm feeling here. There isn't enough room on paper to share my experiences with you. They are so much more real and tangible. Describing them in my words could never give you an adequate picture of it.
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