Custom made suits - $34? - MLC and more

Yes. On our last trip up to Visakhapatnam I was told by some of the younger missionaries that they purchased inexpensive suits. They looked pretty good to me so I thought I would give it a try. The finished product - we posed in this pic with the Sisters.

We entered this shop down in the basement. It was quite hot, no air conditioning and the lights kept going out but I decided to go through with it.

I started by picking out the material. Then they measured me and a week later it would be finished. I asked the Senior couple to pick it up and send it back with the mission president on his next trip there. Not bad at all.

It doesn't fit perfectly but not bad for the price. $34.00

We also bought this Elephant tie on Amazon India and now ready to go, all Sunday clothes now made in India.


After lunch with our friend Arvind.

Visited the family of a new friend who has been visiting and interested in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and our church lately.

They gave us a wonderful dinner.

Like so many other people do, one day she dropped by our church. She had been investigating other Christian churches and was looking for the truth. She came in the mission office and talked with us about the restoration of the gospel and the Holy Ghost. We talked about the peace, calm, still small voice of the spirit and how we can receive answers regarding truth from the Holy Ghost. She shared experiences she has had and also how she almost got baptized at another church, but then she felt that it wasn't right As we continued talking, we could feel the warmth and clarity of the Holy Ghost touch her heart. 

She later told the young missionaries that she wanted to immediately join our church. They answered and said there are things she needs to learn and accept and various steps to take before she could be baptized.


This is the lunch room upstairs in the Service Center where we eat lunch sometimes.

Invited the mission driver and his family over for dinner and a scripture related movie.

I made my Coconut Thai Chicken Curry and Teriyaki Chicken. They seemed to like it even though they said they had never tasted anything like it before.

We all had a fun evening together. Aren't they cute?

After Sunday school class I took this picture of our friend.

Mission Leadership Council (MLC) Pictures

The mission cook, cooks for the mission president, meetings like MLC and us.

The kitchen in the mission home

Took a few pictures after MLC lunch. Shows the view of the church from the mission home.

Then we got ready for a group photo.

Afterwards there's always a lot to do in the mission office. Always questions to answer, reimbursements for expenses and more.

Sister Martin saw these two Elders in the Distribution Center store.

Back to the airport to catch flights to their respective areas.

The gardeners added some new plants on the roof top terrace of the mission home/office so we decided to take a look.

Different views from different angles, a lot to see from up here.

Saw this fun little chipmunk on the wall of the church.

Our view just outside the church on the sidewalk - they are building a new Metro station. Almost a sunset beginning in the background.

Went to a nice dinner at the mall and had a new curry chicken. This place was called Copper Chimney.

Sister Martin decided to try the lamb curry. It was also good but we both prefer the chicken curry.

At the end of a long day we had the opportunity to see a beautiful Bengaluru, India Sunset.

Sisters in Adversity – Sisters for Eternity

Pictured below is the MUNGAMURI family who's influence has touched our lives with such an impact that I wrote a story for the Liahona Local India Pages (Church Magazine) for a future publication. They are a strong faithful family of two brothers and two sisters who have and continue to overcome difficult challenges. We had the opportunity of having these two sisters stay with us for a few weeks.  We pray for them and think about them often.  I also work with Elder Mungamuri in our mission on the financial side, as he is a Zone Leader. We've never met the older brother Rahul, but found an interesting story written about him at BYU Hawaii. Link https://kealakai.byuh.edu/node/1783 

Elder Martin, Sister Lavanya Mungamuri, Elder Shahil Mungamuri, Sister Neelima Mungamuri, Sister Martin at the India Bengaluru Mission Office

Sisters in Adversity – Sisters for Eternity

A Full-time Missionary faces an Unthinkable Challenge

Sister Neelima Mungamuri was called to serve a full-time mission in Kiribati, part of the Marshall Islands Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was the first missionary from India who had ever served on Kiribati. 

Friend, Teretoo, Sister Mungamuri, Sister Feagaiga at a Kiribati church
activity (near the Marshall Islands), singing and dancing in a heavy rain.

She was learning a new language, loving the people and working hard serving the Lord. Her younger Sister Lavanya Mungamuri was also serving full-time in the India New Delhi Mission. 

Both were diligently engaged in the work. With unshakable testimonies of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, they became a strength to their missions and to the people they engaged with.

During all of this, the unthinkable occurred. Sister Neelima was told she may have cancer. Immediately after, her first prayer to God expressed a commitment to glorify Heavenly Father in all her days, no matter what may happen.

“I was so happy and doing really well. And suddenly this thing happened and nearly 500 people are praying for me. Some told me that nothing will be there, and everything will be OK,” she said.

She was transferred back to her home country to serve in the India Bengaluru Mission and receive more tests. Sister Neelima was diagnosed with stage three cancer.

“I did not feel sad or anger or anything, but I’m so glad to God that he helped me to live. And I found those prayers, fastings and Priesthood blessings having strengthened me during my surgery and chemotherapy. All this strength comes from the knowledge of the true Gospel and I knew it was Heavenly Father’s will that I go through this trial," Neelima said.

Hymns were a great strength to her during the many procedures. Two particular songs she loves to sing are, “A Child’s Prayer” and “Before Thee Lord, I Bow My Head.” 

Adversity wasn’t new to the Mungamuri family Neelima explained, “My father died in an accident when I was 7 years old and my mother died of a broken heart soon after.”

Mungamuri Grandmother

Her Christian grandmother agreed to raise the four children for the next several years. She was a good Christian and encouraged them all to go to church. 

When Neelima was 14, the family met missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Neelima, Lavanya and their two brothers embraced the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and were baptized.

Tragedy struck again when the Grandmother died. Neelima, the oldest, was only 17. With no other relatives willing to help, Neelima would be responsible to raise her siblings. When her younger brother, Rahul, was old enough, he decided to serve a full-time mission for the church and was called to the India New Delhi Mission. 

Elder Rahul Mungamuri

When he returned, he was accepted to BYU Hawaii and is currently there, working his way through college. The other three all decided and were extended calls to serve full-time missions at the same time. While all three were serving missions, Neelima contracted cancer.

   

Being diagnosed with cancer after serving one year of her 18 month mission required that she receive a medical release. Surgery and chemotherapy would certainly require a family member to help. Her younger sister, Lavanya had recently began serving in the India New Delhi Mission. She agreed to leave her mission temporarily and help her sister through the upcoming challenges. 

This would allow their younger brother, Shahil, who began serving the same month as his sister Neelima, to complete his mission. He was a Zone Leader in the India Bengaluru Mission at the time.

Aunt Anuradha

Shortly after the surgery, their aunt came and helped for a couple of weeks. After their aunt went home, the two sisters became a team, focused on the goal of recovery and hopeful return to complete their full-time missions.

Lavanya said, “When I told my sister Neelima on the phone that I was coming to be with her she told me not to leave my mission because her condition may not be very bad.”

Lavanya then asked, “Do you remember what it says on page 3 of Preach My Gospel (missionary guidebook). ‘The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home’, President Harold B Lee.” Lavanya exclaimed, “Nothing is more important than helping my sister. No one can replace time with my sister”.

Neelima agreed and Lavanya left her mission to work full-time as her sister’s care giver. Neelima talked about how she and her sister had recently been sealed to their parents in the temple. If faithful, they’ll be sisters for eternity.

Sister Lavanya said, “Because of temples, I know families can be eternal.”

Now they live together in a small basic apartment without even a refrigerator. Every few weeks they go for chemo treatments at a nearby hospital. Neelima is currently going through extreme discomfort and pain, only understood by those who have gone through similar treatments.

“I know sometimes, we feel like miracles and something like this should be gone just like that, we pray for such things sometimes because of our sufferings and our afflictions. But in my life I learned that allowing God’s will is the greatest thing that can help us to come closer unto God. I want to see my parents and grandmother again but I know I still have some work to do in this life,” Neelima asserted.

Her sister Lavanya is there like her mother, ready to help in any way. When all foods started tasting inedible and metallic, her sister is there to insist she keep eating.

Sister Lavanya testified, “We are his hands. God will always be there for us when we stay faithful. Even trials are a strength to our life.”

Sister Neelima concluded, “I believe in the blessing of the resurrection that I can get all my full hair and all my body parts and everything. Some people in the hospital asked me why God gave you this big problem while you were serving God. The only answer that came to my mind is that God loves me so much. And when we are given so many problems, he trusts us to have faith and turn to Him and not Satan, like Job in the Bible, who endured all those things, and this is our time to endure all these things.”

Dinner with the Tiateti family – Women of great faith and cute children

Sister Mungamuri and her companion enjoying the heavy rain after teaching visits

 Mungamuri Family Baptism day - Elder Polia, Rahul, Neelima, grandmother, Shahil, Lavanya and Elder Connor

Elder Mungamuri (wearing glasses) at MLC, currently serving as a zone leader

Sister Lavanya Mungamuri at the Philippines Temple

Sister Neelima Mungamuri at the Salt Lake Temple

Kerala, India - A Beautiful State

Sister Martin and I were invited to attend a wedding in India's southwest state of Kerala. Kerala is often called in India, "God's Own Country".

Areekkal Water Falls, Kerala, India

At first we said we were too busy but then we decided to somehow squeeze it in to a long weekend. Brother Issac, father of the bride, who we often see at church, personally asked us to come. They also sent us this beautiful invitation.

Several months ago, his younger daughter had served in our mission. The oldest daughter was getting married in Kerala at an Orthodox Christian Church.

We decided to see a few of the interesting sites in the area. Our first stop was Fort Kochi. We found a nice hotel. When we landed I requested an Uber to take us to the hotel. That's mainly how we travel in India.

A mural in the lobby of the hotel at Fort Kochi 

Our friend and co-worker in the mission office, Vasanth came with us for part of the trip. We rented a car and had him drive during part of the little trip.

Saw a few sites in the area like this church

Would you like to buy some fresh fish?

We watched people catch fish from the ocean with these Chinese Fish Nets.

They lower these big nets down into the water.

A few minutes later they bring the nets up and gather the fish caught in the nets.

Dropped by this old church built in 1503 by the Portuguese.

Walked by the small Fort Kochi Beach.

Sister Martin bought a new hat that folds up small and flat

The Indian Navel Maritime Museum

 Next stop was Allapuzha, closer to the place where the wedding would be held. Along the way we stopped at a couple of beaches. This one was called Marari beach.

I heard this restaurant was one of the best around (highest reviews) but it was closed during the off-season.

Took a two hour boat ride at the backwaters of Alleppey.

It's called a Shikara boat.

Some call this place the "Venice of India", because of all the water canals. They have had too much rain lately and a lot of homes and rice patty fields were flooded.

A lot of interesting people and house boats along the journey.

Saw this bald eagle along the way.

More flooding over the levee

Our rental car at a B&B we stayed at by Alleppey Beach

Then off to the wedding at this Orthodox Christian Church.

 Sister Issac used to be a missionary in our mission. Her sister was the bride.

To the right, bride and groom after they were married.

We went to a beautiful wedding reception following the wedding.

Picture with the bride and groom

When thinking of weddings and marriage we often think of, "The Family, A Proclamation to the World".
It says, "WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

Link to the complete document...Family Proclamation



On the way back to the airport we decided to stop at Vaipur hanging bridge

We ran into the Wilson family at the Chinese Fish nets and they said they had also come for the wedding. We see them in church almost every week. We decided to go to the bridge together.

The Manimala River in the background

Last stop before reaching the airport for our flight back was at Areekkal Water Falls. Another beautiful spot in Kerala, India.