Week Thirty-Six

Hey Family,

This week was a crazy one. It was very hard and I have a lot of work to do. Noida is a great branch and there are great people here, but there are things they just need help with. Yesterday they forgot to say an opening prayer in Sacrament meeting and the Sacrament hymn wasn't a Sacrament hymn, it was "Love at Home", so there are things that still need to be fixed and little improvements we are trying to make. Our boom box that we play the hymns from (no one knows piano) is broken and so we held a smart phone up to the microphone, but then the power went out so we went acapella in the dark. It was an unreal Sacrament meeting. 

This place is extremely dirty and I think I’ll probably come back with a tapeworm or some foreign disease where they won’t let me back in the States. But my stomach is adapting and I haven't been sick in a while which is really nice. The food here is my favorite and Fast Sunday is always hard, but the blessings are real! This week one of my companions fell in the shower and dislocated his shoulder, so I went into full doctor mode and popped it back into place, I just remembered what the trainers used to do to Big T Hood on the sidelines when he always had his shoulder problems. So that was cool and he has had a rough few days, but we are pushing on in the work. Right now we have one progressing investigator named Meenuka Lama, she is from West Bengal India and is seriously the coolest. She knows the Bible better than me and this will be her third baptism, and she hopes her last. She thinks she found her path and the true church of Jesus Christ, and I know she did. We also are working with a small family of four who are excited about the Book of Mormon and I hope to see them get baptized soon.

We are so close to having enough members and all the requirements to become a stake here in Delhi and we as missionaries are so excited!! The work has been hard and we are so close to reaching our goal of a stake finally in Delhi. The General Authorities are coming this week to train the members and leaders here, and we get to see them as well. When it becomes a stake there will most likely be an apostle here, but until then Elder Funk, Elder Evans and Sisters Cordon and Burton are going to be so cool to meet. Lots of cool things happening in the Delhi Mission. Extremely grateful to be a part of the building of the Kingdom of God here on the Earth. 

This week, you may have heard, because India is on the other side of the planet, we were delayed a week, but there are big changes that came from Salt Lake City for missionaries. We have new key indicators and everything is focused to stay strong in our Purpose of Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts. We also had a change in schedule that allows us a little more agency and accountability where we as missionaries choose when to study and train and do all those things. It's no longer an hour for everything set apart, it's more a set time period where we get to choose how to fit everything in our schedule, which is cool. Also the timings for our mission have changed, due to India having a very late night culture. We now wake up at 7:30 and go to bed at 11:30, and we don’t have to be in the apartment until 10:30 which is a full hour change. Most Indian families eat dinner at about 10 p.m. It's just their culture, so we adapted to get the best use of our day and 7:30 feels like sleeping in. It’s crazy. 

Anyways lots of news and it's been a good time, I love Noida even though it is very hard I know I am here for a reason. The Church is small and sometimes I feel very alone in this big giant world and crazy city, but the scripture that comforts me the most is, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there will I be in the midst of them." It's so true, there may only be 20 of us in Sacrament meeting, but the Savior is there with us, and I may feel alone as we gather in a small cement home on the floor and everyone is speaking a language I don't know, but when we teach, I know He is there watching over us, The Spirit is there comforting us, and Our Heavenly Father is proud of Us. I want you to know that no matter where you are, you're being watched over, and loved. It's a very real thing, and if you stand as a witness of Christ, you will never be alone.

Love you, and dang Patriots...gross.

Elder Armstrong