Elder Preston Armstrong : Week Seventy-Nine

The Apartment Christmas Tree

18 Months Burning Pants

Hey guys,

This week was quite the week! We have been very busy and have had a lot to accomplish, but we came out of the week strong and the mission is having so much success right now. We really are ending the year on a strong note. We will be starting off 2018 in the best way possible by having lots of baptisms! The work is growing here in India and it is growing fast. It's very noticeable to see the blessings the Lord is sending to our new stake and its members. This week we had some new missionaries come in half way through the transfer because of visa problems with the Philippines and India. India sure likes to mess up the way missionaries come and go. It's always a struggle, but somehow I never had a problem.

This week was also exciting because I got to do what very few American missionaries get to do, go to Mumbai, India! Mumbai is a part of our mission and it has been for about 9 years, and we can only send Indian missionaries there because of the visa problems and problems that can arise from the religious and political groups in Mumbai. But, if you're an American assistant they let you go for a few days because there most likely won't be any problems in just a few short days. So I flew down with Elder Dass early Thursday morning and spent two days before coming back on Saturday. Mumbai is awesome! It is such a great place and I had so much fun doing work there. There are hills and small mountains and lots of trees, there was a breeze and it was mostly fresh air! The ocean was right there by us and there was even a lake! It was the most nature I had seen in months!! Delhi is just this cement and dirt filled city in the middle of a desert and it was so refreshing to be in a place like Mumbai. There are even big sky scrapers and the city is really nice, something Delhi has none of. It was just a completely different experience than I have ever had in India. Everywhere you go here things are so different. If you go to a different state or city they will speak a different language, the autos and buses are so different and the food is a completely different style. India is just such a great place, and I love being here and the opportunity I had to go to Mumbai and serve there for just a few days. I am so excited to go back.

Work here in Delhi is going great, we have two investigators on date for baptism. Rajesh and Nithin, I have high hopes for both of them and I think they will be getting baptized on Christmas Eve if everything goes as planned! I love being a missionary this time of year. It is very hard to be away from family, last year was so tough. But I know this is where I am supposed to be, and being out and working everyday with a fun companion makes it much easier to just focus on the work and help others find the truth. I try not to think about the NFL, or NBA, or college football bowl season starting soon. I also am doing my best not to think about snow, but those things are hard not to think about unless you are always teaching and finding! So that’s what we try to do.

I know this time of year is so special, it's a feeling you don't have any other time of the year. I hope we all enjoy the holiday season and celebrate it by giving. Giving more than just presents, give time and effort and help and attention to other people. Use this time to look around and help those you love, and even those you don't. If we are truly celebrating the birth of our Savior, the entire reason we have hope and happiness in this life, we will do it by following His teachings and Serve one another. We can do this really effectively by following the #LighttheWorld Initiative. I saw it do so much good last year in the lives of the people who followed it and the lives of the people who shared it. I hope you'll share the gospel this Christmas!

Love you all and have a good week!

Elder Armstrong