Dear Family,
What a great week we have had here
in New Delhi! I love my time here and I am working really hard with Elder
Basil. This week we had the wonderful holiday of Holi! The Hindu color festival
of India! It is such a fun festival, but as missionaries we don't get to
celebrate. However, we do get to see a lot of Holi colors and water balloons
and eggs being thrown. Just like any good holiday: Christmas, Thanksgiving, and
Super Bowl Sunday, the celebrating starts early. So all week we were being
pounded with water balloons from the rooftops of Delhi and color was
everywhere. It's such a cool tradition. Anyone can hit anyone with water and
color and eggs and no one gets mad. It’s unreal. The water balloons were a nice
surprise on the hot days, but the color ruined a few of my last remaining
white, well mostly yellow, shirts.
This week we have had the
opportunity to continue to teach a man named Aakash from Kolkata over Skype. He
is really an awesome guy and is understanding really well. We set him on date
for baptism on March 31st and he will be such a great support to the small
branch of only 15 to 20 Saints. It is so cool to teach over Skype, it's amazing
how the technology the Lord has given us can be used to spread His gospel. I
hope we can all use the internet for a good reason. A reason that uplifts
ourselves and others and is far away from anything Satan would have us use it
for.
The George family came back to
church this Sunday with Ahman and Nirmala, they traveled all the way down to
Delhi for one day, went to 3 hours of church, and then went right back for work
the next day. Amazing! The best part was watching them willingly pay their
tithing and hand the slip to the bishop...lives change when the gospel touches
hearts.
I have had so many experiences on my
mission that have changed my life. Each week I do my best to share one that
could change yours, but with such a busy schedule I haven’t had the time like I
used to have to write good emails and share as good of experiences in good
detail. So I apologize for that. But today I wanted to share with you how I
feel about being on a mission. Missions change lives. I have seen it time and
time again. I am still for the most part the same Preston who loves sports and
loves his friends and family, always trying to make every situation a little
more fun. But I will never be the same spiritually, my testimony has grown, I
am a better, kinder person now, and I have also grown as to things of the world.
I understand the blessings we have in America; I understand how to spend money
and have a budget and how to take care of myself. So the blessings are
unbelievable really, my life has been forever changed. But the most important thing
is that because of missionaries serving, the people they serve have the
opportunity for their lives to change as well. I have seen so many people who
have turned their lives around in a complete 180 degrees. It all starts when
they hear the gospel and take a chance on it, giving place in their hearts for
the Spirit to teach them, and being open enough to repent. When people do this,
they are never the same, and that is a priceless thing to be a part of. I hope
you will encourage many people to serve missions and to share the gospel, in
all my life there has been no greater joy. No touchdown, pin, game winning
buzzer beater by the jazz, could beat the feeling of seeing an Indian I love
accept the gospel. It's changed my life and I know that anyone who serves a
mission can feel the same.
Love,
Elder Armstrong
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| Elder Basil and I skyping Aakash from Kolkata |
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| Trump sign in India |
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