February/March 2009 Update

I think it can be said that we are in count down time for our mission. It is amazing to realize that we have been here 14 months and that we have only 4 months left until we return home. This stage brings with it some unexpected feelings and thoughts. Foremost is the wonder if we have accomplished what we were called here to do. If not we certainly do not have not much time left to get it done. There are those days that without specific assignments or appointments with the Elders, we begin searching for meaningful activities to be engaged in. Most often these times are filled in with making visits to member families and/or preparing lessons. Diane has been the Primary President and always has more to do in lesson preparations than she has time to do it. There is always the question about wondering if those assigned to teach will show up or not. More often than not they fulfill their assignments but there are still those times when they fail to show up and don't give any prior notice. Anyone who has served in third a world country or an area where the church is relatively new can understand and know what this means. Of course this situation teaches patience and provides "real time" training in relying on the spirit to be the teacher.
Of course the most rewarding and significant part of our mission experiences thus far have been seeing the growth of the church in this little branch. The Dwarka Branch is not that little any more. What started as a home group in Jan. 2008 with 8 in attendance. The branch is now too large for the space we are renting. We have a three week running attendance of 54 people each Sunday.

As you can see from this picture, we really have to squeeze together when we have more that 55 in attendance.
We have been approved to find another building for our services and church activities. It is our hope that we can find a stand alone building or house for the Branch meetings. We really need a place that has room for a baptismal fount. As it is right now, we either travel 45 minutes, if the traffic is good, to the church location in Delhi or hold a baptism at the local swimming pool.

As you can see from this picture our present location doesn't look much like a church. We hold meetings on the third floor of this building. It would be so much better to have a building of our own for sure. While it is nice to use the swimming pool, it sure would be better to have own place.

Just to give you a visual of the growth of the Branch I have posted a few pictures of some of the baptisms that have taken place since the Branch was created. Another visual representation is that all of these people continue to be active to date. We had a baptism of a family of 4 last Sunday and this Sunday there will be a baptism of a mother and her two daughters, ages 20 and 15.
Here is a picture of part of the branch attending a District Conference held in Feb. of this year. We rented a bus for transportation to and from the conference. I think we experienced a first for such an event. Everyone who said they would come actually came, everyone paid their share and everyone was on time!!!

This good brother, on the right with the Visiting Area Seventy for Conference Elder Joshua Subandriyo, is an example of the unusual commitment and dedication of many of these new members. This brother, R.S. Yadav, age 62, joined the church in December after more than 2 years study. He was first introduced to the church while visiting his son in the U.S. Upon returning he wanted to attend church in India and had the address for the church in Bangalore so he flew there to attend church. Upon learning that there was a church in Delhi, he returned to his home near Lucknow and later attended the church in East Delhi. While attending church in East Delhi, he learned that there was a branch in Dwarka where he stayed with a niece. So a few weeks later he showed up here and contacted the Missionaries. He comes from Hindu background but as his children say he has been Christian all his life by the way he lives. He is a regular attender at church even though he must travel 6-1/2 hours, over night by train, from near by Lucknow to attend church each Sunday. He is currently serving as the branch financial clerk. We share these things not to show what we are doing but to illustrate how the spirit of the Lord is so strongly working with the honest in heart.

We thought you would like to see some of the things that make up part of life in India, so here are a few pictures and descriptions of our weekly vegetable market experience.

This is the peak season for good vegetables and fruit. Green grapes are plentiful and so good. Papaya is good almost year round but especially plentiful this time of year. The vendors spread out plastic sheets and then arrange their products in neatly arranged piles. Yes the long white things are huge radishes. We would call them horse radishes but they are not strong but rather mild and very tasty ranging in size from 12 to 16 inches. The purple things next to the potatoes are actually purple onions, the only variety available. The stacks of the green/orange fruit is actually and orange but tastes more like tangerines.
We walk home down the back road to our apt., enter at the back gate

And walk through the back court yard up to our apt on the 8th floor and begin washing our buy.

One of the big accomplishments at the market is not being over charged for what we buy. I can now understand most of the numbers in Hindi, so I listen to the conversation with the natives to get the real price and than negotiate with the vendor for the fair price. If we don’t think the vendor is being fair or honest we merely ask someone standing next to us what is a good price and they then scold the vendor for overcharging us. Sometimes we will merely walk away knowing we can get it at a fair price from someone else. The total cost of everything shown above was a little more than $4.00, six bananas cost lest than 25 cents. We wash everything in filtered bleach water before eating it.
So there you have a little tour and pictures of some of the things we deal with regularly.

We hope you enjoy our report even though it is a little lengthy. It is our hope that these reports will touch your heart and increase in you a desire to serve the Lord a little better, either by serving a mission or from where you now stand.

Elder and Sister Brown, Reynold and Diane