July 25, 2016 - Bengaluru, Whitefield

Hello fam!!! 

This week was kind of disappointing, but i guess i can't confidently say that because we actually taught a great amount of lessons and saw some decent progress with a couple people. 

On Thursday we taught Sailakshmi with the Bishop, and she told us her parents aren't supporting her so she can't get baptized yet....So this is a huge issue in India.  She is 24 and living away from her family.  She is an adult and can make her own decisions...but it's so traditional here and this is how it normally is that even the adults need permission.  But anyway, she actually told us yesterday when we taught her that we can plan for next week baptism!!  We have been really praying for her parents' hearts to soften and it is working.  So if you could please do the same that would be awesome.  But it would be way cool if i could finish off my last week on my mission with a baptism!! But she is still awesome.  

Raj Kumar got the priesthood this week and he is super pumped.  Apsalom is doing well and we taught him this week.  We also taught a new guy named Aju Thomas.  Muthulakshmi is good but she won't get baptized until August....so that's kind of unfortunate, but i guess it doesn't really matter when she does as long as she does.  And she will.

Other than that we saw some great success in getting the less actives we have been working with to church this week!! We worked pretty hard this week with the less actives since most of our investigator lessons bunked on us.  So for my last week we are still planning on hitting it hard:) But i have quite a few members inviting me to eat at their home so we are going to juggle that:)  I am going to try to get back to Lingarajapuram but not sure if i will have time:( 

Anyway i will have one more p-day, so next week i will shoot you just a quick email so this is pretty much our last email!!!.....what???? Where did the time go??? But i am ready to be home now.  Ready to move on.  I learned so much on my mission and really changed a lot.  Thanks for setting up that appointment with the stake president.:) Looks like dinner and then meeting the president on that night right???;) 

Some sad news this week huh??? That's a bummer.  Will really miss Michelle.....

Glad you liked that song dad...;) sorry i didn't play it very well.  It's been a while since i have played that song!! But this guy we were staying with in Goa was playing it. so i hopped on and gave it a try:) 

It truly has been a wonderful mission and been a great ride!!!! Thanks so much for your love, support and prayers....Love you guys so much!!

Elder Ball

Batch mates finishing together!

Zone Conference in RJY 2015 (above) BLR below

July 18, 2016 - Bengaluru, Whitefield

Hey everyone!!

Elder Thompson and I had a pretty good week this week in our area.  We taught our normal people.  Sailakshmi is doing really good.  She is awesome.  She always reads from the book of mormon and comes to church and is learning so well.  She takes notes on what she reads and so when we teach her she connects what we are teaching to some verses she has read.  Pretty great right??   

Muthulakshmi is doing okay.  She is coming to church and reading but it has been tough to meet with her since she doesn't speak english, so we are trying to take elders that know the language and they have been busy lately.  But she is still going strong.  Hopefully we get these two baptized before i head out of here!!

We found three new investigators this week.  All YSA brothers.  Naveen, Jerry, and Apsalom.  They are all christian brothers who have walked into our church before on sundays, and Naveen and Apsalom are really good.  They are solid August baptism prospects.  We also went door knocking again one evening this week, and we found a potential family who asked us a lot of really good genuine questions.  We're not sure how interested they really are, but we will see soon i guess.

So this week we traveled with president to Hyderabad, so that was good.  I haven't been there in like a year, so it was good to get back there before i left.  We are going to Rajahmundry again.  Goa is struggling.  That area is super difficult.  They should be having a baptism though on the 31st so that is good.  Probably won't keep missionaries there.  

It's super weird that a bunch of my batch is home now.  We left on the same day, and they are home two weeks before me....so hard not to be trunky with that happening!!! haha.  But we are pushing along here and getting some work done.  So looking forward to another week.  We are starting to get fed by members now as they are realizing i am leaving soon haha.  Raj Kumar is doing awesome though by the way.  We used him in a lesson this week and it was super.  He really has a bright future.  

Anyways again not much to say this week.  Hope you have a good week! 

Elder Ball

From Matt Fisher who said they took Elders Ball/Thompson
to dinner at the BBQ place with Raj Kumar. 

July 11, 2016 - Bengaluru, Whitefield

Hello! Another week come and gone....Time is flying and counting down....I'm honestly getting a little bit excited about what will happen in three weeks. So don't worry mom...i am ready to come home;)  (I was a little worried that he likes India so much that my decide just to stay there...:)

But anyways this week we traveled with the new mission president to Chennai and Vizak so that was cool to see those places and missionaries one last time.  Travel is pretty exhausting though!!! And this week we might be going to Hyderabad to check it out one last time as well.  

Other than that a pretty normal week this week.  Teaching our normal investigators, and we made plans to meet some more members this week to try and get some more referrals and people to teach. People have been telling us that they have a few friends that they are thinking about, so looks like the ward is trusting us a lot better now.  So that is a step in the right direction.  

Sailakshmi and Muthulakshmi are doing really well. Both have baptism dates for this month.  The other investigator we are teaching is named Vanitha.  She is doing okay.  She will probably take some time, but we really see some great potential in her as we visited her this week.  She is just in a prime position to accept the gospel as she is having family difficulties and confusion and trials, so we know the gospel can/will help her if she accepts.  The first thing she needs to start doing is read the Book of Mormon.  Sailakshmi is golden.  She always reads our assignments and is understanding so well.  

Other than that, not sure what else to say except that now all the other NBA teams will be playing for 2nd it looks like! haha.  Should be interesting to see.  Thanks so much for your support and love throughout this time so far.  I hope you will enjoy the new me.  As far as things i want to do...definitely i want to eat at Flying Pie and.....Buffalo Wild Wings!!! But i want to see some friends and family and stuff you know, the usual.

Love you guys lots!!!

Elder Ball

Traveling in style from the airport in Chennai with Pres. and Sis. Mortensen

View from the Elders' apartment in Visak.

July 4, 2016 - Mission President Change Pictures

Very sad to send President & Sister Berrett to the airport as they complete their time in India.

Welcome to India President & Sister Mortensen!

Introducing the Mortensens to the Coimbatore Zone.

Going to church with the Coimbatore Zone Leaders.  (No ties/tags outside in Coimbatore
due to issues in the past of people not wanting us there; here they are trying to keep a low profile!)

Leaving Coimbatore and headed back to Bengaluru.

July 4, 2016 - Bengaluru, Whitefield

Well another week gone.  4 to go........not that i am counting or trunky or anything....hahaha.  No honestly a little trunky but not letting it get in the way of our work! haha!   So this week was a pretty good one.  We were super busy with transition this week and also traveled this weekend to Coimbatore, so we weren't working as much as normal but we still did pretty good this week!!

We taught a decent amount of lessons but the best thing was Babitha and Helen got confirmed.  And also we are still teaching Sailakshmi.  She is GOLD.  We set her with a baptism date this week for July 24 and she accepted.  We were going to set Muthulakshmi as well with the 24th but didn't get the chance, so that will have to wait until this week..

So anyway it was super sad to see President Berrett leave.  And it is super different with the new president.  I miss President Berrett so much!! That guy is a huge part of my life now....But i guess life comes with change.  Hopefully i can adjust to the style of the new one.  He has really great excitement for the work and is really loving toward the missionaries which is great.  Yeah we didn't really get exit interviews because we were pretty much with him a lot before he left so that was basically it.  But other than that not much to tell about this week.

I guess mom to answer your question (re: a good friend struggling with cancer)....The atonement in relation to physical challenges is quite interesting in my opinion.  Most of us will think that the atonement will just "heal" us.  And in cases such as emotional and spiritual and anything really, the atonement doesn't always just "heal."  The atonement i have found can heal us for sure, no doubt, but many times it is simply there to give us added strength to "bear up our burdens with ease." If you read in Alma 7:11-14 or so, it really describes it well.  It basically says that he suffered so that he knows how to "succor" us.  Succor doesn't always mean heal or fix the problem.  It is like great assistance.  I found that a lot.  Many times we want out of our problems but the Atonement often helps to build ourselves stronger.  Often the power of it is called "enabling" power right? That's just it.  It enables US.  It gives us the strength and courage to overcome or endure.  Not sure if that helps or not.  

But anyway we will continue to help the new president get around and adjust to the culture and stuff like that so should be interesting!

Love you guys!!!

Elder Ball

Lunch at Absolute Barbecue (all you can eat buffet) with the zone leaders and Raj Kumar 

Prize from Bro/Sis Grundy for having the cleanest apartment in the zone at inspections...India's best soda, Thums Up.