Author: Rick Neff

Paraphrasing what the song mentions, weddings are joyful events where we celebrate life and everything good about it.

Yes, we were privileged to go to an Indian wedding this week! We were invited by the vendor, Mayank, whose cousin was getting married. Mayank supplies all the water filtration (reverse osmosis) systems that have been installed for the clean-water humanitarian projects Taunya talked about last week. Josh and Jawan have become good friends with him, and they consider him a godsend because of how good and reliable and supportive he is. He really is great to work with, and we too look forward to getting to know him better and working with him in some upcoming projects once we move to our own area. (Still don’t know when that will happen.)

So Monday we went to the Central Market where Josh was to pick up his suit pants that they had to remake. While there, Taunya and Jawan both decided to choose the fabric for and custom order an outfit called a Kurti to wear to the wedding. After some persistent asking, the shopkeeper agreed to have them ready Thursday night at 9:30. Thursday 10pm came and with it brief disappointment. But thankfully they came through, and at 10:15 the delivery was made!

When we arrived at the wedding venue Friday evening we were wowed by the setting. Flowers, arches, statues, furniture and everything — so ornamental and festive.

Going into the main courtyard we were greeted by the bride’s father, warmly welcomed, and thereafter treated like VIPs. We were there a little earlier than most guests — Mayank said there would be more than 500 coming — and so the servers in their blue uniforms and caps were hovering around us eager to have us sample all the hors d’oeuvres and refreshments we could possibly want. Surprisingly, pasta and pizza were two of the dozens of offerings in this food-court-like array of buffet-style booths featuring traditional cuisine from all over India. Roti (like crêpes) was fun — both to watch being made and to eat.

We learned that all the wonderful food we saw and sampled in the outside courtyard was just a warmup for the main course, which was inside where the atmosphere was a bit more intimate. The main course was an all-you-can-eat buffet, a fantastic smorgasbord of vegetarian Indian food delights.

Mayank informed us that this was a typical middle-class wedding. But he also said parents will save up for the entire life of their daughter to be able to afford it!

After we finished eating, we went over and met the groom, who had recently arrived. He was very friendly and gracious, and eager to have his picture taken with the four of us. I think for the most part Indians consider that a badge of honor, to have a picture taken with Americans.

As we were leaving we saw the beginning of some kind of ceremony for just the groom, together with his family and friends. The bride was not there yet, by design in their tradition. It was after 10pm, so we didn’t stay for her arrival, which I’m sure was spectacular!

Other notables:

On Thursday we had another meeting with Vinay where we discussed how we could collaborate with his organization to lift the poor and needy in New Delhi. (In my last post I mentioned his NGO in connection with the homeless shelters they run.) He told us his story, during which the Spirit in the room was strong as we pondered the nature of our calling. After losing his job in the aftermath of 9/11, he wondered what to do with his life. He said he felt called to serve God’s children, the weakest and most vulnerable of them, and so he founded a charitable society that he first conceived of 30 years ago, that would by the Grace of God chart the course of the rest of his life. Twenty-two years later the Sadik Masih Medical Social Servant Society is still going strong, and serving more and more marginalized people, who, as stated on their website, are the unheard and demeaned due to various social and cultural reasons.

Yesterday, we traveled to Kalyanpuri to witness and participate in the beginning stages of the distribution of the blankets that were delivered Wednesday night. It was thrilling to see it actually happen and get to help passing out a few blankets to those who had pre-qualified to receive them. Just seeing their grateful faces was a wonderful experience.

While waiting for the project kickoff we met a woman who wanted to thank us personally for what we were doing. She spoke pretty good English, which she learned when she worked for a time as a housekeeper for an English-speaking family. I tried talking to her in Hindi, just some simple Hindi phrases — and gave everyone a laugh at how silly I looked in my over-earnest attempts at enunciation!

The work is progressing. We feel so blessed to be here and to be able to help in this work. We thank our Heavenly Father and our Savior for the privilege and opportunity to play our small roles. We thank you for your ongoing love, support, prayers, and good thoughts sent our way. Have a great week!

Other pics:

In sickness, in health

Or as another song about opposition puts it, “you’ve got to be sick to be grateful for your health!”

I think once or twice, maybe, is quite enough. I am continually grateful for the general good health I enjoy, and Taunya too. We express gratitude in our prayers every day for that great blessing.

So not since a mild bout with COVID during the first week of our mission has good health gone missing. As a probable side effect of the shot I got last week, though no doubt exacerbated by my overindulgence in Indian food Tuesday night, the next day I started experiencing some stomach and intestinal distress, which laid me low and sapped all my energy. It happened more mildly to Sister Baird, but thankfully not to Taunya or Elder Baird.

Well, there’s physical sickness, but then there’s heart sickness which in many ways is harder to bear.

In poverty’s vale

After getting enough rest Wednesday and Thursday to feel up to going out, I rejoined the ranks of humanity and our little band of humanitarians.

Early Friday morning we went to an appointment that was set up by a woman who used to work for an orphanage that Josh and Jawan are working with. She now consults with NGOs and through her we met the founder/leader of an impressive NGO that is operating in 19 states throughout India and has been around for 28 years. We had a conversation at this gentleman’s office, which Josh gave me the opportunity to lead (but very graciously stepped in when I was getting tongue-tied or off track — practically guaranteed by my not feeling 100%)!

We talked about what they do, and what we and they could collaborate on to further help the poor and needy. They provide shelters and food for the homeless, educational and vocational training, and medicine and other medical help. The founder and a couple of his staff took the consultant and us to visit some of their homeless shelters, so we could see firsthand what they are like.

The first two were surprising enough, located adjacently in a somewhat isolated setting. These are not permanent, but portable structures, on government-owned land, barely adequate for their purpose. Then they took us to a similar shelter but in a vastly different setting.

Words fail to describe what we saw while walking to this one. Frankly I’m still trying to process it. “Heartbreaking” doesn’t begin to capture our feelings. This shelter is in the middle of a shanty town — for those who don’t even have a shanty, or a family. There are 2,000 men, women and children, desperately poor, without proper water or toilets, with so little food and shelter, living in squalor worse than anything Josh and Jawan have seen in their 5.5 months here. We were told these were migrants who came to New Delhi seeking employment, and the opportunity for a better life. So much need and want!

Taunya said she was amazed to see how the little kids were happily playing with sticks or whatever, who as we passed would flash their smiles, some big, some shy, some curious. A goat wearing a sweater caught her eye, but was unconcerned about being watched.

Then there was the small boy who came to the shelter door seeking a handout, and was so polite and patient as some of the leftovers from feeding the shelter residents were scooped onto his plate. He likely was there on behalf of his family, and what he was given might have been his family’s entire food supply for that day.

Or abounding in wealth

“You’ve got to need money to appreciate wealth.”

We are so blessed! Here I just want to plug the opportunity you have to generously donate some of your abundance to the cause. That line on the donation slip labeled Humanitarian Aid is calling you! 100% of your donations go to help lift and bless the poor and needy.

At home or abroad, on the land or the sea

“You’ve got to have some problems to rise above, you’ve got to be lonely so that you can know love.”

Halfway around the world is as abroad as we can be. We feel the love and support of all of you at home, and of course the love and care of Heavenly Father and Jesus. We are grateful to you all. Thank you so much for your prayers and good wishes as we grapple with the enormity of our tasks, for which we feel so inadequate.

As thy days may demand so thy succor shall be

“It’s called opposition […] A necessary condition in this world of ours.”

We know that the Lord, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, will be our perfect succor, as long and as far as our days may demand. We are humbled at the blessing it is to follow Him, in trying to do some good in the world, to lift lives through work and effort and collaboration with other disciples of Christ, whose passion for their mission is so evident. These native Indians have the long view and game plan, and will be around long after we go home. It is a privilege and blessing to help in our small way while we can.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Lea Salonga sang so last night with the Tabernacle Choir at their Christmas Concert we were privileged to go to. It was fabulous, exhilirating, inspiring, touching, gloriously spectacular and soul-stirring! A definite highlight in the program, honoring Him who is the Light of the World, we were participants in the telling of Endless Gifts, Endless Light: The Nicholas Winton Story by Sir David Suchet, who, near the end of this Christmas story, invited all of us in the audience to hold up the light on our cell phones. As the program directed:

If you’d like to join in, have your phone ready and hold it up like a Christmas star — still and steady. While you’re holding up your phone, you’ll also have the opportunity to join us in singing a new verse of “Once in Royal David’s City.”

Other exciting news — we got our visas! And our travel arrangements! In ten short days we leave for India — departing from the Idaho Falls airport early Wednesday morning, 28 December, arriving 26 (!) hours later in New Delhi!

Yes, we are coming home to Rexburg on the day after Christmas to leave our vehicle in garage protection, depositing our winter clothes and other stuff we brought here in October, and saying goodbye again. It is finally happening —leaving the comfort zone of familiar sights, sounds, smells, routines and rhythms of life here to begin Phase 4 — life as bona fide humanitarians!

Other mention-worthies:

On Wednesday, we had a two-zone luncheon in the Wasatch Room on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The meal was absolutely delicious, and it was a great opportunity to get to know our fellow missionaries a little better. We were entertained afterwards by the Taylorsville High Madrigals, a very energetic and talented group of young performers!

Another musical program we were blessed to enjoy last Sunday was The Schubert Singers. My sister LuJean sings with them, to our delight!

I had the chance to visit and give service to a friend on Wednesday as well, and on Thursday we were blessed to be able to visit with family at the Taylor/Padgett residence. Dear Aunt Fran — we love you! (Aunt Joan and Uncle Wayne were there too, and it was great to see them, and express our mutual love and appreciation!) While we were there Aunt Fran’s daughter, my cousin Ardie, looked up the total number of records her mom had indexed or reviewed — a phenomenal 2,166,550!

Today I finished rereading the Book of Mormon — which I was determined to do before we left. I’m looking forward to starting again, and reading it in conjunction with our study of the New Testament next year. Reflecting on Moroni 10, I am profoundly grateful to know that Moroni’s promise is real! And as Taunya wrote last week, “our knowledge of the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith and his inspired understanding of Jesus Christ helps us to know Christ better.”

Since Joseph Smith’s birthday is next Friday the 23^rd, I want to bear my testimony of him too. What a time to live, when we are the beneficiaries of his life and work! I know he is the Prophet of the Restoration, chosen and called as the instrument in God’s hands to bring the world Another Testament of Jesus Christ and restore the Lord’s Church and Kingdom in these Last Days. The Lord Jesus Christ lives! The Babe of Bethlehem will come again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and my soul yearns for His approbation as he finishes preparations for and begins His Millennial Reign!

Have a Most Wonderful Christmas Time this coming week and beyond!

 

 

 

The dictionary defines rejoice as feel or show great joy or delight.

This week’s blog post title comes from O Come, O Come, Emmanuel — one of the songs the mission choir will be singing in our devotional program tomorrow. It will be the culmination of a lot of effort and practice. However, I can’t help compare the experience with my days of singing with the Saltaires Show Chorus, whose Christmas shows required us to learn twice as many songs, and by heart too. Needless to say, our mission choir will not be “off the paper” for any of our eight songs. But we’re glad we can contribute to the cause, even though the quality is not what we’d like it to be.

As Taunya mentioned last week, the holidays are joyful times. And we have many, many reasons to rejoice. Just to name 4 this week:

Reason 1. The Minarchiks got their visas! They fly out this coming Wednesday for the Czech Republic, and we really are happy for them. But with December here, I have to revise my prediction for when our visas will come — any month now!

Reason 2. We were able to go to the temple yesterday morning and do some ordinances for two more of Taunya’s ancestors.

Reason 3. Last evening we went to the Jenny Oaks Baker concert at Kingsbury Hall. The show was called Joy to the World — A Sacred Christmas Celebration. It was spectacular! There were many guest artists, including the Children’s Dance Theatre that our grand-niece Arya belongs to. She and her fellow dancers did a terrific job in the first number, Angels We Have Heard On High, and it was a ton of fun to see her perform — our first time ever to watch her do this thing she loves.

Reason 4. Tonight we were greatly blessed to be able to attend the First Presidency Christmas Devotional in the Conference Center. It was a wonderful mix of beautiful music and spirit-lifting talks. The Savior is worthy of our worship every day, but it’s always great this time of year to focus on His First Advent, his long-awaited birth, the giving by our God of the superlative Gift of His Son. I thought The First Noel arrangement the Tabernacle Choir sang so spiritedly was especially moving.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel!

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel.

As modern Israel we joyfully anticipate His Second Coming, and rejoice in being called to serve Him in preparing the world for that great day!

 

The Goodins got their visas and are by now in Vanuatu! It was great to see their excitement and imagine our own when those visas do come — any week now!

We did something different today. It was so worth the change in our normal Sunday morning routine to go to the Music and The Spoken Word concert on Temple Square. (Pretty easy when it’s only a block from our apartment!)

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra did a special Thanksgiving program with some old favorites, including Alleluia Fanfare/Praise to The Lord, The Almighty, Simple Gifts (featuring the Bells at Temple Square!) and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It was glorious, and a great reminder of the blessings we have and enjoy daily. Quoting announcer Lloyd D. Newell, “one of the greatest blessings [God] offers is the peace and perspective that fill our souls when we live in thanksgiving each day.” I think we’ll just go ahead and make this a Thanksgiving Week!

I found it quite a contrast from yesterday’s outing to the Clark Planetarium (a brisk but nice 6-block walk). After getting our tickets we had some time before the IMAX show began, so we looked at some of their exhibits before settling into our seats to watch the Mountain Adventure: Out of Bounds 3D extravaganza. The music for this tribute to the outdoors began very loud — too loud for comfort. It was nowhere near the soul-feeding music we heard today.

The show featured an Olympic gold medalist snowboarder (Torah Bright) and a couple others tackling some very formidable mountains. We got both the observing of extreme adrenaline rush seeking and the raising of climate change impact awareness!

We’ll never snowboard down an “exceedingly high mountain” or see a Polar Bear in the Arctic. Likewise we’ll never sing with the Tabernacle Choir or play with the orchestra or the bell ringers. But it’s fun to watch people do what they love, especially when they’re very good at it. And we do know the joy of blending our voices with others in choirs singing praises to our God. It feeds our souls to produce as well as consume good music!

I also noticed on our hike yesterday the contrast between the painful part where we left the trail and the better part where we stayed on it. We were on a section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail we hadn’t been on before, but upon encountering a confusing fork we went the wrong way (the signage leaves something to be desired). This way looked like it might reconnect with the main trail further up, and since we started uphill on a sort-of trail and didn’t feel like backtracking, we endured some tough, steep terrain, complete with slippery grass and rocks. Getting back to the real trail was a relief and a joy!

Everything depends on pressing forward on the covenant path, and because there are many off-ramps there are on-ramps to get back on. This trail of faith, repentance, commitment and recommitment via baptism and the sacrament, and receiving the Holy Ghost — and enduring to the end in this “overarching spiritual quest” — is the one we want to walk in.

We capped our week with this evening’s dinner and subsequent gospel discussion at the home of President and Sister Holmes. A wonderful spirit was there as many members of the Discovery Zone revealed through their gracious words how firmly committed they are to following the Savior, empowered by His grace through the “guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”

After all,

[The Savior] marked the path and led the way,
And every point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God’s full presence shines.

Have a great week, and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

They say the brain craves novelty.

We certainly had a different week, full of changes to the usual routine. We decided to go home and get our vehicle, some warmer clothes, and other useful and nice-to-have things. We got permission to take a short overnight trip Tuesday and Wednesday, and with another couple’s kind loan of their car, we were on our way to Rexburg. The O’Dells were very accommodating of this unusual visit, and we are very grateful to them for the good care they’re taking of our home.

It was raining/snowing on the drive back to SLC Wednesday morning, but we had no difficulties driving two separate cars and got Taunya back in time for her noon assignment.

New and different for me on Thursday was a special project I was asked to help with. It allowed me to learn how to edit family tree information that already had source documents attached, correcting names and dates that were entered incorrectly, highlighting by putting a rectangle around the part of the document where the handwriting had been misread, and justifying the corrections I made. Interesting work that improves the quality of the family search database.

On Thursday I was also recruited to help the Housing crew the next day get some new apartments ready for more missionaries who would be arriving Friday afternoon. I and Elder Goodin helped Elder Farnsworth assemble some kitchen tables and office chairs. Actually, it was Elders Goodin and Farnsworth putting them together, I just helped put them in the apartments, and arrange the furniture already there in some kind of logical way. Elder Baird had asked me to check that all the WiFi routers were working correctly in six apartments, plus I hung a couple of shower curtains, and then helped Elder Goodin hang a closet door!

Friday evening we had dinner and a great visit with my brother and his wife in Riverton, which we were able to drive ourselves to rather than rely on public transportation and rides from them to and from the station. Not to disparage the Utah Transit Authority, but having our own wheels is way more convenient and less time consuming! We also enjoyed driving ourselves for a quick trip to Walmart yesterday!

Today we went to a break-the-fast dinner that Elder Farnsworth invited us and the Goodins to. He and Sister Farnsworth and several other couples all have apartments on the third floor of the Deseret Apartments, and they all get together every first Sunday. We felt pretty special being invited and warmly welcomed!

Tomorrow we look forward to our mission fireside where the guest speaker is Sharon Eubank, former first counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, and current Director of Latter-day Saint Charities. It’ll be a treat to hear from her, plus the choir will be singing Peace in Christ to make it even sweeter!

A scripture that’s been on my mind lately is 1 Corinthians 2:9. Here Paul is quoting Isaiah, and the Lord even uses the same language in Doctrine and Covenants 76:10. I like to think I have a pretty good imagination, and I can imagine a lot of amazing things that we have to look forward to in the months and years and centuries ahead, in this life and well beyond. But I believe what the Lord and His servants say that what the Lord has in store for those who love Him is inconceivably marvelous and wonderful!

India will have its own freshness and newness, for which we still yearn. But I just keep thinking that the novelty and variety we experienced this week is nothing compared to the vast and variegated array of glorious blessings to come!

People are more important than things. It is good for hard-core introverts like me to keep that in mind. I don’t think the inverse is true at all, but if you’re like me, things are more interesting than people. A personality perhaps even rarer, but for me abstract things — thoughts, ideas, ruminations and cogitations — captivate my attention the most.

But it’s more and more evident that love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and other fruits of the Spirit manifest almost exclusively in interactions and relationships with people. And whatever else they are, one thing people are not is abstract!

Since our visas have been delayed, and we really don’t know how long we’ll be here, rather than finding reasons to pass up opportunities, we are getting involved with the people and activities of the Headquarters mission.

Notable this week:

FHE for the Data Quality Assurance and Source Records Preparation zones at the Holmes’ (mission president’s) residence — sandwiches and other good food, and a great discussion about the Holy Ghost afterwards.

To celebrate our 42nd anniversary, dinner out splurging with filet mignon — a treat we won’t be eating again for a while!

Choir practice learning some fun Christmas music.

Dinner and visiting with fellow India-bound senior couples, plus an Elder who served there 10 years ago with his wife doing humanitarian things. A very pleasant evening — we ate good Indian food and were introduced to something new — Lassi — a fruity (mango this time) yogurt-smoothie-like drink that’s apparently very popular.

Chili cook-off for which we served as judges, so got to sample all 10 of the entries.

A romantic getaway just up the hill at a bed-and-breakfast. A great capstone to our anniversary celebration!

Encountered on a walk: a distinguished-looking older gentleman with a neatly trimmed beard, walking his dog but stepping aside so we could pass, greeting us with a smile and a hearty “Good morning! How are you folks today?”

I hope to be that pleasant and cheerful when I get to be his age!

Other people power moves that warm my heart:

A friend’s or family member’s insightful and encouraging reply to a blog post. A senior sister in my zone asking for my help with a computer question. A very musical senior couple taking time to help me learn a difficult passage in a Christmas song. A kind dinner invitation from a loving sister, her daughter and family.

Up with people!

(more…)

Nothing like the unknown that we will face in “Phase 4” (actually arriving in India!), but “Phase 3” (awaiting our visas) still has us guessing. Like what we’ll be doing for the next little while.

We arrived at our nicely furnished apartment on Friday afternoon, and were met by two Elders (seniors) from the branch who helped us get settled in. One of them is our Branch Leader, Elder Steel, who kindly took us to get a few groceries.

Adventures thus far:

• Swap meet where we met some fellow senior missionaries and got some useful items (like a toaster).
• Bus ride from downtown to Centerville to shop at Walmart for some essentials (like yoga mats!), and
• Walk/hike to Ensign Peak (2 hours, 5.25 miles, 1152 feet elevation gain).

Not an adventure per se, but today we attended our first sacrament meeting in the very nice (and quiet!) chapel in the Joseph Smith Memorial building. We met some more super seniors, and President and Sister Holmes, mission leaders for the Utah SLC Headquarters Mission.

Tomorrow starts with a mission devotional, then a visit to the mission offices (also in the JSMB), hopefully to learn what our assignments will be. One less unknown!

Even though we are anxious to be doing the humanitarian work in India we were called to do, we are grateful to be here, and to have this opportunity to learn and grow in other ways.

We humbly acknowledge that the Lord sees fit to try the patience and faith of His people, as He did with Alma and his group of believers, who endured far more than what we are called upon to go through (see Mosiah 23:21-22).

We are so richly blessed that having to patiently wait is a miniscule trial by comparison!

The saying “knowledge is power” has always intrigued me. I know what it means — that a possessor of knowledge has a power or advantage over a non-possessor of that knowledge. But the idea always bothered me that knowing something someone else didn’t know meant becoming proud or arrogant. Or else that it was impetus to try to take advantage of others because of it.

However, there is an Antidote to Pride-Poison! It goes along with our “mission scripture” of choice: Proverbs 3:5-6.

And do we ever have an urgent need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding!

Right now, my understanding of and knowledge about India, and the exact nature of our assignment once there — well, to say that it’s limited is a comical understatement.

Despite all we can do to find information to read, videos and movies to watch, people to talk to who have been there, or who are currently there — there’s just no substitute for the experiential knowledge we will get over time.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:2 — And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

I like to think that I know a few things, but do I know what I ought to know?

Time will tell!