Blood by the Hindu Temple

Today is a day I will never forget. it started off as a great morning, President Mortenson came for interviews and I got to hangout with other missionaries from the zone in the morning so that was fun. After the morning me and Elder Martin were not on the best terms because I said he was being a robot, which he was, so it was just a weird/bad feeling on our way to Alwal (our area). We had a few lessons w/ members and I got to know the area more and where these people actually live. After dinner was when it went crazy! Our next appointment was with a new family we had found and was at 7:30 we got off the bus (jumped) late because we were waiting for a member to show up. We walked across the usual busy Indian street which is literally like playing frogger if you know what that is. We got across when I notcied a group of 8 or so people. We got a little closer and they were attending a man laying on the ground very frantically. I noticed some more urgency to this man then just the usual passed out drunk. Finally as I got up to the group and I saw the man... this guy was cold and blood was draining from his head not responding at all. He was dead. right in front of me. I'm guessing some accident happened and he hit his head or got ran over, we walked away from the gruesome seen as people were rushing towards him. We walked about 20 yards away and there was now like 50 people around him. I cannot believe the stuff I have been seeing.... 

Alive in India

Hey Everyone!

India has been great so far! I have been doing a lot of registering work! At one point I was about to get deported lol! These last few weeks have been some of the craziest of my life. I have already seen some stuff I will never forget, good and bad. I've seen people with no legs begging, I've seen little girls with their hands burnt off begging me for money, I've seen dog fights in the streets, I've seen Hindu people and others cast witchcraft on me because I'm Christian and I've also seen some peoples lives changed from teaching them.

This week we got to go to a place called Charminar (the old City) this place is famous for its pearl shopping and one of the worlds oldest Muslim Mosques. We got to go inside and peruse around, its cool because that building is older than all of AMERICA!

We actually missed a lot of conference this last week. Their is a Deaf guy in our church and he was starting to have a nervous breakdown for reasons I'm unsure of.  He has some problems he is dealing with including Alcoholism...which he may have been using at the time.  We were bearing our testimonies and he started crying, I told him Christ will never leave him, that he knows all he is going through. It was a touching moment...and then snot began plummeting from his nostrils.  He kept wiping it away, messily, with his hands and wiping his tears away. After he was feeling better and extended his hand for me to shake it. (thats the thing, in India when people shake hands they like hold your hand for 20 senconds) And oh boy, there was a considerable amount of mucus on his right hand. I clenched my jaw and robotically just continued to say goodbye.

India is fun but there is some improvements I would personally make.... There isn't any toilet paper here, The cities have probably the worst draining I have ever seen which is really bad during Monsoon season because its literally a river in the street, and the level of poverty is bad.. Its actually a rule we are not allowed to give money to the poor here because it will actually cause problems for us. I have eaten more rice here than ever! and there is no such thing thing as silverware, its all just scooping it into your mouth with your right hand. 

There is lots more I can say about this place but I really am enjoying it so far! Everyone thinks White people are celebrities and so I'm constantly getting asked to take selfies with strangers. 

West Marredpally, Hyderabad

This week has been great I am serving in the West Marred-pally 3rd ward.  I live in Aneesh towers so yeah its like an apartment complex.  It is just me and my companion living there.  We try to cook in our apartment but usually it's just toast and then we go eat out at some Biriyani chicken place.  The city of Hyderabad is crazy!  There are Muslims and Hindus everywhere! There is lots of poor and some with wealth. In India you are considered very wealthy if you have a car. We take the bus usually to all the different areas we serve in.  My favorite is Alwal because it is very rural and less busy and less people so it's nice. We also take these little three wheeler type vehicles called "autos" to places.  They are fun but all auto drivers are junk. They will try to rip you off so hard. 

Also I cut off a lot of my hair. Here is my new mugshot

We are teaching lots of people, the unfortunate thing is people won't take baptism because either their parents say no or they just don't get any support from family.  So we are constantly trying to find the right people.  A fun thing is everyday we have to get off the bus at a certain street to walk to our home but the bus doesn't make a stop - ever, so what we have to do is literally hangout the side of the bus and jump off the moving bus.  It's fun but a little nerve racking when the bus is going very fast. 

My area is quite big it is from Marred-pally all the way up to Jedimetla and Alwal, so very large.  This city has a little of everything most of the tech jobs are not here though. they are located in "Hi-Tech" city which is more west than where I am. There is literally so many people its makes me feel very small in such a big world.  Americans are treated very well except everyone tries to rip me off.  For getting an auto (3 wheeler for quick transportation) I have my companion, Elder Martin (who is Indian) talk to the driver while I hide behind the vehicle.  They are so surprised when a white guy jumps in!  My favorite food is chicken Biriyani or Buttered Naan.

 

There is a drink here called Thums up, it is a soda I get most days for about 75 cents.  It is found in America but not easy to get.  It is soooooo good.  Mom I think it would be fun if you could find it and let everyone in the family try it so they can experience a little bit of what I am.

 

Today, I am off to a place called Charminar - I will try and take lots of pictures.

 

Love,

Elder Erasmus