Church in Mumbai

Sunday we had a driver take us to church. Forty minutes, fifty-seven turns, and over a thousand horn honks later we suddenly stopped in front of this building which turned out to be our little branch.

A really sweet security guard, who is not a member, gets there very early and sets things up. I think his only English is "Hi Sister!" "Hi Brother!" but he's the most welcoming greeter I've ever known.

Church starts at 10:30 am whether the air conditioning is working or not.

 

Angeli and her family have been members for about 7 months. She has been the primary president for 3 weeks now and has already transformed it. Until she came, primary consisted of the president and her counselor stretching out on the floor for a two hour nap while the children entertained themselves. That was my idea for our next family night ;) 

The six missionaries are the very best the mission has to offer. The area has only had missionaries for one year and they are the only ones in Mumbai. They said all the missionaries want to come to Mumbai - it is the Golden Transfer - and they cannot stop smiling when they tell you how blessed they are to be here. They have 25 investigators just waiting for baptism but the current building is too far away and they can't afford the transportation costs to go to church. In 6 weeks we'll be in our new building right in the hub of the missionary work. And since it will be 5-10 minutes from our house, we'll be able to get there with minimal horn honking.

These are the most reverent children - they never even wiggle but sit quietly on the floor with their arms folded the entire time. Be still my heart! Oh, and did I mention that only 4 of the 9 speak English? 

 

Church is going to be an incredible experience.