16 FEB 10 letter

Dear Family,

Things in Visak are going well; it is really heating up again. The memories of Chennai heat are returning quickly. Anyway, it’s good for me; I just tell myself that walking around in the heat builds character. So by the time I get back to Utah I should have built plenty of it!

This past week was full of train rides. We came back to Visak last Friday. The train ride was about 14 hours. We figured the distance is actually about 300 miles or so…the trains travel a bit slower than you would think. But that is just fine because the Indian countryside is beautiful; all of the rice patty fields and chili fields are quite breathtaking. If you’re in the mood for a scenic journey the train would be your choice mode of transportation. It was a fun journey and zone conference was good, but I was very eager to get back to Visak and get to work.

Elder Ward and I are working with some incredible people. One of our greatest successes this past week was with a sister named Puspha. She is actually the cousin of a recent convert family and has known about the church for some time. About two weeks ago we decided that we would start to focus on her. She was OK at first but it seemed like she wasn’t that interested. At the end of one appointment we challenged her sincerely to read and pray about the book of mormon. It was close to a week and a half before we saw her again. She seemed different. There was nothing incredible about it, but we could certainly sense a change in her. As we taught her, she was much more attentive and became excited when we would extend commitments. She had felt the spirit. The process of conversion had begun, and we continue to watch it take place. I feel so privileged to be a part of it.

Church was also good. We continue to have great people come to sacrament, and they seem to enjoy it a lot. There are a lot of great people in Visak and the church is really a fun place to be. There are always new and exciting things that happen. I will go into detail on another occasion when time is sufficient. But it really is always a riot. Anyway I love you all and hope you have a good week. See you next time!

Love,
Elder Tuscano