chennai arrival

Dearest Family,

This email is coming to you directly from the heart of Chennai baby. I arrived on friday morning last week. After walking through the airport doors to the open air here, it was not more than 3 minutes before my body was wetter than my shower that morning. It is hot here and it is humid. Mom mentioned that my timing to be here was perfect and she was right. Starting on the 4th of May till the 18th of May is a period of time they call "Karthri." Or in other words, the two weeks of time when most people die because it’s too hot. Ha but I am coping.

I really feel so blessed to be here. It is weird to say it, but this place really does comfortable. I always felt drawn here, especially since I arrived in India. But, being here is such an amazing experience. I love knowing that, in a way, this is my hometown. People are so surprised when I tell them that my Mom is from here. I love holding them in suspense when they ask my origin. I always tell them about Dad first and how he is Italian and Arab, then, while they are still trying to sort that out in their minds, I drop the Chennai bomb on them. It’s funny to see their faces.

The branch here is great, I am serving in the first branch and it has a huge membership. There are a lot of active and less active members in our area. So we have a lot of work to do here. I am just trying to sort out all of the people we have on our plates down here. Since this was my first transfer ever I didn’t really know what to expect. Getting to know a new area is difficult. Learning all the people, places, and members here is a big task. But the Lord is helping me out – my mind is clear and I am focused.

I would tell you all about the investigators we are working with, but I don’t have that great of a handle on the situation yet. I have not seen the majority so far. I will give you that update next week. Everything is going great, Chennai is an amazing city and I am looking forward to spending some time serving here.

Love,
Elder Tuscano