08 SEP 09 letter

Dear Family,

I can't believe BYU beat Oklahoma. I was honestly shocked when I read the score; I about fell out of my chair. So what is their ranking now? They always start strong, but we'll see the real strength of the team as time passes. Or rather, you all will see it.

This past week was great. It was sad to see Elder Schmidt go. At first it was weird walking the streets and visiting people without him. But that transition is about through, and it feels great to be hanging out with Elder Gantyada. He is an amazing person. His dedication to the gospel is incredible. He is not scared to tell people the truth. I have been learning a lot from him.

We were working with Madhu since June. He was good, but he couldn't make it to church consistently. Then we discovered that he was receiving retribution from his family. They all attend the AG church. It's the biggest christian church in Chennai. But they told Madhu our church does not believe in Jesus Christ. Once we discovered this concern, it was a quick resolution. We pointed to the name of our church on our tags and asked him if the book of mormon was true. Problem solved. He came back to church, and I think this time he'll stay.

We have also been working with Sri Raj's sister. Her name is Sri Devi and she is about 20 – very smart, like her brother. She came to church by herself sunday because Sri Raj had a job interview. We were stoked to see her, but I was even more pumped to watch her receive great fellowship from Priya and her mom. This mission is sweet.

I read a great talk by Neal A. Maxwell about patience. I gained a lot of things from it, but one of the coolest was this quote: "Patience is the acceptance of a divine rhythm to life." I felt that was so articulate. I used it in a training I gave on patience. Anyway, thought someone might enjoy that.

Love you all,
Josh