Jacob Vincent Louis.

India Bangalore Mission

1992-1994

As a return missionary, I still plan to serve each day to keep myself clean, I still share the gospel. I had over 23 years to think about this moment—now I’m writing this letter as a returned missionary, looking out over my experiences, reporting on my mission and here I am, having so much in my heart and in my head, and still have No idea how to write everything I wish I could write. Born catholic and I was very strong in my religion, I never missed church. My mother used to take me and my brother Jerry Louis every Sunday without fail. How I found LDS Church: My father was a real estate consultant one day an American couple introduced themselves for their requirement for a house and he helped them. My Dad was invited by a couple of missionaries to the fireside one Sunday evening at the Niagara Playa chapel 1984. My Dad and Brother Jerry Louis visited and I was converted by a little boy who had given a talk on that fireside and he bore a powerful testimony, his name was Bro Nelson Samuel. December 1985 I was baptized and got confirmation the same day I was ordained as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ LDS.

I was ordained as an Elder in the year 1990 September 23 and I was called as a full time missionary in the Singapore Mission year 1992 April. I had an opportunity to serve in the two missions and one year in the Singapore Mission and another year in the India Bangalore Mission. I started out in the MTC in Bangalore, our MTC teacher was Elder Allen Anderson, who was a 6.7 inch tall American young man, and with me my companions were Elder Braganza and Elder Nixon. We had lots of fun during our MTC tanning. It was easy for me to wake up early in the morning by 6am because back home, I used to go for a jog at 5:30 am. The only problem I had was going to bed by 10:30= pm cause I used to retire early by 9:30 pm. Since I’m from Bangalore and I knew 5 languages such as English, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi which was definitely a blessing. I’m going to tell stories of my adventures and experiences to hopefully illustrate some of the Lessons that I’ve learned over the last two years of my mission. That way now we’ve got the best of both worlds in this. Plus, I like to share my thoughts. I arrived in Hyderabad - Begumpet in May 1992 my companion and my companion and I trainer was a really cool guy named Elder Prince. I was confused when I first met him because he had a very good English accent and thought he was from London. As soon as we started the conversation he told me he’s from Coimbatore. Hyderabad is a very interesting area. Paigah Palace, Gitanjali Senior School, Begumpet Spanish Mosque, Hyderabad Public School and Sir Ronald Ross Institute are some important places located in the area. Sanjeevaiah Park is a public park located on the banks of Hussain Sagar. Most of them were Muslims in our street. Elder Price showed me around. We met lots of interesting people in that first week.

I spent 6 months serving as a Green missionary and taught most of them in Telugu.During my stay in Hyderabad I went to a split with elder Paksimha and Seabirt. We had been a family to teach the 2nd. That family offered us lemon juice. My companion asked the sister if this boiled water would take back the juice and came after 5 minutes with the hot lemon juice, My companion drank that juice and got an upset stomach.

Hyderabad was very hot and I felt sick. We decided to proselytize early mornings and evenings and most of the afternoon we spent in the apartment doing Personal study and companion study. I was transferred to GOA in the month of October 1992 and it was a totally difficult and hard mission. My companion's name was Elder Kirby and the Couple missionary were covered I spent 3 months in the GOA and we did lots of teaching and finding people, by street contacting, door knocking and most of our morning from 10 to 1 pm we stood in front of the catholic church to find investigators and taught at the Park and the nearby beachside. This was very tough mission every day Elder Kirby my companion and I found it difficult to find people to teach the gospel, Goan is very strong in their religion as Catholics people were not ready to hear the gospel, therefore it was a very tough mission to preach the gospel, but we tried to build on common belief, most of the time we been asked How is the Blessed Mother viewed in your religion? We believe that Mary was Faithful Obedience to the Word of God and she was called has a Blessed Mother, Mary, was without a doubt the greatest mortal of her gender, we do not pray to her or through her, we only pray through Jesus Christ our mediator to our Heavenly Father (God). Prayers aren’t addressed to Eve, or through Eve, who is the mother of all living, nor to Sarah, who with Abraham, has entered into her exaltation with her husband as the Mother of Nations. We had an opportunity to teach many people though we couldn’t baptize any EOD. I was happy to deliver the message in a state where people weren’t ready to listen. Elder Kerby and I had an opportunity to travel across the Panaji to take the sacrament to the Old Widow every Sunday. We blessed the sacrament and shared a few lessons with her. One day that sister asked us to paint her house, my companion and I painted and we had a great feeling. In the month of December 1993 I got transferred to Coimbatore and I served for 3 months. Perhaps the most interesting encounter we had was with an active member named Chitra.

We met with her on that first Friday. She asked us if we knew anything about the present government. We most certainly did not know about any information about the Government of Coimbatore. She seemed surprised and showed us a news article in the local newspaper about the missionaries, Christians had restrictions on the government not to preach the gospel; we could not proselyte effectively to find new families to teach the gospel like other locations. My companion and I prayed with real faith to seek out the answer for our branch because both we were new to this area next morning we had visited a couple missionary for breakfast, while we were having our breakfast the telephone started ringing supremely we received a call from President Gill he said we have a mission to accomplish in your branch, go and find those lost sheep and bring them back and he hung the phone. My companion and I were worried because we didn’t have enough data with us so we decided that we will pray and seek lord's help to find lost sheep data, we heard someone ringing the doorbell and we found Brother Joseph Williams standing at the door. My companion we felt very happy, we took brother Joseph’s help most of the time and with Brother Daniel, let Joseph we closely worked with a Branch President Joseph, brother or Raju and with BML we started our real mission to find the lost sheep Inactive members and reached out to them and activated most of the members by local member like Palani Joseph, Sister Chitra and Ann family and Joseph William.

During my 4 month mission in Coimbatore, we used to visit orphanages every Wednesday as part of our service project. We had lots of success by activating the inactive members in accordance with my mission experience. You may know this already: My mission felt like a Boot Camp in the Atonement. It was hard. I loved it, but the only thing that got me through it—and, and I believe the only thing that will get me and all of us through the rest of life—is the atonement. I would like to end my taught One of the best scriptures on the atonement, that I came to understand and love on the mission, I discovered in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised..." I recognized this as an atonement scripture during an Elders quorum, and realized that it perfectly sums up five of the most prominent aspects of the atonement that I have learned through my mission and universally apply to each of us. Brothers and sisters, He is the way, and the atonement will bring us safely home. I am FILLED with gratitude to my Savior for choosing me--little insignificant me--to walk with Him for these past 26 months. He has allowed ME to serve Him full-time for a Two year and a half and He has been there with me the entire time! I have learned and gained SO much from these past 26 months. I rCoimbatore. I was transferred to Madras and I served as District leader and Zone leader for one year. Serving with 4 missionaries taught lots of investigators. I loved Chennai most of my companion Elder Lemon who hated Madras because it was very hot and humid. We did lots of cycling and travelled by train and bus and worked across the city. Chennai taught many families and baptism. I had an opportunity to teach most of the pastors and evangelists. My companion and I used to visit Chennai Airport often to receive new batch missionaries who just finished their MTC in the USA to serve in the India Bangalore Mission. I had a privilege to serve a second time with Elder and sister covers the first time in the GOA and Chennai, Couple missionaries used to cook breakfast for all these missionaries including us. Last 3 months of my mission I served in ERODE; my companion Elder Shantha Kumar was an Indian settled in the USA, he was a good cook and I learnt real cooking from him. Before I could conclude, I wanted to share few words every day was a new experience for me, I learnt to be more humble and Love for others by serving others.I think one of the things I most loved was the fact that I got to see people through Heavenly Father’s eyes. I met people I’d never seen before in my lifetime, yet they felt like old friends. I could feel Heavenly Father’s love for them as his Children. However, I had to search for it — dig a little deeper. I had to want to see these people through his eyes. As with all divine gifts, we have to work for it. We don’t have to ignore the imperfections, but we can’t ignore the light in their eyes, either. Each day was unique for us. I learnt that each one of us is a special child of God – I did it to get to know my brothers and Sisters in new ways. Atonement and, I will say this; can’t think of a better topic, I'd want to share one more than the Atonement. If yous;be recognized this as an atonement scripture during an Elders quorum, and realize that it perfectly sums up five of the most prominent aspects of the atonement that I have learned through my mission and universally apply to each of us. I testify that the atonement Comforts, Heals, Liberates, Enlightens, and Enables. It is there for each of us. I know our Savior lives. He loves us each, infinitely and eternally, and for that I will forever be grateful. The Book of Mormon a second witness of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. This church is led today by prophets of God, by God himself at the head. I KNOW with all my heart that this gospel is true. I know it is true because I have lived it, and have come to find that there is no greater happiness to be found than men living its teachings. I love this gospel, I love my Savoir, and I stand all amazed at the love that HE offers me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.