We got smart phones!!! 27/05/19

Hola!

Last P-day we went to the Lotus temple which looks pretty cool! It kinda just looks like the Sydney opera house! 

We got our phones on Friday and oh my goodness I can't even describe how happy I am! It makes life so much easier! Even though I'm still getting used to using a smart phone again especially since it's a Samsung and I have no idea how to use it. Trying to even find where the settings were was a major struggle Haha.

In a lot of our apartments we can like never get signal so the internet can be really slow but hey it's better than nothing! 

Do you even realise how much of a miracle this is! Do you know what this means! It means no more going to dodgy cybers, having to pay to email and I CAN ACTUALLY SEND PHOTOS EVERY WEEK NOW!!! 

Another amazing thing is that on these phones we have duolingo so I can be learning Hindi properly now! Yay! There's some letters though that are completely different but sound exactly the same, hopefully I'll be able to tell the difference between them one day. Oh and these pronunciations are going to completely mess up my English Haha. 

I'm also going to be on Facebook so if you see me online it doesn't mean that I'm home or anything Haha but the whole purpose of having Facebook will be for missionary work so get keen for some amazingly inspirational and spiritual updates! 

We are teaching the Sunny family and they live true to their name because they just brighten our day whenever we see them! We've been able to see them every day for the past few days and they're just the best. It's a mum and two older kids living together. The mum came to church on Sunday and she was crying she could feel the spirit so strong, it was so sweet! The members were awesome too, everyone was coming up and saying hi and she was totally involved in the class! 

She always feeds us when we go to her home too! One day we got pizza and ice cream ordered and the other day we ate something there which is meant to be a breakfast meal but it was lunch time and after we finished she was like what do you want to have for lunch and I'm like what we just ate I'm so full and so then she was like well what do you want for dinner!? Haha shes the best. She made sure to give us a ton of chocolate when we were walking out the door too! They want to take us out every p-day too so today they are taking us to a themepark woo!! 

We are also teaching this adorable little kid named sai and he NEVER speaks but we are making process and I manage to get him say little words like his name, favourite colour and thank you Haha. He's super sweet though and we connect without even having to use words. 

We have an Elder from Delhi starting his mission in Delhi while he's Visa waiting to serve in New Zealand. He's been waiting for awhile so it's better to just start. He had a talk on Sunday and he got pretty emotional about it and my heart just went out to him it must be so hard being ready and waiting to serve and then not being able to go to the place you've been called to. I was super lucky that I didn't have to wait to come to India! He's super sweet though and Delhi is happy to have him! 

Love Sister Watts 

Yay photos!!!

PRESIDENT BALLARD CAME TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20/05/19

HELLO!!!

Last P-day we went to Qutab Minar for Sister Govindaraj's last P-day! It is the world's tallest brick statue building thing haha. I managed to get in without anyone questioning whether i was actually Indian or not but then on the way out one of the workers looked really confused and was like are you Indian? I was like yeah, he then asked if i was an Albino Indian haha never heard that one before.

I was sitting on the metro one day and there were these two ladies across from me which i felt were going to take a picture of me, i turn away and when i look back i see a phone pointed at me and a flash go off haha she was so embarrassed and just hid her face in her friends shoulder haha.

The other sister's bought some onions from my trusty vegetable guy friend and when he saw me he added another free cucumber haha he's the best!

I think i just had the best weekend on my mission ever!!!

I thought that we weren't going to be getting smart phones until June but I just bought my phone on Saturday and we get to set them up on Friday!!! It feels so weird to hold a massive smart phone after using a tiny little brick phone. I can barely hold it with one hand!

On saturday night i came home and found a super nice and clean living room which was all decorated with balloons and cute birthday quotes and a present waiting for me on the table. Sister Meenakshi and Sister Srinivasan had set it all up and it just made me that much more excited for my birthday! 

It was my birthday on Sunday and to celebrate we had a special stake conference with President M. Russell. Ballard!!! It was awesome! I got to meet all the members and all the missionaries(even from Mumbai)! The conference was held at the Hyatt which made the day even fancier and special!  It was pretty funny when he was walking down the middle to the font and he shook some people's hands and one guy went and touched his feet, it's a way that people show respect here but i can imagine he was kinda like huh.

I had so many people wish me happy birthday and i could barely take one step without someone coming up to me and talking to me. One member gave me a little cookie and candle to celebrate and i got lots of biscuits and lollies from some people who didn't know it was my birthday and just quickly found something they could give me haha. 

One now member Abishek who we were teaching in Munirka had a full on real flower crown which he had made for me so when i had that on i had even more attention! It was a great start to the day! 

We went home after and went to a park which is across from our apartment and the Laj Pat Sisters had invited the Laj Pat Elders over to celebrate because we live in their zone haha. We all had some delicious rasberry cheescake and it was fun! 

Malviya district then had a practise at the church because we sung press forward saints for President Ballard! 

We had a less active family invite me over for dinner for my birthday and we had some chicken biryani for my birthday dinner! 

The next day was just as good as we had a special missionary conference with President Ballard, Elder Evans, Elder Gay and Bishop Davies and their wives. We got to shake all of their hands and i think when i shook President Ballard's hand he was kinda shocked to see a Sister who wasn't Indian and he was like oh how are you? haha. 

President Ballard is so nice and he's pretty funny too haha. He talked a lot about repentance at the Stake Conference and he was like if you aren't as kind and loving as you should in your own home and you find yourself raising your voice. Get over it, it's called repentence. I really liked how he just said to do the simple things, say your prayers, stay in contact with Heavenly Father and ask him for help along the way. Jesus Christ's ministry is all focused on us, to help us. He also advised us to have a personal interview with ourselves on how we can improve and what we can do better. He reminded us how much Heavenly Father loves us and my favourite quote "The Lord loves ya, you just keep on doing what you're doing."

Favourites from the Missionary Conference! 

There's a way to reach the hearts of all people. We have the power to astonish this world. - Elder Gay 

When President Ballard got up to speak he was like "give a big smile for brother Ballard." He really wants us to be teaching more about who God is and helping others undertsand who they are in their relationship with him. 

-We need to open our mouths more and preach about Christ. He told how he talks to people and asks if they've ever thought about what happens when they die, if they say no, he's like well you better because we are all going to die.

-We need to be looking at the members every Sunday and seeing who we can help strengthen.

-We will never have a day which is too difficult if we know about the saviour. During those times you feel it's too hard, take a few moments to think about Gethsemane and Jesus Christ pleading with our father for us.

-Another big one was obedience and he said that if you're converted to the Lord you're automatically obedient, get up on time with a smile, are nice to each other and engaged in the work.

-Be anxious everyday to be an expression of our saviours love

-This mission isn't just a time for us to learn about ourselves but it's a time for the Lord to learn about us, our desires, faithfulness, diligence, obedience and willingness to serve him. 

I learnt so much and sometimes it felt like he was looking straight at me and saying things that only i needed to hear. He just looked and sounded exactly like he does at General Conference, didn't seem like a stranger at all.

Now it's P-day so it's been a pretty fun few days! 

Love Sister Watts 

Sister Govindaraj's last District Council

Mission Conference with President Ballard 

No one is happy with these photos haha, hoping we'll be sent others 

I know how to eat with my hands but Indians don't? 13/05/19

Hello!

This week Sister Govindaraj had a farewell dinner because she goes home on the 21st and it was just me and Sister Rayudu to go out in the area, good thing I know the area! We decided to go to visit the Gott family from Munirka ward who have really missed me. I had only been there once and I was just hoping I remembered how to get there and I did! It was such a pleasant surprise for them and they welcomed us in. It had been fast Sunday the Sunday before and they were like we wish we could have said that this was a result of our fasting haha.

We had transfers this week and shocker there's no STL's this transfer which is interesting.

I've made friends with the vegetable guys here in Malviya and one of them gave me a free cucumber! SCORE! 

I'd have to say that one of the highlights of my week was what I had for dinner the other day! I made banana ice cream with a peanut brittle thing that I made, topped off with some melted chocolate! It was delicious and it definitely won't be the last time that I make it!

Do you know what I found out Sunday night at a members home for dinner?? I and my companions were sitting there eating with our hands and then the members are eating with a spoon and I was really confused so I asked them why they used spoons and they said that they don't actually know how to eat with their hands and I was like wait what!? apparently it's more of a south thing to eat with your hands which still confused me because I've never met a family like that before. When one of the sons went on his mission he found it really difficult and just had no idea how to eat haha. I felt so silly for eating with my hands after that haha.

Love Sister Watts 

I ate PRETZELS! 06/05/2019

Hello!!!

Lots of changes!! 

So basically on Friday i was transferred to Malviya which means after 10 months i'm finally in a different room and apartment haha. Also means that I've now been to all the different areas available to Sisters. I was only on exchange in Laj Pat for like 12 days but still it counts! I'm now in a trio with Sister Govindaraj and Sister Rayudu. Sister Govindaraj was pretty excited to become companions with me as she goes home in a couple weeks so she's glad she gets to be companions with me for a bit as she's heard that i treat my companions so well and that i always make them my first priority. That was nice to hear. Hope we'll all have a super fun time together! 

On the Friday night there was going to be a storm so our zone leaders haha my old ones that i just had as i'm back to central zone! They told us to stay in. I just happened to be looking outside the window then i see a strike of lightning or something and then the electricity pole just exploded and sparks went flying everywhere haha pretty cool.

Sister Hansen is my best buddy these days! She came to district council with me last Tuesday and then took me and Sister Mungamuri out for lunch! Wednesday was the first of May here which is May day so Sister Hansen brought us round a bouquet of flowers! 

On Friday i was also her lunch buddy in the mission home! We had chicken salad sandwiches, salad, fruit, PRETZELS ( super exciting because they're super expensive here), cordial and brownies with milk!

She also brought us chocolate covered cupcakes twice this week which was so tasty!!

 She even helped me pack everything and move on Friday which was super sweet! Also I have permission from President and Sister Hansen to just call them whenever I want just want to talk haha the Hansens really are the best!

I had my first Sunday In Malviya this week and before the meeting i met this little boy and he just immediately hugged me and was like you're so beautiful haha then his older brother fell in love with me immediately too and sat next to me during church, as it was testimony meeting he got up and in his testimony he was like i'm so grateful for Sister Watts and that she's able to be here with us haha he definately left a big smile on my face!

Malviya district seems really fun! The Elders are super funny and just have me cracking up so much that it makes my tummy hurt! 

Just want to say that i know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knows and loves each one of you! 

Love Sister Watts 

No church in Delhi! 29/04/2019

Hello!

What a week! 

I got to be companions with Sister Hansen for the day which was great! We baked cookies, ate popcorn, looked up our famous relatives, had domino's pizza for dinner, President made me a super chocolaty chocolate milk which was awesome to dip the chocolate chip cookies in! 

I've been on exchange with Sister Mungamuri since Friday and we've been working in the office doing a lot of referrals which has been a nice change.

I've been reading the saints book and i would definitely recommend reading it if you haven't already! 

All of Delhi didn't have church on Sunday! Luckily we live next to the mission home so we were able to have like a little home group with President and his family, the Toone senior couple, all six sisters staying in the Vasant Vihar apartment and the AP's. John (President's son) is 16 and it was his first time blessing the sacrament! We had President pass us the sacrament too which was cool. 

Love Sister Watts