Aid to the Disabled in India

One of the best partners the LDS Charities has in India is the Association of People with Disabilities. This organization works in many ways to help disabled individuals become more self-reliant. They were able to obtain an abandoned manufacturing assembly plant and turned it into a learning center with 13 teaching stations. The training included areas for sewing, woodwork, electronic repair, computers, painting, and pottery decorations. In addition, a wheelchair assembly room is used by disabled employees to provide chairs that fit the specific needs of a given disabled person. We have helped fund the wheelchair projects and are now bringing in all-terrain chairs that can be used on outdoor rough surfaces better than the standard chairs are able to do. Elder and Sister Fairbanks made arrangements for us to tour the facility and meet some of the disabled persons learning in their specific areas. No one stays all night, but they are brought in by bus or auto rickshaw to attend the classes. We were impressed with the dedication of the volunteers and workers in this facility.


The name is prominently displayed on the front of the converted warehouse learning center.

One of the managers of the learning center who took us on a tour of the facility.

This disabled woman comes to learn how to make quilts.

The wheelchairs are very sturdy. Each recipient is fitted individually for the chair. This is a three wheel chair that folds up very easily.

I even had a chance to try out a chair. I'm not quite ready to use it each day, but it did move easily.

This man fell from a scaffolding three years ago and is now a paraplegic. His former chair did not fit properly and he was developing many severe sores. This new chair will produce fewer pressure points and he is very happy to get it. I was asked to make the formal presentation to him while we were there.

The workers at the plant had worked with this man throughout the day. He is now ready to return to his home.

The plant is very large. They have put in paritions for 13 training stations with lots of space.

A center using equipment like vices to repair and produce items.

The computer lab is very popular as you can see in this picture. Notice that some are in wheelchairs. The disabled that use the center are either physically or mentally handicapped.

Looking at jewelry being produced by these students.

A descriptive poster that is titled "There is ability in disability.

This woman is working on a quilt. She seemed happy to be learning something useful. The trip left us with an appreciation for the organizations that reach out to help the disabled.

Delivering Hygiene Kits to Young Women's Shelter-India

One of the responsibilities of our Country Welfare Missionaries is to coordinate humanitarian projects that they have initiated to help the poor and needy in their country. One of the favorite activities that provides an opportunity for church members to serve their fellowmen is to prepare hygiene kits and deliver them to those who could use them. These kits include such items as soap, combs, shampoo, tooth brushes and toothpaste, deodorant, lotion and other such items. The Bangalore District Young Adults assembled 800 of these kits recently. The items were placed into a zippered plastic bag with the name of the Church and a place for the recipent to place their name in a plastic holder.

On our 2nd day in India, we went to the 2nd Ward Building to load hygiene kits for a young woman’s shelter in Magadee, a village outside of Bangalore. The girls were sitting on the floor in a circle to greet us. They then served us lunch Indian style. We washed our right hands as a woman brought a pitcher and a wash basin. We had a plate and they brought us the food. We had a ball of purplish food called Ragiball. It was made of a grain, ragi, and was in texture something like Hawaiian poi. We were instructed by Krishnar to pinch off a piece of it, roll it in a ball, and swallow it whole. No chewing. I didn’t think it had any taste, but it seems to be a popular food. We also had a cabbage type salad, a rice and corn mixture vegetable, and some chicken pieces in a curry sauce. We ended with a sweet dessert. No utensils. Everything was eaten with our right hand. The girls then changed positions and sat in rows on each side of the hall. We were greeted by those in charge with translation from Brother Krishnar. They said their prayers in unison for us and then sang and danced some numbers. The Fairbanks and us both spoke briefly and thanked them for their bright smiles. I taught them about the word “wow” as I told them how much they impressed us.

After more dancing, both couples even got up and did a dance for them. The music wasn’t like a waltz, but we tried doing a fast waltz step. They got a kick out of it. We had noise on the tin roof during our talks that turned out to be wild monkeys. I saw one through the open window as it clambered down. We then opened the boxes and presented the girls with a personal hygiene kit.They came up one by one. We shook their hands as they came by. We took lots of pictures including a group picture under the banner. After the group picture, the girls brought up notebooks and paper for us to autograph our names for them. We each included a little message of hope. Brother Krishnar taught them some hygiene lessons before the kits were handed out. We were profusely thanked for this gift. We left with many fond memories of young women who had very little of worldly goods, but still radiated the spirit of love. Several asked us to pray for them.




We picked up our translator, Brother Krishnar, and we all got into the van for a two and a half hour trip to the shelter. We enjoyed the various parts of Bangalore as we headed for the country side. We were amazed at how rapidly we were in a very rural setting.

We were each given beautiful flower leis after we were settled in our chairs.

We arrived at the shelter and were greeted by 40 young women, aged 6-18, who had been rescued from the streets to stay in this shelter. They went to a nearby school and stayed at night in the two room building that we entered. They had a large banner on the wall with pictures of Elder and Sister FairBanks and Brother Krishnar with a welcome to Elder and Sister Jay Smith. We sat in front under the banner and the girls unloaded the van with the boxes of hygiene kits and sanitary napkins

Brother Krishnar spoke in their Indian language and translated for us as we spoke.

The young women were very respectful of us.

Such beautiful brown eyes. Full of wonder.

They loved to dance and show us the excitement of the music, all with bare feet.

They enjoyed seeing us smile.

Very happy to receive her kit.

Shall I take red or blue?

Leaders of the shelter are on each end of this photo.

A group picture. Click on the picture to see how happy the young women are.



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Church Growth In India

The Gospel was first preached in Calcutta, India in 1850 by missionaries sent throughout the world. Any converts who remained faithful emigrated to the United States, and no significant church presence was found in India until the 1980s when the Book of Mormon was translated into Hindi, the more popular of the Indian languages. The first formal mission was organized in Bangalore in 1993 with Gurcharan Gill as the first mission president. He was a BYU mathematics professor. The church has grown slowly. A 2nd mission was organized in 2008 in Delhi. There are no stakes in India as yet. There are over 5,000 members in India as of 2010. There are five districts in the Bangalore Mission. The Fairbanks are assigned to the Bangalore 3rd Branch. They meet in a rented hall in the northern part of the city. The mission headquarters, the service center, and the distribution center are all located in a rental building near downtown Bangalore.

Sign displaying the Mission offices and service center. They are on the 3rd floor of the buiding.
The service center manager for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka is Robert William. He is here with our new boss, Floyd Ko, when Robert visited Hong Kong two weeks after our India visit.

The 3rd ward meets in a rented buiding in the suburb of Nagar adjacent to the suburb of Baniswadi where the Fairbanks live. It is about a 6 minute auto rickshaw ride from their home to the church. The baptismal font is on the first floor. The chapel is on the 2nd floor, and the classrooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The chapel uses moveable chairs so it also becomes a cultural hall. The Bangalore 2nd branch has its own building near the service center. The Bangalore 1st branch meets in a rental building.



These hygiene kits boxes are being stored in the ERS office of the Bangalore 2nd Branch that had been occupied by Elder and Sister Eichelberger before they went home. They will be taken to the NGO, Help Age India, over the next few weeks to distribute to the elderly in the slum areas of Bangalore.

The branch had a baptism on February 7, the day we visited the branch. We attended the services. The sister being baptized goes by Sister Preethi. Elder Fairbanks performed the baptism. Her nonmember brother on the left attended the baptism.

Elder and Sister Fairbanks with newest member of the Church, Sister Preethi.

Sunday everning, we spoke at a fireside for about 40 young adults from Bangalore. Many of these are returned missionaries. After the fireside, they had three large cakes to eat.

The members of the branch were friendly and ready to pose for pictures by Sister Smith. Most of them are converts of less than ten years.

Sister Nichols, wife of the Mission President, and a beautiful Indian family.

These young girls aren't quite sure about having their picture taken . There were many children among the 180 who attended the 3rd Branch Sacrament Meeting. All meetings of the Church in India are in English.

The women wore beautiful sari's. Sister Smith enjoyed her Relief Society meeting very much.

Notice the colorful dresses. We were impressed with the modest dresses of Indian women wherever we went.

Brother and Sister Jerry Louis. Maglin is the Relief Society President. She also is a leader in the community.

Brother Krishnar speaks six languages. He accompanied us on our visit to the young women's shelter to deliver hygiene kits and translate for us as we spoke at the ceremony. After our trip, he came to the Fairbanks apartment with his three teen-age daughters and prepared an Indian meal for us including coconut rice and a specially prepared chicken dish. The daughters are all multi lingual as well.

The young adults enjoying their cake and visiting after the fireside. We had an early "Happy Birthday" chorus as we came into the room.

This was one of the three cakes. The candle was shaped like a flower. When it was lit, it opened up with a swoosh of fire and each of the 6 petals had a tiny candle on it also burning. It was very impressive.

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President Nithya Kumar, Bangalore 3rd Branch President.

On Tuesday evening, we attended a Young Adult Family Home Evening for 14 young adults of the branch. It was held at the church. After the lesson, they played two games. One of the young men is "it" as they play "Duck" and scramble around the circle to get back to the space occupied by the one who he identifies as the duck. The circle gets smaller as the one who is "it" fails to win the race. It can get wild.

This was another game, "Chicken and Eagle". The eagle is outside of the circle trying to get the chicken who is inside the circle. The participants in the circle try to keep the eagle out and protect the chicken. If the eagle gets in, the circle lets the chicken out. After being in the circle for several rounds, I was put in as the chicken and Elder Fairbanks was the eagle. Here I am being helped up after a slip sent me flying. I decided this chicken was too old for such fun and I watched from the sidelines with Sister Smith from then on.

The chapel on Tuesday evening as it is cleared of chairs for Family Home Evening activity.

A few of the young adults who attended the Tuesday night Family Home Evening. Elder and Sister Fairbanks are the advisors for the group. We had watermelon as our refreshments tonight.

The church owns 2 acres of prime land in the midst of a new Internet Technology center on Whitesides Road. There are large office buildings and apartments being built all around the property. Plans are almost complete for a chapel, mission offices, service center, distribution center to be built here. The two rented buildings will be given up when it is completed in about two years.

The view surrounding the property.