Photos courtesy Lee Walker
Previous mission president Karl Nelson of the India Bangalore Mission, April 2004.

India reopened to American LDS missionaries

Ashley Walker WAL02016@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Kent Davis is a professor in the Biology Department at BYU-Idaho. Recently, his son Colby received his mission call — but not the same as most missionaries.

This mission call was hand delivered.

Colby Davis’ mission call was personally given to the Provo Missionary Training Center. In the beginning, the Davis family thought it might be a joke.

“My wife called the bishop and the MTC and they said it was correct, but didn’t expand,” Davis said.

Colby was asked to arrive at the MTC March 1, at 4 p.m. to open his call. He was also told he was not allowed to wait, but was to open the call as soon as he arrived.

“’Well, this is weird,’ we thought. But that was all the lady at the MTC would say,” Davis said.

Davis and his wife dropped everything, put on their Sunday attire and left for Provo immediately.

At the MTC, Colby found he was called to the India Bangalore Mission. Colby was asked to open his mission call as soon as he arrived because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints needed to have his visa application in by 11 p.m.

“They haven’t allowed North American missionaries in for a while, but there was a real narrow window of time they could,” Davis said.

One mission exists in India, the Bangalore mission. Colby’s mission incorporates the entire country of India — one-fifth of the world’s population.

According to the LDS Almanac, the India Bangalore Mission opened in 1993. In 1995 the Indian government requested all missionaries leave the country. Then in 1998 a small number of missionaries were allowed back into India.

India, economically, is starting to boom. The same is hopeful in regards to the Church expanding there as well.

“There are about 15 North American missionaries and 45 natives serving in Bangalore,” Davis said.

According to the almanac, “The Book of Mormon was printed in Hindi ... selections were printed in Tamil ... and the complete Book of Mormon was printed in Telegu in 2000.”

“The Church needs to build a strong base of leadership before they branch out into the other languages,” Davis said.

This will be Davis’ second son to serve a mission. His oldest son served in the Armenia Yerevan Mission. Davis has five children, one daughter and four sons.

Colby reports to the Provo MTC on May 24.