It's not uncommon to attend sacrament meeting and hear a talk about sacrifice.

But sacrifice takes on new meaning when a member speaks from a makeshift pulpit in a two-room concrete house, in the humblest of circumstances.Making the first visit by a Church auxiliary president to India, Elaine L. Jack, Relief Society general president, shared her experiences of meeting with members in Bangalore on Nov. 8, particularly in attending the sacrament meeting held in a home here.

"It is a most humbling experience to hear someone speak about sacrifice when you see what they have," she reflected. "They truly understand the meaning of the word. If we don't have air conditioning, we think we are sacrificing. They went to great efforts to make the room look the best it could for the services. It was quite sobering."

Pres. Jack traveled to India at the invitation of Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve. Her trip also included stops in Indonesia and the Philippines.

While in the Philippines, she participated in leadership training for Relief Society and priesthood leaders. Then in Indonesia she met with auxiliary leaders, made some home visits and gave a fireside. In India she met with members in sacrament meeting and held a fireside.

At the home-centered sacrament meeting in Bangalore, 11 adults and three children attended the meeting with Pres. Jack and her husband, who accompanied her to India.

A table, covered with a clean cloth, served as the pulpit. The sacrament was prepared to the side of that on a table covered with a white cloth. A 15-year-old boy, a convert, passed the sacrament.

The congregation sang the few songs they knew, which had been taught to them by a local member who had served a mission in Texas.

One member, Ebenezer Solomon, serving at the time as counselor in the Singapore Mission, said saints in the area meet in various homes three times a month because of distances and then meet as a whole in a rented branch building once a month.

"He had quite an understanding and vision of how the Church works," Pres. Jack remarked. "Each member seemed to feel a need to contribute. They all worked together. There was a strong spirit of worship there."

About 65 people attended the fireside in Bangalore, a city which recently became headquarters of the India Bangalore Mission.

"The joy they felt to be together was quite remarkable," Pres. Jack said. "The branch Relief Society president gave a fine overview of Relief Society, of personal testimony and sisterhood. I didn't even need to give a talk."

While in India, she said she felt at ease speaking with the members. "I could speak freely from my heart. It seemed easy to relate to them. I knew what I wanted to say and it was easy to talk."

Interaction among members seemed important for them as they met together, she noted. They seemed to linger to visit after, probably because they hunger for association with others of the same belief.

When the members "meet together it is energizing. That's why it was so easy to respond to them," Pres. Jack said. "They are so eager for knowledge.

"I think wonderful things are going to happen in India," she continued. "There will be an awakening there. They report anywhere from 900 to 1,200 members in India. When we see the influence of Brother Solomon, I think of him as playing an important role as the Church grows.

"I see how the efforts of members are going to mushroom. We see two or three returned missionaries and recognize the influence they are having and will have on growth. They are the whole experience base of the Church."

In Indonesia, Pres. Jack said she was particularly pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with sisters in their homes. "It is such a good way of understanding women and what is in their hearts. You can understand what they believe and how they feel when you visit them in the homes.

"I was impressed with the good feelings of family there. They seem to respect each other and inter-relate well - even in humble circumstances." -