Hot Showers Again

All right, so it’s crazy how fast each week goes by, I turn around and it’s been over 3 months since I said goodbye. I’m getting more accustomed to the weather and everyday the food tastes better. I’m meeting more people and investigators.  I share my testimony, and the baptisms come later.

Elder Torres and I locked our keys in our house one day, which isn’t too much of a problem, because Elder Kirby and Wong, who were out and about, have their keys as well.  Anyway, so we realized that the door to our room up on the balcony was open... So, Elder Torres held my foot and I jumped and pulled myself onto the balcony. While we were climbing, some drunk guys sitting nearby yelled that they were going to call the policia!!! Lol!  I yelled back, ¨Esta es nuestra casa!!!¨ They laughed and I ran downstairs to open the door for Torres.

Our water heater was been broken for like 2 weeks, and we were taking refreshing showers during this time!! Haha  At first it was like, ¨Your gonna take a shower?... Good luck!¨  Every night... followed by the sound of the water turning on, and then the gasp of pain!!!!

But I got so used to it, that I didn’t mind at all after the first 4 days!!  We just got our water heater fixed by a Colombian that speaks pretty good English. Hot Showers Again!!! What a blessing!!  

Colombia is a beautiful country and I enjoy everyday here!!

Everyone plays soccer, or futbol, as they call it.  Kids blow up fireworks all day, everyday!! So they’re no big deal or very special on Holidays!!

Speaking of Holidays tonight is supposed to be crazy for New Years Eve!!!  Everyone gets super drunk and it’s a tradition to fire bullets up into the sky!!  So lots of people die and it’s illegal!! We have to be in our house by 7 tonight!!

Over the past few weeks I've been seeing a ton of dummies, made of stuffed clothing. Its a tradition to make life size dummies, fill them with explosives, and blow them up on New Years Eve!!!  We don’t expect to sleep well tonight, but I have the earplugs!

Last night someone knocked on our door and the other 3 Elders in my house hid. So I didn’t know what was going on and I thought it was another missionary or someone. I flicked the outer light on and off really fast and then I asked ¨Quen es??¨ (Who is it?) and I didn’t understand the response.  So I opened the door and it was some worker and he was asking for 15 mil pesos, so I thought it was for the water, or electricity or something...  which doesn’t make sense because the Mission President takes care of all that. I went and asked the others and Elder Wong, Kirby, and I each paid 5 mil. After the guy left I was told he was the security guard!!! I just paid the dude that keeps me up with his whistle and motorcycle every night!!  And what made me more mad was that I paid him to do it!!!  Elder Kirby joked that we pay him to drink sodas all day!!!  And then I realized that its the same guy we see everyday,.... all day...., sitting next to a shop, drinking soda!! Haha!

Today we went to a mall and it was awesome like the ones in the USA!

The work goes on here in Colombia!!  Everyone seems interested and accepts our invitations to have us visit them. The problem is helping them progress. 

Last week we asked 2 different investigators if they would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who has the authority to do so, and they both said yes. Umberto and Tilcia are set to be baptized on January 25th!! Also we have another baptism coming up soon for an investigator named Patricia!!! For a long time we were just teaching her, but now her husband and daughter are sitting in the lessons and showing interest!!!

I have made myself a goal to read all the scriptures in my quad all the way through, which I have never done before.  I’m almost done with Genesis, and I’m loving it!!! The scriptures are so real and it’s so amazing that we have the history of this world at our fingertips!!

And the history is so interesting!!  Its crazy how the entire book of Genesis is symbolic of the Savior Jesus Christ and a prophecy of His coming!!

Love You Guys,

Elder Zierenberg

Zone Conference photo.  Elder Zierenberg is top row, 6th from the right.  His companion, Elder Torres, is on the left.

Ready For The Truth

Colombia!

Hey Guys. I’m loving it here!

The food is awesome; everyone is super friendly and curious to hear about what we have to say!  It’s been getting a lot hotter though!! The skies have been clear and the sun wins the staring contest every time!

My companion (Elder Torres) and I have been busy meeting new investigators and making more friendships with awesome individuals and families! 

One night we were walking and I had a feeling to go down a road. Elder Torres consented and we walked for a while down this sidewalk at night.  As we walked, we almost passed a Colombian man, who was cooking meat, pineapple, and onions, on a giant vertical shish-cabob.  He would spin the giant shish-cabob and flames coming out of the side of a machine would cook it as he turned it. He would carve off pieces and they would fall onto a plate, where they were chopped up and put into a cooked tortilla. This looked so good, and so interesting, that Elder Torres and I rubbernecked the scene, and stopped, as the man looked us in the eyes.

His eyes were brown, but they were the kind of eyes that tell you that this person is open and ready for truth.  I’ve seen these eyes before, in every one of our progressing investigators.  Elder Torres and I said Hola, or Buenas, or something like that, and he replied with saying ¨Hola Elders!¨

We talked with him for a while and found out that he had a friend that left on his mission and had left him his testimony, with a Book of Mormon, but ¨Hugo¨ the man’s name, hadn’t seen any missionaries since.

Hugo is young and in his mid 20s and has a spouse and a baby.

We set up a time and we have met with him a couple times since. He let us know that he is eager to know the difference between our church and the rest of the world and that he is ready to learn everything he can.  He has some good experience with the Bible and so we use it to teach him a lot.  We have taught him about God and Jesus and he knows that they are 2 individuals. We explained how they work in union as one, much like a father and son work together in a store. It’s one business. He asked us about God’s name being Jehovah.

We told him that Jesus´ name is Jehovah and that the confusion comes from The Old Testament, when God speaks through Jesus, and how Jesus (Jehovah) is the God of the Old Testament. That also explains why Jehovah (Jesus) is a spirit in the Old Testament, because Jesus hadn’t received his body yet.

These past two weeks have been pretty crazy!  Colombia is a jungle between cities and towns. There are so many people living here in this town ¨Pie De Questa´´ The streets are packed with cars, motorcycles and people!   There are tons and tons and tons of cats and dogs!!  One night I saw the tiniest little kitten and I scooped it up in my arms as we walked down a walkway towards our apartment.  I thought the thing would die for sure in a day or 2 if I didn’t get it to someone. Elder Torres let me know that missionaries can’t own pets.  It was grey and purred a bunch, so I wanted to keep it in our backyard/garage (It doesn’t have a ceiling, and if that’s not our backyard, we don’t have one).

Anyway the other 3 elders made me put it out our front door, so I put it in a little fence that it could easily get out of but so that big dogs wouldn’t be able to kill it.  I watched it walk away after I shut the door.   We left for an appointment, and when we returned it was in our house on my chair purring next to my scripture bag!  We made sure to shut the window and now it hangs out with some neighbors family. I see it all the time.

Everybody sells things here! And everyone has their own chant.  Everyday the same dude walks around shouting with his high pitched voice that almost cracks every time he yells ¨PESCADO! PESCADOOOOOOO!!!!!!¨

Pescado is Spanish for Fish. I typed a bunch of ¨o¨s the second time because when he yells it he hold the OH for like 10 seconds!!  He sounds like Nacho Libre, when he yells ¨Nachooooooo!!!!¨

Also I don’t know if I mentioned this yet, but some dude rides his motorcycle super fast up and down our neighborhood, he drives super fast gets to the end of our street, stops, and blows a whistle!! Then he drives super loudly away down the street, stops, and blows the whistle. He comes back and forth doing it all night!! I thought he was doing it to bug everyone, because he was mad that he didn’t have a bed to sleep in or something!!!! I found out that he’s the security guard!!  I have no idea how anyone sleeps here! I’ve been using the earplugs and they help me sleep very well. I just got a super nice fan from the Zone leaders and it keeps our room chill at night. 

The mosquitoes keep our ankles itchy. Why do they choose the ankles every time! I’m actually impressed when they get my arm or something other than the ankles. One got my finger once! But lately they’ve been leaving me alone.

We are getting RISK, the board game, for Christmas!

Christmas is fun here. We get to go caroling every night.

We just had a Christmas devotional and listened to the stake choir sing some Christmas hymns!!!  My companion Elder Torres told me that he lived in Utah for 2 years to learn English, and that he thought it was crazy how the ward sounded like an angelic choir!!

I gave a talk last Sunday in Sacrament meeting. It went well.

Someone brought a guitar to a ward activity one night and I had some time on it.  Everyone was so impressed that the bishop asked me to play and sing something for the ward talent show that was 2 days later. I didn’t have a guitar but I borrowed one an hour before from our neighbor and I printed out the chords for ¨Hey Jude´, which I’ve never played before on guitar. I went up on my turn and played it perfectly. And everyone went crazy! I bowed and was going take a seat when they asked me for another. So I played Blackbird. As I sang it I accidently said ¨into the (night), of a dark black night¨ (its supposed to be ¨into the light, of a dark black night¨).  I looked at the only other real English speaker, Elder Kirby, from Utah, and we smiled!! No one else could have noticed. I could have been singing about their mustaches!!

The milk here tastes weird, but I’m starting to like it. They don’t have very many familiar cereals. Fruit Loops, and Frosted Flakes are the only winners.

I want to write letters to you guys, but I don’t know how I can send them. There are no such things as mailboxes here! And I wonder if it’s because they would be stolen!  Every window and door has prison bars!!  It’s insane!!!  Walking down the streets, no one risks anything being stolen!

I just walk around with my scriptures and a sufficient amount of pesos in my pocket, for a bus ride or some empanadas!

I’ve got to go! 

Love you all!

Elder Zierenberg  

Q & A

Elder Z didn't have enough time to send a email but answered a few questions.  He promises to give us the full update next week.

Q… How much money does the mission office give you, and how often?

A…200,000 PESOS, every 2 weeks ($1US = $2000 Col. pesos)

Q…What exactly are your expenses?  Do you have to actually pay the rent from the money they give you or does the Mission office pay that?

A…We only pay for food and the things we want, like toilet paper, or a bowl for cereal, a pillow 

Q… Do you have a maid? Do you guys cook food or eat out? 

A… We eat with members every day for lunches.

We cook sometimes. Like we ate pasta a couple nights ago.

I make eggs for breakfast a lot.

Q… Do you have bikes or a vehicle or do you catch rides with locals?

A… No bikes or vehicles! We walk but I love it!  And we never have to walk too far.  We use big Green Buses when we go far or leave the town to go to a conference or to a big store.

Q… Do many people have cell phones, computers and Internet?

A… Yeah people have phones and computers and TV’s.  The people that don’t, come to these little shops for computers to use.

Q… What is your mailing address?

A… Uh, I still don’t know what the address is!  But it’s the mission office in Bogota…  Which is like 7 hours away from this town!

Q… So… Christmas?   Are you allowed to call home or Skype?  

A… Yeah we can do all that.  Every computer here has little cameras.  

Preparation Day in Colombia

All right, so today is my first P-day in Colombia.  I will briefly summarize my departure and travel to this new world.

Sunday night, Dec 1st, I stayed up late with Elder Heyen, Elder Briscoe, and Elder Harpole in the Compos’ home. The family Elder Heyen and I lived with.  We got all my stuff organized and put into my luggage/bags and balanced the weight under 50 pounds each. I left that home forever at 12.30 and Elder Briscoe drove us all to Elder Harpole's and his residence.  We quickly went to bed and woke up at 4.00 in the morning with only 3 hours of sleep.  We drove to the MTC and walked inside the familiar Travel Office. Then we loaded my stuff into one of the MTC bus's and I said goodbye to some of my best friends. I also said goodbye to The Empty Sea.  

I climbed into the bus and it was still dark outside, being only 4.30 in the morning.  I sat quietly and was exhausted and some Elder was talking fanatically about Harry Potter!  The book was good, but I don’t want to hear about Wizardry at 4.30 in the morning!   I was so mad, I almost said something, but I didn't.

We got to the airport and I rolled my stuff into the building. I put my stuff through a line, took of my shoes and jacket, stood in some circular scanner, and got on the plane.  I flew for a couple hours to Houston, Texas and didn’t sleep at all because I can't sleep in a sketchy plane when it’s shaking and the ground looks so hard from my tiny window.

I landed in Texas and had about 4 hours of waiting time. I thought I had to get my luggage and send it through again but I was mistaken.  I had to take my jacket and shoes off and put all my stuff through the line to get back in! My luggage was going straight, I guess. I was worried about the safety of my belongings. I ate some tacos and met Elder Rallinson and two other missionaries I met in the MTC when we went to get our blood drawn.

We walked around together until I found myself at a payphone trying to call home.  I got to talk to the Family and time flew.  I got in line with the other Elders to board the plane, and some lady took a picture with us.  I told her she should send it to my parents. I put the numbers in for her.

We got on the plane and it was really nice! It had good service and TV’s! I watched Man of Steel! Haha Just Kidding!

I tried to sleep but I couldn't and it got very dark outside the plane. And super foggy! I could only see the wing of the plane with strange red lights blinking. I talked to a man sitting two seat from me and he said he worked for a company that required him to visit Colombia a lot...  Sounds suspicious. LOL joking.

We finally landed and it was like 11.00 at night. As we descended for the landing we went through tons of clouds until I could see the most glorious array of golden lights spread across the mountainous ground. It took an uncomfortably long time to get out of the plane.

Elder Rallison, the 2 other Elders and I, walked through the airport and got our stuff.  Elder Rallisons bag was covered in Jesus stickers, because he heard that people wont steal from luggage covered in Jesus Stickers!! Haha  It’s funny but It makes sense!

We four met President Andelin and his wife and we gathered our luggage together tight and encircled it until our van came.  We met the APs (Assistants to the President) and I made good friendship with every missionary I met there. I gathered a crowd of Elders with my account of the Provo Mission.

We got into some vans and we drove to the Mission Home.  Bogota is crazy! Everyone drives insane!! I’ve never seen any place full of such insane drivers!  Everyone honks all the time! It’s like a way to alert others that you are driving here!  I thought I left the honking behind in Utah!  I was told that the midnight driving was nothing compared to the days traffic!  Bogota is a big city! The Colombian driver locked the doors.

We got to the Mission home and ate some late night food because we were so hungry!  Woke up and spent the whole day in a chapel with all the new batch of Missionaries.  That night we drove to a bus port and I spent 18 hours without sleep in an insane bus, in insane traffic!

I got picked up by my companion, Elder Torres, a 20 year old Mexican that speaks English!  My area is in a town called PIEDECUESTA. (Pie de Cuesta) It was 6.00 in the morning when I arrived at my apartment.  I was SO tired! I slept for 2 hours and then went on with an awesome day here in Colombia!

Everything is different! I drink pure water from bags that I buy with pesos!  There are many little shops around my neighborhood!  People sell everything!

I’m meeting tons of awesome Colombians, and learning more about the culture!  I love the food and everyone is so interested in me because I’m a Gringo, from California.  I love the food here! It’s amazing! I'm afraid of the water though!  Everyone drives motorcycles here! 

I’m sorry for writing crazy, I have no time!  They have computer stores here, where you pay to use computers.

I found out that my camera is broken!!!! It was working when I left, but I turned it on here in Colombia, and the screen is just white with crazy black blots!  I’ll have to buy one in the city and use one of the other elders temporarily!

My apartment includes my companion, Elder Torres, and 2 other Elders that I met, named Elder Kirby, from Utah, and Elder Wong, from Peru!

I love Elder Wong! We teach each other our languages!

Oh yeah and the weathers awesome here! It rains a little bit, one day a lot, but other than being a little warm, it’s great!

Clear skies sometimes, cloudy other times

Goodnight! I got to go!

Love Elder Zierenberg 

  

Elder Zierenberg Arrives in Colombia

Dear family of Elder Zierenberg,   

December 6, 2013                                                                           

We were very pleased to welcome your son as he arrived safely to our mission full of enthusiasm and excitement.  He spent a busy day with interviews, training, and meeting his first companion.  After lunch he traveled with his companion to start their missionary work in their respective areas.

We are grateful to you for having prepared your missionary to be able to serve the wonderful people in this beautiful country.  We pray the Lord's blessings be upon you and your family for the sacrifices that you have made.

A couple of pointers regarding mail and packages.  In Colombia there is no national mail system.  All of our correspondence is through email. Keep in mind if you are mailing packages from the USA the flat rate package boxes are the most economical way. Please keep it under 4 lbs. Packages weighing less than 4 lbs are delivered directly to our office. If the package weighs more than 4 lbs it is held up in customs at the airport and there is an extra fee that must be paid to get the package out of customs.  This extra cost is paid for by the missionary using his personal funds.  From the missionary handbook it says this about expenses. 

               "Use funds from home for other necessary expenses, such as replacing necessary clothing, ...approved telephone calls home, and medical expenses not paid by the mission (medical care for preexisting conditions, co-payments, and normal eye or dental care).

                Keep other expenses to a minimum and pay for them with funds from home, including expenses for film and film developing, souvenirs, gifts, ...any damage that you cause to apartments"

If your missionary needs money from home there are several options.  1.  A debit card from home. The family may place money into that account when needed for by the missionary for his personal use. 

2. Send a cashier's check or traveler's check via Federal Express to the mission office in the missionary's name.  3.  Western Union. 

Thank you for helping to prepare them to serve the Lord for these next two years.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Andelin

Misión Colombia Bogotá Norte

Calle 72  #10-07 St 1001

Edificio LIberty Seguros

Bogota, Colombia

57-1-326-6562

Elder Z at Houston Airport awaiting his flight to Bogota.

Elder Z with his companion Elder Heyen and the Xuncax (Suncox) Family in Orem, Ut