How Christ’s Church Was Restored

It’s been a long P-day...   Waiting in line all day to renew my companion’s Visa.  He’ll hit the 2-year mark in 4 days.  But it’s funny because he never likes telling anyone that he’s almost finished.  Whenever they ask he says he has a little more than a year! Haha

We got to know a family in our ward and they called us to let us know they had a family home evening with 2 investigators for us.  It was cool and the family even taught The Plan of Salvation for the lesson.  Elder Avila and I just put in some comments and got to know the 2 investigators. 

Two kids that are interested in the church. (Juan and Sergio)

Later in the week they called us to bless their house because they were worried about evil spirits. The person that lives under them frequently sacrifices tons of animals!  

This Sunday we had a great Ward Council meeting and we are getting the Church leaders more focused on the Missionary Work in our ward.  We had an amazing lunch at the Ward Mission Leader’s house after church!  Steak, mashed potatoes, and salad!! It was so good… I had to write about it.

The food here is pretty good. There is an awesome Mexican-ish restaurant nearby our building.  Amazing Tacos!  

I don’t like Agua con panela. (Water with Panela).  Panela is some weird kind of sugar that comes from another plant.  It’s like crystal brown and tastes weird and strong.

I’ve never like tomatoes either...  I like ketchup and salsa, but tomatoes alone or even chopped are disgusting!  I remember having to eat tomatoes before lunch and gagging!  I’d coat them in Ranch and try to just swallow them fast enough without chewing.  Then I found out I could chop them up and mix them into salsa... 

Had great lessons this week with Elder Avila!

We met an awesome family who are related to a family in our ward.  The husband is less active and the wife and son are not members.  They love us and want us to visit them and teach them more about the church.  We’ll have a family home evening with them tomorrow.

We taught the Godoy Family and started the Restoration.  We use a lot of the Bible with them because they love reading and marking the scriptures we show them. We taught them the first 5 points of the Restoration...

1. God is our loving Heavenly Father

2. The gospel blesses Families

3. The importance of Prophets

4. The Church that Jesus Christ established during his ministry

5. The Great Apostasy

They were really interested and involved and felt the truth of what we were teaching.  After showing them some scriptures about the Great Apostasy, I asked them what they think God will do... Leave us without His church, and His revelation??

The father responded saying that he thinks some day soon God will call another prophet and restore revelation!!!   Haha! I asked him how do you know it hasn’t already happened!??

We all started to smile and felt the spirit really strongly.  We told them our message IS of The Restoration of The Gospel and that in our next lesson we would explain how Christ’s Church was restored.

They can’t wait! We have a lesson with them tonight!! It’s going to be great! 

Love Elder Zierenberg 

I Found Them

So this week was pretty crazy, kind of. I got to know Elder Avila more and he’s a really good, serious missionary. He’s 25 years old and from Ecuador. He was the assistant to the president and I will be his last companion as he ends his mission soon.

I’m loving it here in Bogota and I love the weather. It’s cloudy and raining right now.  I’ve been making French toast for breakfast everyday this week! They have all of the ingredients here that I am using to make all my favorite meals!

Elder Avila and I are starting to pick up this area. It’s tough starting in an area with a new companion when neither of you know it that well. We had a great Sunday and got to know the ward and some great members.

Elder Avila and I did some contacting in the street and park. We always run into Catholics. Everyone says they’re Catholic! They think saying "Sorry, I’m Catholic...", will end our conversation! Ha! So we just get around it and invite them to just hear our message and pray and that’s how we gain investigators. We can’t just say… "Look your church is wrong cause ours is right." Sometimes I want to though!! The problem is that nobody reads the Bible very much... at all here.

A man told us that Joseph Smith couldn’t have seen God, because no one ever has... We showed him all the scriptures that say Moses spoke face to face with God and other prophets. As he read it he changed his words and held to his stubbornness. His daughter and wife are members! He is really nice to the missionaries but he just doesn’t want to look beyond his traditions.

Once we contacted a man sitting on a park bench, and he said he was Catholic but that we could share our message with him. So I started giving the open prayer and while I was giving it, he started laughing like a mad man! He started interrupting our prayer to talk to an old friend approaching and made fun of us. I ended the prayer and we said goodbye. I felt bad for him as we left.

There are a lot of people here that our interested in our message and want to see if its true. These, are who we focus on. Elder Avila and I have been teaching some really good “familias” that we are preparing for baptism… The Mercado Roa family, the Cristancho family and the Goddoy family.

I can’t believe I found the Goddoy family!! Elder Caceres and I found them back in my last area, Pie de Cuesta and were teaching them, while they were visiting to sell a house. They were such a great family and ready for our message. Caceres and I had been teaching a less-active family and Nicolas Goddoy (13 years old) was over at their house. The bright eyed boy ended up being the only one really paying attention and he asked us to teach his family! Unfortunately, after a couple golden visits they had to move back to Bogota and we lost their information.

I now have a super strong testimony that our mission President receives revelation in deciding what areas we serve in. I’ve only been in this new area for two weeks, Bogota is huge, but Elder Avila and I were walking one day to a lesson and the Goddoy family was outside their house as we were passing by!!!

The mom and son looked with complete surprise and I looked at them feeling the same! No way! Nicolas ran inside to tell his dad. The dad was thrilled and he came outside running to meet us. We set up and had a lesson with them the same night. I wrote Elder Caceres and told him that we found them!

I love the feeling of crazy motivation that the mission can bring to missionaries! It’s the best! I look forward to all the important lessons we have this week. Tonight we’ll be visiting with the Goddoy family and well be teaching them The Restoration! It’s gonna be great!

I love you all,

Elder Zierenberg

A Green Hill Far Away

I now have this area memorized. There are a lot of cool places to visit here in Bogota. I want to see the Zoo, and there are a lot of really cool Museums here! I have yet to visit them.

I’m teaching myself to read music and play the piano. I just learned my first Hymn: There Is A Green Hill Far Away. I want to be able to play the piano for all my future areas where they need piano players!

There was a baptism in our area. An old man named Ricardo sat in a chair in the baptismal font and Elder Black leaned him back under the water. I was a witness and the first time his foot stuck out of the water. The 2nd time did it. We had some investigators there watching the baptism. I told them they wouldn’t need chairs.

Elder Avila and I had some great lessons this week and we have been focusing on an unmarried couple that wants to be baptized. We have been praying a lot for Ricardo and Jasbleidy (Pronounced: Hasblaydee). Jasbleidy’s family are new members in the church. They are starting to pray, read the Book of Mormon and attended church on Sunday.

Another family that we’ve been focusing on is the Paz Family. They are recent converts. Their son, Fernando, stopped coming to church after Elder Andino left, but Elder Avila and I have been visiting his family and gaining his friendship. We have been teaching them a lot about the importance of the family and Elder Avila did something really cool in our last lesson. He started an activity where we all had to say good things about each other in our circle. So then he asked Fernando, when was the last time he told his mom that he loved her. He couldn’t remember. He asked Sister Paz when was the last time she had told her son that she loved him and she said that morning. I realized what Elder Avila was really trying to do and I felt the Spirit so strongly. I understood how important families are for Elder Avila. It’s one of his biggest motivations. Elder Avila finishes his mission in 4 weeks. He is a really good missionary and has his eye single to the glory of God.

One night I had asked Avila if everything was all right after we had said our prayer and gone to bed. He told me that he had had some tough times in his mission and that his mom had died 8 months ago. I cried a little in the darkness but I didn’t let him see, I felt bad for him. I love Elder Avila.

Fernando came to church on Sunday with his family and sat next to his mom. He was wearing a jacket that Elder Andino gave him. I think I’ll get him a tie or something. He’s a cool kid. Elder Avila gave a great talk in Church BTW.

The Godoy family was visiting some family and we will have our next lesson this week. Here the Holy Week is a big deal. People go on holidays.

This week Elder Avila and I met some amazing people walking around and talking to everyone we could. We have some follow up visits coming up and tonight with a man named Nicolas.

We write down all the names of the people we meet and we pray for them the same night. We pray that they can call us back or let us visit them again. Always out of time!

Love,

Elder Zierenberg

New Companion

Dear Friends and Family,

I miss you all so much.

Bogota is an incredible place! It’s a bit chilly these days and everyday I’m finding it’s bigger than I thought. The people here are amazing and the Church seems so much stronger than my last area. There are a lot more members and everyone is so much more involved in the missionary work.

Elder Andino and I enjoyed the last few days of each other’s company. We only had 8 days together but I learned a lot from him and we are good friends. I got the briefest gist of my new area.

On Wednesday night I had to pack clothes and provisions for a 4 day stay at another missionary residence in another area nearby in Bogota. I was dropped off by my ward mission leader and his wife. Elder Andino and I took my stuff up to the other apartment. I stayed with Elder Doll (from US) and Elder Mamanchura (from Peru). Elder Andino left and spent Thursday with the President and the other missionaries leaving in his group. I worked with Elder Doll and Mamanchura in their area and enjoyed seeing a different part of Bogota.

Elder Andino was with Elder Velázquez who was also finishing his mission the same day.  Elder Velázques is a good friend of mine and was my Zone leader with Elder Duncan while I served in Piedecuesta. Elder Velázques, speaks perfect English, is from Costa Rica, and plans on attending BYU Provo. 

I returned with Elder Doll and Mamanchura to their apartment and we enjoyed General Conference the next day! It was amazing!!  I watched the first session in a church building office with Elder Doll and then later in another building! I got to see most of it in English and really enjoyed it!!  I was so excited to hear the Prophet and the Apostles speak!!

Today, Monday the 7th, I received my new companion!  I’m back in my area and in my apartment with Elder Avila!  He was just an Assistant to the President.  I can’t wait to work with him in our area here in Bogota!!

I love you all,

Elder Zierenberg