I’m Gringo and Interesting

Hey I don’t have time to write much today...

But this week was awesome and we are seeing a lot of success opening this area!  We got to know our first investigator here in the area on our first day here together.  Doris is the aunt of a member family that we had lunch with last week.  We set up a lesson for a couple days later and we got the baptismal date in the first lesson!

Elder Sanahuano (Sanawanno) and I have been following a list of directions to less active members and we have met some really cool people!  Everyone we talk to on the street usually wants to listen to us and wants us to visit them. My companion says it because I’m Gringo and interesting.  He says being from Colombia… he’s nothing new to them. But the truth is, we walk around with so much joy and excitement that people feel our energy and that is the secret!! 

We met a funny old man named Bernardo, and we found him in the house of a less active. His son is the less active and we haven’t even met him yet.  Bernardo is now one of our investigators and he belongs to The International Jesus Christ church... We got into his house because it was raining really hard and my companion asked if he could use the bathroom. He was really nice and we ended up having a long chat in his living room.

The discussion turned to baptism and I got animated talking about the authority one needs to hold to baptize. Bernardo didn’t get it and thought the Holy Ghost gives the authority and that you receive the Holy Ghost in baptism.  I had to be really patient and not start pulling out tons of scriptures.  We have had some follow up meetings and my companion explained how there are tons of Christian churches and are formed easily by people that study the Bible and start the religion with their friends and family. They come up with a good name to attract members like: God is With Us or The Church of Eternal Love.  We tried explaining that God calls prophets and no one can take the honor upon themselves but need to be called of God. Hebrews 5:4

Bernardo invited us to a group family home evening that he and some other members of their church have. We really won the groups confidence and are going to meet with them again! Great families!

We met the ward on Sunday. Church starts at 11 and now we can study Sunday mornings! 

Anyway,

I love you 

Elder Zierenberg