Getting Transferred

Dear Friends, Family, and all others who read this!
 

This week has really been an interesting one! We had a couple things happen and we got transfer calls! This week has been an interesting week because all my mind is set on is transfers! haha so that is what my email will be mostly of.
 

As of 1/29/13, Elder Simmonds (Zone Leader) is going to be moving to Amsterdam NY and Training, Elder Houggaard is going to be staying as Zone Leader with his new companion Elder Mcphee, Sister Ross is going to Greene and is going to be Training, Sister Resare is going to be staying in Syracuse and going to be Training, Elder Evans is Staying in Syracuse with his new companion Elder Pittman, I will be leaving on Wednesday morning to Schoharie NY, into a Tri-Compantionship with Elder Sarzoso and Elder Bell (a Visa Waiter). I will be going to a driving area and it is all COUNTRY! :D so I will be out of the city! I am very sad to be leaving so soon, but I know that the lord has called me to this place for a reason. :)

I forgot to include my BOM reading for last week so I am going to use it for this week since all I have been doing this week is pretty much packing.
4-18-13

Alma 29:6,8-10

6-Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

8-For behold, the lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeketh fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to the which is just and true.

9-.....yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hand of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

10- and behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

At the end of this letter, I would like to direct it towards my aunts and uncles, Steve and Kellie Terry, Susan and Lyman Adams, and my parents Dean and Kathee Zenger. For without any of them as well as many others I would not be out here preaching the gospel to all I see in Utica, New York. Without them, their love, their, families, and their testimonies of the truthfulness of this restored gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as from those whom I know, love, and left, I would not be the man, nor the missionary I am today. Thanks you so, so much! For I am truly blessed with the most amazing family and friends to be with here on this earth, at this time, in the world. The Lord loves each and everyone of you and has blessed us with his restored gospel here in these latter days.

I love you all and will send pictures next week of all the people I have said good bye to here in syracuse New york.

With all my love and blessings,

Elder Anthony Zenger

Monday April 22, 2013

 

Dear Family, Friends, Buddies, and all you people who love me so :)


This week has some good news and some bad news!
BAD NEWS: We had to trade the car with the Dewitt Elders and after we did so, it rained BUCKETS and BUCKETS of rain, to the point where walking down the street or on the side walk, you were walking in a small stream haha Elder Evans and I got Soaked! And there is no pictures this week :( (well maybe I will have to check)
GOOD NEWS: We have a new investigator to teach that the sisters gave us! :D As well as a ton of people that actually came up to us (1 on the street, and 1 at burger king, and 1 head quarter referral ) and are super solid people that we just need to set up appointments with! :)

It's like all of a sudden someone just flipped on a switch and now everyone wants us to meet with them! It's so amazing! We had a chance to meet with the new investigator the sisters gave us and we talked to him about prayer and how he can reconize the spirit and answers to his prayers. Now the cool thing about this lesson, was that we have never met the guy before, we had no idea we were going to teach him a lesson after the sisters introduced us, and we taught the entire lesson based upon the spirit. :)

Funny story! I had a chance to go and do some service for Sister Vest in the ward, and guess what I got to do while everyone else got to do some yard work. I got to wash her dog! haha It was so awesome! Easiest service ever! ;) I did however by the end of the day when we got back home, smell like wet dog! Like EVERYTHING smelled like wet dog! haha It was really bad haha

I am so excited that our teaching pool is now growing and the work here is now starting to grow as well! The sad part of it all is, transfers are coming up and no one knows who is leaving or staying until this up coming saturday. So we are hoping at least one of us will stay and help continue working in this area and keeping it up and continually growing!

Well my friends as sad as that is, That is really all I have to say about this week! It was a very hard working week! Which isn't a bad thing, but I will try and keep my eye out for more things that will make my emails home longer and more entertaining! :)

I love you all and will let you all know who is going where next monday!

Sincerely,
Elder Zenger

Pictures

1. Elder Evans doing his pose at the Catholic Cemetery
In Photo: Elder Evans  (last photo didn't copy over correctly :( )

2. Still in the Cemetery
In Photo: Sister Ross / Elder Evans

3. Cemetery arch!

4. ditto haha

5. The little wind up clone trooper I found and turned into a missionary! :D He walks and everything! xD haha

6. Elder Oluapo

7. Our Brand new car :)

8. New CAr
In Photo: Elder Zenger / Elder OIuapo

9. Dinner with memebers at a place called Papa Gaios
In Photo: Elder Evans / Elder Gasetoto / Elder Oluapo / Megan Richards / Aaron Masters

10. Fried Ice Cream! ^.^ Chocolate Ice Cream fried with mexican chocolate, grahm crakcers, and frosted flackes!

Tax Day Email

Dear Family, Friends, and all people from all walks of life! (That is pretty fun to say! haha)

This past week, has been full of small numbers, but great counts of the spirit touching lives and the hearts of the people here and the people we love. I wanna start by telling you a story that happened on Tuesday evening.

Elder Evans and I went on Exchange with the North Syracuse Elders (Elder Gasetoto and Oluapo). Which means we basically trade companions for 24 hours to help out and to see how the other area is doing. We have to do this a lot because Elder Evans is our district leader, and we have our zone leaders in our district as well, which means TONS of exchanges haha anyways! All the elders had a dinner appointment at a members home, the Donaldsons. Elder Gasetot and I arrived first and sat on the couch waiting for the other Elders to get there. I have to give you a little info on the Northside Elders. 1. They are both Samoan, and 2. they both weigh between 300 and 315 lbs EACH! When they got to the Donaldson's, Elder Oluapo sat on the couch with Elder Gasetoto and I and broke the couch. Yup we were all on the floor with in 2 seconds! haha It was so freakin funny! Luckily, they are moving next month, and was going to sell the couch and or get rid of it. We were informed at basketball this morning with bro. Donaldson, that they indeed now sold the couch! hahaha Which makes the story even better! haha

On thursday, we had an amazing Zone conference and we were informed that we got a freakin BRAND NEW CAR! to share with another set of elders so we trade off each week, but we get to drive a freakin brand new car! Like no joke, brand new, 2013 Subabru legacy, straight off the lot that week. and we get to use it first! :D Pictures will be somewhere in this email if not the next one! :) Its so nice and it means that we can now stay out later and do more work with out having to go home early cause of the stupid bus system! haha

Just as a little side note before I close this lovely email to you all, I did get super sick on saturday....like I had major soar throat and like couldn't speak :P but I literally slept all day and all that night and woke up feeling better just with my voice trying to leave me. I can happily say though this morning, I am 100% better and its awesome! :)

By special request by one of my aunts, I am now going to include what I studied in my studies this week and will share with you the things that stood out to me and that I should send home. This week I was reading in Alma 17:11&13 It says the following:

11- Go forth among, thy brethren and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

13- They separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the lord that they shall meet again at the close of their harvest.

These versus stood out to me because I applied those verses into my current situation. In verse 11 it describes what I do as a missionary, and that by doing his work, it will not be easy and that at times it may seem that I will be suffering and have afflictions. but that if I am patient in my doings, that the lord will use me as his instrument in his work. Verse 13 stood out to me, and I hope that all my buddies in the mission field, my family, friends I have left at home, that as we may now have been separated for this short period of time in our lives, that we will all be united together at the close of our missions, when the our time comes and at the close of our harvest.

I love you all and have seen how the lord has shown and comforted me through all your letters, emails, my studies in the scriptures, and through out my life. Until next week my friends and family!

May the lord bless you and be with you in your lives and in your homes.

Love,
Elder Anthony Zenger

General Conference Weekend

Dear Family, Friends, all yall who are on the interweb!

This week has been an interesting but very awesome-ish week! I got to go on exchanges the other day, and got to go tracking for my very first time! It was nerve racking but really fun and somewhat effective! The first door I got to knock and and do all the talking, Elder Simmonds and I (the Zone Leader I was exchanging with) got in the door and placed a B.O.M, got a phone number, and was told to please come back! Sadly though we have to get someone from the ward who speaks spanish and have to give her a spanish version of the B.O.M. Her friend though (who was visiting, what a blessing) was interested as well and helped us translate! Sadly that friend lives in Liverpool and we have to give her info to the Liverpool Elders -.- But! She did take the english copy of the B.O.M and seemed interested as well! IT WAS SO AWESOME! Elder Simmonds was kinda upset that my first door went perfect. haha He told me the first door he knocked on, the guy told him to get the F off his porch. haha So I will consider that a major blessing! :) We also got into another ladies home and said a prayer with her. She was super nice (and also was super super sick) as well as her family. She and her family where baptist, and were very greatfull for the prayer we offered in her home about her family and her health. She also told us to come back when she was feeling better so that we can come teach her and her family! I am so excited!

Some other great new we got this week. Was.....WE ARE GETTING A CAR! :D Elder Evans and I get to drive a car every other week. We share the car with the DeWitt Elders (who are in the same situation as we are in). It is supposed to be a BRAND NEW SPAKEN CAR! We were told that this thursday at Zone Conference, we get to drive it home and start off the week driving it first! I am so excited! This is supposed to help us get more done durning the day and a lot faster!

Conference this weekend was AMAZING! It was a little weird not watching it at home and staying at the church building all day and all night (stupid time difference) but it was all, as always, so very worth it! I got to take some very very good notes and got told of some very good ways I can improve as a missionary as well as what I can to do to minister better.

Sorry this week is so short! But I do have pictures to send! :D so I hope that makes up for it :)

Hope all is doing well! It sounds like it from what my mom is telling me :)

Love,

Elder Anthony Zenger

 

Conference weekend was the best! Sadly we did not have any people show up or go with us to conference. But there is also next conference as well as next sunday at sacrament meeting! I took more notes that ever before while watching any session of conference. It is all thanks to something Elder Bednar told us while he was here. This is what he told us, and something I hope you all as a family can do or start doing. He said,

"I need to establish some guide lines before we start. First, Never write what ANYONE says at the pulpit. What they may say may be important or good for the hearing. But, you are creating large plates that you will never refer back to. Instead try doing this, Listen to what the speaker says and talks about, then write down in your own words, the promptings and feelings you get from the spirit and holy ghost about the certain topic. By doing this you will have shrunk what was once Large plates that you never looked at, into smaller plates, that mean more to you and that you will refer back to often. I encourage all of you to always refer back to the notes you will take here and during General Conference."

By doing that, I have noticed a HUGE difference in my note taking and how much more conference means to me.

 

 Photos! People listed in order from right to left!

1. Easter Dinner at the Vest Home

2. YSA FHE Activity

3. YSA FHE Activity

4. YSA FHE Refreshments!

5. Sister Ross being....Sister Ross haha

In photo: Sister Ross

6. A doodle I did on my Study Desk!

7. A Stop Sign in "My Hood!"

8. Service at the Vest Home

In Photo: Elder Gasetoto / Elder Oluapoo / Elder Evans

9. Mormon-apoly! Yes it is real and epic!

10. Service again

In Photo: Elder Oluapoo / Elder Evans

11. Bro. Smith in a tree fixing a swing

12. Elder Evans at Conference being Elder Evans

13. Conference!

In Photo: Elder Oluapoo / David Coir (member in the YSA branch 18 yrs old) / Elder Evans / Elder Gasetoto

14. Elder Oluapoo being himself haha

15. Elder Gasetoto

16. My bed being epic! haha

Post from a Proud Missionary Mom.

 

My heart if full to busting. See cover photo above. Each one of these young men I have watched grow up and have had constantly in my house. They call themselves the Moviegeeks, now the Ninjanaries. Three Eagle Scouts, four smart, honorable young men. I remember Saturday Conference last October. One already preparing to leave on his mission, one getting ready to submit his papers, another starting work on them, and my son at work, wondering what he was going to do while waiting a year before he could join his friends in the mission field. The announcement of the age being lowered to 18, my son with a clear, now inspired knowledge of where and what he was to do and two buddies showing up, at 5 min after the morning session was over, bouncing off my porch in excitement. "I can move my availability date up!", "I can turn my papers in sooner!", "Anthony can go with us! Where is he?!?" God bless and love them, a mother can't ask for better friends and examples than these boys have been to each other since 7th grade. Alaska; Leeds, England; Utica, New York; and Washington DC are in for a force to be reckoned with in these mighty warriors. Leaving friends, family, girlfriends, school, and normal life for 2 years to answer a call from their Prophet, President Monson and their Savior, Jesus Christ; to spread his love, light, and happiness to those who would listen, those in need to hear, those in need to heal, and those that need to remember. Over 65,000 men/women and couples are out with these boys, unselfishly giving of their time and their own means to share what is to them, the most important thing in their life: their faith. Another 20,000 await to join them, yet another 6,000 eagerly fill out papers and anxiously await their turn. Be not silent in doing good, let your light so shine before men, and no matter if a current missionary, pre-missionary, past missionary, or simply a child of God - all can be a gift to another. A better friend, a better neighbor, a better parent, a better child, an example of what you believe and who you believe in - don't let others question or have to ask that you are Christian.

1

Apr 1 2013 pictures

1. Day before Transfers Eating Dinner at the Redmons home
In Picture: Elder Hussey, Bro. Voyles, L.T Redmon (Bro.), Elder Simmonds

2. Picture Dying Eggs at the YSA branch FHE

3. Ditto

4. People in the Branch! (not all of them)
In Picture: Andrew, Casedy, (in back) Leah, (In Front) Rotisha, Sister Ross, Elder Evans

5. New Elder! (Greenie) Elder Oluopo (O-Lu-a-Poo) from New Zealand! He is in North Syracuse

6.Package Grandma and Grampa Zenger sent me!

7. Elder Evans....being Elder Evans haha

8. Sister Resare at dinner haha

9. This is our Second dinner appointment we had....It was ALOT of food! haha

Apr 1. 2013 Email

Dear Family, Friends, and all others of you on the interweb!

This past week has been very interesting and actually very...normal! 0.o which is weird because we haven't had a normal day (for what I have been told) since I have gotten here. But none the less it has been awesome and defiantly uplifting! :) I wanna thank Grandma and Grandpa for the AWESOME package they sent me with the Easter goodies and wonderful snacks and food. :D It was awesome getting a package this week xD haha

This week had been pretty normal with really nothing out of the ordinary happened. (that I can remember anyways haha) So I am going to tell you all that I can currently remember about this past week! :D haha
In my last letter I told you all I was kinda sick and wasn't feeling well? Well on Wednesday, it full on kicked me in the face! I woke up with the worst stomach cramps and upset stomach I have ever had in my life! It was so bad I didn't dare eat breakfast. We went to district meeting that morning and that's when I started dry heaving for a little bit....yeah not fun...so after district meeting, Elder Evans and I went back home so that I could take a nap to see if that would help. After a 2-3 hour nap, I woke up feeling completely fine, but my abs where super soar! My entire mid section felt like I did a intense work out for 10 hours straight, with an internal bruise, and if felt like someone punched me in the gut all at once! Needless to day, I went to a dinner appointment we had that evening ate was just fine the rest of the evening. I don't know what it was or what was going on, but all I know is that I am now better and I am grateful for it. :)

That next day, Elder Evans and I were stopped by this couple on the street who asked us a few questions. The first one was, "Are you guys Jehovah Witnesses? or are you Mormons?" Once we explained who we were they continued to ask us if we heard about some murder in Arizona that the lady who murdered a guy said that the Book of Mormon told her to do it. (Crazy right?) and so they asked the most amazing question ever. They asked us, "So what do Mormons believe anyways?" Once we explained a little about how we believe in the Book of Mormon and how it is supposed to be read with the bible, I handed them a copy I was carrying (cause my companion forgot his back at home) and said that this is the Book of Mormon. After we handed it to this lady and she held it in her hands for a second, she immediately asked, "Can we have this?" We told them yes and that they may keep it and it was theirs. We told them as Missionaries, what we do is go around telling people more about the Book of Mormon and what we believe as a church. Imediatly they gave us their names and where they lived so that way we could come back and teach/tell them more. We have an appointment set up to see them tomorrow! :D After we met with the couple on the street, Elder Evans turned to me and told me that he prayed or has been praying for that kind of situation and was very happy that his prayers was answerd! WE placed a B.O.M! :D YEAH!

We also had an amazing Easter on Sunday! I am going to tell you how much food we ate and how much candy we received yesterday by giving you 2 holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving! We had 2 dinner appointments and got so much candy from family, and both wards its like an over flow of sugar! haha I did make myself sick yesterday.....I ate WAY to much food and candy yesterday, I barfed it all out this morning at 1 haha But it was such an amazing Easter Sunday. I love celebrating the Resurrection of our savior and remembering the atonement and how he has made it possible to over come death and to live with our heavenly father once again in a perfect immortal body. I hope you all had an amazing week and an amazing Easter Weekend! I hope you all don't forget about General Conference this coming Saturday and Sunday, and all you worthy Priesthood Holders better be attending the Priesthood Session of Conference on Saturday! I'm excited for my first General Conference out here in the mission field to hear the prophet of the lord and his apostles (I shook Elder Bednars hand xD) and to hear what they have to say to us this coming weekend.

I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week! Until Next weeks time,

-Elder Anthony D. Zenger