Come What May and Love IT!

Dear Family and Friends,

This last week we got transfer calls and Elder Neus is leaving Massena and I am staying and going to be Training a new missionary for my very first time. Last time I did what is called second transfer training and that was easy cause he already knew what to do I just kinda smoothed the edges I guess. haha I am super excited to train and what will happen this next transfer.

Nothing exciting has happened this last week really.  I have had the feeling of crying this last week or so randomly with no reason to cry at all. I thought it was just me being just weird and my companion told me I was on my period -.- lol but I got onto my email today after emailing president and looked at all the people that had emailed me. As I was looking through the emails, I usually look at/email the person I haven't emailed in a while first or who ever I feel like I should write first. I felt super strongly to read my mom's email first. She has sent me 2 emails, on wednesday and one last night (sunday) I felt super prompted to read the one from wednesday first and then the one from last night. As I read I tried really hard to not cry while sitting here in the Library, and then when I read her other one, I had to try even harder. I don't want to go into detail about anything cause it is personal to me and my family. I will only say that Satan is doing his absolute best to try and stop me and others from doing what we are supposed to do as a missionary and as a member of his church.

As I sat there pondering in my mind what I was going to say to my mom in response to these emails, words started coming into my mind and with out taking a second thought, I just started typing. As I re read what I had typed, hope peace and comfort came into my heart. I felt really strong that I should share in this email to all of you what was written, I do not know why but maybe it will help some of you who are going through a hard time or it may help you for a future incident that may occur.

Here is what I wrote:

Trials do not come from the Lord, they come because of our fallen state and because of Satan and his followers. The Lord uses these opportunities to help us strengthen our faith and trust in him and his son Jesus Christ. That does not mean these trials will be easy to deal with, it just means that in the end, there is light in the midst of this dark tunnel which we have entered into. The Light will always be there weather we see it or not. But it is up to us whether we work towards the light and push through the darkness, or if we stay and give up or even worse turn around and go back the way we came instead of pushing forward.

These are the last days and it was for told by prophets of old that in the last days trials and hardships would come before the Lord shall come again. They did say it was a sign that the Lord is coming, which is the most amazing news we can share with the world. I knew coming on a mission and doing the Lords work was not only going to be physically hard, but was going to be mentally and emotionally hard as well. I have been blessed to over come most of the physical hardships that come with being a 19 almost 20 year old missionary but the mental and emotional stress, and hardships are still there, and are stronger than ever before. I knew that things would happen not only to me but to family and friends back home. I knew it was a risk and I continually know it is still a risk. But it truly is not a risk, it is an act upon our faith that the Lord will bless us for doing his work, helping others come closer to him as we also grow closer to him as we endure these hard trials which have come upon us and will continually come upon us until the Savior comes again in these last days. As I read in a talk entitled "The Fourth Missionary" It says, " Life is hard, but the Gospel is not." Through the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ we all can endure anything that the world and Satan can and will throw at us. But is our choice on what we do when those kinds of trials enter our lives. You can either stand there and be continually attacked and not do anything, or you can put your faith and trust in the Lord, and do all you can to fight knowing that you are not fighting alone. Knowing that the Lord is standing by you fighting with you and has previously fought for you with all his might so. These things I know and have to constantly remind myself of every single day since the day I got my mission call and accepted the call to do the Lords work. Trust in Him, rely on Him, have faith in Him, and then Act on that faith and you will see Miracles happen both big and small. This I know and can testify of in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. 

--

Love Ya's! 

-Elder Zenger

Don't Be DUMB Dora - Dennis Elliott

Dear Family and Friends,

This Email is going to be short with no pictures because when we got to the Library Every one was able to get on a computer except for me....so now that I am no I do not have much time to write what I would like to say.

This week was great! I love being a trainer I enjoy more than anything! I got a tad bit of heat stroke from walking around the other day so I am slowly recovering form that. Other than that I am doing pretty well. I am a little down and super tired recently and I don't know why by body is being dumb. But it is what it is and I gotta do what I gotta do! Again I am sorry that this email is super short and lame but I have no choice this week.

--

Love Ya's! 

-Elder Zenger

I'd rather be Disobedient then get wet!

Dear all you peoples that I love so much!

 

This week was pretty good! SO, I have decided that all the titles of my lettters (emails) home will be quotes that have been said that week! So the title of this email came from the other set of elders we serve with named Elder (Cody) Davis who goes home at the end of this transfer (less than 2 weeks). We were coming out of district meeting and it was pooring like you wouldn't believe! So we got in the car and we aren't supposed to make U Turns in the cars any more unless its in a parking lot and when you are backing up you companion is supposed to get out and back you up, so he did a turn (in a the church parking lot and went on the grass) and said the title of this letter haha

 

So tranfer calls are this week! It should be exciting! They are Saturday Morning and I have a strong feeling that President is going to call one of us on saturday. President makes all the calls for those getting put into leadership personally before actual transfer calls from president happens. so we shall see! We had the carpet in our church re done this last week and met the guy and his crew that were working on it. HE IS FROM LAYTON UTAH! He lives back behind the mall by the Subway and is in the stake just next to us! 0.0 It was so sweet! I got a picture next to his truck haha he travels all over the US to do carpet for office buildings, homes, church buildings and he does carpet for inside the temples too! He was in Seattle Washington 4 week prior to being here and doing the carpet. it was so sweet!

 

We also went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders this weekend. (I don't know why but we did) and so I went to Potsdam from satruday to sunday and Elder Koga and I found this cat sticker on the back of someones car in the parking lot of the lady we were seeing and we both saw it and busted a gut! and had to take a picture so you all are welcome :) haha

 

Other than that we picked up a sweet new investigator this week she is awesome and will have a baptismal date soon! Good things are happening to those who wait!

 

Have good week y'all! :D

--

Love Ya's! 

-Elder Zenger

This one Goes BEFORE the "Big Butt" sorry!

Dear you peoples out there!

This last week has been a pretty good week. Nothing exciting has happened but the work is definitely moving forward here and the Lord is truly blessing the people here in Massena!

We now are going to have 2 baptisms this month! We are so stoked that these 2 are ready to make sacred covenants with our Father in Heaven and to be put on the path of eternal life! :D I don't know what else to tell you because nothing out of the ordinary has happened this last week. I can tell you a small story of what happened when we went on exchanges this last week. We were trying someone in our area when this guy that was doing a yard sale across the street told us to come over and talk with him. We went over and talked with him for a little bit and he told us he had something for us from a guy that died last year that loved the missionaries and was always with the missionaries. He gave us a Catholic home healing/sacrament kit that this member had given him after he joined the church and he wanted us to have it because he knew that he would want us to have it. I did attach a picture of it to this letter for yous guys haha we didn't know what to do with it so the picture tells what we did with it haha I hope I don't offend anyone who is catholic :P That was not our intentions...

Well other than that...there is much to say besides I love you all and I hope that you will see the Lords hand in your lives this week!

--

Love Ya's! 

-Elder Zenger

BIG BUTT

Dear all yous guys!

This last week was a pretty good week! We celebrated the Massena Branch being open for 1 year this last Friday! It was great! We had about over 40 people there both active, less active, and non members! It was so much fun! We had a BBQ, Volley ball, face painting, catch, and some other cool little games! I did indeed get my face painted, but I do not have a picture of it for you. :P Sorry I got a spider web with a  spider on my nose haha It was a awesome!

Saturday we got to do service at and set up a booth at the Heritage Festival that was this weekend and that was pretty good! I got to spend 4 hours at the booth and then the other 4 hours was over at the food area where I got to use the grill and grill hot dogs and sausages! It was fun! It was a good way to have people get to know us and to get the church out there to more people! We gave away 4 copies of the book of Mormon, 2 bibles a whole bunch of DvDs and got to talk to a lot of people! In fact some of the Catholic girls that we do service with every Thursday at the Methodist Community Dinner with came and talked to us it was pretty sweet!

So the reason behind the title of this email is because my companion keeps complaining about how he has gotten fat on his mission and he doesn't like it. So we were at a Less Actives house and I randomly told him he had a big

butt and we all started dying laughing haha so we both decided that we would title our emails home Big Butt haha

Anyways! We had President and Sister Wirthlin come up on Sunday to speak to us in church to celebration of the Branch being open a year. and I had the awesome opportunity to give our Recent Convert Tracey (who got baptized when I first got here) the Aaronic priesthood and ordained him to the office of Priest! I was nervous but was calmed during the blessing as the spirit directed me on what to say to him.

I want let you guys know how much this Gospel really and truly means to me. I look back on who I was, who I hung out with, and who I was when I wasn't around others, and I look at that boy and say to myself, The gospel has truly brought happiness, perspective, light, joy, blessings, and feelings that are truly describable and cannot be expressed. I can testify that all of those things didn't come right away when I was baptized as an 8 year old kid, or when I received the holy ghost afterward, or when I received the Priesthood! It all happened over time as I put my all in the Lords hands and put all my faith and trust in him and only him. Then was I able to change and turn my will into his will, and develop a love for other people and making them happy, devolved more patients with things and others, and have learned how to act upon and recognize the Holy Ghost in my life more. I would not be who I am today with out any of the trials I went through and with out the Saviors everlasting atonement in my life and the Gospel of good news and happiness. I love you all, deeply, and whole heartedly no matter where you are in the world reading this. You are all Sons and Daughters of a Loving God who is your Heavenly Father who loves you beyond your wildest dreams. I know that because I have felt it and strive to feel it every day.

--

Love Ya's! 

-Elder Zenger