This has been the best experience of my life

Letter to Dad....

10/15/2017

Belated Birthday and Farewell Dinner

haha the trans am looks awesome!  It'll be fun, do you think you can get the back panel and trunk welded in before I get home?  Last night as I was packing I had the worst feeling of my whole life I think...  Later we will say goodbye to everyone and it'll be hard haha.  I'm excited to see you guys though.  The ward had a cool surprise farewell party for me and Elder Lopez.  I have borne a lot of going home testimonies in the last week.  I never imagined when I left home though that it would be so sad to return to you guys.

We were teaching this 21 year old kid yesterday and we taught him all about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  At the end we asked him if he had any questions and he was like "I have one, when can I get baptized?"  It was a good question.  I will miss this more than anything.

Elder Zesiger   

Letter to Mom....

Haha I'm excited to eat a blizzard with you too.  I made the goal to go on a separate adventure with each of you this week.  It'll be awesome.  I packed stuff last night and said goodbye to some people and it sucked.  I was able to fit everything I wanted to take home though in just one bag.  Would you like me to take the other two bags home still for others to use on their missions or just leave them here for other missionaries?  Also, please bring a 12 piece chick-fil-a nugget combo with buffalo sauce to the airport, I have waited a long time.

We saw a miracle this week once again.  Karen was married and baptized.  Elder Billariña and I found her back in like early March and she has been ready for baptism for a long time, but she was very active in her born again church and didn't want to leave it.  Back in August she told us that she'd get baptized right before I left and I was like "no, we don't have to wait that long!"  But she won haha.  It was awesome and her husband will be baptized soon.  It was also a miracle how fast the marriage happened.  On Wednesday we had no plan for the marriage but we were trying, it looked impossible to get it done in time, but everything worked out.  After that marriage, we got to go to a temple sealing of a family in our ward.  It was super cool to see a civil marriage and then a Celestial one in the same day, they were super different.

Tonight will be really sad.  Some of the families we taught have good bye parties organized for later tonight.  I love being a missionary.  I have loved serving here more than anything I've ever done.  I love the Philippines and all the people I've met and served with.  Last night, I was watching a cockroach run around in our house and I realized that I'll even miss that.  This has been the best experience of my life.  Thanks for getting me out here mom, I love you.

Elder Zesiger

Karen's Wedding

Karen's Baptism

I love them so much and I am so grateful for the people I have met.

October 8,2017

Letter to Mom....

Tell dad that I love him and that I'm excited to work on it with him.

Haha ya I'm glad we've got good siblings too, but I hope you noticed in conference that our family needs to have nightly scripture study now.  President Nelson said that if we did, our family would be "immunized" from bad stuff, so if you do want that, let's get that goin.

That's awesome about Elder Davis's family, it will be cool to meet them.  

We went and visited the Orara family in Las Piñas last night.  They moved away for a couple of months and got into the habit of not reading or going to church.  They just barely moved back so we went to say goodbye.  We taught them about Lehi's dream and then testified that in the Celestial Kingdom, we can be together.  I cried a bit again, but they all committed to endure to the end.  I love them so much and I am so grateful for the people I have met.

I'll send you some pictures, I love you mom.

Elder Zesiger

I am so grateful for my mission and I am super grateful that I still have two weeks left.

10/1/17

Letter to Dad...

Those are awesome stories!  I plan on doing these things forever.  I made the goal to continue to bring at least 1 person into the church every year for the rest of my life.  President Fermanis made that goal with his wife and they have done pretty good.  

We had an amazing week.  One of the coolest parts of the week happened on Saturday before the baptism.  President Fermanis changed the rule so that going home missionaries could use p days to visit converts from other areas.  We went back to Santa Mesa and planned to visit everyone over there, but we got stuck in traffic for a long time so we were only able to visit the Totañes family.  We didn't let them know that we were coming, so it was funny when we walked into their house.  They screamed and then ran around to gather the whole family.  Tears came to my eyes as each of them came up the stairs since I had not seen them since last October.  They are all doing amazing and it was amazing to see them.  I thought that I would be able to control myself, but I cried as bad as I did when I said good bye to you guys haha.

We sang "I Stand All Amazed", prayed, and then bore our testimonies.  Raizo then walked with us all the way back to the car.  As I pondered the experience on the drive home, I realized why the Celestial Kingdom will be so happy.  I will be with everyone that I love.  There will be no separation between the Philippines, or Utah, or Oregon, or Michigan, we will all be together. The relationships we will have is what will make it so happy.  I love these people so much and everyone that I have been able to meet.  

A couple of nights ago I thought about all the people that have been baptized when I was in the area, and then the ones that were baptized when I left, and then the kids whose families were baptized but are still too young, and it was cool.  I am so grateful for my mission and I am super grateful that I still have two weeks left.

I love you dad

Elder Zesiger

Letter to Mom...

Haha that's cool that you get to see all the pictures.  The dad is in Saudi Arabia for the next 2 years but zyra skypes him and tells him about all that she learns.:)

Elder Zesiger and Elder Fiesta with their "baptism ties"  They only wear them when they have a baptism.

It's crazy how amazing the gospel is and how many blessings we have.  It is just hard to notice them if you get distracted with life.  We aren't just going to the chapel, we are going to the conference center next time as a family.  Please tell dad to promise to work on the trans am every available hour in the next 16 days to finish the trans am, his integrity depends on it.  If he does not, I will be in the garage by myself until it is done and you will not see me.

The baptism was fun, they are an awesome family.  David is the coolest kid ever and you should tell Coby his story.  He is only 11, but because he gave a pamphlet to his best friend, their whole family was baptized and now they go to church together.

I'll send you some pictures, I have a lot.  I love you mom

Elder Zesiger