Elder Zachary Gehring: Our 4 week tour

Familia,

Today was pday again and it was a little different than the past ones. First off we got to go to the temple again which was amazing. It was so much easier to understand it in Spanish with it only being the 2nd time. Then we got to eat in the temple which was cool and then we got to get a tour of the whole temple. The baptismal font was amazing. The temple president explained to us the symbolism in the oxen, and several other parts of the temple. It was amazing.

Then for the pday part of the day Hermana Gibbs, Ence and I went on our 4 week tour. We had no idea where we were going at first, they just told us to get in the van. Then we parked, got out, and he took us to this museum. It was called 'Museo de Oro' and it was gorgeous. The entire thing was filled with hundreds and hundreds of gold artifacts from all over South and Central America. Emma, there was so many little sculptures that I thought you'd love so I took as many pictures as I could. I'll send them in seperate emails!! Then after the museum we got back into the car and drove and drove up this super narrow bumpy road and the driver told us to get out and meet back at the van in one hour. We had no clue what to do so we asked what we could in Spanish and they told us to buy these tickets for a train ride so we did and then we got in this train car whos tracks led literally straight up the mountain. It was about a 10 minute ride strait up and then we got out. We realized at this point where we were. There is a chapel on the top of one of the mountains here and it is so beautiful. I don't know the name but I'll send pictures so you should try and look it up. Its apparently a really huge tourist site but today it was cloudy and rainy so we were 3 of maybe 10 people there. It was so quiet and almost scary. It was such a beautiful place. We couldn't take pictures inside but the outside was just amazing. It overlooked the entire city of Bogota. It was definitely a once in a life time opportunity.

Now as far as these last few days in the CCM have been... Well tomorrow I'm getting a Latin companion. 100 percent Spanish, all day long. I'm so nervous but Hermano Herrera (one of the Maestros) said he thinks I'll do fine which is comforting. I'm hoping to be at 60 to 70 percent fluent before I leave. Herrera said he would tell me what he thinks my percentage is when I leave so I'll let you all know if I make my goal. Sunday I wrote a talk on the Kingdoms of Glory and I let one of the teachers read it to correct any mistakes and most of the corrections were either wrong indirect or direct object pronouns which is hard for me and then little things like the adjective not agreeing in number with the noun. I hope I get to give a talk one of these days. I spend so much time writing them and its frustrating sometimes not being able to read it to anyone!! Thats about it for these last few days. Lots of teaching practice, lots of reading the scriptures out loud in Spanish, and lots and lots of Grammar. It is a wonderful time to be alive.

Hurrah for Israel!

Lots of Love,

Élder Gehring