Week 35

Do you remember that Even Stevens where Louis has to wrestle a girl, so he tries to bulk up by eating chocolate, but then it all goes to his butt and it's huge, but then that part is just a dream? Well I got a package from Chloe and I'm pretty sure one day I'll wake up and look like that.

But on another note, it's been a great week! I've been reading the Book of Mormon, I want to try and finish it this transfer (The transfer ends this Sunday!). I finished the book of Mormon (the book that he writes inside the Book of Mormon) today! It was awesome. It's really sad though just how messed up the Nephites got. But in Chapter 7, 8, and 9 there are some great promises! And some sweet parts about the Great Apostasy. I just though that the whole thing was really cool! So now all that I have left is Ether, which is one of my favorites, and the Moroni. So I think I should be able to do it! Also, this is all in Spanish. But it's so true! The Book of Mormon (the whole thing, not Mormon's book inside of the big book) is so true! There is no way that you could read it all the way through and deny that it is true! It literally has the power to make people believe in Jesus Christ!

We have also been teaching the D. family. This week we went over with the Single Branch Elders and they taught the kids while we taught E. and L. the Law of Chastity, which they had already been living, and which their daughter B. had also been living even before the missionaries taught it (which is so cool for people her age!). Then we ate with them. L. made homemade tortillas, chorizo, carne asada, salsa, crema, queso freco, chile, oh it was so good! And before we left they gathered all the family together and told us that they had a surprise... They decided as a family to be baptized on the 8th of November!!! I can honestly say that I don't think that I have ever been happier in my life. The love that I feel for this family.. I love them like they are my family! I never though that would be possible, but it's so amazing! And E. and L. (the parents) told me that they want that I baptize them!!! It is awesome.

So now here is the dillemma... I have been serving here in Fairfield for three transfers now. And it is a rare (but not super rare) when a missionary serves 4 transfers in one area... So here's what I need. Pray that President will be guided to choose the best thing for me, Elder Wright, and this family. Obviously, I want to stay. I know that the D family is why I was called to Fairfield. And I want to be there for the baptism! So I told President that, and now we'll see what he says. Also, B. made us all cupcakes. Pictures will be send. She decorated them too.

We also went to a party with our former investigator O., the gangster. We stayed for two songs of the band that he hired while we were eating, but we had a Family Home evening planned at the church and so we left. As we were walking, he came out (no imaging the most cholo, George Lopez/ Nacho Libre voice that you can imagine) "Heeeey, where you going???" It was Or. "Tenemos una reunion con unas familias en la iglesia" I told him. "Ok, pero sabes que, we're going to go check, and if no one is there, we are going back to the parties!" So we're start walking and he says "Ok, I believe you, but if no ones there, yous all coming back, ok??" "Ok O, we swear!" "No swears me! But you better come back to the parties tonight!" It was so great. 

Thank you for all the love and support! I love you all!

Have a good week!

Elder Foster

Week 34

So week 34...

We had Zone Conference this week. It was good to get a nice boost from President and the Aps. We went to Vacaville to do it, so I got to see Elder Withacker (spelling) and Elder Debora. Elder Debora was my comp in Napa, and Elder Whitaker and I came out on the same day. They are comps. It was good to see lots of the other missionaries.

So yesterday I got to watch a house burn to the ground. The Fairfield Fire Department was doing practices and burned down the house across the street.

We don't have a ton of time. Elder Wright and I don't even know what Columbus Day is. We were so confused about why the library was closed. We were almost thinking it was the government shutdown thing. Or maybe zombies in Fairfield. I'm pretty sure some of the hobos that chill outside of our church building are zombies.

Things are good. We haven't found anyone new yet, and it's not from lack of trying. We contact so many people every day it's crazy. I think that we might go back to a two companionship branch. We'll see.

My time in Fairfield might be coming to a close. This is week #5 of my third transfer, so  I might get the boot. but maybe not since it is technically a new area. We'll see.

I can't think of anything else. Elder G got the worst haircut ever last P Day. He didn't realize how bad it was until I took the following pictures. He freaked out when he saw it.

Love you all! Elder Foster

Week 33

I can't believe that this transfer is half over already! It's going by too quickly!

So this week... I'm trying to think past conference, but I can only think of about two things! We'll start there and then lead it up to conference.

Both of these happened yesterday after conference. We went to a street to go do some contacting, and I told Elder Wright that he was leading, mostly because I honestly had no idea where to go. He started walking, and wouldn't you know it a memebr from our branch was sitting and talking with a non member! Let me give you a little background so that you can picture it in your minds- C. is the member. She's about 60something and from the Dominican Republic. If you saw her, you wouldn't think that she speaks Spanish because she's black. But she also doesn't speak Spanish like most Dominicans, she speaks really slow and she has crazy eyees "She has crazy eyes..." So she was talking to her friend about why she hasn't ever talked to the missionaries, and we came up and she said "Hola Elders, we were just talking about you! this is my friend Ce, she wants to meet with you but she doesn't have a lot of time." And her friend said "Do you  think you could meet with me? Do you have time?" So I got out my planner and though really hard for all of about .009 seconds and we set up an appointment and it was great!

We also have a less active that I've been trying to get a hold of for a long  time. Well we were getting out of our car on a busy street has he was turning, and he stopped his car in the middle of the street and started talking to us! People area honking, but we did manage to get his address and talk to him for a few seconds. So it all worked out!

Ok now for the highlight of the week! Conference!

Exactly 6 months ago I made a deal with God. Normally I would think that you can't do that, but he pulled through on his part, so I think that it worked out. After going to last conference mostly in Spanish, I told him I was going to read El Libro de Mormon in Spanish every day. I asked him if I did that, would he help me get better at Spanish to the point where I would understand the next conference. Elder Garrity and I watched Priesthood and the Sunday sessions in Spanish- and I understood!!! Not just certain words, I listened to and learned from their talks with only a little less understanding than I would have had had I been watching in English! Pretty much I've been really blessed by God as far as Spanish goes.

But conference! Wow!!! It was so amazing! I loved it all! the focus on Christ and repentance, the focus on creating, as Richard G Maynes stated "Spiritual Stamina," all the talks by the First Presidency were so full and powerful! Both talks by Eyring, Both talks by Uchtdorf, All of Thomas S Monson's talks, M. Russel Ballard and S. Gifford Nielsens throwdowns about missionary work! David A. Bednar has given two conference talks in a row on different commadments (Last year's talk "We Believe en Being Chaste"). It was all so great. Prebably better than Christmas. I can't wait for the Liahona to come.

I set a few mission goals, but one goal I did set for my life is that I will never miss a session of Conference. If I have to, I will watch it as soon as possible after. I can't imagine why we wouldn't watch conference. We are litterally hearing the voice of God through the Prophet and apostles!

Well, that was my week. everything overshadowed by conference.

I love you all! thank you for your support!

Elder Foster

Week 32

I'm here still in Fairfield!

IIm trying to think of what to write, of what has happened!!! So Elder Aidukaitis came from the 70 to teach us some new things. He was the first Geneeral Authority Devotional I had in the MTC. It was really really cool. He taught us a cool technique to pick up investigators from baptisms.

Elder Wright is learning Spanish faster than anyone that I've ever seen. I think he realized that his Spanish wasn't the greatest, and now he just practices and memorizes all the time. It's honestly incredible. He is picking up the language so fast!!! He is a hard worker too. We set some great goals and we're trying to contact like crazy here. It's kind of hard since we have a huge area, but there are really only two areas where there are high concentrations of Spanish people. We have been trying to contact at least 20 a day, which we've attained a few times. We are not teaching the highest amount of lessons right now, but the ones we are teaching are super fantastic. Elder Wright takes the lead on every other door and it's going great. We've been going on bikes as well (2 Santa Rosa trips this month, we ran out of miles) and I let him lead to get to where we need to go. I need a new bike seat, my rear end hurts really bad! He is probably the best greenie that there was.

As far as teaching goes, we are teaching that family that we found through the long Facebook/ Del Taco story. They are super awesome. They read the Book of Mormon and understand it all. They are praying together to know if it is true, and all four of them (them and their two boys, the daughter attends the singles branch) came to all three hours of church. They're really cool. They loved it. This week we;re going to teach them about the Prophet and invite them to conference.

We taught a Fifth Sunday lesson yesterday. We used the June 23rd Broadcast and just told them what we need from them as a branch. I showed the Thomas S Monson clip and related his story of 6 missinoaries to what we have in the branch now. It was great.

In addition to the family that came to church, we also had both the main les active familes from our area (Each companionship got 2 families) came to church. Miracles!!!

So on Facebook a Mormon girl from Mexico added me and then suggested all her Mormon friends to me (over 100). I'm teaching a lot of people in Mexico and I'm getting better at writing in Spanish.

So I think that's it for the week. It was a busy week full of lots of door knocking and street contacting. Sorry that this letter wasn't full of interesting stories. I'll be looking for crazy things to happen so that I can tell you something funny. We're working hard for sure though.

We need your prayers to help us start finding people to teach! Every prayer helps. I love you!

Elder Foster

Week 31

So here we are in Fairfield, a new week, a new transfer, and a new companion! But to start off we'll go back to when Elder Lopez was still here on Tuesday night.

We ate with our Branch Missionary Food Coordinator. She's a recent convert, her husband was less active for a while and pretty much has the coolest conversion story (was confirmed the day before I got to Fairfield) but that is a story for another day! She made Carne Asada, which was delicious, like always, but then also made colte de camaron. It's like a giant mug, and it has shrimp and octopus in it, with a lot of liquid. It's like a cold soup. And then we put lime and avocados and pico de gallo and valentina in it, then eat it, then drink it. So that was kind of weird. But then literally 30 minutes after we ate we went to a less active's house, and she had made flautas for our appointment with her and we had to shove them down and I was literally about to throw up that night. I ate so much. And that night I was literally pn the toilet for 15 minutes. It wasn't the best day on the mission.

But then it was time to get out new comps! My new comp is Elder Wright. He's super cool. He is from Arizona. His Spanish could be better, we're working on memorizing conjugations, but it's ok! I'm patient, because I remember my Spanish and my trainer. He's very open and asks questions  I can tell he's going to be a great missionary, he's just a little hard on himself. Really humble though.

We had trouble finding people until yesterday night, where we found a family of 6 and left them a blessing and they accepted a return visit, found a less active I've been trying to contact for 3 months, and contacted like crazy! So all in all a good way to finish off the week.

It's been a sweet week! I'm excited to keep working here with Elder Wright!