Week 56

Happy birthday Day! I'm sorry you can't have corned beef and cabbage, but I'll let you know next week what I eat. As far as the Mexican life here, the best thing I ate was probably homemade pico de gallo. You can't beat it. Also, fresh horchata twice which was awesome. I also ate like the last three inches of a Serrano (the hottest part) just to show off. It was hot, but sabes que, I didn't even shed a tear.

Our first full proselyting week of the transfer! It's been a good week. Working hard, hitting the pavement, and pounding doors. We found a really cool new family, the V. family. They have a 7 year old daughter named Alejandra. She hardly speaks English since they just barely came from Mexico, and the parents on,y speak Spanish. They're looking for a church to go to! He has a lot of questions about the trinity and Saints and stuff, but they're looking pretty good. We are working pretty close with this young, unmarried couple that has a baby. They're pretty cool. So pretty much with them and Veronica, we have three people that we're teaching in English. But the rest is pretty much all Spanish. And Elder Teran and I talk in Spanish all the time. It's super nice having a companion I can actually talk to in the mission language.

We had Stake Conference yesterday. President Cuvulier extended and ivitation to all the members
1- invite a less active member or non member to come to church, an activity, nconference, or a baptism etc.
2- perform a temple ordinance for a deceased relative
Both of these can be done by all four of you guys! So get to work and go do it!

Also, thank you so much for the Girl Scout cookies! Samoas are the best. I remember eating them in the MTC, which I can't even believe was a year ago. Time flies.

I had to translate in stake conference. I translated one talk Saturday night, and a different talk Sunday. You know how they always talk about how right when they needed it, the gift of tongues came and they spoke perfectly? Yeah, not Saturday night. It was awful. I was so nervous and forgot all of my Spanish, I swear. The guy who was in charge of tech looked at me like I had an IQ of .008. But on Sunday it was way better. I just closed my eyes, listened to the talk, and said what he said but in Spanish. Way better on Sunday.
Everyone told me I did a way good job.

So things are good! The mission is going great. One of the things that I loved studying was on page 32 of the Spanish Preach My Gospel it talks about Ammon and Aaron teaching about God. I compared how they did it to what Preach My Gospel says in the God Is Our Loving Heavenly Father principle. It was a great study. You guys told me you were going to be studying it. How is that going?
Keep reading and praying!  Love, Elder Mufosta


Love,
Elder Foster

Week 55

First week into the new transfer! And I have got to say, it was a good week. To start off, Elder Contla and Elder Fonseca had to go to Santa Rosa Tuesday since Elder Contla is training. Well, Tuesday night, I get a phone call from their phone and I answer and it says "Que hubole guero!!!" And I was like hey Elder Contla, what's up? And then the person on the phone says "puchika papichulo! You don't know who this is?" And it was Elder Wright! Elder Fonseca stayed with him that night. So I got to talk to him for about 15 minutes. I love that kid. He told me I was his favorite companion, and it was just good to talk. He and I have a solid relationship even though there were some hard times.

Then the next day I went to Davis with Elder Boswell while I was waiting for my comp. we went to this apartment complex looking for a member, but we didn't know where he lived. So we knocked around and then decided to ask the manager. Well, as we were talking to the manager, the phone rang and she put it on speaker. "Hello, this is Sheila from apartment 26 calling."
"How can I help you Sheila?"
"Well, there were just some Jehovah's Witnesses knocking at my door."
"I think they're Mormons."
"Well I wanted to know what the policy is for soliciting here."
"There's no soliciting, but they're not selling anything."
"Well they want my time, that's something."
"What exactly do you want me to do? They're not breaking the law, they're only ministering."
"Ummmmmm well I just wanted to know the policy on soliciting, thanks."
So yeah, I'm pretty sure that one day that nice manager lady will get baptized.

Ok also, while in Davis, I received revelation. So when explaining what exactly missionaries do to E, she was confused at why our missions are just converting people instead of building houses or schools like other Christian churches do. Well, I kind of wondered that as well. But then, I realizes something. Read John 6:46-58. What other churches (and ours too) do is humanitarian work. And that is awesome, but also temporal. Those things go away. It is mana, which is temporarily satisfying. But the bread that we offer as missionaries is the bread of life. Does that make sense?

Ok and now for my companion- he's awesome. He is from Southern California, but originally from Puebla, Puebla. He kind of talks like a cholo in Spanish, but it's cool. He actually teaches. He actually contacts. He does what he's supposed to do and I don't have to drag him around like some puppy. He's humble (well, at least he doesn't say things like "I would be a great District Leader") and all around just a funny guy. We get along very well. And also, on Saturday, a less active invited us over for Menudo. So I ate menudo. It wasn't bad, but I'd still rather have posole. I guess most restaurants make it pretty poorly. If the tripe is cut up small it's supposedly better. But anyway, he's awesome and we get along really well. I like his work ethic and he still has fun, which is awesome. 

The branch is good. We do have a lot of member support. And.... a few problems with the branch president. Over stuff like getting a Gospel Principles class started. But we went out with our branch missionary and Joel Rodriguez. I'm, trying to work more closely with the members. So trying to get solid appointments to have members come out is great. 

Well, that's it for the week. Just contacting, tracting and teaching. A good week! Love you and miss you guys.
Elder Foster

 

is that kind of what you want? 

Week 54

Well here it is! We received transfer doctrine on Friday. I'm staying here in Woodland! My companion will be Elder Teran. When I was in Napa, he was serving in Sonoma. I know who he is, but I don't really know him too well since Sonoma was pretty separated from Napa in that zone. He is from Mexico, but he came out here from LA. He's been out the exact same time as me, but he went into the field when I went into the MTC. Right now he's coming from my old area in Napa. I'm way stoked, I didn't think I was going to have a Native. He will be co-district leader with me. Most people say we will get along. Elder Fonseca, unfortunately, is leaving. He's going to Roernart Park (it's spelled wrong) to be able to be closer to doctors for his back. Elder Contla will be a district leader and trainer here. Hopefully his greenie is cool. Because even with my comp problems I have never been such close friends with the Elders from my pad. I'm thinking it should still be great next transfer. Outside of the zone but in the branch, Hermana Billat is coming to Davis! I'm super stoked. She's one of my best friends in the mission. Hermana Witt is leaving Woodland, and Hermana Thompson will be training. Hermana LeMmon (not from the branch, but serving in the Spanish group in Dixon) is going to Fairfield and she is taking a letter to the Diaz family from me. The only bummer is now that Hermana Fernandez from Spain is no longer in my district, I have a different set of Hermanas though. One of them is Hermana Cornwall, who I served with my last transfer in Fairfield!

It's been rainy here. Despite my companion's complaints, we are going out walking in the rain a lot. Because biking in the rain isn't fun, and plus, if you pros walk/ knock doors in the rain, it makes your future wife lose weight. Which is something I need, because in the course of my mission, she has gained some weight from all of the copies of the Book of Mormon that I have dropped. Whoever she is has been dropping copies of the Book of Mormon as well though... But it does break the Spanish people's hearts to see the missionaries all wet and trying to talk about Jesus, so they are a lot more open in the rain.

On Friday night, driving back from Happy Hot Dog ( have I explained this?) the four of us get a text from the NOAA that said there was a tornado and to seek shelter. So we weren't sure what to do. We called President, and he told us to be safe, and head in for the night, but to make it productive. So, naturally, we called all of our people, then had language study while we made planner covers. I'll send a picture of mine.

Every other Wednesday we eat with a family in Esparto called the Lopez family. My seat (that I assigned to myself) has a view of the tv. Two weeks ago, I saw the first hour of Finding Nemo in Spanish. This week, I saw the second half. And then got beat up by their grandson, Thomas. He's hilarious. And violent. He's like three, I told him "Elder Contla quiere pelear" so he rips off his jacket, throws it down, and starts attacking him. Super funny.

Joel, the one from Mexico who served a mission and is getting married comes up to me Sunday and says "See Elder Foster? We are brothers. We both speak spanish and we are white!" Even though he's Mexican. He's an awesome member. We have a lesson planned that he is coming to tonight. 

Well, as far as this week goes, it's been going well for teaching! We are actually teaching two different people in English, which is actually quite a challenge. They all want to come to the Spanish branch since they are friends or family with people from the branch, we just teach them in English. It's fun! One of the people we are teaching is Veronica. She is super cool, like 23 years old. She told us this last time that all 3 of her brothers are in jail. It's super sad. She really needs the gospel. She works on Sunday, but will be trying to get work off. We have picked up some other new people this week. I feel like the area is about to explode.

Well, that's probably it for the week. I'll let you know all about transfers and how they are work out and I will let you know all about my new comp and the new greenie that we will be living with.

I love you guys! I miss you. Have a wonderful week! Keep reading and praying.
Elder Foster