Week 39

Week 39! Those numbers are getting up!

Well, it was a good week! We taught the D. family about the temple and eternal marriage. They will be going there before 2014 to do baptisms. We are eating with them tonight. She makes the best food.

I heard you got pictures from service! That family is the Ls. We ate Posole with them, and it was probably the best posole I've eaten. Normally posole is really, really, really filling and feels like you've eaten a rock that sits in your stomach and makes you fat, but this posole was light and delicious, so I ate 2 bowls and probably got more fat. But oh well! I love Mexican food so much. I could eat it all day long. This morning Hermana F. made us beans, rice, and fried bananas for breakfast as we did our laundry. It was so great!

This week we did pick up a few investigators (2), but there was one story I wanted to share!

A few weeks ago we got a referral from some missionaries in Vacaville saying that they talked to a guy named W. They talked to him for like an hour, was supposedly really interested, and gave them his address. A few weeks ago we went to visit him, but we found this guy named O. at the address. When we asked for Winston, he made it seem like he had no idea who we were talking about. So we talked to him, he accepted us to come back. The week after we met a lady named M. over there, said she would be interested, told us to come back. Nothing too promising, but when you don't have to many investigators, you take what you can get! We had a meeting at 7, and finished dinner at 6, so we had an hour. We did some work, and were in the area of his house at like 6:50. We had 10 minutes before the meeting, and we knew that if we knocked, we would be late. On a scale of 1-10, I was like a 2 on how much I wanted to go to their house. But I decided that we would at least set up a return appointment since they lived far away and it wouldn't be worth it to drive out again. So we knocked, and I thought it was O., but it was indeed W!! Who did, in fact, live in that house, and who was, in fact, very interested in the Gospel! He even hugged us he was so happy to see us! So it was a great miracle. We will teach him soon!!!!

We are going to the temple this Wednesday! And not only just going, but we are being taken by Brother Amado (whose brother is a member of the first quorom of the 70), and who, wouldn't you know, just retired from being the head chief of security in the oakland temple for 23 years! He has some amazing, crazy, sacred stories. I'm so excited to go with him. As part of that trip, for the last week we've studied the Atonement every single day. It's been really great. I read chapter 3 of Jesus The Christ, and te part of the book from the last supper to the asencion of Jesus. It's been such a great week for studies!

We also had interviews with President. Mine was really good. I got to tell him a lot of stuff that has been weighing me down and it was super nice. He gave me some advice and it was a great experience. 

Also, for a funny story, last Monday I felt like garbage at like 7:30, so we went to Wal Mart, I bought some Nyquil Severe, and we went and had language study. I took some of the hardcore nyquil and sat down in my chair, and I was staring at the wall for about 10 minutes before I was out cold on my desk. But around Wednesday I started to feel pretty good again.

Well, thanks for all of the love and support! I miss you all and love you so much!

Elder Foster

Week 38

Ok so this week... Crazy stuff!

Well to start off we have an Elder in our branch that is a tool. He drives me nuts and tests my patience but pretty much he acted like a fool at a dinner, I got ticked, and all in all President Alba called all 5 of us and rebuked us. So I was ticked. So ticked. I was very frustrated. He called us to repentance, but when I prayed I didn't feel like I needed to repent for the dinner, only for being angry.

Speaking of anger, I found a cure to it kind of. Branch council usually makes me want to carve my spleen out with a rusted saw, but this time I found out a solution! I can just look at the picture of the Oakland Temple and not focus, and it all works out!!!

Also, while tracting, we went to a place called Chula Vista. So Elder Wright and I took some Chula pictures because we weren't having success.

We also ate tacos de lengua with a sweet Recent Convert. They were super good. Probably not as good as what you were eating, but it was good. Also speaking of being angry and food, I would have been angry if you guys had visited me!  So thank you for not doing it!

Ok so now, with the D. Family....

8 Months ago E. D. stopped drinking. He had a hard time, but ever since then he had felt the need to take his family back to church. He shared these feelings with his wife, but when she tried to take the family to a church he never felt like it was right. So he prayed to know what church was the true church of God.

About 3 months ago, Elder Camper talked to a girl in the street. Her name was B. D. A few days later, he went to add her on facebook, and narrowed it down to two people, so he added both. A few days/ weeks? later he went into Del Taco, where a young women (different than the one he had really communicated with) was working. The conversation is as follows

"I think you added me on Facebook"

"No, I don't think so"

"Your name is Elder Camper, I have you right here"

"Oh wow... that's strange"

"Yeah it is."

Then continued asking about why his name said Elder, about what he does, and so they continued talking on facebook.

Then Elder Camper came here, visited her with Elder Walker, and her mom was very interested as well. So they set up a return appointment with me and Elder Lopez. We taught them the Restoration, they started reading the Book of Mormon, the atonement changed their lives and here they are with a testimony!!!

There are many other influences on their decision to get baptized (miraculous Priesthood blessings, kids wanting to change, love of the feelings in Sacrament Meeting), but the most important part is now they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ!

I baptized the 14 year old and L.

You should have seen E.'s face when he came up out of the water. I cried. Definitely the best day of my life.

President Alba spoke at the Baptism, and the spirit was so strong. Afterwards I gave him a hug and told him "Thank you for keeping me here." He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said "Elder Foster, I was going to send you away. But The Lord knew that you loved this family and He kept you here." I loved it.

The Lord has prepared people! I love my mission. I was with them from the first lesson until the baptism. It was miraculous.

Best day of my life.

Well I love you guys and miss you! I hope all is well.

Elder Foster

Week 37

I would be lying if I said this week wasn't slow, but there were some good things that happened!

This morning, I had the opportunity to give a blessing to the mother of a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy! It was a good experience.

Last week, we also had the chance to give E. D. a blessing. He stopped drinking 8 months ago, but is still having side effects. He shakes and he gets anxious at work. He told us that after the blessing, he felt really calm, and the next morning he woke up very calm. Then he went to work, and he realized that he had been doing one of the jobs that makes him anxious without even feeling anxious! He says that he knows that the blessing helped, and his mother wants a blessing too.  They are also doing missionary work already! They have invited many friends to the baptism, and they want their friends to meet us so that we can teach them! Unfortunately, none of their friends live in our area, but they will be taught! They had their interview on Friday and they passed! During the interviews, since they were one at a time, we watched Mormon Messages. And while we were watching the video Temple Blessings El Salvador Temple (OR something like that. About the kids dancing and stuff) B., the mom, and the dad all teared up. I have no doubt that they will be sealed as soon as possible after their baptism. I am 100% sure that this family is the reason I was called to Fairfield. Next week, I will write the whole story front to back. Keep them in your prayers. They are the most prepared family.

Other than that... Not much happened this week. We are talking to tons of people on the street, but everyone in our area is white or black. So we pretty much just talk to black people in hopes that we will find Spanish people that live by them. No dice right now. We found a neighborhood on the map with a street called Chula Vista, and with a name like that, how could you now tract it??? We'll see how it looks. I sure hope it's chula.

I don't think I wrote it in my last email, but last Sunday I finished reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish. There is no doubt in my mind that it is true. I learned so much this time through. It has more power than any other book that I've read. I've seen it change the lives of the D family and of L. G. I know that the honest seeker of truth will find it in the Book of Mormon.

That's everything for this week!

Elder Foster