Week 8 - Bennett Valley, Santa Rosa

Hola todos,

So this week I had my first companion exchange on Wednesday and Thursday and I spent the time with Hermana Rosas and Hermana Campbell, they are super fun!

We got to do some service and prepared boxes of food from the food bank for a neighborhood and delivered them. It was really fun to meet everyone and their cute kids and be able to practice Spanish with a few people!

Sam's Mission President, President and Sister Wright

We also meet a guy who really wanted to Bible bash and had quiet a lot to say about how Joseph's Smiths foundation is all wrong.  So that was fun to listen to and try to nicely get away from.

I was also able to teach a lesson with an investigator who is going to be baptized! His name is Eric and he is so awesome! He is getting baptized in the ocean in two weeks and he told us that he wants to have colors for his baptism.  His colors are teal and white so we need to go shopping for flowers and wear things those colors. 

This week we also taught Yuri and her family again! Her and her husband really absorbed learning about the Plan of Salvation as well super curious about repentance and agreed to be baptized sometime in March with further investigation!

We also taught their kids in English and Lizbani their 13 year old took the first lesson so well and told her mom that she wanted to get baptized.  It was a super cool experience and the spirit was definitely in the lesson which was super awesome because man is it the actual teacher of this all. Nothing would be accomplished if it weren't for the spirit!

Every Thursday is kinda of our service day so we do meals on wheels and the food bank and those are always fun! Something else random and fun is that we taught our recent convert Angels little sisters. They are so cute but can't really say my name so they now refer to me as Hermana Frosty.

Side note for the music peeps on this email haha there are a few, don't take for granted the rest of the time you have in choirs, rehearsals, and performances because man oh man do I miss it! It's weird hearing a choir sing and not being in it so enjoy enjoy!! Ok that was random but anyway it has been found out that I like to sing which is totally fine. 

I was asked to sing at a baptism that was yesterday and am singing at a baptism that's this Saturday as well! All in Spanish of course but it's super fun and I love it so much!

Anyway this week has been a pretty good week and it is cool to look and see how much the Lord's hand is in all of our lives! So many blessings each day have come from him and miracles as well! I testify that God loves us each individually so much and looks at us each day and blesses us with the things he sees fit to bless us with in that moment. I also know that trials are sent to us to help us grow and that our Savior knows all the worries struggles and pains we go through.  We can look to him in ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. This gospel is so true and the Book of Mormon is the key to the fullness of Christ's gospel and I know that. I hope you all are doing so well, I miss you and am learning so much here on the mish! Here's till next week!

Tienen muy bueno semana

Con amor

Hermana Foster

PS - Most of you know that Hermana's Burton and Foster were next door neighbors from birth to about 11 years old.  I found some pictures of when they were little, enjoy!!!

Week 7 - Bennett Valley, Santa Rosa

Hola!

Hermanas Foster and Burton

It's my first week in Santa Rosa and wow so much has already happened! My trainer is Hermana Burton!! (Super small world since when I lived in Utah we were actually neighbors so really cool we are together) I'm serving this transfer in Bennett Valley. Santa Rosa is absolutely beautiful! Like so so so pretty and the people we have seen are super nice so far! 

Wednesday night we ate dinner at Hermana Magnas house with three other Hermanas. The fun part is that she has this plant that is on a desk in her kitchen but it grows up and EVERYWHERE! It goes up the wall and she has nails in the wall and all over the ceilings of her house that guide the vines where she wants them to go! But dinner was good, she had a cute dog, and I probably understood maybe 25% of what was being said. Super bien. It's also rainy season here so it randomly just rains pretty hard which is super fun when you are trying to walk places and such.

On Thursday we taught our new investigator Yuri and her family the restoration and it was so great! They totally absorbed the lesson and basically said yes to baptism and asked us to come back again and teach their kids in English! The spirit was super strong right when we got there and the Lord has definitely been preparing them and watching the spirit work in them was such a cool thing! And I'm actually communicating I'm Spanish! Whhaaat!!! And I don't sound totally gringa thanks to choir! Whoop whoop! 

Alma

Anyway that night we went to a house with some recent converts and a girl named Alma in sixth grade was there so we read the children's Book of Mormon with her and helped with her homework for quiet a while.   That was really good and she is so sweet and nice.  She said the closing prayer and that helped me feel the spirit more and remember why I'm here. 

We are teaching a guy named Sebastian, he is 13 and his mom is a LDS but is having us teach him the lessons and he is the absolute cutest! He is so so receptive and cute and is so excited when we bring him pamphlets! 

This week has been cool seeing all over Santa Rosa but it's been really tough it's definitely a hard adjustment.   One of the most powerful things is hearing the prayers of the kids here, they have the spirit with them so much and give an excitement to the gospel that nobody else can! I love it and them so much! It's crazy how much love you can have for people so quickly. 

We also did meals on wheels and went to the food bank and that was really fun.   They played Van Halen over the intercom too so that was a plus.

This week we also got to have a mission conference with one of the seventy! Brother Hamula and his wife were here and both spoke and trained and it was awesome! Their talks were so great!   Two things that really stuck out to me was when they talked about how you can't teach anything in this gospel without love.  The other was when they talked about how small and simple things are what bring the great things to pass, the little things make the difference between a good performance and a miraculous one. 

So yea it's been a stressful week but I have already learned SO much and the members here feed us super well which is both a good and bad thing. We ate at one members house and I'm going to have to get used to spicy food.  My mouth was on fire! But it's ok the rice and beans are bueno for sure and they have those for days.

Anyway I'm ready to see how settling into missionary life is and so excited to see the Lords hand as he helps us! Love you all so much and miss you!

Con amor

Hermana Foster

P.S if you wanted to know corn ice cream or elote is soo good!

The view from their apartment

Week 6 - CCM (Adios MTC)

Hola Todos!

So normally I email on Tuesdays but I LEAVE FOR SANTA ROSA TOMORROW! Therefore I get to send my emails today! Ahh I am so excited! All of the Elders and some of the Hermanas in my district left this morning for their missions so last night was really sad and today is just depressing in class seeing all the empty seats. I got so close to my district so it is really really weird to think I won't be seeing them for a quiet a long time! But it is okay because at the break of dawn I get to see real people and eat not MTC food!! YAY!!

Wow I can't explain how excited I am to be able to finally go out into the field! I have to leave for the airport at like 4:30 a.m but oh well!

I know that the Spanish will probably be rough for a while as I am trying to really get the hang of it but super excited to start working as an actual missionary for Christ! It will be a shorter email today not much has happened at all this week. Just finalizing things and packing everything up! Most of the people I have become really good friends with have already left for their missions so today is a weird kinda anxious day! 

Anyway super short but I just want to bear my testimony that I know this church is true! The past 6 weeks have been hard but I can just feel that it is all going to be worth it! Pretty much everyday when I get an overwhelming feeling that being here is right for me and that my savior loves me and is with me! I thank you all again for your letters and packages and emails! I love them so much! I testify the savior is in every single details of our lives and I testify that God answers our prayers! If there is one thing I have learned here it is those two things for sure! The Book of Mormon is amazing and a guide for all of us today! 

I love you and hope you are doing fantastic! There will be more to come next week as I have my first week in Santa Rosa! Being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

Con Amor

Hermana Foster

High 4-ing with Elder Bigelow

District Elders

District Hermanas

Week 5 - CTM

Hola Amigos,

Only one week left in the MTC! WHAT?! I got my flight plans to go to California and I fly out a week from today! 

This week was the same as all weeks mostly but I did sing at the welcome for the new missionaries it was a combination of songs! Mi amiga composed the piece for the piano and I added in the words! It included Come Thou Fount, Army of Heleman, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, and Called to Serve. It was really fun to be singing again I missed it more than I thought! 

This week we had our last lesson with our investigator Hely. She is so sweet and kind and it was muy triste to say goodbye but esta bien we gave her our emails in case she has more questions! It's crazy how much love you can develop for someone you teach in such a short time but again this gave me a piece of what the field is going to be like! Muy muy animada!! It's getting real that I'm finally actually going to California! I am so excited to leave the MTC and start doing things.  I'm really sad to leave my district and the super great friends I have made here but I am ready to go out and get into real missionary mode! 

I'm sure my emails will probably get more entertaining as I enter the mission field. I'm super ready to not sit in a class all day long! 

Anyway not much happened this week more to come as I hit Santa Rosa! I just know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and is ALWAYS there and we can feel of His love for us if we only simply ask and that is such an amazing gift! I love you all so much and your letters continue to make me happy! You all rock and I pray you are all doing amazing! Yo testifico la iglesia es verdadera y jesucristo es nuestras salvador. Just a little Spanish for you all so you know I'm actually accomplishing things ;) Love you all!

Con Amor

Hermana Foster

Week 4 - CCM

HOLA!

This week has been fun and it's my last week of spanglish, this week no english is allowed. Not fun!

But anyway my companion and I were able to have a really cool experience while teaching our investigator Mika. We were going to teach him about the atonement and walking in we could tell something was wrong but we started the lesson off good. All the sudden my companion looked at me and was like we are going to teach you about families today instead of what we had planned. Which was terrifying because my friends, we don't know Spanish and are teaching a lesson in Spanish!  It's nice to have some notes to refer to if your investigator is talking and you have NO IDEA what they are saying.

I was startled at first but the spirit reassured me she was doing good so I followed and we ended up talking about Nephi and how his family wasn't perfect but that Nephi always had faith and things worked out okay.  Mika totally started crying and the spirit was so strong. Such a cool experience! 

Also this week our zone set up a basketball bracket and we had a tournament and turns out everyone I'm actually not half bad.  People were quiet surprised but then I jammed my thumb.. now it's swollen and purple but who cares I'm a baller.

We also taught Hely this week and talked about the spirit and she totally felt it during the lesson and it was awesome.  It helped me remember why I am here because this is for sure the hardest thing I have ever done. 

Also it never stops snowing here, todos nieve. 

Sidenote my companion had a mini breakdown during our study time and it is absolutely completely hilarious to watch Elders try and figure out: A. what is happening and B. what they should do. There were literally tears falling from my eyes I was laughing so hard.

For a good 2 hours our district had a conversation about what everyone's spouse is going to be like. And apparently my husband will be brunette and have a soft round face (whatever that means).  At dinner parties or things he will be kinda reserved until the perfect moment when we will say the joke of the night but we will also always be able to look at each other and laugh to ourselves when someone says something inappropriate (that's actually true).

I sang "come thou fount of every blessing" in sacrament meeting this week to my surprise I might add, but esta bien I love that song.  Music brings so much spirit to things.  Honestly I wish I could sing people the lessons and that would bring the spirit real quick and it would be grand! 

Update it's still snowing!

Two weeks till Santa Rosa everyone!!! Crazy crazy! I'll probably be getting my flight plans this week. Super exciting but also nerve racking, I'm excited to see what the field is like! 

Fun story, my companion had to go get a CT scan this week so we got taken off the MTC campus and it was SO weird, everyone I looked at wasn't a missionary. Not gunna lie, it was fantastic to see civilization. But all is good and my companion will be good as well! Priesthood blessings work wonders! 

This week will mark 1 month as a missionary! I love you all and pray you are doing well! If any of you have questions feel free to email me I'm here every Tuesday :) I know this church is true and that Jesus Christ suffered for all of our sins so we could return to live with him and that is such a beautiful thing!

Tenemos bueno semana!

Te amo,

Hermana Foster