Week 45 - San Rafael

Querido mis amados hermanos,

Another week down and what a week it was!

Tuesday was a day of miracles for us. The Lord really worked his magic this day. We were able to contact a referral (Jaro) at the exact right time. Many things happened including our dinner being moved to an unusual later time for us to be in the right place at the right time. We also got the referral for Jaro from our zone leaders on Monday and then on Tuesday the Spanish Elders called us with the same exact one so we figured we might as well try it. And man did the spirit guide us to find his house.

His house was all the way down a dirt road tucked into this corner of trees. When we knocked Jaro answered the door and invited us immediately in. We sat down and started talking, he told us about eight years ago someone had invited him to church and he went but wasn't too interested but said that now he feels more prepared to learn and attend.

He thanked us so much for coming and continued to say that he hoped this wasn't the only time we would come. (Little did he know we were speechless on the inside and quite shocked) So we set a return appointment with him and he agreed to come to the día de la raza party at the church on Saturday and said he would try to be at church that week without us inviting him first. It was amazing and so cool! Nothing like that had ever happened in my mission before and it was a very shocking and happy thing! What a cool experience and how blessed we are that the Lord can micromanage our lives while still allowing us to have agency.

I also got to do exchanges with sister Waite who is so awesome! So I got to be in Petaluma for a bit this week. We were able to visit with the sweetest people and talk a lot about Christ. There's nothing better to talk about!

There was a Book of Mormon class with some members that I just loved.

A member there made the coolest connection as she compared Joseph Smiths experience with the Angel Moroni to Moses experience with God. How exhausted he was and how spiritually uplifted as well. Then she talked about how the witnesses were so excited to touch the plates of gold and compared it to when the people were so excited to touch Christ after his resurrection. She was so cool and just so excited about the gospel and it inspired me.

She talked about how when she converted she felt herself walk into the kingdom of god and that nothing else mattered but that.

Nobody needs to freak out about if a Democrat or Republican is president because those are the kingdoms of the world and we belong to the kingdom of God. What a great blessing we have!

She had such an excitement and love for the gospel and her savior that was inspiring. But it was great to do exchanges and Sister Waite is such an awesome missionary that I was able to learn a lot from, she is always always happy, positive, and laughing and it's infectious.

For a funny story right before we went in for the night we tried to heart attack a family and it dramatically failed when the son opened the garage and walked out to get something... it was an experience.

We also had día de la raza, it was an international party that is held every year where everyone brings food from their country and things. There was food from all kinds of countries. El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, México (of course), Russia, Italy, Tonga, Fiji and some others. It was so fun and there were so many different types of food that were so yummy. There was also a talent show and there were some Tongan dances and many Hispanic dances and little kids did things. The eight missionaries from the branch and ward also did a little performance and whether it was good or not we may never know. But the party was really fun and there were tons and tons of people there. 

The Cultural Hall decorated for the día de la raza

For a little spiritual thought here is a quote I read this week! "Christ and his Atonement are standing in the wings, anxiously waiting to be summoned, the question is not whether the savior paid the purchase price - he did - but whether we are willing to avail ourselves of his sacrifice by repenting." I've probably talked about Christ and his atonement a lot in my emails but it's what I'm studying right now and I LOVE it so much. Some of my favorite points I studied this week are:

•       There was no partial drinking of the cup, no selective discrimination in absorbing certain sins and not others; he would take upon him the sins of the whole world. Nothing would be left on the table.

•       The atonement can open the door to Godhood if we will but turn the key.

•       It also talked about the sons of perdition. I'd always wondered what if there was a spirit that walked out and immediately regretted it. Is it fair that the atonement doesn't extend to them for repentance? But the Book talks about it and really they knew everything, like everything. Every one of that one third knew the ENTIRE plan and knew that no matter what, no matter what fear they had, no matter what happiness they had, no matter what choice they made or what sin they committed. If they only choose to follow Christ everything would be taken care of. Literally everything, the atonement gives us basically an ultimate amount of chances to repent and they knew that and still choose to walk away. Really as long as we choose to accept Christ, the plan of salvation is proof that with Christ we are saved. I also imagine we didn't let them walk out of heaven easy it must have been that we sat and pleaded with them to not leave because we knew the consequences that were ahead, but they used their agency as we are using ours. 

So just always remember Christ is there in literally EVERYTHING and all things he wants to help and heal!

I hope you all had a fantastic week! Love you all!

Les quiero,

Hermana Foster