Week 51 - San Rafael

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas!!

This week was a blast, don't think it was laid back because it was Christmas we were still pretty busy. We started exchanges for this transfer and I got to be with Sister Nelson! She is SO awesome, she will go home one transfer before me and is the funniest person ever. We had some of the best conversations about the spirit and missionary work. She taught me a lot of good points about always staying motivated, that the Lord gives us so much so this time we are giving really isn't that much in comparison so we need to soak up every second. We had some fun finding. Some doors were slammed but hey that makes things interesting. 

We also had a Christmas party with three other zones and president and sister wright in Santa Rosa this week. We got to watch the cartoon how the grinch stole Christmas and talked about how that relates to us as missionaries. This actually was a slower week because many people were gone for the holidays or busy with things. We were guided but the spirit to where to be when trying to carol on Christmas Eve. We went to downtown San Raf and Katie our investigator walked out of the Cold Stone nearby so we were able to really talk with her and it was so great. I'm ready to really get back into working this week especially with this Christmas spirit around.

To end off I wanted to talk about the spiritual message sister wright shared with us at the Christmas party. She gave us each a pinecone from the redwood oak trees here. Surprisingly their acorns are super tiny probably not bigger than the tip of one of my fingers. She gave us each one and in a little ball and talked about how great things come from the small and simple. These huge trees are grown from a tiny seed that rests in tiny tiny pinecones. It takes time and growth but they become so much bigger than anything around them. We can also compare to this Christ who was born into such simple circumstances and was raised as a simple carpenter. Who became the prince of peace the One we celebrate this season because he made EVERYTHING possible for us.

My testimony for Christ has exploded on my mission all we do and can accomplish is thanks to him so continue to remember him as we end this Christmas season. I testify that he lives, that he loves each one of us, and that he atoned for everything that will pass in this life. We can be clean through him and we can find eternal happiness only through him.

I love you and this gospel have a great week and hug your families, the greatest gift I could ever ask for was to see and hear my family and the little moment I had to talk to them was filled with the cheer of the season. It's a blessing that families can be together through this gospel. Love you all!! Feliz Navidad y pasan un buen tiempo con un Año Nuevo.

Les quiero

Hermana Foster

Christmas morning

Zone after white elephant gift exchange!

Hermana Soba

District

Zone

Chavez Family

Woodland Squad

FaceTime with family

FaceTiming with her cousins

Week 50 - San Rafael

I am a week late posting this one, sorry!  Todays email coming soon.

Hola!!

So this week was downright crazy. First off it was the worst thing ever to say goodbye to my companions and I just wanted to hang onto Hermana Soba forever, but she is in good hands as she is with Hermana Bennett.

Tuesday was a packed day, we got new companions and got lunch and then there was a lot of planning for things this transfer. Planning for our zone and for things for the Christmas party we are having next week. Many things had to be done in a little time haha, but it was good! 

Hermana Méndez is awesome! She has a big personality and laughs a lot, she will be fun to be with this transfer. I'm excited to get to know her more and more and work with her! There are many meetings this transfer but we are focusing this time around on new investigators, so I hope to really get working when we have time to! Find those people that are ready!

We also had MLC and then zone meeting this week. MLC (mission leadership council) was super awesome haha it's a long meeting but there is a lot to be learned! There were so many thing I loved. I especially loved when we talked about faith. Faith is something that is hard to define but it is one of the most powerful forces. It drives us to do what we do.

We were invited to ask each companionship to find 12 new investigators this transfer. Now for here in some area that's quite a lot of investigators, including our area I think we found 4 last transfer. But it was emphasized and talked about how if we really have faith and we really pray, we will. Now faith doesn't mean there isn't nerves or hard times it just means that we know the lord will provide what we need if we are doing out part. So I'm really excited for this transfer and excersizing faith. Because if we can have faith, we will.

So we meet with Jairo this week! We went into the lesson preparing to review the restoration with him. We got in and just started chatting with him and finding out how he was doing. He told us he had a question from the Book of Mormon so of course we asked him to share. Come to found out in a week he had read all the way to alma. He said he just liked reading it and we addressed that the calmness he felt while reading was the spirit. At this point in the lesson the spirit was screaming at both Hermana Mendez and I that we should invite him to baptism which was the last thing we thought we were going to do. But the spirit knows best and we did and he said yes!! For February 28th he said he wants to continue learning and will prepare. I don't think I stopped smiling for a good 24 hours. It was so cool to see how the spirit works and knows best and was so happy to hear someone say they believe in the power of the Book of Mormon and want to continue learning.

This transfer our zone decided that we are going to focus on LIGHT. It stands for live in Gods hope today. We are really focusing on finding the people the Lord has prepared to teach and by living in our hope or faith we are going to be able to see miracles and share this message about Christ with those who need it and are looking for it. Exciting things are going down in California. :)

We did get to have our branch Christmas party as well. It was Saturday night and was full of tamales, rice, pastel, and all that good stuff. Jairo came with his cousin! We walked in and he was already there it was so exciting! The kids are the cutest things in the world and they performed the nativity for us in Spanish and then as always afterwards there was music and dancing. I really love the Christmas season. 

That's about all for now. Enjoy this Christmas week!!! Hug your family and spend so much time with them! I love you all so much. FELIZ NAVIDAD.🎁 That's right, sometimes I speak Spanish. :)

Con mucho amor en este espoca,

Hermana Foster

Best friends, Hermana Bennett

District Bowling Party

Hermana Dorny and her new companion 

George

Mexican Santa

A trio no more :-(

Week 49 - San Rafael

Hola todos de mis amigos,

Espero que este semana fue bueno. 

Transfers are happening! I'm staying in san rafeal but both of my companions are sadly being taken from me. I wasn't expecting that one and I'm sad to see Hermana tribe and hermana soba go I feel like I just got Hermana soba and I wasn't ready for her to leave. I will be companions with Hermana Mendez now! I don't know her to well so it will be good to get to know her more!

This week we were able to visit with Jairo and right now are focusing on how When God is before everything all things will always fall into place. We also got to visit with a family for the first time this transfer! Nery and Paula, they are so awesome and we asked how we could help them and they said to come to their door at 8:30 to wake them up for church. We really got to know them during the lesson and showed the Christmas initiative which is so awesome people really relate with service and helping those around us. And let me tell you about how much I love Hermana soba. She's amazing and just so excited and wants to help everyone. She is so good at getting people to open up and I have much to learn from her about teaching and also having an immense amount of energy! I love how there is always something to learn and improve on, it keeps things interesting. 

This week sister Jeffrey and I got pretty sick, not sure what it was probably just some virus going around so there was some resting that was done. This was the first time I've been sick on my mission and it was awful I felt so bad keeping my companions inside, but I got the sleep that was needed so that was good. We did eat with the English elders one night and got an authentic Indian dinner which I had never had before so that was one to add to the experience journal. Fun fact they have a breath freshener after dinner that is like eating soap and flowers. 

For one of the service days this week we did go to a nursing home to carol and brought cookies. Little did we know we had found the nicest nursing home in Novato and they announced our "caroling group" over the loud speaker. But we had a lot of fun and everyone sang with us and asked us to come back at some point before Christmas. It was so happy and so great to talk with the people there and singing is always great.

We also did another service for the coast guards on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was pouring rain so they suited us up with rain gear and sent us out to pick up trash and do some weedinmg, it was a once in a lifetime experience. We were soaked but after we were wet it ended up being so fun, dirty, but fun and afterwards we got ourselves some in and out. 

Golden Gate Bridge service in the rain

Well that's about all for this week things are crazy as we get closer to Christmas. I hope this week was good for you all! Love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Que tengan un buenísimo semana!

Que le vía bien 

Hermana Foster

San Rafael District

Sam skyping into Miguel's baptism in Woodland