Week 64 - Bennett Valley

Buenas tardes! 

This week was a great week! We will start off with a cool story from the week. We meet with our investigator named Juan! He's been coming to church and the noche de hogares since I got here kind of on his own and I'm glad I'm finally really getting to know him. He told us today a little bit about his story. He talked about how he was trying to get money from a bank one day and it just wasn't working out and it was pretty late at night and by an off chance he met a member here named Jesus that took him home and somewhere in the ride home invited him to church.

So he came because come to find out he had been looking around for a church. Things continue and he tells us that he wants to find a church to stay in and that he really likes our church.

He said his head gets full of random things sometimes but that every time he is at church or with us things are peaceful and calm. Yea then all 3 of us Hermanas threw out the words that that was his sign from God and that he was feeling the spirit.

He silently agreed and we talked about baptism and some of the commandments we have, he has some things coming up so he doesn't want to set a firm date which is fine. It's actually really cool when people do that because he said he doesn't want to promise something he can't keep so after some things pass later in the coming month he said we could find a date.

It's one of the coolest things to see how the Lord really does prepare people with all their experiences in life and how he makes these simple little things happen so that the gospel can enter their lives.

We also meet with some investigators who had so many questions about the plan of salvation and through the knowledge that we have with the gospel we were able to answer all their questions with simplicity.

It's such a comfort to know where we come from, why we are here, and where we are going after this life. It's a cool experience to be able to tell people that there is a plan and a purpose for everything and that in the end if we follow Christ through our actions and faith all will be well. 

We had a noche de hogar with the Ward and the missionaries were in charge of it and it went super well! We played a game with them so we set up obstacles all over the gym and we had a small rope throughout it all.

Before they got to the gym we blindfolded them and told them that if they ever needed help to raise their hand. Then in the gym some missionaries acted as the spirit and some as Satan, everything was in a whisper. Those of us that were “satan” went around trying to get people off the rope but when someone raised their hand we became the spirit and helped them back to the rope and gave them guidance. So raising their hand symbolized prayer.

At the end of the rope we told them they had made it and that they could either stay in the celestial kingdom or go and help their friends who were lost.

The game ended and we explained to the ward members there are people out there who are lost who don't even know there's a rope to follow and we need to find them. It was awesome the spirit was really there.

We also had women'sconference this week that was broadcast from Salt Lake to all the world. I wanted to touch on one thing that really struck me. The spirit for me was so strong during this meeting and I was so grateful for that, it's my favorite thing to feel of the spirit and I've learned how to on my mission.

But what hit me was how repetitive things have been recently on the simple things. It feels like every talk I listen to I hear the words scriptures and prayer. It is so important to do these two very simple things! They also talked about setting aside time for the things that are Holy. So, I invite you all to set aside specific time to study the scriptures and pray. If these two simple things are not in our daily schedule the spirit will not be able to stay with us. It's so important to learn more of the word of God and to talk with him daily and when we do those things we learn and the spirit in our hearts grows and we are strengthened.

I'm so grateful for this gospel and for all that I've learned and continue to learn, there are hard days but I want everyone to know about this gospel and the blessings that they can receive from it, because I've seen them countless times on my mission. The simple things are what matter most and if we do those we will be surprised at how much our testimony grows.

Love you all and hope you have a super bien semana! 

Hermana Foster

Santa Rosa District

Week 63 - Bennett Valley

¡Ahh qué tal mis amigos! 

This week things just keep moving! We are just trying to get to know the area right now. It's been really fun getting to know the area again and to be with Hermana Garcia and Hermana Broyles. I love them, it is another transition to be in a trio again haha but it's going good.

The Trio - Broyles, Foster, Garcia

We did have a service helping a family throw out stuff from their old chicken coops that were covered in poop. And afterwards they told us that we should probably not walk into our houses with our clothes or shoes on because where we had been working is where bed bugs form, so that was just fantastic. 

Be we did have a really awesome lesson with a seventeen-year old girl named Gigi. She is the daughter of a less active and wanted to know more about the church. So we went and we taught her the restoration. And ya know seventeen year olds now are really smart because I was thinking who knows where I was when I was seventeen, definitely not on top of things enough to want to learn more about a church, but Gigi just listened to the whole restoration and said she was really into it. She said that her mom and grandma had been in the church for so long. But they hadn't ever explained the whole thing. The lesson was so good and then at the end we asked her to pray, it took some convincing because she was nervous to do it in front of us but we explained it's just the feelings of her heart and waited for her to pray. It took some time but she finally did and my testimony of the power of prayer was strengthened so much.

When we pray we talk with our father in heaven and he hears all of those prayers and he definitely heard Gigi's. It was the simplest prayer that wasn't very formal but it was one that was so heartfelt. In the middle of the prayer as we all listened Gigi just started crying. She ended the prayer and was so confused as to why she was crying and apologized and we all almost lost it trying to tell her to not be sorry because that's the Lord telling her He is there and with her. The spirit was so strong and it was just a really cool moment. I was grateful to have been there to feel of the spirit and to see how much a simple prayer can touch someone's life. 

To end off I'll give a scripture that I love and I'll leave you to go look it up. :) 1 nephi: 21:16. I have such a strong testimony of the love Christ and our father in heaven how for is and how we can't even begin to comprehend it. Christ loves us enough to die for us and his love is demonstrated by the marks in his palms and wrists.

I love you all and hope you have a super bien semana. Till next week!

Que le vía bien,

Hermana Foster

Birthday Party

Hermana Soba

After a training session

Painted wall in Santa Rosa

Week 62 - Fairfield

Buenas tardes! 

Ok so this week has probably been the craziest week of my mission. Let's start out with the sad news so as you know I was companions with Hermana Bennett but some pretty crazy things have been going on with her and it was decided that the best decision for her would be to go home.

We had the best three days of my life together though. I love her with all my heart and she left for home on Saturday. So it was definitely a harder week but I know that this was the best decision for her and I also am so grateful because I know the spirit prepared me for this week before I knew what was going to happen.

Hermana Bennett

After talking with President Wright, it was decided that the best thing for me is to be transferred to Santa Rosa. So…I am now back in my very first area with Hermana Broyles and one of the best Hermana Garcia!

However the difference from when I was first here is that I can now understand and communicate with people! So it was awesome to actually talk to the ward. :) So I am excited to be here in Santa Rosa again in a trio. I already miss Hermana Bennett like crazy but it's all good because we have plans to party after the mission. I did say this week was crazy. I went from Novato to Fairfield, unpacked, then packed again, and I am now in Santa Rosa. 

With that being said not a ton of other things happened BUT we did get to have conferences with a member of the seventy Elder Schweitzer and his wife. They were SO amazing I wish I could just soak in everything they taught like a sponge and use it always.

I'll end off the email with only one of the things I learned when they were teaching. We talked a lot about the importance of repentance and how we can use this daily. Because Christ suffered and died for us we have the opportunity to repent of all of our sins! Repentance isn't just for major sins but for our everyday mistakes repentance changes us from good, better, and then best.

So because of Christ and the amazing sacrifice he performed for us we can daily kneel down and ask for forgiveness for the things that we did that weren't quite in line with the attributes of Christ. Christ is at the center of all and our purpose as missionaries is to testify of him and do all we can to help at least one person each day feel or the love their savior and father in heaven has for them.

And ok I can't resist, I'll add one more thought. This week I really learned about how individually our Heavenly Father knows and loves each of us. I had been learning more about it through the week and at the conference the spirit testified to me even more about it. He knows you and me and everyone and he has a perfect and I mean perfect plan for each of us that he will make sure happens. He knows what we need exactly when we need it and the love he has for us is unfathomable and infinite, we are blessed to have such knowledge. 

Well I hope you all had a fantastic week and that things were maybe a little less crazy on your end of things. :) I testify that this gospel is true and that Jospeh smith was a prophet called of God to translate the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have this knowledge and to have the opportunity to share it with all others that I can here in Northern California. Read the Book of Mormon this week and remember that the stories in it are precious and can be applied to each of our individual circumstances always.

Les quiero muchísimo, gracias por sus oraciones. Espero que pueden tener un buenísimo semana. 

Hermana Foster 

Sister Aiton and Elder Jones

Fairfield Relief Society

Fairfield Sisters

Hermana Garcia

Hermana Gudmundson (was one of Sam's companions that came back to SR for a visit)

sister Jeffery (Sam will be rooming with her at BYU-I)

Matson Family