Zone Conference

(note from mom...Sister Foster and Sister Johnston just got word this morning that they are together in Austin at least one more transfer :) they are very happy about that!)

Elder Hamula: Having one of the 70 come to the mission and talk to you is truly amazing. He was here for 3 days, Stake Conference and talking with the Missionaries, he even did a Fireside for people investigating the church, recent converts, and less active members. We heard that was amazing. I learned that I need to cast away my weapon of rebellion, whatever is holding me back, and go all in into this work that He called me to do.

R: R. is this sweet lady that Sister Hansen and I contacted. She was going to church with her daughter who joined the church 8 years ago in College Station. She is planned to be baptized on the 22nd of November :) She went to Church yesterday, which was her main fear that she won't be able to get through those doors, and had a rough experience. Only a couple of people went out of their way to say hi and introduce themselves. I was talking with her during Gospel Principles and she said she liked the other ward better. I told her that it just takes time to love this ward, but eventually she will...inside I was about to cry. Thankfully, a sister in the ward talked to R and gave her a little talking to about how different our ward is. She was so sweet, and the perfect fellowship for her.

We need to finish teaching her the 4th and 5th lessons, and her smoking addiction, but I really hope she will grow to love this ward as much as her last one.

K: K. is doing well, she has a smoking problem...but is overcoming it by herself. We taught her the WoW and she was really questioning the coffee...the women loves coffee. We have her scheduled for 5th of November, but we are going to be meeting with her to see if we will be able to make it to that day or if we need to push it a week back...hopefully not!

She came to church! I sat with her during Sacrament meeting and she was really embarrassed to sing because she doesn't have a great singing voice, I told her I can sing it for her:) I think she got a lot out of that meeting...I hope. She is like a big mama bear, she takes care of me and Sister Johnston.

So therapy went well...enough said.

Riverside District: My district is so awesome!!!! I have never thought missionary work can be so great, until I meet with all the other Elders and Sisters in this group, and I think " How Lucky am I to be friends with all these other missionaries." We do pretty much every p-day together. So much fun!!! Mom has pictures that I sent.

I love you all, and sorry it wasn't as long...

Please write me...letters are great!

Love,

Sister Foster

Shout out to Lexi: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                             P-Day pumpkin carving activity for our district

                                       The oven broke when I was making dinner. Like BROKE.

                                    Zone Conference picture of the sisters in our district

                       They have In-n-Out in Texas...I repeat, They have In-n-Out in Texas!!!!!!

 

Stop Looking at my legs!!!

That annoying part of your day when you are exhausted and all of the appointments that you had all mentioned how bad your legs are. I. Get. It! My legs, if you do not know, are scarred and covered with bug bites. I am literally scarred for life. One of the souveniers I am bringing back from Texas  :(

Funny Moment: We set up an appointment with a lady we knocked into. Came back that day we set up, and she wasn't home. Went to see a Less-Active member, only to realize that she was the same lady...Funniest thing EVER!

This has been a really slow week, we haven't really had all that many lessons. Sister Johnston and I really need to find that common ground where we agree on the goals that we want for this area. We also had a real talk about why I am afraid to put in my input. The reason why I don't talk that much or melt into the background is because I was comfortable there. I hate putting my thoughts out in the open because they aren't smart enough, or spiritually enlightening. I have had a real problem of people calling my idea's stupid or dumb in the past, and I have grown just not to say anything. Because of that, it is really hard for me to speak what I am saying. I can honestly relate to Moses when he said that he could not speak to these people because of his speech. I am trying, with the Lord's help, to be bold...I just keep telling my companion to have patience with me, because I am trying to develop this for myself.

I moved to my new apartment...don't know whether or not to be happy or sad about this. Happy, because we get more room...Sad, because we aren't living with the other sisters anymore. It was really fun to talk to them how our day went and how our area is doing. The address is the same, just apt 605 instead.

Stake Conference

Elder James J. Hamula from the Quorum of the 70 came to the Oak Hill Stake! He spoke in General Conference about the Sacrament. We went to the Saturday evening session and saw J and K with S(the dad who is the member). Her main concern is not knowing the gospel as well as she wants to, and how she wants to go to the Temple. he talked about how to make the Temple a priority. YAY!!!!! I hope she got something out of the meeting.

Funny Quotes from the people of Austin

• "Can I be Mormon and Christian at the same time?"--K
• "Ya, I guess I like you...sure I'll marry you...but I really wanted to go on a mission!"--Sister Hanson
• "P, we can get you a big book(scriptures). I had a big book, it is nothing to be ashamed of."--M

I swear that Sister Johnston knows EVERYBODY! Twice during dinners the phrase "Do you know...No Way, Yes!!" came up...
We are now to 12 people in our District. Elder Muhlestien went home for knee surgery, again. He tore something in the knee they operated on while playing soccer a couple of weeks ago. We became really good friends because he lives in South Jordan and I lived in West Jordan (Bingham and Copper Hills rivalries serving together). It was sad to see him go, and we were supposed to go home the exact same day...not anymore. It was a sad day indeed. Keep him in your prayers as he goes through this...he may have to have surgery.
Hope y'all have a good week, and that you keep me in your prayers...
Love,
Sister Foster

            Sister Johnston and I messing with the extras on my camera, in honor of Halloween!

              Our District after district meeting. Apparently Cookies make elders really happy

                            Working the cotton candy machine at the ward party Friday night

                                          Saying goodbye to Elder Muhlstein

Columbus didn't discover America...

Haha, actually, it was Ether and his Brother...Conversation this morning while cleaning the Sister's apartment. Another Monday holiday for me to dread next year as I write my weekly email in the church building's family history center. Usually I write at the office they have at our apartment complex. Here, it is where the rest of our District emails, and they have set times to write or else it would be chaos! Because we had a late start, our schedule was messed up. We got to see our Zone leaders at HEB (which was weird seeing other missionaries at the grocery store)..

Investigators

K: K contacted us a couple of weeks ago, and finally got to teach her last Monday. She is super sweet, and can talk 50 words a minute. She found out about the church from her friend who is Mormon.She has known about it for about 7 years, and has decided to become one. She was working on Word of Wisdom on her own before we even met with her, and she wants to do this for herself. She told us that she met with some missionaries in Florida and fed them for sometime, but then she moved and wanted to know where she would go. We saw her Monday last week and dinner with her. We taught her the Restoration and she kept going off on her own side comments, but she knew what was being taught. The most amazing moment was when I asked her to be baptized, she just put her hand over her heart and said "I can be a member of your church this fast? I thought it was going to take years!" YES!!!! SHE SAID YES!!!!!! We are actually meeting with her tonight for dinner and Plan of Salvation:) I am over the moon excited for her!

P: P is a little harder to write about this week. We have not been able to meet with him all this week because we either could not get a member present or he was working at those times. We finally saw him on Sunday. He sat next to us during Sacrament Meeting, which was Fast Sunday, and we talked about how his job hunt was going( he wanted a closer job) and he told us that they looked at his record, which was always tough for him...Red Flag. After church, he told us that he actually wanted to bear his testimony, but was afraid to. We understood, but encouraged him to next time if he felt the Spirit. We got to teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and during that lesson we discovered that he was on Parole. My. Heart. Dropped. This changes everything now. We pretty much put GoJC on hold and had to explain to him that because he was on Parole, he won't be able to be baptized on the 18th or anytime soon. P was devastated. I have never seen tears form that fast than in that moment. We continued the lesson, but he wasn't into it as much as he was before. I cried the moment I walked into our apartment after church. I pray this doesn't affect his Faith in the church and that he will continue to learn.


Funny Moments

-We had dinner at a members home, and this couple has a 2 year old daughter named D. She is currently potty training. When we were sharing the spiritual thought, she came out of the bathroom with ONLY her shirt on yelling "I went pee-pee!!!". Later, when Sister Johnston used the bathroom, she came out and D started clapping for Sister Johnston and said "yay". So funny!!!!
-Sister Johnston was REALLY tired one day and gradually went through a red light. Me, of course, sat in the passengers seat freaking out saying "What the heck! Did you know you just went through a red light?" She saw the light beyond ours turn green and thought that was our light...I made sure she got to bed on time that night.
-A woman, that was a potential for Sister Hansen, invited us over for lunch and a lesson. I heard the F*** and S*** word used repeatedly for about an hour. It was just funny to see both mine and Sister Johnston's face after we left her house. We burst out laughing in the car.

-Living in an apartment full of women this week isn't as fun as we thought it would be...too much estrogen!!!

The Experience

Since I have been here, I have noticed that I am starting to take notice between the members home and the investigators home. I notice that Happiness from the Gospel, that type of happiness in my home in Utah. That peace and love from the Savior and the truth that this is the True Church. I want that Happiness in every home, including my future home. We have had more lessons taught this last week, so that means more people are being prepared to have that happiness in their lives, even if they don't think they are ready.
Help the missionaries in your ward, they need the help from the members because it is all of our responsibility to bring those lost sheep back to our Shepherd. I know that this is The True Church of Jesus Christ, that Joseph Smith helped to restore back to this dispensation and that we have a living prophet on the earth today. I sustain President Thomas S. Monson as the prophet called by God. I know the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and with it and the Bible, we have the fulness of the gospel.

I love you all so much, and would love to hear from y'all!!!
Sister Foster

                                                 Our district playing soccer last P-day

Why do Missionaries hoard so much stuff???

Sister Johnston and I moved! We originally moved 2 weeks ago, but kept our old mailing address because they told us we would be moving back soon, then to another room. It has only been 2 months, and I am considering either sending stuff home that I DO NOT need or buy organizers for my suitcases...AHHHHHHHH. We are now an apartment of 5 girls...yep, it feels like college all over again. Don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing...

Conference: That was amazing!!!!! I have never felt more excited to be a missionary whenever someone would mention the missionaries. To think that I am part of the 88,000 missionaries out in the world serving The Lord and helping everyone 'Come to Christ'. Gives me chills just thinking about it. I got a lot of notes out of this meeting. Either it had to apply to myself as a missionary, as a future mother, or thinking about how it can apply to certain investigators. I think my favorite one would have to be either Elder Bednar's addressing to the nonmembers of the world who are curious on why we are sharing this wonderful message of The Restoration of Jesus Christ's Church or Elder Robbins talk on which way do we face. Do we fear judgement of man more than God? I have seen it so much as we teach people and they say that their wife, husband, family, or friends will judge them for taking these discussions with us. GOOD! They will see the change in you as you learn to come closer to Christ and farther away from man. How I wish I could shake these people and tell them that it doesn't matter what they think, it only matters what God thinks...but I will let the Holy Ghost do that for me.

After the Sunday Morning Session, The bishop's wife in the Spanish ward made all the Missionaries lunch since we were farther away from our area and it would be a waste of gas to drive back and forth. She was so sweet. The lunch break for Saturday was spent at Panera Bread with the Sisters in our Zone. The Elders went to a Pizza place and HEB (Texas version of Walmart, but much better) and bought candy, soda and junk food for the upcoming sessions...smart.

We were supposed to have investigators come to General Conference, but they cancelled on us on the last minute. Poo. I did see MRich in the choir, so that brought my mood up.

MEET THE MORMONS: I recommend ALL OF YOU, whoever may be reading this, to go see this movie. It is amazing!!!!!! It explains what Mormons believe and do in their everyday life. The stories are of a Bishop in Atlanta, Georgia, The Coach for the Navy Football Team, A Boxer in Costa Rica, The Candy Bomber from WWII, A Humanitarian in Napal, and a Missionary Mom. It really focuses on what we believe in and how we live it. Funniest thing ever when Sister Johnston whispers loudly "What!? I know him!!!!" to the missionary mom's son. Yep, my companion knows someone in the movie:)

P: We met with P this week, and found out that his daughter, Pr, is moving to live with his Ex-Girlfriend who pretty much raised her. He is fine with it because this area is not the best place for the correct influence. He still wants to be baptized on the 18th, and we should be meeting with him soon. We talked to him about Prophets and General Conference, and he told us that he might watch a few sessions at the Stake Center, but he never showed up.

I don't know how often we have our Zone Conference's, but we do get to have Elder James J. Hamula come to the TSAM to talk to all the Missionaries:):):) YAY!!!! he actually talked in General Conference in the Sunday Morning Session about our participation in the Sacrament. Awesome talk!

I invite you all to pick up the Book of Mormon tonight and read it with your families. It will bring happiness to your life and to your home as you strive to build a stronger family unit.

Keep praying for us missionaries, and keep sending me your love.

Sister Foster

P.S. GO USU!!!!!!!!! Way to go Aggies:)

 

                          We had to pack our entire apartment into ONE room...where did we get all of this STUFF???? It's going to be a LOOOONG couple of weeks!

                                      You know you're a missionary when... your living room interior design includes how/where to fit 5 bikes.

 With Sister Breakall! She's a Sister Training Leader Leader so it was great to have her with us!

 

                                        A daytime view of the city from our apartment

                                                          Everything is bigger in Texas

                             A little Sunday fun at Conference. Our district is SUPER talented ;)

                               And let me end AGAIN with GO AGGIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               It was a well deserved win. :) We actually had a less active tell us about it.

We went to go see how him and his wife were doing, and right before we left he told us that BYU was playing that night. He asked if we ever heard of USU (Sister Johnston and I just look at each other right there, "Do we know USU, Heck Yes We Do!) Well they are playing them tonight at BYU...This is a picture of Me and Sister Johnston wearing our USU shirts and Sister Davis wearing her BYU shirt. Good night, good night:)