Week 18 1.24.17 - 1.30.17

Hey Y'all!!!!

This week has been great, sorry this email is coming late... This morning we sacrificed our time for Pday and helped a family move out of their house. They had a ton of stuff that we needed to load onto their trucks. They were surprised that Sisters could lift heavy boxes and furniture without the Elders... haha... little do they know.

This week we had some pretty great things happen. We had great lessons teaching people about the gospel. We got to take a member out with us, she is 18 and a Senior in high school. We went to a couple of different places with her to contact referrals and others in the area. We went to go turn the corner and then this guy starts to yell at us from the corner as we are waiting at the stoplight and then a guy riding his bike saw that our windows were rolled down and he poked his head into my window and said "Hey y'all can y'all spare a guy a buck or two just for being honest? I need some drugs..." We told him no, but we could give him a picture of Jesus... he was not to happy. Haha...

We had an amazing time at Zone Meeting (when multiple missionaries in an area meet together) and afterwards we had the Missionary World Wide Broadcast (where missionaries across the world are taught by the leaders of the church) it was on Teaching Repentance and Baptize Converts. It truly was amazing and inspiring. We have been able to implement what we learned and teach people to come closer to Christ. We then had trade-offs and I went with Sister Smith to Gainesville YSA!!! Oh man it was much needed!!! I got to see Sister Eberting and then we had a crazy night of biking campus and it was freezing cold. We had baths and I got to use my Lush bath mob and drank hot coco! I was asked to give a training in this upcoming District Meeting and President and Sister Lee will be there as well as the APs.... ugh.... we will see how this goes....

Anyways it was a great week of success and cold biking weather and biking in freezing rain!

Love y'all!!!
Sister Foster

EASTER IS HERE!!!

My Zone!!!

Sister Smith and I had a Whale of a trade off!

Bathtub and Hot CoCo after biking in the freezing rain!!

Week 17 1.17.17 - 1.23.17

Hey Y'all!!

Funny story about how I got here to Ocala from Mandarin... Picture this... me, Sister Warr, an older couple in the Ocala Ward.... my three suitcases, my small crate, and my bike (taken apart)..... all in a Prius for three and a half hours..... yup! It was not the most comfortable ride...

Anyway, this week was awesome I am loving Ocala and Sister Warr is amazing! We had everything from dinner at one of my favorite families here house... we got threatened by a drunk man and then went back and taught him about the gospel... we got 6 new investigators and had several lessons this week... we were in the middle of a tornado warning zone... we may or may not have tormented ducks...

The Thompson Family fed us this week and they are a crazy family, but oh so much fun! It was like being home for an hour. They also have an amazing swing in their backyard... I will send a picture of it next week. We got a referral from our Elders and we went by one day and he was drunk and approached our car and said that we need to be careful in that neighborhood cause he almost shot us.... we texted the Elders and he said that there are typically a ton of drunk people over there and we should try again... we went back on our bikes and it was the same guy... but he ended up not being drunk and was super nice and he was interested and accepted the invitation to be baptized!! We also went finding other referrals (people who ask for a free copy of the scriptures or who have an interest and texts the missionaries to learn more) and several of them we taught and had great powerful lessons!!


On Sunday there were tornado warnings all day and the winds were up to 35 mph while we were biking that afternoon. Then after dinner our members were driving us home and the winds were blowing and it was
POURING rain!!!! We ran into our house and then waited for the storm to die down and then went out on our bikes and almost got blown over twice, but it was worth it. There are a ton of ponds in our area and ducks so we pretend to throw bread and they come towards us and then Sister Warr has a red laser pointer that scares them away...

Oh I also gave a talk in church this week.... everyone said it was good... I definitely don't feel that way, but hey at least people understood my logic. It was on the power of music!

I hope y'all had a great week!!

Love y'all! Miss y'all!
Sister Foster

Bringing Sunshine into people's life's one day at a time!

Sister Warr, me, and the Thompson family!

Sister Warr and I!!

Week 16 1.10.17 - 1.16.17

Hello Y'all!

Sorry for the delayed email. Wifi was out at the church... but we played Bball, Volleyball, and Warrior Ball. It was a ton of fun and I love my new district.

This week started with my last few days in Mandarin and as a Trio. I went on splits with the YSA Sisters and helped clean  their investigator Joe's house. (Picture) I got to saw bye to Sharon and teach her one last lesson and I got to say bye to Lisa... I may have shed a couple of tears when saying bye. (Pictures below) We spent the nights this week at my apartment so I could pack... oh how I strongly dislike packing... but I am going to miss Sister Harris and Mann (pictures below)

Transfers... I was honestly nervously packing and went and said bye to Sister Johnson. But as soon as I handed literally everything over to Elder Christensen and Petersen I felt so relieved and calm. All my prayers were answered and I truly knew that the area I have grown to love and the people that are like my family are in good hands. I then met Sister Warr! She is AMAZING! She is hard working, but not over bearing about it. I love her! Our first night we took the traditional Whale picture! (See below) This week we're able to have a great week of lessons and finding here in Ocala 1st Ward! Here are just a few miracles and tender mercies:

We got a self-referral from a lady named Delta for a Bible. We were going out that night with a member and so we had scheduled a time to meet Delta and took our member with us. Once we got there we gave Delta the Bible and talked more about it. She wanted it for her grandson and she told us about her religion and how the Bible has blessed her life. We then testified to her about how the Book of Mormon has blessed our life's. We taught her the Restoration and she was very involved in her answers and asked us to come share more. What truly touched my heart was that our member shared her conversion story of how she was a devout Jew and how when she was approached by missionaries she could see the light within them and how much they truly knew that what they were sharing would change her life. Delta turned to us and said that that is how she felt. It was powerful.

Then just last night we went to have a lesson with a recent convert and he had some neighbors that had asked him if we could go pray with them. We went over and talked with them about their current situation as a family and how they really need a prayer. After we prayed we talked with them more about our purpose as missionaries and how we help guide people and invite them to come unto Christ by being baptized. The mom got so excited cause she has been wanting to get baptized with her daughter for the longest time, but every church she went to wouldn't let them. We explained our purpose and gave them our information. It was such a tender mercy.

All around a great first few days in Ocala, FL with many more to come!!!

Love yall and miss yall!

Love,
Sister Foster

Sister Harris and I then End of the Mandarin Sister Trio.

Me and Sister Randel and Sister Anderson (YSA or Young Single Adult Ward)

Sharon Rose and I

Lisa Toms and I

Whale of a Trio life with Sister Harris and Sister Mann

Sister Johnson and I

Sister Harris and I then End of the Mandarin Sister Trio.

Sister Warr and I are ready for a Whale of a time in Ocala!!

Week 15 1.3.17 - 1.9.17

Hola Y'all!

So this week Sister Gibb finished her mission and she went home to Utah. I was put into a Trio with the other sister missionaries in the area, Sister Harris (from Beaver, UT) and Sister Mann (from Payson, AZ) it has been a ton of work, but so much fun.

We had a great lesson/discussion with a Youth Pastor and were able to teach them about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. At the end he told us he has great respect for us and our firm faith we have and that we have courage to talk to a Youth Pastor. We had a great week of miracles and cover two areas, two wards, two stakes.... We knocked some dirt roads and were able to find some potential investigators. We went to Farm Share which is a food bank type service activity in Florida. We also helped the cutest older couple take down their Christmas decorations! 

We had an AMAZING Zone Conference and it was much needed, our missions new year is focusing on "Finding One by One Everyday" we had a training by Sister Lee on Repentance and the Sacrament and then the APs trained on having be still moments as we teach the invite the Spirit in. Then President Lee trained on finding One by One. It truly was the best meeting I have been to thus far on the mission! On Sunday we had a surprise investigator come to church that we haven't talked to in a while. It was amazing!!

So I am being transferred to Ocala, FL.... I am Excited, but sad... it's mixed emotions all over. I am so happy we have amazing Elders to take over the area. 

"And p day starts at seven thirty if we want it to now! So that's pretty cool I guess. In other news, I"m being transferred to ocala! It is the land of horses and ocala-it's. Mandarin is the true promised land, though. Best zone in the mission. We met a drunk man this week who tried to swallow a chicken but he decided to actually swallow a turkey. Mandarin...crazy place. Ocala is full of crazier people than that, I hear. Right now I am playing spike ball and another person is writing my email for me. Without seeing the keyboard. No bids deal. Right now I am just typing without any thoughts in my mind whatsoever. Can you imagine what would happen if Donald Trump was an alien and he took over the entire earth with his mind powers? That would make great interstellar headlines. Especially since he was elected. Haha" from Elder Flake

This week is going to be great being in a new area!!! I am PUMPED!!!

Love,

Bay
Sister Foster

Sister Gibb and Me... at Journeys End...

Last Mandarin Car Share Selfie

Dirt Road

My last Sunday here!!

Florida is Cold!!!

Mandarin Zone!!!

Week 14 12.27.16 - 1.2.17

Aloha Y'all!
This week has been crazy, stressful, revelatory, sad, happy, fun...aka another week being a missionary... and I truly love every single week, day, moment, second I am able to wear my black name tag and represent my Lord, Savior, and Redeemer Jesus Christ!! 

Last Pday we played Ultimate Frisbee and it was a blast. We just all relaxed as a Zone and had a great time. We visited some less-actives and knocked around them. A family welcomed us in and then nicely bible bashed us... it was intense, but not scary. I am understanding the reason it is called the Bible Belt here. 

Tuesday we went to Farm Share and dumped expired milk and then went on trade offs with Sister Clay. We had a great trade off in the Mandarin 1st Ward. Sister Clay was with me and we went to go bike to our appointment and my bike tire popped. We went back and got Sister Gibb's bike. We had a great night of finding! We found 3 new investigators and 2 potential investigators! We then biked home and the next day we went to district meeting and had pizza for district lunch together. That night we knocked a street called Siesta Del Rio... man oh man did we find some amazing old ladies there! We first knocked on a ladies door and she came out and asked if we had been there before... we said no, she continued and said well some little ladies came by and I taught them how to sew yoyo's... she then invited us in and showed us her entire house! 

We then go a couple more doors and knock on this cute ladies door. She said she wasn't interested and then we told her we liked her Mickey Mouse collection she said, well might as well come see it all you never know I might be dead tomorrow. She then opened her door... y'all her house is decked out with Mickey Mouse her name is Miss Penny and she was the cutest lady ever! On Thursday I Weekly planned as a Trio with Sister Mann and Sister Harris, cause this week when Sister Gibb goes home I will be in a trio with them until transfers the following week. That afternoon we had an amazing lesson with a girl named Alia and committed her to baptism and a date of January 28th! The next day we spent finding and taught a lesson to a preacher who taught us in return. We found a potential investigator as well.
 
That evening we went and visited less-actives and Sister Johnson. On Saturday we went out to sushi as Sisters to send off Sister Gibb and Sister Warr. That afternoon we tried to visit some less-actives and one of the people that answered said the man we were looking for no longer lived there and we should check the county jail... needless to say it was a good time. That evening we picked up the Mandarin 2nd sisters and went to the Lee's to help them prepare/cook for our New Years Eve district dinner that night. We helped prepare for our delicious fondue feast!
That evening we came home and our apartment smelled so bad!!! We discovered that our kitchen sink was filled with disgusting water...so Sister Gibb goes and twists the pipe so it starts dripping into a bowl and we got impatient and so twisted it a little bit more and it bursts open and floods our kitchen.... we finally get it back on and clean up the water... we took showers and went to bed cause we were done. Then Sunday morning we have a great time at church and come home to a filled sink once again.... we called the plumber.... we were done... I made ebleskeivers to cheer us both up!
I said bye to Sister Gibb.... sad/happy feelings all the way around...
Love y'all!!! Hope y'all had/have great weeks!!!
Xoxo
Sister Foster
 

Miss Penny!!

Caught my first frog!!!

helped the Lee's

Me, Sister Johnson, and Sister Gibb!!!

Our sink.... its evil....

Flat Ableskivers..... not the same, but good...

Sister Warr & Sister Gibb right before dropping them off to go home...

My district and President and Sister Lee!

trade off with Sister Clay was a Whale of a time!!