¡Hola!
Okay, well tomorrow is the day of changes and it looks like I'll be saying goodbye to the zone Ixtapaluca and the little house of prayer on the side of a mountain. I have made this place my home for the past 6 months and it is definitely going to be a big adjustment. This entire week we have visited pretty much all the wonderful people and families that we have found in these past cycles. It is obviously hard to say goodbye, but I just feel so blessed for the success my Heavenly Father has given to me in this area. There are just so many incredible people who are so willing to truly come unto Christ and accept the message of the restored gospel. The greatest blessing of all is that they are almost all young families and couples that are making these changes and taking these steps together. Yesterday, we had a LOT of them attend the church services and I felt overly happy and grateful as I saw each one of them participate and listen attentively to the talks and lessons. It made the experience of giving my last gospel principles lesson in the Casa de Oracion that much more special. I will never forget this wonderful mountain and all the wonderful people on it. Although it will be nice to end a 6-month long leg day. Another area also means another comp. The Wolford and Foust Company will suspend its services until further notice. This incredibly tall, baby-faced, Utahn but Midwesterner at heart has definitely made leaving even harder. Like, why? I have to leave Ixtapaluca AND Wolfy? Not fair. He has definitely been the main reason for the great success this past cycle. Always upbeat and ready to work, he just makes mission life fun and amazing. I'm going to miss working with him everyday. I'm also going to miss singing at the top of our lungs every night and every morn, being laughed at as a fall EVERY SINGLE DAY, talking in a British/Southern accent wayyy too much, and just spending time with my best friend. A week of goodbyes is always hard but I did have an amazing surprise that definitely lifted the mood. Last week I recieved a call from an old investigator back in Arboleda, my second area when I was with mi hijo Johnson. He was getting baptized on Saturday and wanted me to baptize him!!!! This kid was an amazing investigator and an awesome friend. We worked hard with him for 3 months to prepare him for baptism. It just wasn't his time. However, we knew that one day he would take that step and looky, 9 months later (WEIRD) now was his time. Our trip back to Arboleda brought back a bunch of crazy memories. It's crazy how here on the mish it seems as though the area you're in at the moment seems like it has been your entire mission and will forever be your only area as well. Heading back and recieving notice of my changes definitely shattered that illusion. Anyway, hijoles, Saturday was a very special day. I love this kid so much and at 18 years old, I just know that he is going to continue doing great things in the church. I will never forget that incredible feeling of giving him a soaking wet hug right there in the baptismal font. Planted seeds eventually do give fruit people. Tengan paciencia. Well, here I am again. Another Monday before changes. Probably one of my last changes before the big change back to the good ole U.S. of A. Ew, weird. That's enough talk of that. Anyway, have a delicious day! (I imediately regret writing that) Love, Elder Foust
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¡Hola!
Wow, wow, WOW! Yesterday was one of the best days in my entire mission. It was absolutely incredible and totally unforgettable. Instead of having our normal church services yesterday, we went all the way to the temple for a special conference. Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the presidency of the Seventy came to speak with his wife. Both of them spoke wonderful spanish and shared awesome messages. One of the greatest things they shared with us was that there is always safety in obeying the commandments of God. I felt it was the perfect message for the saints here in Mexico as many we've talked to are very unsure and scared of the future in their country and in the world in general. I felt this overwhelming feeling of peace as they gave us this reassurance that the Lord will always bless those who are willing to show their loyalty to Him and His gospel. The Stutznegger´s were also present in this session and shared their testimonies and love. This session began at 9:00 and was specifically for our stake Ixtapaluca and another in the mission, Oriental. We came along with our ward in a bus. Another amazing blessing of the day was that 3 of our investigators were able to come and hear the conference. Each one had to wake up at 5:00 in the morning in order to leave from the church at 7:00. It was an incredible act of faith and I couldn't be more happy. Or could I? Yes, I can and I am. Yep, that was round 1. Round 2 began at 12:00 when we were blessed by the presence of President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I have had very few encounters with Apostles in my life. Every single time I have been in their presence it has been an unforgettable experience. The spirit of the Lord is so strong and it shakes me to my very core. It is hard to describe sometimes. This is no ordinary man sharing yet another message of Christ. This is a man who has the same authority and priesthood keys as the great Apostle Peter. I know that to be true with all my heart and Lord testified to me of that sacred truth yet again the moment he entered into the room. His message was so simple yet incredibly powerful. One of the greatest moments is when he acknowledged all the kids in attendence. He told them all to stand up, even on their parents´ laps, and to wave their arms in the air. He focused his talk on the importance of teaching and raising these precious souls. They were simple and well-known truths. However, these simple and well-known truths took on a specific and whole new meaning for me. Things I have heard my entire life, things I have been teaching in Mexico for almost 19 months, things I have loved and appreciated for so much time came back into my mind and touched my heart. I just remember a completely overwhelming sense of gratitude and love for my father in heaven. These sacred truths and principles have brought me so much peace and incredible joy. They have lifted me up in my darkest moments and given me the strength to continue. President Nelson spoke with a translator for most of the talk until the very end while bearing his testimony and apostolic witness of Christ. In amazing spanish he testified of the power of the Atonement and love Christ has for each and every one of us. There is not a single doubt in my mind that his words were true for I have felt of that intense enabling power. I know that Christ lives and I know that His church exists on the earth today. I know that He still calls prophets and apostles today and I was blessed enough to see one yesterday. God is good and the gospel is true. Love, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
My mind is about to explode because I haven't written in like two weeks and I want to write everything and nothing and....THE LIST! La lista siempre me ayuda! 1.) A LOT of our investigators came to church this Sunday and they all loved it! This has been the greatest challenge so far in this area: getting people to the Casa de Oracion. However, this Sunday helped us see that our patience and diligence is paying off. Well, it is mainly because these people are just incredibly amazing. 2.) Wolford literally helped an old lady walk across the street the other day and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen...but I still don't like him because he's taller and prettier than me. 3.) Zone Conferences were last week and wonderful as always. Wolford and I gave a training meeting to our zone on finding new people to teach. We focused on how finding = revelation and we need to diligently seek guidance from the Lord in order to find the people who are truly ready to accept the gospel. We used the example of the Brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon on the different types of revelation and our part in receiving it. We felt it went really well. One of the best parts of the conference was when Pres and Hna Stutz showed us a video of the story of Naaman and the prophet Elisha in the Old Testament. They explained how this story reflects our purpose as missionaries and inviting people to act in faith and to be healed. It was a powerful lessons that truly helped me realize the simplicity of our message. Faith requires action and faithful action leads to happiness. Amazing. 4.) I was attacked by an overly friendly dog during a lesson. We were teaching two kids of a new investigator we found and they just watched me suffer as I tried teaching and fending it off. The worst part is when we tried singing 'I am a Child of God' the dog kept throwing itself into me, scratching me, and licking my arm crevices all while I was trying to sing. Wolford was dying watching just how pathetic I looked. 5.) Just before writing this my pen leaked ink all over my shirt and just after I realized what had happened I managed to spill my KFC mashed potatoes and gravy all over me. Wolford again, dying. 6.) This past week we've made no bake cookies, elephant ears (fry bread), and arroz con leche. I have plans to make orange rolls at the church and homemade flatbread. Well, I could have sworn that there was more to add to the list. Maybe there was but after climbing up the mountain in the hot mexican sun I think my brain did a hard reset. Hopefully you enjoy a wonderful Dia de Amor y Amistad tomorrow and have an awesome week! Love, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
Well it has been a bit of a long, hot week! Today we went to the temple so it was bit of a weird week not having Pday until Friday. It was obviously well worth the wait though to be able to go to the temple. It'll still be weird as we have Pday again on Monday. Que loco! Anyway, some of the past few days have been a bit interesting. Hard contacts, fallen citas, and lots and LOTS of burning hot Mexican sun! Usually this is a familiar pattern. However, the past few weeks Wolford and I have been feeling really good and the work in our area has been great! Until this week. It really wasn't a terrible week at all but in comparison to what we've been experiencing it was a tad bit disheartening. However, the Lord is amazing and has His ways to keep us going. Like on Wednesday, we were heading to our last cita of the day with a contact that we both felt wasn't going to be there. Turns out the address they gave us didn´t even seem to exist! Whether is was intentional or just the lack of organization the streets sometimes have here in Mexico the world might never know. Anyway, as we're contacting and asking people about the address we find a man who ends up listening to us quite attentively. So attentively that he invites us in. Perhaps the greatest part was that he was sooo excited that he called in his wife and 3 kids. Then, ALL of them listened attentively. They are an amazing family and Wolford and I both felt as if they had already been members for years. They accepted another cita and have interest in going to church this Sunday! Well worth the difficult day in order to have such an awesome experience. A few more interesting things that Wolford and I have been experiencing lately are all the reactions to the election of President Trump. For almost my entire mission people have asked for my opinion on him and I tell them every time, I have no idea. Most of them are surprised to know that we really have no access to the news and know nothing at all. I always tell them that I've been here in Mexico for about a year and a half. Not only do I not have a real opinion about him, I don't really care right now! I'm a missionary, I'm basically Mexican now, and I'm happy. Anyway (rant over), normally it is just that and nothing else. However, there have been a few funny comments and situations. One of the funniest moments was when we passed a house and an older lady yelled, ''Hijos de Trump!'' (Trumps kids) then began to laugh to herself. Later that same day we pass her house again. She wasn't outside this time so we thought we were good but as soon as we walk by she just happens to walk outside her door then laughs again and says, ''Hijos de Trump.'' It was so funny to us. We felt we were in a movie or sitcom. The other experience happened today after the temple. The temple is right next to a free zoo so our group decided to walk around the zoo for about 30 minutes before returning to our areas. As we were walking around, there was a group of people kind of following us and making a lot of interesting negative comments to Wolford and I, the only gringos. It was so obvious and annoying but we were keeping our cool pretty well. Then one takes out his phone and starts taking pictures and laughing. We just ignored them, but a sister missionary in our group had enough and politely, yet firmly said, 'Excuse me, why are you taking pictures?' She kind of caught them by surprise and finally said as we were walking away, ''Sometimes people make me feel ashamed to be Mexican.'' They were dead silent after that. The comments are usually just funny and rarely annoying or harmful. At least we have awesome Hermanas that always have our backs! Well, it has been a longish week but I'll be back and writing already on Monday! Love you all, have a great week! con amor, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
Well, it has been yet a normal, amazing week here in Mexico! We are actually finishing up the cycle and have changes tomorrow. Luckily, Elder Wolford and I will still be together for another 6 weeks! ¡Wooo, muchas cosas (look it up)! I wasn't really stressed or nervous for changes because I really didn't feel we were getting changes. However, somehow it is still a huge relief. Plus, Wolfy gets this the priviledge of being with me for another month and a half. Lucky little Lobito. So, I am sitting here in a internet cafe trying to think of interesting things to say and share with all you beautiful people. Of course when one thinks too hard one's brain gets tired then says it's hungry. So now I'm thinking of food and am reminded of the interesting things I've eaten this week. I think one of the most interesting things I've eaten this week has been Zapote. Zapote is one of the many types of fruit here in Mexico that I never knew existed before. There are several different kinds. This week, we tried zapote amarillo. It tasted very good but had a weird, chalky, pumpkin-y texture. Actually, it kind of looked like a cooked pumpkin. It also has these giant nuts in the middle that look a little like buckeyes. Weird, but cool. The weirdest type of zapote is zapote negro. Basically, it looks like a green tomato but it is literally black on the inside. It does not look appetizing whatsoever. However, they normally mash it up and mix it will orange juice and sugar which creates a pretty delicious dessert. Zapote is now added to the list of weird, exotic fruits and vegetables. Another ''interesting'' thing that happened this week was that I was blessed enough to get hit with a cold. It may have been because I took a cold shower in the cold morning after freezing outside on the way home from the gym (we ran out of gas Sunday). It made the week a bit more interesting for sure but luckily didn't last too long. I was told by everyone in our weekly meeting with the ward missionary leader that I looked like death. Always good to have good emotional support in moments of sickness. The last interesting/AMAZING thing is that we were just told by Pres. Stutz that President Russell M Nelson will be visiting our mission in February! I am beyond excited for the visit of an apostle of the Lord right here in Mexico! Well, I somehow managed to put all three of my brain cells together and squeeze out a few somewhat interesting things from my week. I love you all and hopé you have an awesome week! Love, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
Basically I have absolutely no time (I hope you don't come shoot at me). Life is good, Mexico is crazier than ever, and we've been working hard! I think the only really important news for today is that it is ELDER WOLFORD'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! We went to a Chili's in the zone and celebrated the rest of the day washing clothes (wooooo, fuuunnn!!). This beautiful 20 year-old man-baby just became a little less baby and a lot more man. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños Lobito! And that's all folks, until next week! Love, Elder Foust Viewing fireworks from the roof, a new contacting plan and a couple of referrals from above...1/3/2017 ¡Hola!
Well, muchas sorrys for not writing last week. It has been crazy obviously with all this holiday hubbabaloo. Christmas was amazing being able to say, 'Hey.' to the fam. New Year's was beautiful watching all the fireworks on the roof of our mountain-side apartment and we still have Dia de Los Reyes Magos! YEAH THE WEEK OF ROSCAS (the delicious circle bread that I've craved all year)!!!!! So, yeah, it has been a lil crazy, but that's just my life. One of the best parts of the week has been finding some amazing people to teach. By far our best day of contacting and finding was New Year's Eve on Saturday (before getting a call from Hna Stutz to head back home at 5:00). We had a hard time scheduling many citas because everyone was busy with holiday plans. So Wolford and I thought it would be a great day to just contact! So after reading the ´Missionary Work and Finding the Elect of God' and reading an amazing lecture called 'The Donaldson Papers' we got an awesome idea to use to contact. Basically, we both prayed for the spirit and revelation as to where to contact during that day. After, Wolford looked at the map and chose 10 streets that he felt were streets where the 'chosen' person would be. After, he gave the list to me and I chose 4 streets. He equally chose 4 and we compared. We had 2 streets in common and knew these were the places. It really encouraged us to contact EVERYONE thinking 'Who could be the chosen one?' Anyway, we end up contacting a young man on the first street which turned out to be a great lesson. We taught about the Book of Mormon and scheduled an appointment for the next week. The best part though was that before we left he actually told us 'I was praying for people like you to come.' We happily replied, 'Us too!' After that experience I couldn't help but keep smiling. Then I look at Wolford and we decide to pray and thank Heavenly Father for answering our prayer. With the last experience you could say we were pretty excited to contact the next street we picked off the list. Of course, we knock on a door, a woman comes out and there is an instant click. By the end of this awesome contact she told us as well, 'What a coincidence that I actually heard you guys...well I guess it's probably not a coincidence.'' Saturday Wolford and I put our faith together and recieved 2 references from God! It was an incredibly uplifting experience and a direct and clear response from Heavenly Father. So, the work is amazing! I still have to explain about some of our amazing investigators. However, I have no time and a terrible hungry (I'm sorry, I'm weak). I love you all so much! Enjoy your first weeks of 2017 (the year I go home..eeek!)!!!!! Love, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
Elder Foust wishes all of you a wonderful Christmas! Eat food, like lots and lots of food. Watch the Grinch, then watch the Grinch again. And of course remember to give thanks for all the wonderful blessing that you have. I for one am beyond happy to be celebrating Christmas once again in beautiful Mexico City. I'm in a great area, with an awesome companion, feeling amazing about the work I'm doing here. This week we have contacted a LOT of people. Although we share the same message, it never gets old. As I share this incredible message of Christ's birth and what that means for us today, it fills me with a powerful feeling of peace and hope. I know that a Savior was born, who is Christ Jesus and that He lives today. Born to redeem the world and bring everlasting happiness to all those who follow in His footsteps and walk as He walked. I have a great love for my Savior Jesus Christ and feel it grow more and more everyday. The look in a person's eyes as they hear this message of hope, a message they may have been waiting for all their life, and feel this incredible, intense, and inifinite love that Christ has for them has made these Christmas's in Mexico the best ones yet. If you don't believe me, try it. Act with Christ-like love which is the true spirit of Christmas and feel the difference. It has been a great couple of weeks and I know there are plenty more to follow. I love you all so much. Merry Christmas! Love, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
What a crazy week! Changes, Christmas caroling, Christmas party, Virgin Day, and a great week of preaching the Gospel of Christ! This week has been absolutely exhausting but wonderful as well! Part of the wonderful/craziness is my new comp Elder Wolford! He was a district leader in the zone so I got to know him a bit this past cycle. I'm pumped because he's just a big bowl of fun and a crazy hard worker. He's just an awesome missionary and I know that we are going to have a great Christmas/cycle. Our goal: Greatest companionship Mexico has ever seen! The day of changes was insane and it was hard to say goodbye to a lot of awesome people, but Wolford and I were ready to hit the ground running after we got home. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we worked really hard and had some great lessons and contacts. It's a great feeling when you can feel the unity in your teaching as a companionship within the first week. That is always a good sign. Thursday night we and the rest of our district went Christmas caroling to some investigators and less-actives in the branch. The young women who was baptized 2 weeks ago came along with us. Our throats are tired and probably bleeding, but Christmas caroling is always so much fun and it felt good to mix it up a bit. Friday was the 2016 Mexico City Southeast Mission Christmas Fiesta! It looked a little different this year because we had close to 200 missionaries last year and this year we are only about 125. However, we had an incredible time! This year we had a White Elephant gift exchange. It was hilarious and an obvious success. Let's just say that life in Mexico can produce an array of interesting and crazy gift ideas. I decided to give away a 'Dear John Emergency Kit.' Elder Wolford put together a 'After Eating Street Tacos Emergency Kit.' It was fun. We spent most of the day playing volleyball and chatting with all our wonderful friends. I loved every single moment of that day. So after a long week of work and Christmas joy, we spent all day yesterday locked inside our house for the annual 'Virgin Day' on the 12th of December. I washed clothes for 3 hours by hand, then we cleaned and created a Brinner feast fit for kings. Finally, I finished the day getting caught up on a few things I've neglected to do for the past few days. Overall, it was a pretty productive day. So there you have it. Christmas, friends, memories, hardwork, happiness and a whole bunch of Gospel Sharing. Love this time of year and love my mission! Have a great week everyone! con mucho amor, Elder Foust ¡Hola!
I truly believe that miracles happen everyday in the life of each and everyone of us. So it is not a matter of whether they happen in our lives but in our ability to recognize them or better yet, whether it be God's will to reveal them to us. In this week of miracles, we were blessed enough to be a part of and recognize many miracles. These past few days I have felt the Lord's guiding hand direct us in many ways. I know one reason for this wonderful blessing is that a great missionary is finishing his mission and the Lord blesses great missionaries. I'm just along for the ride ;) Elder Turnbull has been an amazing companion. He is one of those people that is so good he is always worried if he's doing things right. Sometimes I just want to grab him, shake him, and tell him STOP! because he has one of the most purest hearts I've seen. He has helped me in so many ways and I have appreciated every moment being with him. I'll definitely miss my half Japanese brother and someday I will travel by mooseback to the Great White North to find him. We have also had some great experiences after sharing the Light the World project with basically everyone. One experience in particular deeply touched my heart. This week we taught a man that was born and raised in Chicago. He remembers the missionaries from his childhood and has always like the church. He explained that he began getting into some heavy stuff as a teenager and actually spent most of his teen's and 20's in jail. He has had a very hard life full of very difficult experiences. Having a new, powerful resolve to bring himself closer to God he accepted a lesson from us. It was the first time I taught an entire lesson in English and surprisingly harder than I thought. However, this lesson was incredibly powerful. Near the end we showed the Light the World video and after having watched it he told us it made him want to cry. In that moment I felt the spirit so undeniably come upon us. This man has had a life full of devastation and heartbreak and then explains to us that he has always wanted to do good. He knows God wants him to do good, too. And we assured him that is exactly what he will be able to do. Through this wonderful message this man was able to feel the Spirit of God and unlock a beautiful piece of him that has always been there. Service and Christ-like love will always unlock our true potential. Make sure you are unlocking yours and start with 25 ways throughout 25 days. ( mormon.org ) We finished this wonderful week by climbing the to the top of the mountain in our area as a zone. We set out very early in the morning and made it just in time to watch the sun rise past the volcanoes. It was a miraculously clear day and we were able to see our entire mission perfectly. After taking thousands of photos of the scene (that can never really do it justice) we ate and had our zone meeting there. We called it our 'Sermon on the Mount.' We focused on Christ-like attributes by reading Christ's words from Matthew chapter 5 then sharing specific experiences relating to each attribute. It made for a wonderfully spiritual meeting and a great ending to an amazing cycle. I have been just filled with so much love and gratitude lately IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY! But it feels amazing... Love, Elder Foust |
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July 2017
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