Well, well, well. Transfers week has come again, this time with some
monumental news! Turns out I'm going back to University! Witney,
which is about 10 minutes outside central Oxford, is going to be my new home :) I leave this Wednesday at an hour too early to be uttered.
Ha, there are a few unhappy members in Crawley. I was singing a solo
for the Christmas program and helping the choir prepare. Well, the Lord
needs me in Witney, and needs the Choir to sing on their own ;)
You have no idea how excited I was when I got that call. Sparks said
"you're going to Oxford" and I was like, "yeah right, you dirty liar." Ever since I went there for a presentation I said I would love to serve there. There was definitely something special about it (that and we did a really good work over). I couldn't take him seriously until he said the companion and zone :)
I'll be serving with Elder Ganta :) Who I actually know, he's in my group. I love the man, he's got this deep, hearty laugh. Also, he's from India, one of the two in our group. The first time he was able to attend the Temple was at the MTC. He's incredible.
So, although I will always be a digital missionary through and through, I'm not technically one now (I still get a few hours each week to update my blog, and I can use Facebook to friend people in the ward and post uplifting things; the whole sha-bang without the teaching online part). I'm incredibly excited :)
Anyways, probably best to still send stuff to the mission office, I'll let you know my new address when I know. In the meantime, I'll be teaching some theologians and mathematicians, and generally being under-dressed and not
as smart as people on the street. Luckily, the philosophies of men will never triumph over the spirit :)
On to this week. I went on an incredible exchange with Elder Caruso. They had an awesome day planned, 5 lessons with 2 member present lessons. My goodness, we taught soooo many people. And some of them were
really great teaches, as well. The Spirit was with us, and we just testified and helped a lot of people.
I've recently been teaching an investigator named Bryan with Elder Caruso as well. We just extended his baptismal date, 29th of November. Neither of us will get to see him baptized, ha :) It doesn't matter who does the baptizing, only who "declares good tidings of good." I'm pretty sure we do that.
That evening we also got to do some very interesting knocking, in the pitch black that is Southern England after 4:30 :) Got a few potential investigators out of it, and met someone who was saved. Turns out there are a lot of people who are saved :) I'm saved :) Well, one of the million definitions of being saved, at least:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/04/have-you-been-saved?lang=eng&query=born+again
This area has been great. I'm going to miss it. You don't realize that until you get the call to leave. Lot's of families who you've come to love, missionaries who have become brothers to you, investigators who are progressing so well, and people who are about to get baptized. I hope that my digital experience and study will benefit others as I go throughout my mission.
Elder Ganta and I will do good work. With the Lord on our side, we can't help but succeed :) Crawley has beaten me up, taught me, tugged on my heart, and shown me a completely different side of missionary work. I've given a lot of myself to this place. Now that I think about it, I've given a lot of myself to the Lord. That's a relationship worth investing in. I guess the goal is to give Him everything. I cannot wait to see what I will be able to give Oxford Zone.
Cheers,
Elder Foster
monumental news! Turns out I'm going back to University! Witney,
which is about 10 minutes outside central Oxford, is going to be my new home :) I leave this Wednesday at an hour too early to be uttered.
Ha, there are a few unhappy members in Crawley. I was singing a solo
for the Christmas program and helping the choir prepare. Well, the Lord
needs me in Witney, and needs the Choir to sing on their own ;)
You have no idea how excited I was when I got that call. Sparks said
"you're going to Oxford" and I was like, "yeah right, you dirty liar." Ever since I went there for a presentation I said I would love to serve there. There was definitely something special about it (that and we did a really good work over). I couldn't take him seriously until he said the companion and zone :)
I'll be serving with Elder Ganta :) Who I actually know, he's in my group. I love the man, he's got this deep, hearty laugh. Also, he's from India, one of the two in our group. The first time he was able to attend the Temple was at the MTC. He's incredible.
So, although I will always be a digital missionary through and through, I'm not technically one now (I still get a few hours each week to update my blog, and I can use Facebook to friend people in the ward and post uplifting things; the whole sha-bang without the teaching online part). I'm incredibly excited :)
Anyways, probably best to still send stuff to the mission office, I'll let you know my new address when I know. In the meantime, I'll be teaching some theologians and mathematicians, and generally being under-dressed and not
as smart as people on the street. Luckily, the philosophies of men will never triumph over the spirit :)
On to this week. I went on an incredible exchange with Elder Caruso. They had an awesome day planned, 5 lessons with 2 member present lessons. My goodness, we taught soooo many people. And some of them were
really great teaches, as well. The Spirit was with us, and we just testified and helped a lot of people.
I've recently been teaching an investigator named Bryan with Elder Caruso as well. We just extended his baptismal date, 29th of November. Neither of us will get to see him baptized, ha :) It doesn't matter who does the baptizing, only who "declares good tidings of good." I'm pretty sure we do that.
That evening we also got to do some very interesting knocking, in the pitch black that is Southern England after 4:30 :) Got a few potential investigators out of it, and met someone who was saved. Turns out there are a lot of people who are saved :) I'm saved :) Well, one of the million definitions of being saved, at least:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/04/have-you-been-saved?lang=eng&query=born+again
This area has been great. I'm going to miss it. You don't realize that until you get the call to leave. Lot's of families who you've come to love, missionaries who have become brothers to you, investigators who are progressing so well, and people who are about to get baptized. I hope that my digital experience and study will benefit others as I go throughout my mission.
Elder Ganta and I will do good work. With the Lord on our side, we can't help but succeed :) Crawley has beaten me up, taught me, tugged on my heart, and shown me a completely different side of missionary work. I've given a lot of myself to this place. Now that I think about it, I've given a lot of myself to the Lord. That's a relationship worth investing in. I guess the goal is to give Him everything. I cannot wait to see what I will be able to give Oxford Zone.
Cheers,
Elder Foster