letter numero 35.

hello familia!

 

              So, yesterday we had this giant meeting all day so today is our p day.  Not forever, just this week.  So it sounds like everyone is doing great! thanks for the letters.  Mom, your letters are soo funny every week.  i can totally see you swimming in the lake during the hurricanne but not gonna lie, i wasnt expecting to hear that the Morriss' did it with you! hahaha that is too funny.  But i love all your letters, thanks for writing! 

             Right now, Elder Golden of the Seventy is here touring the mission.  thats the meeting we had all day yesterday.  It was amazing i loved it.  He's a really great guy from South Africa.  The meeting was from 8 to 5.  Really long but it was soooo good.  I learned a lot and I think im going to change the ways i do some things.  I think thats rerally important, to always be trying to improve, trying out new things, seeing what works and what doesnt.  Im trying trying to come up wih some new ideas on how to do things.  get creative and find ways of doing things that are more effective.  We've got some ideas so im gonna see how they go. 

           So, this week was..... interesting.  haha we had kind of a hard week.  We had such a great week planned with so many member present appointments but instead we just had so many cancellations.  hahaha a lot.  but its ok.  i guess it just happens sometimes cuz people DO have their agency.  im just trying to figure out ways that we can help so that it doesn't happen as much.   But Im grateful for those hard times that we get to have.  All part of the experience.  And We have these trials for a reason, not just to give us a hard time.  They help us learn and grow more than anything else.  I learned a lot this week about humility and patience.  haha ...a lot about patience and enduring things well.  I think i learned more this week than i have in my whole mission.     And when you have those hard times it just makes the good times that much better.  I've really learned that when you have done ALL you can do and still fall short, the Lord makes up the rest.  We had some days this week where we just got worked all day.  Door slams, cancellations, people yellin at us, all that stuff.  But almost every time, at the very end of the day, when it was late and dark, is when we got to see little blessings.  We were blessed to find some really great people who im really excited to teach.  I love my mission.  i love everything about it, the good parts and the hard parts.  I love this opportunity i have to be a missionary and be a servant of the Lord.  2 years doesn't seem like enough time.  Theres so much to do.  The things i've learned on my mission and the things i'm learning everyday i cant put a price on.  i dont know how to explain how i feel when im kneeling in prayer with a man who lives in nothing but a dirt shed and only has bread to eat, and he prays for me and my family.  Im having humbling experiences i honestly cant explain.  These people and these experiences change you and they have certainly changed me.  Im teaching these people but i think im learning a lot more from them then they are from me.  I dont know what i would do without my mission.  i am very grateful for my mission.  anyway, im out of time.  I love you all and love you very much.

 

love, elder foulger

letter numero 34.

hellooo family!

 

        So yesterday was labor day so we couldnt email so today were doing it.  So thank you for the letters.  mel, the pictures of the kids in nh are soooo awesome.  i've got some cute sobrinos.  Im loving all the pictures.  But thanks for all the letters everyone, sounds like everyone is doing great. 

        So this week has been... interesting.  haha So this area like i told you has been totally dead.  Like nothing going on.  haha so its taking some time but were working hard and its getting better! slowly but surely.  We've knocked a lot and found some great people.  We've got about 4 SOLID investigators now and were still looking for more.  Whats so great though is this ward is amazing.  (im still in spanish btw)  Such a missionary based ward and EVERYONE is always willing to come out with us and help out which is sooooo helpful.  Almost everyone in the ward is a convert of just a few years and so their sooo excited about missionary work and sharing their testimonies.   help the missionaries!  And what i love is the youth in this ward.  Their amazing.  Their always asking us when they can come out with us.  haha and right now im like, let us find people to teach first! haha but so we've brought the youth out with us to go finding.  And they love it.  haha their so cool, they all look like punk teenagers, a little like cholos, but then when they get in a lesson their amazing.  you'd never expect it. The strongest testimonies ever. They all look up to missinoaries so much and they are just soooo anxious to be missionaries themselves.  (ps price a youth in the ward taught me how to shuffle and jump style) hahaha But the ward is just so great and helpful.  that makes all the difference.

          So one day last week my companion and I planned on knocking and contacting for a long time, almost the whole day.  The morning of we got a map of our area and prayed for a long time to try and figure out where the Lord wanted us to go.  It took awhile but we got it down to this one little area.  We went their and knocked the first complex and it was sooo great ! we found this one lady named Sylvia who we are teaching now who was like looking for the right church.  Her husband is a different religion that she doesnt like and she was sooo happy we came.  The next time we came with a member and she was explaining to the member how she felt the day we came and how she felt something "different."  It was the best.  And that same day of knocking we met this lady who was like, yea I went to that church for a couple times but i lost my car and i havent been able to. hahah we were like.. hhmmm, we can fix that.  it was just so cool.  it was very inspired that we went there that day.  And then just the other day we went knocking in that same area.  We went to this other complex and the door to the complex was open so we started knocking.  The place had kind of a bad vibe and it didnt seem like anyone was there.  So we decided to go somewhere else.  We were leaving and the door to the complex was locked  this time and people were waiting to come in. I didnt notice it but my companion did.  The door would like slam shut and lock every time.  but for some reason it was open when we first got there.  Which i dont know how cuz it wouldnt stay open after.  We figured we should stay and knock cuz there was someone there we needed to find. So we stayed and a couple of doors later we found this woman and she seemed to be moving.  We were like can we help? and she was like yea, help me out with the word of God.  and she grabbed two chairs and put them in front of herself and her other friend.  hahah she was really nice and happy so we sat down and started talking to her and her friend.  She was in a hard situation with her family and it was a pretty emotional talk.  It seemed to be just in time.  It was great.  And she's got a punk teenage kid and when we finished to talk we made him and his friends help us move their furniture to the truck.  haha it was funny.  We've got a cita with them this thursday which im excited about and were bringing a cool youth kid. 

Its amazing knowing that this truly is the work of God.  And if we trust in Him and not in ourselves, little miracles happen all the time.  It is such a great feeling being lead by the Lord in everything we do.  Especially when we dont realize it.  I love it.  So this area is getting better! slowly but surely.  we have a ton of work to do but it will be great.  thanks for your letters, keep writing! love you all !

 

 

love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 33.

herro family!

 

Candace! i got a picture of brady! (mom said she stole it) he looks just like you! he seems so cute! that is so weird you have a baby but at the same time I feel like you've been a mom for awhile.  Mom, thank you for the box.  haha A LOT of candy.  My companion is really enjoying it. and i loved the letter.  Mel, the pictures went to my last area but my old companion is sending them.  and appearantly james mack wrote me too! i cant wait to get it.

      So one week in North Hollywood down! It is definitely different over here. So i love being on bike. (btw i changed my bikes name to bethany) i dont know why but i felt like i needed to.  ANYWAY!  yea i love bike.  Its so much better than car because its not just driving from appointment to appointment but now i can talk to more people along the way! i love that. And our area is smaller which i love so now we can kind of focus more on a specific spot.  It has been crazy hot.  over 100 like everyday.  haha so... this area is...dead.  yea, its completely dead.  We have some investigators but their not that into it.  yesterday my companion and I went through the investigaotrs and we decided we kind of need to start new.  Start this area fresh.  haha but thats ok, im excited! i love finding.  Because knocking in spanish work is actually really affective.  i mean dont get me wrong refferrals are much better but knocking works.  and its fun!  Its going to take some time and a lot of work like my last area but it will be good.  Were going finding for those who the Lord has already prepared.  i know their out their, we just need to find em! Kind of like what happened in my last area.  So, we've got a lot of work to do! My companion doesnt love to knock but we went a couple times this week.  It was great.  We found some nice people and had some great lessons.   

       So my companion is Elder Shepard.  i have no idea how to explain him.  haha hes great.  i love him to death.  Really funny, corky guy from utah.  I think were going to have a lot of fun together.  So we live with these really nice members.  We have like our own little house thing.  Its great.  The ward here is amazing.  A really nice ward who are really active in missionary work.  btw family, help out the missionaries cuz they need it and it helps soooo much! but the ward is so great.  It was hard for me to move on though.  This week i was pretty homesick for El Camino Real.  haha wednesday night it just kind of hit me how much i missed them and i was soo sad. haha but its ok, im good now.  i just love those people so much.  but these people here seem great too.  And like i was saying they are all so active in the missinoary work, always willing to come out with us and help out.  Pretty much all of them are converts of just a few years and they just love bearing their testimonies and are so excited about it.  its amazing.  Its weird going to a new area, meeting new people.  i kinda feel like a new missionary again.  And there is an elder in my new district that i knew from byu so thats kind of funny.  He's been out for a lot longer though, hes almost dead.

       So yesterday i saw elder Souza! he was my MTC companion for awhile but got transferred early.  i hadnt seen him for about 7 months,  since the mtc but it was great seeing him! And it was awesome cuz now we can actually speak spanish.  haha in the mtc not at all so it was so fun seeing him again. 

        So i dont have as much time but i hope all is well !   thanks for writing and keep the writing coming! i love hearing from you! Love you all so much!

 

 

Love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 32.

  Well family, its been interesting.  I got transferred.  i kinda knew that i would be so its no suprise but still kinda shocking haha.  So i got transferred to Hollywood.  I'll be in the North Hollywood 4rth ward.  Im really excited for a change but im going to miss this place so much.  Its been my home for the last 6 months.  Anyway, so my new companion's name is elder Shepard.  Hahaha i dont know him but i've heard hes great.  Really dorky but great.  scott, you know that flute thing that Link plays in Zelda? well appearantly he plays that. haha I talked to him on the phone and one of the first things he asks me was.. "do you like boardgames? I really hope you say yes" haha i was like... uhhhhh not really. hahaha this is going to be a great companionship! no im really excited and were going to be on bike which  will be fun.  o about a bike.. So i found an old bike awhile ago while cleaning out an old elders apartment and i've fixed it up and its great now! i have to go get some linings today for the tires but other than that its in good condition and sturdy.  its name is Kathy, she's wonderful. 

           So when i first got here i was with Elder Longhurst who was great and who had been here for foerever.  The only thing was that we were teaching a lot of dead ends, people that werent progressing or couldnt.  So 2 transferrs ago we kind of started this area over.  We dropped some people and went looking for the ones that were ready.  We had a ton of work, we knocked and contacted a ton.  i cant even tell you how many doors we've knocked. haha ALL of teuanita! so it took a lot of time and hard work but its all payed off.  We have found amazing, ready people who are great.  We've been teaching more lessons then ever before. Juan Chavez is getting baptized this sunday, Then this girl named Bianka after him, and then Crazy luis after her! its been great and were finally seeing the fruits of our labors.  haha figures though that im leaving right when all of this is happening. Yesterday at church we had 4 investigators come which was great.  2 were this couple that are soooo great! we had a lesson with them this week and only taught them the importance of coming to church and they did and loved it! their so great.  The mom kept saying how tranquila she felt and it was just the best.  They stayed like an hour after, they didnt want to leave.  And their so excited to come next week too! ahh it was just the best.  

          So saying bye yesterday to the ward was about 100 times harder then i was expecting.  First off, they called me up to bear my testimony to say goodbye and when i got up there i recieved a note that the other speaker cancelled so talk as long as you can.  hahaha it was interesting but i loved it! with white people i think i would have been nervous but not with Latinos.  Their my people now.  i feel so at home with them.  And it was so much easier talking to them cuz i had so much to say. haha it was fun.  ahhh but saying bye was THE worst thing ever.  i've never tried harder to not cry.  It was awful.  I love these people so much i cant even tell you.  They are the most unbelievable people ever.  Hard working, humble and have the strongest testimonies ever.  They have such hard lives and have to deal with so much but they get through it all and somehow find time to serve and help one another.  their amazing.  Saying bye to the lara family was awful.  And Hermano Gonzalez, and Hermano Elias, Hermana De leone!  And the cruz family! the little boys wrote me some really cute notes and drew pictures.  jeeze i wanna cry just talking about them.  goodness,  when did i become such a wuss? (dont answer that melanie) haha ahh im just going to miss this place so much.  Mom and Dad, i am so excited for you to pick me up, not cuz i want to leave but so you can meet these people.  I cant say enough about them.  I look at them and dont understand why I have been so blessed and not them.  I mean they are so blessed because they have the gospel but right now in their lives, they just try to survive.  ha it makes me feel like a jerk.  I just dont understand why i have been so blessed.

Anyway, im going to send y'all some pictures so you can see these people. 

     O so i took this one picture with an investigator named maria.  haha she just grabbed me and in the picture she just put her arms right around me and i was so shocked and didnt know what to do so its a great picture and i have an extremely awkward smile. haha im trying to be completely, 100% obedient but I think thats the only rule i've really broken.  I just had to hug some of these people goodbye.  I hope thats not too bad. 

     Anyway, im out of time.  But my new address is, 9057 Cayuga, Ave.  Sun Valley, CA 91352.  I think its a members house so that will be interesting.  anyway, i love you and cant wait to hear from you!

 

Love elder foulger

 

ps, did i tell you i found a sword in our apartment complex? ...cuz i did!

letter numero 31.

aloha! sooooo ive gotten some great letters from y'all this week.  Thank you mucho! Sounds like the company meeting went well, sounds like that was fun.  Hha i'll definitely be there for the one in 2 years.  So i got some great pictures of Hallie.  She's a cutie.  and really chubby. haha It kills me not being able to hold kids.  Its the hardest one to keep, cuz kids are always jumping on me and asking me to hold them and stuff and i want to cry cuz i cant! haha o well.. small price.  ;)  So sounds like charlie is just a champ in the water and the rest of the kids are just crazy and having fun.  Thats great.  I miss those little guys.  I decorated my planner with their pictures and i show people were teaching and they love it.  And mom told me the NH house will probably still be there when i get home. hahaha i already had an emotional goodbye to that house when i left! bunk house for life!  

      So anyway, we had an amazing week.  really great! So i have been in this area for a long time and im petty sure im going to get transferred this week.  So if your sending me letters or anything, it would probably be best to send them to the mission office.  23504 Lyons Avenue #107, Santa Clarita, CA 91321.  I'm not sure im getting transferred but i think i will.  i find out saturday.  I love this area so much and i've gotten to know the people here so well.  It will be hard saying goodbye and starting over somewhere else.  Ugh i had to say bye to Juan Chavez cuz he took a trip to Mexico for awhile. that was awful! i hope i can come see his baptism if i get transferred.  We've also been teaching this really great girl named bianca which has been fun.  Laltely we've just been so blesed with so many people to teach.  And its amazing talking to these people because when you get to know them and understand their stories its so easy to see how the lord has prepared them their entire lives just to be in this situation to hear and accept the gospel.  I love that.  We are teaching some amazing people.  people who have been through soooo much hardships and trials in their lives.  And somewhow they still have a positive outlook on life.  Almost everyone were teaching live to work so tthey can just survive and provide for their families.  And their always JUST getting by. i dont know how they do it.   Its a completely different world. 

       being a missionary is very weird.  i cant remember life not being a missionary.  its just so bizarre because were constantly doing random things and in crazy situations.  i also think i could be a part time mover. haha but one of the things i love about the mission is the crazy and just bizzarre situations we find ouselves in every day.  now its like crazy things that used to shock me before dont faze me.  haha i dont know how to explain it.  The other night we were in tejuanita and it was kind of a crazy night there.  But we ran into one of our investigators who was searching for her teenage daughter who snuck out and was hanging out with bad kids.  hahaha and so there we were, in sketchy tejaunita looking for some teenage girl with her mom.  It was kind of too bad though cuz the Bryant street gang saw us talking to the mom and we totally lost our street credit. haha we were on the cool side for awhile with them but now were just back to dorky white kids.  o well. haha I feel like were part of tejuanita now. 

     But anyway we had some great lessons this week. I'll tell you about one i really liked. We taught this girl named Rocio who we've been loking for for awhile.  We had a really good lesson with her and i loved it because shes really smart and asks really good questions. She's like 21 and from El Salvador and her familiy hates us. Her dad started laughing when he saw us and at first her grandmother didnt like us either but by the end i think she did and she even made us Tomales! haha anyway,  At the very beginning she told us shes not doing this to convert.  usually if thats not in their sights at all, theirs no sense in teaching them but we felt like we still should and we did.  At the beginning we explained the spirit and how we can feel it and recognize it and then promised her in the name of Jesus Christ that the spirit would be there during the lesson.  right after the first vision she got really quiet.  We asked her how she felt and she didnt answer and finally she said i feel like a want to cry.   We explained she was feeling the spirit and that it was testifying that these things were true.   Shes going to read and pray about the LDM so im really excited to meet with her again.   

     We had some other great lessons too but and im out of time.  i love you all and i love to hear from y'all !

 

 

o! ps! we contacted a guy in Korean! (gift of tongues)

 

pps.  somebody tell j to write me haha

 

love you!

 

love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 30.

helloooooo family!!!!!!!!!!

      We had such a great week! ok! -recap.  So last email i told you that Juan Chavez was too scared t be baptized so we had a fast with him that he would have the strength to make the step and do it.  So the next dayy we went over to end the fast and he was telling us how he feels different about baptism now than he did the day before and he wants to do it! and now he's gonna get baptized at the end of the month! it was amazing! The Lord changed his heart when he showed his faith, it was the best.  That taught me how to fast with a real sincerity of heart.  Ahhhh he is THE man.  And then we ate with him right after to end the fast, his wife made THE most spicy enchiladas ever.  Haha i was dying.  And then yesterday Luis came to church and loved it! He is trying to make the decision as well to be baptized or not right now.  He's such a good guy who just wants so bad to do the right thing.  On sunday morning he said he was sitting on his bed and he didnt want to go to church but just really felt like he should, so he did! it was great. 

       Ok, so this week we had a ton of lessons fall through which was too bad but it was fine because we had a lot of other great things happen.  So on saturday EVERYTHING fell through haha so we had the whole day open.  At first i was a little down but then we decided we were going to knock all day.  We went home, got tons of stuff and camelbaks cuz its crazy hot and then we prayed about where we should go.  We divided our map into a couple of sections and prayed about each of them.  We ended up picking this area we had never knocked before.  Cuz its mostly full of white people.  But anyway we went to a neighborhood, which was like a first cuz were always in apartment buildings, but we felt like we should go to this one neighrborhood.  We knocked a couple doors and they were full of mean people with big dogs who dont like us.(and my companion is terrified of dogs cuz one attacked him in his mission haha).  But then we met this one lady named Pati.  Shes from mexico and is a really sweet lady.  We sat on these chairs outside her house and talked to her for awhile.  after awhile she opened up and told us how much she missed her family in mexico but that she cant see them.  And that day, 5 years before was the day her step daughter was killed by her boyfriend.  She got really emoional.  We ended up teaching her the plan of salvation which she really liked.  It was such a great lesson.  I really feel like that is exactly where the Lord wanted us to go.  To find Pati.  We'll see what happens with her, i hope it all works out.  Then after that lesson we had a bit of a confrontation with the biggest dog in the world.  It looked like the one in Simon Birch.  ( Ahh its a horse!) ..seriously giant though. 

      So the other day we went to just stop by one of our investigators from Peru.  She had tonsof family sobrinos there so we got to teach all of them just a little.  We did this tea bag lesson about faith where yo ulight a tea bag on fire in someones hand and if they move it it falls over and isnt good but if they dont then it floats in the air right before it burns you.  So we did it on this one girl and she got scarred and moved her hand and the tea bag fell! haha it was not good.  hahaha but soooo funny.  But then we did it again and they got it. haha It was pretty funny and awkward cuz our investigator wants us to marry her daughter and isnt shy about it. 

        Oh! ok so the other day we had our zone meeting at this place called the rock.  Its this really pretty lookout in our area right next to the ocean.  so we had our meeting at night and we brought Pierre! haha it was tons of missionaries and him and he loved it.  It was such a great meeting where we talked about our purpose as missionaries and then had testimony meeting after.  I was so great.  ahh i hope Pierre goes on a mission, that would be the best thing ever. 

Anyway, its always hard for me to remember everything that happened this week, but was a fantastic week.  Im keeping a video log at night cuz the journal wanst working to well.  I like it, its fun.  I think i just have about 2 weeks left in this area but im not sure.  we'll see!

Thanks for your letters! i love hearing from you! o! and candace i saw pictures of brady! looks like a stud and like he's gonna be an amazing skier! Love you!

love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 29.

Well hello family!, ok, soooo theres a new baby??? i barely heard.  Someone tell me more i'm anxious to hear.  Mom, thank you so much for the packages.  We have a ton of candy now. haha and i love the hucks t shirt too! im wearing it right now! haha Anyway, just another great week in El Camino Real !   I'm loving it here.  So these last couple weeks, we have been teaching more than we ever have and it has been great.  And lately we've REALLY been focusing on member presents which has been helping a lot.  

        So on saturday we asked Juan Chavez to be baptized.  He said he knows its all true, he knows he needs to be baptized, he's scared to die without being baptized, he's just scared to do it cuz its a really big step. We talked him through a lot of it but still, hes scared.  So tonight were starting a fast with him so that he can make the decision to do it. haha i hope it goes well.     

          So one day we had lunch with this lady and then right after we had a cita where we were teaching this guy named Alberto, whos the man.  We had a great lesson with him with  a member and then he was like "I made you Posole" Posole is a mexican soup with tons of meat and stuff that takes a lot of time to make and theymake it for celebrations and stuff so it was a big deal he made it and we had to eat.  haha he gave us the biggest bowels EVER.  They were like fruit displays.  And this was right after lunch.  We were dying but ate all of it and took some to go home.  Then like an hour later we found ourselves in another situation having to eat more.  We were in this house with giant plates of food and it got to the point where i literally could not eat one more bite.  i was trying SO HARD not to throw up.  The family left us in a room to eat cuz they had visitors so we were in a room by ourselves with all this food and didnt know what to do.  So, im not proud of it but we were desperate.  We grabbed some plastic cups and stuffed all the food in them and then put the cups in my bag.  hahaha we had no other choice! It was pretty funny though and everything worked out great! Its amazing how food can really humble you down. haha

          We were blessed this week and had some new investigators at church.  Some really cool guys.  We used to only teach middle aged women but now its like all guys. haha its very different but i like it.  And were teaching a couple great families and couples! i love teaching couples and them learning together.   Recently, great investigators have just been falling into our laps and its been great.  So i think i only have a couple weeks left in this area.  I mean im not sure but i think so.  Its going to be weird going somewhere else.  My main goal is to leave every area better than i found it.  More progressing investigators, more coming to church. 

           Anyway, i can't really remember what happened this week, ahh seems to happen every week.  But hopefully i'll remember more and write it down.  O! so i wasnt verygood at keeping a journal so now im keeping a video journal and i like it so much more! its fun and i think its going to be great in the end. 

      So thanks for your letters, i hope all is well and you rhaving fun!   love you!

 

Love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 28.

FAMILIA!!!! hi !

    dear familia, 

             ok so first off, thanks everyone for writing! i've gotten some awesome letters this week from y'all.  It sounds like everyone is doing great except for meagan! haha sorry meags.  but thats good the surgery went well ! And Candace... baby?  Mom, i got the package you sent, thank you so much.  And i love those little cards you give me.  i've been using them for members and investigators doors.  I really like em.  One of our inv taped one to his wall. hha So y'all met big nick! hahaha thats the best thing ever! aww i miss that guy.  Thats so awesome he's been hangin out with haven.  i about died laughing hearing the "y'all didnt have show and tell?" haha aww! i miss that guy! And price, you were working with ronnie and greg? haha thats sooo awesome! church? aww.. classic.  Phister, your letter was too funny.  K money and v dog got a house! yeaa! Candace i cant wait to hear about the baby! o... and hold on.  Jacks doing backflips off the diving board? are you serious??? hahahah what a stud. hes five? o my goodness... kids gonna be a legend.

      So i think this week might have been like my favorite so far... seriously an amazing week.  First of all, i went to court! haha rumor has it someone was nervous about that... haha but it was so awesome!  It was myself, two other missionaries and a ton of scary looking people.  haha I didnt have to testify or anything though so thats too bad.  So anyway, my companion and I hav been working so hard and this week and have been blessed with lessons with amazing people.  We taught more lessons this week than we every have! and they were awesome! We've been working hard to make like all our lessons to be members presents which has been great.

        Ok, so I wanna tell y'all about this one lesson we had.  So we had this cita with this couple, whos son is a member but doesnt live with them.  We brought a member named Hermano Gonzalez who is AMAZING! such a great guy.  Anyway so we went and when we showed up there were two other people there.  And they said they wanted to listen too.  So we were like great! more people! so we started teaching a little bit and talking to them and then two more people came in.  They wanted to listen too.  So we were like, GREAT! haha so we kind of started over and then more people came in ! by the end there were like 9 or 10 people! it was like a class! it was sooooo much fun.  And we used a couple demonstrations that made it fun and interactive and at the end with the restoration and the Book of Mormon the spirit was sooooooo strong! it was seriously amazing.  And Hermano gonzalez told them his story of finding the church that was over 20 years ago! ahhh it was amazing!  And then at the end we ALL kneeled and prayed! and the Dad of the house asked if the Book of Mormon is true!!!!! ahhh it was such a fun lesson.  One of the people who walked in named patricia was like amazed the whole time.  And we only had a couple LDM's to give out so not everyone got one right away but she made sure she got one! she was like, I WANT THAT BOOK.  haha it was so cool.  And were going to teach all of them again this tuesday! im really excited.  And hermano Gonzalez and his wife are going to come! im really looking forwrd to that.  

          Ok, another thing i want to tell you about.  So we got a media refferral the other day(text message refferral) and we went to it.  We met this family.  There were kids everywhere and they love missionaries and they all said they were members.  So they couldnt really talk cuz they had visitors so we came back the next day and sat down with them to try and figure out the situation.  There was just one girl whos eleven and her parents.(the kids before were counsins)  The girl is a member but the parents arent.  shes 11.  She found the church through her grandfather, took the lessons and wanted to get baptized.  Her parents arent married and her older sister isnt a member but she is.  It was AMAZING talking to this little girl and her telling us her conversion story.  She's eleven years old and she KNOWS this church is true.  It was so amazing and so humbling.  I learned a lot from this girl. 

        We also got to teach this guy named Alberto who's amazing! he loved the first lesson and were teaching him agian this tuesday with a  really cool member.  Ahh its sooo cool.  We've been kind of stuck because all of the people we've been teaching want to get baptized but cant because of legal reasons or lame stuff.  but we've been praying and lookin for people who are ready to hear the gospel and have been so blessed to find these people.  Seriously amazing people.  O! also yesterday we took one of our investigators to another baptism and he loved it.  It was so cool.  And church was so fun and some awesome investigators came! so awesome!

   ahhhh such a great week, we had other awesome lessons but this email is really long and im out of time.  Anyway, i cant wait to hear about Candace and Alex's baby and i hope everything goes well.  The church is sooo true and im loving it out here! help the missionaries out cuz they need you! love you sooo much and thank you for writing!

 

Love, Elder Foulger 

letter numero 27.

hi family!!!!!

ok so, thank you everyone for writing, im loving your letters.  It sounds like everyone is doing well and having fun.  I wish i could write more letters to all of you but i have like no time.  Im excited to get a letter to hear that candace had the baby! hang in their dace, it will come! haha O and meagan had suregery? crazy, i hope everything works out.  The letters from the kids are sooo cute, i LOVE them.  gosh i miss those little kids.

      So everything is awesome, we had a CRAZY week.  We had some awesome lessons and some bizzarre experiences.  We got to teach Juan Chavez more and he's doing so great.  Were hoping to have a baptismal date with him soon.  We taught him some commandments this week and all went well with that.  he doesnt drink or anything, he's soo awesome i love that guy.  We've also been teaching this guy named Luis who's awesome, just in a really hard situation.  O and were teaching this family from peru who is sooo great.  So we went over the other day to teach them right after we had lunch.  We got there and they took us outside and had this HUGE lunch set up for us. haha we had no idea and had just eaten.  Then we finished the food and they left the room and my companion and i were like  my gosh were sooo lucky we fit all that.  And then right then they came out with two more huge plates of food.  i wanted to cry.  i have never eaten so much or prayed so much in my life.  And somehow (with a lot of help) we finished it. they are awesome and they want to come to church but the husband doesnt want them to.  We finally met him  and were hoping to change his mind soon.  Also, the mom wants us to marry her duahgters... that was kinda awkward. haha

        Ok, so lately i've been working on making lessons more fun and using a lot of demonstrations and stuff and i think its helping a lot.  We've been doing this one with candles that is soo cool and really shows people the need for a restoration.  Demostrations are so crucial because its really hard to keep peoples attention... especially Latinos.  Im trying to figure out a cool one for the Plan of Salvation cuz its a really long lesson. 

        ok ,so last week my companion and I went on a search for hammocks.  We found these awesome mexican hammocks in this little store and got em! and now were sleeping in hammocks! haha we took our beds out and set them up in our room. haha their som awesome.  Also, something interesting.. I have to go to court tomorrow:( I was a witness to a guy beating his wife and now i have to go testify!!!! ahhhhh.  haha i told my mission president and he just said say as little as you can and only talk when your asked.  haha hopefully it all goes well. 

         So this week we have found some amazing people to teach.  We have been praying to find people who are ready and are being blessed with people.  we've been blessed with a ton of opportunities to teach and great people.  We found this one family and found out one of the sons in the family is mormon.  He's 21 but the rest of his family arent embers.  We taught the family a lesson called a tea bag lesson thats really fun and cool.  its about faith.  They really liked it and one of the daughters who's like 18 and kinda going through a rough time wants to come to church now! We taught the parents last night and have another appointment this week.  I really like this family, their aweosme. 

        Well, there is so much going on and were teaching so many great people i wishj i had time to tell you all about them.  Its great though.  Be safe and keep writing, i love your letters!

love, elder foulger

letter numero 26.

Helloo!!!!!!!! familia! hiiiiii.  I've gotten some great letters from you, thank yo ufor that! Melanie sent me tons of pictures of the kids that are priceless.  Grace is the cutest thing in the world.  And jack is riding a 2 wheeler? wutta champ.  I've gotten pictures of lauren and Hallie too.  Lauren looks sooo different from when i left.  She is sooo cute.  That one picture of her with the sunglasses is pretty awesome haha.  hallie looks realy cute, im excited to see pictures when she gets a little bigger.  I cant wait to hear about candace's baby! whats the date again? thats sooo great. ahh  it sounds like your all doing well though and are all spread out.  north Carolina sounds fun and NH? how was jays wedding? haha that punk still hasnt written me. I guess he's been busy though.  wow i can't believe hes married.  So ben went to NH? did he go off the top of the ropeswing? (that seems to say a lot about the person)  Just trying to figure this guy out.  Still waiting onthat letter from price btw... haha

So transferrs came and im staying! im soooo happy.  i love it here haha i dont want to leave this area.  I do think its my last transfer here though.  So i didnt get to write too much last week but there has been so much going on.  So I dont know if i told you anything about Soledad but shes amazing! ok, so we were looking for this one person in a confusing complex and knocked on the wrong door.  But the door we knocked on was this lady named soledad.  She let us in and we started just talkin to her and her 2 friends that were there.  We were talking and having a good time until she told us her situation.  Her husband had a stroke last year and isnt all mentally there.  He hasnt worked since.  All their bills are up and they are all about to get kicked out of the apartment and they have no where to go.  She started crying.  it was really hard to see.  She is carrying the weight of everyone in her family.  her husband really isnt there.  She's scared and doesnt really know what to do.  At first we just cheered her up and make her feel a little better. We did a fun lesson with a cool demonstration about faith.  She said she felt a lot better and said we were angels god sent to her.  haha well we've been going back a lot since and meeting with her and her brother.  at first just trying to make her feel better and show we care about her.  Then she asked us to teach her about our message and the book of mormon.  ahhh it was amazing.  So we taught her and her brother and it went soooo well.  The spirit was really strong and their both excited to read and to pray.  Ok and then shes got this son whos like 22 and really cool.  At first he thought we were weird but he said he's seen us helping out his mom and stuff and really likes us now.  Hes such a cool kid.  He's kinda hood and im pretty sure in a gang haha but i really like him.  and now other kids in the gang like us too! yeaaa, were geting some respect! hhaha  they like us now.  and the kid (mario) raps and is amazing.  He's so good.  he raps for us and in one of his raps talks about having mormons in the house, rays of hope or something! haha yea!!! But i love that family.  And we've talked with the ward and were gonna try to get members to bring them food. 

There are so many people i wanna talk about and things that have happened but theres never enough time.  But we taught the familia flores yesterday and it was amazing! ahhhhh i love this family so much i cant even tell you.  They are soo cute and humble.  Their the ones we gave a blessing to the daughter when she was REALLY sick and now shes better! and we got to teach them yesterday and it was amazing! were taking it really slow with them. ahh i just want you all to meet them!  Also, Pierre had been looking for a job for like 3months and couldnt find one and was really down about it.  So we fasted with him for a day and the next dy he got a job! ahhh it was sooo great!  And Juan Chavez is great and coming to church! and Lily and her family are amazing! ahh theres so much i wanna talk about.

I hope you got that recorder thing.  I talked a bunch in it and sent it home. 

    Everything is so great though, i love it.  Its really weird, i feel like i've been a missionary my entire life.  Like a dont remember stuff before.  I dont remember music i listened to or movies or stuff I used to do....anything.  Its really hard to explain but its amazing.  I'm lovin it 

Thanks for writing and keep em coming! Candace, good luck with having the baby! and meagan with the surgery! your in my prayers! love you all

 

love elder foulger

letter numero 25.

hellooooooooo!!!!!

 

how is everyone?????? So i got an awesome letter from mel and the kids this week.  haha i loved it.  She layed out for me where everyone is and what their doing.  thank you mel ! haha i really needed it.  you guys are all too crazy and all always moving around. haha just hold still ! haha o! but dad, rumor has it you raced your jag in NY and won? i definitely need to hear more about that.  Sounds like your all having fun though and the girls went to Corolla.  Thats great.  And Vdog and Kaf are in utah? thats awesome! 

    Well, today is the 4rth of July and is the first time i've been even a little homesick.  haha its just i think 4th of july in nh is THE best thing in the world.  Maybe my favortie holiday.  It feels like last 4th of july was like a wekk ago.. Time really flys. 

So we've had a great week! So something kinda interesting.  My companions brother came out and visited us for a couple days.  (approved by the president dont worry) haha but so his brother is about to go on his mission to south africa and my companion goes home in a few transfers so they would have just missed eachother.  So it was really fun though.  my companions like 6'5 and his brother is like 6'6. haha crazy.  I felt like price all week ;)   But it was fun, really funny kid. 

Every time i get to the computer on p day, i cant remember what happened during the week.  I dont know why.  haha but so we've been working really hard, and its been really hot. haha So we watched the restoration with Luis(crazy) and he loved it! haha and he said he's gonna show his whole family! hes awesome, during our lessons we ask him how he feels about all of it and he says it all sounds so familiar, like hes known it his whole life but forgot or something.  So that has been reall cool.  he couldnt come to church cuz he was out of town but next week! he really wants to! So we havent been able to see Juan Chavez much cuz hes been organizing this big soccer tournament for his neice who has Lupus? i dont really know what that is, just know its super bad.  So we havent seen him much but the tournament was yesterday so we'll be able to see him more now.  So we had an awesome lesson with lily and her family this week! we taught the whole plan of Salvation! we usually dont teach the whole thing in one lesson but half way through(after the atonement) we wanted to leave and they told us not to.  haha it took awhile but we taught the whole thing and they were really interested.  it was great.  them coming to this fireside we put on made a huge difference. 

anyway, i dont have a ton of time to write today but all is well! be safe and dont be afraid to write!

 

love, elder foulger

letter numero 24.

hi family!!!!!!! how are you????

K so we had a very interesting week, like always! So this week we actually didnt have nearly enough time to work because we had so many meetings and stuff.  See, we've been practicing a ton and preparing for this fireside that we just had.  And all the time and work was totally worth it! it was amazing! Ok so what we did was we made like a tour through the chapel and had a bunch of different groups.  there were 4 rooms that we decorated HEAVILY and had 2 missionaries in each.  When the people got to the room the missionaries had memorized things about different subjects.  There was one about geneology, families, Christ, and the Restoration.  It was soooo awesome! and then at the end everyone came into one room and the missionary chorus sang (which i was in ! haha) and then we had our mission president talk and then the stake president talk.  and then the missionary chorus sang the Spirit of God and then everyone sang togethter in the last verse.  it was sooooooooo powerful !  everyone was crying, possibly me as well, haha it was soooo good.   And it was sooo cool when everyone sang together, usually latino's CAN NOT SING haha like at all.  But it sounded soooooo good and it was sooo loud.  ahh it was amazing! And in between the whole thing we had mormon messages playing.  which are SO good! o btw, i'm guessing you already know this but i didnt.  I was watching them the other day when we were preparing and Stephanie Nielson has one on there.  Like the whole story of her plane crash and her recovery and everything.  it is very powerful, i really liked it.  thats a really hard story.  You guys should all go on mormon.org though. it is sooo cool now.  and watch all the mormon messages cuz their sooo powerful.  Promise you'll do that? k thanks! o btw i forgot but i was on tv! hahah like during General conference in between sessions they showed a thing in the mtc when i was there and i was in it a couple times ! yeaaaaa hahaha

So we've been teaching this lady named Lily and her mother and daughter.  We've taught them three times now.  and last time we had an awesome member come with us, hermana Perez.  She's amazing, this lady.  Always doing missionary work.  So we've had some GREAT lessons with them and they came to the fireside! which they loved!! ahh it was sooo cool.  I wish more of our investigators could have come to it but not many could.  But so Lily and her family, their catholic but are loving the lessons.  appearantly her husband doesnt like us though or the fact she's taking the lessons but she doesnt seem to care haha.  So were going to meet with her again tomorrow! And juan chavez is sooo great.  Although he's been organizing this giant soccer tournament for charity so he couldnt come to church and the thing is next sunday so not next week either.  but hes still great and progressing. 

So i used this recorder thing a lot and i recorded a thing for the aaronic priesthood too.  I'm going to try and send that off today.  and i put it in my shirt pocket when we were knocking doors! haha and so you can hear us doing that.  i just did a couple though.  and we listened to it after and we were like NOOOOO haha w realized how gringo our accents are.  haha their coming along but take time. 

So transfers are coming up, i dont know whats gonna happen.  i hope i stay one more transfer, i asked to. haha but im not sure.  Its just like, we just really organized our area and things are really starting to happen.  haha i dont want to leave! So the saucerdocio in this ward is kinda lingering and the bishop has been looking for help so my companion and I have been thinking and praying a lot about what we could do to strengthen it the best we can. And we decided that it needs home teaching. See there really is no home teaching in this ward and i think its something small that can go a long way.  But the thing is no one does it.  - I think its because they dont know how.  So we came up with this plan to go on splits(my companion and I) every friday, saturday, and Sunday from 7-9 with home teachers and go with them on their visits.  This way, they start doin their visits, we get more work done because were split, and the members really learn how to do it.  I really hope it helps.  We did it for the first time the other day and it worked great, i loved it!

Anyway, love you all, be safe! have price write me about this Ben guy haha

 

Love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 23.

Dad, HAPPY FATHERS DAY! hope you had a great one there.  Thanks for writing everyone!  those pictures of hallie are pretty awesome.  The ones of her sleeping are hilarious.  But thanks for the letters. Its been great to hear from you.  and meagan sent me some pictures, thank you!!!!!! I also got some awesome pictures of lauren.  That one of her with the sunglasses is priceless.  She got REALLY cute. haha Mom, your letters are sooooo funny... every time. i love em.  o btw verlan, "drop it like its hot" hahah.  Meagan told me about that i about died laughing.  it sounds like everything is awesome there.  Good to hear.  Candace, congrats on quitting! im so proud of you.  btw, whats the due date again? im so excited.  Is alex nervous? hahah jeeze im gonna get back and your all going to be parents...WEIRD!    Lindsay got married?? crazy.  I got to meet him haha, seems like a nice guy.  And when is jonathans wedding? in NH? wow, i cant believe he is getting married.  What a stud.  except actually hes not that great cuz he hasnt written me yet. haha THANKS JAY! and this ben guy is going? jeeze this guy is no joke huh? Price, will you write me and give me the laydown on this guy? dont sugarcoat it. haha ...but seriously i wanna know.  Rumor has it that jay loves him but i dont know if thats a good thing or not. haha   So i wrote a letter to the Aaronic priesthood holders and i recorded it.  I think im going to use that recording thing today and talk to all of you! that will be more fun than a letter i think.
        So everything has been so great here.  We've had an interesting week.  And its been really funny.  We got a flat tire this week! so that was fun! but its ok, we changed it !

     So fun week, we had two exchanges though.  I like exchanges but not that much cuz i would rather just be with my companion.  But it was fun and it gives you the chance to see how other elders work,  I had this one exchange with this really funny kid from mexico.  His english isnt all that good so it was a funny day.  We taught this new guy named josue.  It went really well, it was fun.  haha we also had this one lesson with this lady named Marisol.  every time we go to her apartment its crazy! there are kids and toys and stuff EVERYWHERE!  anyway, it was a really intense lesson and during it, she was talking and her little 2 yr old comes out of the kitchen, holding a bottle of beer and starts crying for the mom to open it for him.  and she started to! then she realized what it was and stopped.  i looked at my companion and we both started laughing. haha it was sooo bizzarre.  i didnt really know what else to do.  I also had an exchange with this kid in my district who cant speak ANY spanish.  haha so that was a funny day.  We had some great lessons. Especially one with this lady named lily and her daughter.  Their from Peru. We read 3rd nephi 11 with them and they loved it. 

           So we've got a couple investigators right now who are kind of just waiting on their answers.  Its hard cuz we've had some great, powerful lessons with them but they cant recognize their answer.  So we've been doing this thing lately that seems to be very effective and helps people recognize their answer during the lesson. We start out the first lesson about the holy ghost.  We read john 15:26 and then john 14:26 and talk about what the spirit does and how we can feel and recognize it.  And how it only testifys of truth.  then we promise them, in the name of Jesus Christ that the spirit will be threre during the lesson and they can know these things are true through the Holy Ghost.  Then during the lesson when the spirit is strong (usually after the first vision or something) we just stop and are like, "we can all feel the spirit right now, and it is testifying to you that what we are saying is true." It is very powerful and effective and is starting to help people gain their own testimony. So thats been great, were working at getting better at it though. 

       So yesterday Juan Chavez came to church again! and stayed all 3 hours! he loved it.  That guy is the man! i love him! it is seriously a huge blessing to teach him.  Then yesterday we taught lewis.  We taught him on the steps outside in teuanita and taught him about the restoration.  he said that it all sounds familiar and he doesnt have a doubt in his mind that it is true. We asked him what the BOM was and he said "the adventures of Christ in the Americas"  haha it was awesome. We were like, "uhhh... yeah! " hahah Then we read 3rd nephi 11 with him to hep him understand the BOM and at the end he was like, "wow everyone needs to know about this."  hahaha we were like I KNOWWWW! THATS WHAT WERE TRYING TO DO ALL THE TIME!  haha it was funny.

   So anyway there were some other things this week but i dont have time.  I'll do the recording thing and tell you ! love you all ! be safe!

ps.. price im totally expecting that letter.  and one from j too! hah

love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 22.

Well hello family,

Its been great to here from you all, thanks for writing.  I've come to the conclusion that im never going to get those family pictures from you so i'll just stop asking. haha  Brigg, Happy late Birthday!!!!!!! MAN your getting old.  haha

Well we had another great week.  It seems every week is just bizarre in its own way and every day is so different from the last.  Its so funny.  Every day we get put in some sort of crazy positions, its always entertaining.  Wanna hear some awesome news! there was a shooting in Teuanita this week !  ten shots! yea! its about time, i've been waiting for some action.  Unfortunately we werent there when it happened but im still waiting for my chance to get shot at.  haha just kidding mom... But teuanita is actually awesome and its where we spend like all of our time.  ALL Latinos and poor.  Which is like the best mix ever.  haha but dont worry all the bad stuff there goes on super late at night.  And thats where Juan Chavez lives.  We had some awesome lessons with him! we had a lesson with him and Hermano chavez haha a member and it went really well.  We talked to him about baptism and he said he wants to go to church before he decides to get baptized.  I totally agree but it was good that we were talking about it.  he said when he was eighteen years old all of his friends had changed and started to do bad things.  He decided right then to never do bad things but to be the best person he can be.  haha he's soooo awesome! and hes always smiling.  he says we walks down the street and says hi to everyone and no one else says it back! haha he sounds like a missionary.  he said he's been more of a loner his life because its hard for him to find good guys.  and all of his life, he's never gone to church.  He said he's been a few times just with his wife and her family but thats it.  haha  he's just an amazing, humble, happy guy whos just worried about his family.  He's the man, i love that guy.  Well anyway, he came to church yesterday! its was the best thing ever! the only thing was he could only go to the first hour, which here is priesthood.  but he totally loved it.  People Were saying hi to him and being super nice and i think he loved being around other good guys like him, just trying to do their best.  At the end of the class he looked at me with THE iggest smile on his face and just goes, Excellente! haha it was awesome. And i think next week he will go to the whole thing.  Im really excited.  So then theres Norma, whos this lady that lives at teuanita too.  She's great.  i found her with Elder longhurst.  I remember it was the last door we decided to knock that day.  So we've been trying to teach her for awhile but like its always chaos over there with all her kids.  And one of them has down syndrome and is crazy but SOOOOO cute.  So this time we tried something new.  I played with the kids the whole time while my companion taught her.  It worked soooo much better! I mean yes, i got bit, punched, spit on, juice poured on my head, action figures thrown at me(one drilling the back of my head), and one of the kids pooped his pants, BUT IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!  haha they read 3rd nephi 11 and it hit her really hard.  We've taught her the first lesson and what the Book of Mormon is, but when we read it with her it was much more powerful.  She said shes going to fast and pray to know of its true! im so excited! we didnt even think of fasting but she brought it up and is way into the idea! so... yea! that was great. 

So yesterday we were knocking and met this one guy.  He said no at first but the prayer knocking system got us in ! So we talked to them for awhile and were kinda just having a good time with them and then they told us their daughter is really sick and they dont have health insurance.  it got quiet and serious real quick.  So we talked a little bit about blessings and offered to give the daughter one.  The daughter came in, 14 years old and we gave her a blessing.  It was very powerful.  at the end of the blessing the daughter and parents were crying.  Especially the daughter.  the Spirit was SOOO strong, it was really cool.  We explained that a blessing works the same way as it did with the miracles of christ, by faith.  Im anxious to go back and see that family again, really humble people.  It is amazing to me how the spirit just leads us to the places we need to go,  And these amazing spiritual experiences that we have with complete strangers. Its soo cool.

 So last tuesday, Manuel passed away.  We went over there just after it happened and there was a lot of family and stuff.  At first we walked up and his step brother who doesnt like us came outside and told us its not a good time and to leave, then Manuels brother and Dad came out and gave us hugs and brought us inside.  We've gotten really close with them, they treat uslike family now. But it was really hard to see the family like that.  Even though they knew it was going to happen it was a huge hit for them.  And i think a huge part of it is because they dont understand whats after this life.  They kinda just see it that he's lost.  That would be so hard to see things like that.  We are so lucky to have the Plan of Salvation and understand it.  i think thats something that i have taken for grantid in my life.  But we went to his funeral saturday.  It was very different.  8 hours.  We only stayed for about an hour and a half, and i thik i meant a lot to the family.  Manuels brother asked us to come back and teach him.  He's  really good guy, we've gotten the most close with him through all this. 

but anyway, sorry the email is so long this week.

 

Love you and i love to hear from you1

 

love, elder foulger

letter numero 21.

So this has been a pretty amazing week.  I got a new companin, Elder Shumway.  He's 6ft 4 and super skinny.  He's from Texas too but has lived all over the world.  He is awesome.  I really lucked out again on a companion.  He's been in english work for a long time so his spanish is about as good as mine.  Haha so its fun, were both learning a lot.   Were working as hard as we can, talking to everyone we can, are being as obedient as we can, and are being very blessed.  Yesterday i had he privelage to confirm Pierre during sacrament meeting.  It was so awesome, he seemed to happy. 

 We've had some extremely powerful things happen this week.  We've been trying out a lot of new things this week trying to switch things up and see what works.  We've been doing this one thing we call prayer knocking.  When people say no at the door the first time we just say, "ok well can we just come in and say a quick prayer to bless the house and the family?" Were getting in at least half the doors now.  And then when we get in we talk about prayer which leads to a whole lot of other stuff.  Its been great and we've been finding a lot of people because of it.  This one house we got in, we talked to this lady named Guadalupe and there were a bunch of kids.  We started talking to them and for some reason my companion and I just started talking about eternal families which usually we never start doing as the first thing.  But we were talking to this lady and her kids, who are really nice kids, and we just both felt like we should talk about eternal families. And then the lady told us her husband had just passed away.   It all made sense. She opened up to us and it was very emotional. we had a great little lesson with them and i think its exactly what thy needed.  Were meeting with them again tonight an are bringing one of our recent converts to come with us, im really excited.  It is amazing having the spirit work through you, especially when you don't even realize it.  A lot of times we do something and have no idea why and then later we find out how important it was that we did it.  haha i hope you understand that, its kinda hard to explain. 

We had another lesson with Juan Chavez.  This guy is so great i love him.  We taught him the plan of Salvation.  We would ask him a question and he would be like well this is what i have believed, but if you tell me somethin else then i'll believe you.  haha he's the man! we had such a great lesson with him and brought with us a really cool kid in the ward named ricky. 16 yr old whos awesome.   It went soooo well and we had him teach some parts.  I think Juan Chavez is learning and trusting so much in us because we've been trying to make an effort to show we care.  that we care about him and his family.  And it seems to go a long way.  "They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."  My mtc teacher told me that and now im learning how true that is.  Its hard to see though because his son is an alcoholic and is awful to his parents.  We've been trying to help juan with that which i think he really appreciates.  

We've had some experiences this week that im not going to forget.  The first day my new companion got here we went to this one guys house we've never met to give him a blessing. (he's a friend of some members) His name is Manuel and he's dying from cancer.  He probably weighs about 40 pounds and looks like a haulocaust victim.  It is very hard to see someone in that sort of condition.  We've been going by every chance we get to go see him.  We've spent a lot of time with him.  He was meeting with missionaries before but they were sisters and for some reason he had a problem with that and stopped the lessons.  Last thursday he was supposed to die so we went over and sang hymns for awhle and shared some scriptures on faith, hope and love.  He actually lived through the night and told Hermana flores that he liked us and wanted us to come back, so thats what we've been doing.  We've been teaching him very simpy and slowly.  He's really enjoyed our lessons but is dying fast.  He is getting worse every day and im not sure how much longer he'll live.  One part was pretty funny though.  We taught him the plan of Salvation, very simply and without scriptures, but all the way through.  And At the end we asked him if he had any question about where we lived before this life, why were here and where were going after this life and he thought for a second and then goes, "Por que no toman cafe?" hahaha i couldnt believe it.  We taught him the whole plan of salvation and he asks us why we dont drink coffee.  haha it was pretty funny.  We all laughed.  Then we explained it.   But it was actually great becasue his family has been listening in on our lessons.  Especially his brother.  And they've liked it a lot.  At first they were hesistant of us but now they love us and always try to feed us. 

I feel im learning so much every day and my testimony is constantly growing because we get to see little miracles all the time.  Dad told me that a lot of kids aren't going on missions right now.  That breaks my heart because this is the best experience ive ever had.  I've only been out for like 5 months but i wouldn't trade this mission for the world.  There's nothing like  being a servant of the Lord and doing his work.  I don't know what i would do without my mission.  I feel like i have learned so much and i can see things so much clearer.  This church is so true and i love being a part of it.  Im going to write a letter to the Aaronic priesthood this week.  If you could give it to brother hendricks or whoever is in charge of them that would be great.  I know now more then ever that this church is true, that the book of mormon is true, that joseph smith was a prophet and that we have a prophet on the earth today.  Seeing people gain testimonies and learn these things are true for themselves is amazing and it is so great to be apart of that process.  I love you all and im still waiting on some family pictures! haha

 

-Love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 20.

Hellooooo family!!!! Well i got to hear from melanie and the kids tihs week! and got awesome drawings from them.  Thanks guys! And mom thank you for everything, i love the little things you send their awesome.  Thank you for all the letters! and sounds like dad killed it at Stake Confernce! yeaaaaaa!!!! Sounds like everything is good and Hallie is really cute! thats awesome.  O and i got pictures from the lews'!  the pictures of Lauren are so cute! She already looks so much older.  Thank you!  Well we had an awesome week this week and we were blessed enough the end it with a baptism.  Pierre got baptized yesterday! happy birthday meagan! It was a great way to end the time with my companion.  He leaves tomorrow for home.  But he's still been working hard and being obedient till the end! so thats been great.  He's been an awesome companion.  But the baptism was so great.  And Pierre is only 21 so im really hoping hat he goes on a mission! ..we'll see.  And he was so great after the baptism.  he kept saying "im so happy and dont know why" ...it was awesome.  We had a little testimony meeting at the baptism and members gave awesome testimonies.  i found out that Hermana Lara (Pierre's mom) was found cuz some members started talking to her on a bus one day and werent scared to share the gospel.  now She and two of her kids are baptized and moving forward in the gospel! don't be afraid to share it with everyone!  So today is the start of transfer 3! So my new companions name is elder shumway.  appearantly a really tall kid whos been out for about 18 months.  he's from texas as well and has been in english work for a long time.  Im anxious to see how his spanish is.  Haha i get the feeling that neither one of us will be able to speak too well! haha but i think that would actualy help mine improve.  But im really excited to meet him, he comes in today at 4.   Well here, on every 5th sunday its the missinonary's sunday so we gave talks yesterday! haha it was soooo fun! i loved it.  Giving talks in spanish is sooo much better than english! hahaha i loved it.  We had a theme of service and it went really well.  And we were so happy becasue a lot of less actives came and it was soo good to see them there! we've been working a lot with less actives which i actually enjoy a lot.  But this week we also had some great lessons with investigators.  We brought this one kid out with us on spilts named mikey and we took him to a lesson with this guy named juan Chavez.  It was a great lesson and i think mikey really liked it.  He's just graduating highschool and were making sure he's going on a mission.  I think he will, he's a great kid.  We got some great new investigators.  We found them knocking.  One is great and has been taught before by hermanas and i think shes going to come to church this week so im really excited.  She has the cutest kids.  One has down syndrome and is sooooo cute! he kisses us goodbye when we leave. 

 

k So i've got a pretty awesome story i wanna tell you all.  -K so we were sleeping the other night and then i woke up at like 2:40 in th morning and right away was WIDE  awake.  Then i heard our apartment front door open, and a second later close.  haha so i was just sitting in my bed, waiting for someone to walk around the corner and i was just gonna run at em. hahaha thats all i could think of.  Then after like a minute or 2 i got up and went to the wall, waiting for someone to come around the corner and i was gonna sneak attack em.  Then i poked my companion and he woke up and looked at me and i had my finger to my lips and was said "ssshhhh."  then we whispered to me, "the kitchen light is on." haha i didnt even realize. i was like " o my gosh" hahaha and then he got up and came to the wall to me and i whispered to him, "im just gonna go and start swinging" hahahaha again, all i could think of.  Then before i could even do anything my companion marches out there and yells EXCUSE ME!!!!!! hahaha it was THE FUNNIEST thing ever.  but no one was there.  So we ran outside looking for the guy but couldnt find him.  So we just went back to bed but we were laughing soo hard we couldnt sleep for like an hour and went and slept on the couches.  funniest night ever.  So the mystery bandit remains a mystery.  I have no clue what actually happened that night.  Pretty funny though.  Anyway, im out of time but i had to share that story with you.  Mom, don't get freaked out k? haha

 

love you all!

 

Love, Elder Foulger

letter numero 19.

well hellooooo family! wow it sounds like a ton is happening at home! hallie is here!!!!!!!! yeaaaa, way to go annie.. proud of ya.  I died laughing when dad told me scott called twice the first night to find out how to make hallie stop crying.  thats priceless.  yea i'd love to see pictures of her.  Melanie, happy late birthday! I HOPE IT WAS GREAT! meagan, did i tell you we have a baptismal date on your birthday??? I'm so excited for that.  He's the coolest kid ever. Pierre.  So we taught him all the commandments and he's good on all of em! haha all except for fasting.  haha it was so funny.  he likes to eat.  And he's young so i really hope he goes on a mission.  that would be the coolest thing ever.  So dad great job on stake conference! that's so cool.  So i found out I'm giving a talk this next Sunday! haha aww man i just hope they understand me haha.  So we had a funny week.  So idk if you all heard about the "end of the world" that was on may 21st.  haha but it was a big deal around here.  People actually thought it was over.  Pretty absurd. The first guy we talked to that day was like "es el fin del mundo!" haha it was really funny.  But i think we talked to more people because of it.  haha a lot of people having been pretty ancy around here bout an earthquake.. ha but idk.  Maybe it would make the people more humble! haha So this week we've been spending a lot of time going through the ward list and looking for people who have fallen off and gone inactive.  Its actually really sad to see but i really enjoy doing it.  Like when we find em its like... awwwww we got you! haha its like they just got caught from the cops or something.  But so many of these people go inactive because of the most lame reasons ever.  Like getting offended or something.  So We've been spending a lot of time looking for those people and I've enjoyed it.  And we've been finding people on the way.  So my companion is leaving this next week so I'm getting ready to have a new companion and to take over this area.  thatll be interesting! ahha I'm actually really excited for it.  My companion is awesome though im going to miss him.  i think it will be good for me though to have a new companion though.  Because he's still my trainer.  I just hope i get a hard worker for a companion.  I think i can get a long with anyone unless their just lazy.. Than would not be fun.  haha idk.. figure something out.  I'll pray a lot! and please pry that i get a good next companion! thanks! So one guy that were teaching, named juan Chavez is sooo cool.  haha we've only taught him twice but they've been such great lessons.  Its sooo cool to see people just ready for the gospel.  This guy is soo ready.  We've been praying to find people who are ready and guess what!!!?? prayers are answered! haha anyway we watched the restoration with him and he was just looking and nodding the whole time.   He loved it.  And his family is so important to him so i think next week that's what were going to focus on.  Hes just such a good guy who's really worried about his family.  Because his kids are a bit crazy.  But that's gonna all change! anyway, I'm out of time.  If you get any time, please send family pictures! i would love em.  like pictures of all of us together? thanks ! o and mom... hahah thank you for the secret presents.  haha you are hilarious.  And those will help out a lot.  I love you all soooo much!

-love, elder foulger

letter numero 18.

hellooo familyyyyyy,

We had another awesome week! We've been praying a lot to find people who are ready to hear and accept the gospel and we were so blessed this week to find people.  We had a "Blitz" where tons of missionaries get together in an area and all go knocking together.  It was so much fun.  Usually we try not to knock too much because its not as effective but we haven't been getting too many referrals so we went knocking a lot this week.  It was soooo fun. haha i love knocking because you meet some crazy people.  Some people are realllly nice and others just yell at you and stuff.  I've learned the only way to deal with stuff like that is just to laugh it off.  It makes it more fun and you don't get down at all.  So we knocked a lot and we got some great new investigators! hahaha this one guy named Jose Chavez who is so funny.  We met his wife at the door and set up an appointment with her but when we came back she wasn't that interested but her husband really is.  We had a great lesson with him.  He says he doesn't belong to a church and he kinda just goes off of what he personally believes and like everything he said he believed in was so true and so right.  Ha his beliefs already completely consistent with the gospel.  It was so easy to teach him.  And last night the best thing every happened.  We got to teah Pierre.  If you don't remember hes a 21 yr old kid who's mom and sister are members but hes not.  He just came from peru and we've been teaching him for like a month.  But we only get to teach him once a week.  Hes really smart, always comes to church, reads and prays but just hasn't been receiving, or well, recognizing his answer. So Last night we taught the third lesson. Which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It went soooo well. At the end we started talking about authority and the priesthood and a little about blessings.  He asked us if we could give blessings and we said yes.  Then he asked us to give him a blessing of health because he has problems with his jaw and it hurts so much he cant sleep.  So we gave him a blessing right then.  At the end of the blessing he told us he felt butterflies and he felt really good.  We asked him him what he thought that was and explained to him it was the holy ghost.  he wasn't quite sure so we asked him if he wanted to say a prayer to know if that was his answer.  he didn't even hesitate he was like YES and went right to his knees.  He said an AWESOME prayer and asked to know the truth.  At the end of the prayer we asked how he felt about it and he said really good.  We asked him to be baptized and he said yes.  Ahhhh it was sooo cool.  He's going to get baptized on the 29th of may.  meagans birthday! and that's my companions last Sunday.  Ahhh im so excited for him.  He's like the coolest kid ever.  We've gotten to be really good friends with him.  Hes soo funny.  Ahh that's going to be the best this ever. Anyway.  So this morning my companion and i woke up early and drove and looked at the ocean. It was so cool.  Really pretty because it was really early and stuff.  And the water was so flat with like some steam coming off it.  Reminded me of the Lake really early in the morning.  but it was really fun.  I'll send some pictures.  We never usually go up there because its in malibu and its all rich white people but today we went and it was really fun.  So anyway, I got to go but i love you! hope all is well. 

-Elder Foulger