PURIFY YOURSELF - SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2011

Thanks so much for your letter it is always such a treat to hear from you! Yeah last week was an amazing week and one I'll remember for my entire life! But this week was another amazing week here in this earthly paradise!!!

The weeks just seem to pass by faster and faster... And the work isn't slowing up, the life lessons don't stop and my heart is overflowing with joy!!! Elder Schwaar and I are a good team and we are going to develop a divine companionship! He is a boss at the piano! My favorite song in the world called ALL OF ME... by Jon Schmidt.... he knows by memory and its incredible.... Today we are going to the church and he is going to play while I study and write a few letters!

I just wanted to start off by telling McCray he is starting to get some meat on his bones and is looking good! Also, WOW Tate is really really ripped.... keep working buddy! I loved the pictures... was that shad jumping into the big pile of saw dust.....

So this week was normal we worked hard and got a lot done but I would really like to focus this letter on a few things that are specific.... Number 1...Isn't it crazy sometimes how a chain of little events lead to something major... I was reading in Helamen 10 when Nephi receives the sealing power from God... He is told that whatever he wants done here on the earth would be fulfilled... This got me thinking of the trust that God had in Nephi... He knew that Nephi wouldn't miss use this power and trusted him that all his acts would be in line with the works of the Lord!

 I then thought of how great that would be to have that kind of trust and relationship with the Lord and to have that kind of power! The next day in my studies I read a talk called Purifying Yourself.... It was written by a mission president to his son who was on the mission! It talks about how some missionaries have the ability to make EVERY SINGLE word that leaves their mouth be incredibly powerful and filled with the spirit... and other missionaries are just average and do great work and still have success.... The talk is a program designed to help missionaries teach with more power and have the spirit with them always! This was an answer to my prayers...I have been wanting to know how  I could develop this trust and confidence in the Lord so that he would bless me with his spirit in all aspects of my life and especially so that I could teach with more conviction and power! The talk teaches us that in order to have this spirit flowing from us in all moments we must be PURE!!! so we must Purify ourselves... We are already clean.... or we wouldn't be missionaries... but he is talking about the little things... Little things we do that detract the spirit!

The advice he gives us is to pray and fast about things that detract us from our missions and the spirit and then for 40 days pray with all the power of our souls to get rid of the habits and the things that detract and fill them with other habits and things that help us focus on the savior! So Elder Schwaar and I together fasted and prayed for 2 days last week to come up with a list of things that we would like to stop doing or things that distract the spirit! and also other habits that we would like to develop and things that will help us focus on the savior and our investigators! We are promised that if we pray for 40 days and try with all our might that after these 40 days we wont have desires to do these bad habits and we will have the good habits... we will have purified ourselves!!!

So as of today we are in day 3 and its super hard! Some of the things are super personal but I would like to share a couple of the things that I would like to leave being and a few of the things that I would like to pick up to replace them! I have wanted all my life to stop biting my nails... I thought I had it taken care of until like 3 months ago when I started up again and I'm back to my old self! I will stop for good in the next 40 days!

 I also have been known for being... Dramatic... As dad would say! And I want to stop that and say things how they are!!! Some things that I would like to put in place of these things is develop more the habit of praying to the Lord in all I do... I pray a lot as a missionary but I would like to consult with him in ALL that I do! I cant explain it... But I really want to gain a better relationship with my Father in Heaven....I also really want to use my agenda better... I always do my contacts...Because I know we are blessed for being diligent... But I don't take them as seriously as I should! I have a whole list of things that were prayed, meditated and fasted for that I know with help may develop more this relationship with my Father in Heaven so that I too can have the spirit flow from me in all that I do!

That was a little harder to explain than I thought and I hope it makes sense... But I am now out of time and just wanted to tell you I'm having the time of my life and I sure love my new companion! I am excited to get your packages! I have made a list of things that would be nice to have here that you could send me but i forgot it in the apartment! Ill send it next week and you can just make a list as well of the things that would be nice to have and if anyone asks if I need anything you can just tell them a few things from the list!

I love you all so much and I feel your love and support everyday!!!!

Siga Real, Limpio, Lindo

Con amor
ELder Foster