13 July 2015 - Sierra Leone and Lots of Ice Cream...a Dog Too!

Well, I have some bad news...

looks like I'll be serving for 6 more weeks...

as a missionary...

but not in Marshall!

I had you going for a second there, didn't I? Well, I actually have some fantastic news! I was transferred and I'm now in the Old Mill Nebraska area. Not what you might think.  When I heard the name I thought, "Great...another tiny town where there won't be much to do." But it is actually right in the middle of Omaha so it's been quite a big change. So far I'm really enjoying it! There are lots of things to do here and lots of people to talk to.  When I met with our new Mission President, I told him I had been in my area for a long time, but that I would serve wherever he felt the Lord wanted me to be.

My companion is Elder Hansen from Nampa, ID.  He is pretty sweet--super quiet which is a quite change from my last companion who was VERY talkative. We get a long really well. He has been out for 17 months. Most of my companions have been Elders that are toward the end of their missions. Elder Hansen has red hair, is a little taller than me, pretty average weight and all that good stuff.

So yeah, I'm really loving it so far and we have a great ward. The Bishop of our ward is from Africa.  I'm guessing South Africa because he has a hint of a British accent, but I'm not entirely sure. He is a dentist and seems very successful and well off.

Our area is a mix of just about every range and type of people. We have very, very nice areas where people live in expensive homes and we also cover the straight up gangster ghetto, which is pretty cool actually...sketchy at times..but cool. There is a lot more diversity here and we are teaching a lot of people which is a relief from not having many people to teach--which was the case in Marshall.

People here are, so far,  much more open minded and are willing to let us in and hear our message. We currently have 6 people on date for baptism, and while some of them will probably change those dates for various reasons, it's so nice to know that we have people who want to learn about the gospel.  

We are teaching a woman from Sierra Leone, and she speaks very little English.  Luckily, we have a member who speaks French and helps translate for us.  The lessons are very different, almost  awkward, because Elder Hansen and I don't feel like the active teachers, but it's cool to hear them talk back and forth in French.

Things are going really well here and I'm looking forward to working with the people in this area. We live with members who are wonderful. They are an older couple who treat us like their grandkids so it's awesome. They have so kindly opened their home to us and invite us to eat whatever we want and such. We don't really eat their food but every night when we come in, they always ask us if we want ice cream and then will continue to ask and pry until we break down and have something to eat. I love them already and have really been enjoying staying there. They have a dog so that's pretty cool too; it's nice to come home and play with the dog for a few minutes.

 

It feels odd to be past one year. I wouldn't say that I feel I'm on the down hill side of things but rather that it feels that I'm starting over..after going into a new mission.  Since I don't know anyone and it's in the middle of the summer, it again feels like I'm just newly out, but that I actually know how to teach people now.  I will say that the days are going by very quickly, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes overall.

 

Well that's about all for this week, love you all a ton, thanks for the prayers!

-Elder Rasmussen

6 July 2015 - Really Cool...and Young!

Hello Everyone!

Well, this week was a rather interesting one. You know, being in a small town like Marshall doesn't really allow for a huge influx of people to come in the Holidays. In fact I'm pretty sure most people left for the 4th, so there wasn't really anyone to talk to.

We met our new mission president and he is really cool. He is in his early 50's so he is still pretty young for a mission president. He is super chill and knows how to encourage and motivate you while simultaneously being able to tell you you need to shape up without making you feel like you are going to burn in Hell because improvement is needed.  Haha! He said that He is going to make some big changes in the mission so I'm guessing, and praying, that something will happen with transfers. He said that we wants us to refer to the mission as "the Nebraska Omaha Mission" not "N.O.M. plus the Sioux Falls Stake."  I'm assuming he is going to integrate a lot of the other missionaries in this area and move a lot of us out. Most people in the branch have been predicting that I'm staying and my companion is moving on. I guess we will see, but the branch members have a history of typically being right. 

We had an alright 4th of July we couldn't do a lot of missionary work because people were all "I don't want to be bothered by your religion while it's Independence Day!" *Door Slams* So we just did what we could and visited less-active members and a few members we see often for the most part. We couldn't see the fireworks because it doesn't get dark until 9:30 here, and that's our curfew...so we just heard pops and bangs all night long while waving glow sticks in the air that we got from home.

Other than that, it has been a pretty basic week. Hopefully some new and exciting things will start to happen. I have arrived at my one year mark and overall, it has gone by quickly. I have loved being a missionary and can also honestly say I'm glad I'm half way done. I'm also looking forward to all of the exciting adventures that await me!  I'm hoping to be a better missionary overall in year two.  Mom asked where I'd want to go next?  I'd say anywhere that's a little bigger area/more populated.  You know I'm all about small town life, but I really enjoyed being around other missionaries, especially on P-Days. It can be hard when it's just you and your companion for weeks and weeks.  Having other missionaries close by provide a nice and welcomed break for all.

Thanks for all of your love and support! Love you!

-Elder Rasmussen

29 June 2015 - New, New Mission President and it's Very Smokey Outside.

Howdy!

Well, today we get a new, new mission president. President and Sister Gardner are suppose to arrive today at some time, they've likely already arrived by now. We will get to meet them on Thursday, in Sioux City, a 3-4 hour drive depending on which one of us is driving. I'm excited to be able to meet them, I heard they are super cool and very nice. I guess that's probably what is said about every mission president but I hope that it is true.

I wish I had more to report on the work here, you are all probably sick of hearing that but I'm afraid that the work is still slow here. I hope that we will soon be able to meet with our one active investigator again.  Unfortunately, we lost contact with her and don't know if we will be able to teach her anytime soon unless she gets a new job. Oh well, I know that the Lord has plans for us here and work to do, so we continue looking for that person out there that is waiting for us to knock on their door.

So it's pretty hot outside back home huh? It's been pretty nice here mostly in the 80's but the humidity has been pretty high. All of the farmers have started burning stuff--I'm not sure why--but it is very,  very smokey outside.  Noah can't complain about working...he didn't work a day in his life until he got that job. Ha! He probably hasn't even mowed the lawn yet..can he even push the mower?  ;) (Hey Caitlin..Duh nuh nuh nuh..*As Noah is pushing the mower* ) 

Answers to Mom's Questions:

1)Tornadoes no..but heavy storms that could easily turn into tornadoes, yes.

2) Special schedule on the 4th of July?  Um..no it's a pretty normal day. There might be a parade I don't know, we don't hear anything about stuff like that.

3) Transfers process...we normally find out a day or two before, and then a huge van comes and picks us up (and our luggage) and drives us to our new area.  We get out of the van and work in our new area begins. 

Yeah,  not all of the time is fun on a mission, but I'm hanging in there.  Transfers are soon and a change is likely. If there is NO CHANGE, I will have to talk to someone ;)   4 transfers in the same area with the same companion is challenging even for the best of companionships.  

Well, I hope everyone has a fantastic week! Love you all! 

-Elder Rasmussen

22 June 2015 - Gone Swimming!...and the Force is Strong with This Little One

Hello!

This past week was pretty rough for my companion and me. We ended up with very little teaching and did sooo much walking and trying to meet new people.  Of all the good things about a small town, it's hard to preach "a new gospel," to tract and street contact in a place where change is not a big part of the mindset.  Everyone says the same thing to us, (insert your best Minnesotan accent) "I really appreciate what you boys are doing but I'm content with my religion." Any attempt to talk with them after that just ends with "Nope! Have a good day." It's sad because we want so badly just to have the chance to talk to people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I think one of the biggest obstacles is that many people don't believe there is one true church, so they aren't looking for anything other or "more" than what they have.  They all seem to think that as long as they believe in God they will be saved, which is true in some respects since all will be resurrected, but we continue to hope some will be interested in exaltation and not just salvation from death.   

Sorry.  Enough of my rantings, that's not very missionary-like of me, is it? Oh well, life in the mission goes on...some weeks better than others. Lately it seems that everyone is at the swimming pool and since as missionaries we can't go swimming, we don't get a chance to be where the whole town seems to be.  So many are gone from home during the day at the pool. This past week my companion said, "Hey Elder, I have a great idea....lets just go teach people at the pool, then when they want to be baptized we have a giant font to do it in!  We laughed for a bit and then said, "Ehh..probably not," though it would be very nice to jump into a cold pool after you have been walking around in the humid heat all day long. 

Today my companion and I woke up to a HUGE wind storm. We were under a severe tornado watch, it was the craziest thing I have ever seen--the wind stronger than I have ever experienced. It was kind of sketch, but pretty cool at the same time.

Next transfer calls are July 9th (my one year mark).  So glad to hear the men in the family introduced baby Maddox to  Star Wars.  Gotta get him started early on the ways of the force if he is ever going to be a pro gamer / nerd like the res of us.

Thanks for all that you guys do, I hope that you have a great week! Love you!


Elder Rasmussen

15 June 2015 - We got an Amen! (In a Taco Bell)

Hello again!

This week was a good one for me. We had a lesson with a nice lady investigating the church and she selected a date for baptism! She wants her whole family to hear about the Gospel, so we are hoping that we will begin teaching them as well. She is "super solid" and has expressed that she knows the church is true. We are pumped that we finally found someone who is wanting the gospel in their lives and knows the importance of it. 

We had Zone Conference down in Sioux City this week. We had a lot of fun meeting the other missionaries in the mission. Our Zone actually feels like we are apart of the new mission now so that's nice. I felt like a brand new missionary when we got there because I didn't know anyone. But the talks were great and it was good to meet the other missionaries. 

On our way back, we had a super cool experience. We stopped to eat at Taco Bell, and there was a man there who asked if he could talk to us. We began to chat about the gospel and he told us he converted from Muslim to Christianity. He said he had looked at almost every other type of Christian church, but not ours. He asked us what we believed and what our views were about things.  At the end of our conversation, he said that he wanted to come to church and that he believes this is the church for him. He was so happy to hear that we also believe that America is the "Promised Land" / site of the New Jerusalem.  Apparently not many other Christian religions believe that,  so when we confirmed we did believe that, he jumped up and shouted AMEN!! It was legit! Everyone in Taco bell was looking at us and this man (a large Persian guy) with a sweet accent. The whole thing  kind of made us chuckle, but he was sooo excited to hear what we believed and said he wanted a Book of Mormon!


Answers to Mom's Questions:
1) The food in the birthday pic was some type of German dish and it was really good. The meat was wrapped in bacon and covered with this super awesome gravy.  
 2) Allergy meds seem to work well for the most part, but it seems there is A LOT more pollen and stuff flying around here.
3) The baby in the pic is awesome.  Her name is Maggie and she loves me.  Ha!  She is super funny. I really love going over to that family's house they are originally from Daybreak in South Jordan so it's fun to talk about home with them. 

Have a great week! Love you all!

> -Elder Rasmussen

8 June 2015 - Happy Birthday to Me!

Dear people back home:

This week, unlike last week, was very uneventful. Not a whole lot happened and it seemed that all of our lessons cancelled for various reasons, but that's okay, I'm staying positive. My companion and I are struggling to know what God wants us to do here because it seems that every time we try something, it ends up falling through. Marshall has been a frustrating area for me, but I have learned a ton since I have been here.  I have been tried and tested in more ways than I thought would be possible. 

Well, I'm now 20 years old which doesn't seem real. Still feels like I'm 16 and most people say I still look like I'm 15, so I guess that's a good thing? Today for our P-Day and my birthday, we were invited to spend some time with some church members in one of the nearby towns in our area.  It should be pretty fun, a whole lot more fun than doing nothing new in Marshall!

Hey, thank you so much for sending the package! It really brightened my day and gave me some extra treats to chomp down on. The only complaint I have about the package was all of the freaking stars confetti that was in there. Those things are pokey and really hurt when your feet gets jabbed by one. I made the mistake of opening it on my bed so I was getting impaled all night by those things; they were stuck in everything too, so each time I opened one of the wrapped gifts, stars and "Happy Birthday" pieces of confetti kept falling out. I doubt we will ever be able to suck them all up in the vacuum.  

The Pokemon t-shirt you sent is legit!! I think my companion is pretty jealous ;)...he stared at it forever just laughing and saying how sweet it is. I hope I get the chance to wear it somewhere other than around the house some time!

Answers to Mom's Questions:

1) My hay fever has been alright, certain days are better than others--all the farming in this area seems to make the days that I do have problems terrible though!

2) I wear short sleeved shirts more than long sleeved--too humid and hot for long sleeves. I don't think either version really shows more wear and tear but I guess if you want to send more, I'd pick the long sleeves because the cuffs get really dirt.  Ironing?....if you take them right out of the dryer and hang them up they look good, but  otherwise, yes,  you have to do a little ironing but for the most part these "no iron" shirts are awesome!

3) Haha Mom, this is Marshall Minnesota we are talking about, there is nothing like Swig soda shops here.  The only thing we have out here is BK and DQ  and one gas station. Although that Mountain Dew with tigers blood sounds amazing!

Tell Bishop Jon Frank I say hello and that I'm doing great! Also, thank him for not giving up on me and encouraging me to go to Young Men's and stay active! I wish I would have done better. My leaders always made it a point to make Young Mens more fun and I probably missed out on a lot! 

I love you guys a ton. Also, tell the Spencer's I will be writing them soon! Have a great week!

Elder Rasmussen

1 June 2015 - Sitting on a Box of Gold?

Greetings!

Well, I thought I'd start my e-mail with probably the most potentially exciting news...transfer calls. I will be staying in Marshall, Minnesota.  My companion is also the same....apparently I haven't learned whatever it is that I'm supposed to learn here, so I'll be hanging around. I suppose it's for the best. I mean, the work is actually starting to pick up here so I would have been a little sad to leave and I feel happy to know that the people who I'm staying here to teach should progress pretty well.

As I mentioned last week, we started teaching a family and they are very receptive to the Gospel. So far, we can only count the mother of the family as an official investigator, but once some other things are sorted out, the rest of the family will join in. We taught her about the plan of salvation and invited her to attend church again. We are hoping to put her on date for baptism at the end of the week when we meet with her again.

The weather here has been pretty bipolar...one day it is 88 degrees and sunny, and the next it is 46 and raining extremely hard. It's kind of nice because it does provide some change in what feels very routine most days, but it would be nice to have some consistency in the weather so we know what to plan for.  It is humid here, you walk around for 10 minutes and your back is drenched in sweat.

My companion and I have been doing a lot of service recently.  The other day, there was a man who needed help moving out so we just jumped in and started helping.  He and his wife were super thankful because it was just the two of them loading up the truck to move. We talked with them a lot about the church and our beliefs. When we left, I felt very glad that I was able to talk to them and help them learn more about the gospel. I think had they been moving in, and not out, they would have started taking the lessons. While I was a little sad about that, I believe that we opened up the door for the next set of missionaries who knock on their door. I think and hope that they will come to accept the Gospel in their lives at some point. They were really cool people and would love to be able to rejoice with them in the life to come.

This week was really inspiring for me.  At church we heard a talk from a member of our branch who was baptized in Russia and later moved to the U.S. He has a super strong testimony and I love being able to talk to him. (The Russian accent doesn't' hurt either) He read a short story about a man who was homeless...

A beggar had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you are sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember." "Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No," said the beggar. "What's the point? There's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold. 

 I really loved this story. The member who shared it referenced the story to the atonement of Christ and how, if we aren't using it, we are sitting on something that is worth far more than a box of gold. I would encourage everyone to look at all the wonderful things that they have in their lives and "open up" that box that they are sitting on. I believe that if we stop and take a look around us we can realize all the beautiful things we have and uncover treasures far greater than gold.

 Glad to hear that everyone back home is doing well. I took the one summer chemistry class and that was enough for me.  I wasn't too impressed with my ACT score but hey, it gets me into the schools that I wanted to attend and at this point, ain't no way I'm taking another class just to try and take it again. 

Well I hope you all have a fantastic week! Love you!

-Elder Rasmussen