Elder Rasmussen

Elder Rasmussen
Alma 53:20 "They were exceedingly valiant for courage....but behold this was not all - they were men that were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted, yea they were men of truth and soberness."

Thursday, May 16, 2013

THE LATEST FROM SAO PAULO

MAY 5, 2013
This week was really good. I feel like I learned a lot this week about the person that I want to be. I am so grateful for the Atonement and the ability that it gives us to overcome our faults and become more like our savior Jesus Christ.
I also had an amazing experience teaching one of our investigators yesterday. His names Jerry and has about 26 years. He´s a great guy, but was having a lot of difficulty fulfilling the commitments that we leave for him, like reading and praying. I visited him with a kid from the ward because we were doing splits in order to teach more with the members. I taught about the importance of the Gospel in our lives and how through living the gospel we receive help to overcome the problems in our lives. I taught of how the Book of Mormon is an essential part in living the gospel,  and how we can receive guidance from reading it. He just  lite up, i could see in his eyes that he got it, he got super excited! The spirit was so strong and I know that the lord was speaking through me. I felt like Alma when he spoke of being an instrument in the Lords hands(Alma 26). My testimony was strengthened so much. How grateful I am to be a missionary. Like my Pres. always says, "É gostoso ser missionário" (Its great to be a missionary)
Elder Rasmussen
APRIL 14, 2013
This week was incredible! We finished the week with 13 baptisms in the Zone, 3 of which were ours! The couple that I told you about were baptized along with a girl named Shadê( Its African ) And this next week its looking really great as well. We have 10 baptisms planed and 2 of them will be from our area. We will be baptizing a woman by the name of Zelinda( 60years old) and another(Her daughter 28) named Daniela. We are super pumped. Transfers are also coming up soon and I don't know what will happen but I'm kinda wanting to stay in this area everything is going really well.
I'm so happy to here about graham´s mission pres. I also have a testimony of what you said. I'm positive that I came to this mission because of my pres. But not only because of him, but my companions as well. I have learned so much and have had so many amazing examples here on the mission.
I had interviews with Pres. This week and president and I talked about the very thing that you mentioned. Progress demands failure. My problem is this I don't like to fail and I have a fear of failing so i choose to not act instead of trying. This isn't good, but I'm doing better, one step at a time.
I'm running out of time. :)

Have a great week!
Elder Rasmussen
APRIL 7, 2013

This Week Was A Blessing!!
 
Rodrigo is doing good, he is the only member of his family that
is a member for now. I don't think that it will be that way for much
longer though, cause we have been working with his grandma and I think
she´ll be baptized by the end of the month.
The Zone Leaders counsel was super cool! The Spirit was super strong
and we talked a lot about Faith. Faith to have success! Success
meaning baptism! :) I really enjoyed the meeting and left feeling
excited and inspired!
So Conference was great!! I loved how they hit so hard on obedience to
the commandments! The gospel is so simple, its us that make it
complicated.:)
So this week was a blessing like I said. The Lord just seemed to be
making everything go our way, we marked a lot of people for baptism
this week and finished the week with 19 people marked. We are also
planing a zone baptism on the 13th and have 15 planed to be baptized
on that day. In Our area we will be baptising that couple that I told
you about(Lucimar, Rosangela) and maybe 2 other people but we´ll see
by the end of the week.:) 
Have an awesome week!
 
Elder Rasmussen
 
APRIL 1, 2013
So... this week was amazing! Everything seems to be going really well 
This week in the Zone we finished with 8 baptisms, it was a great week! Elder Hendricks and I had the chance to baptize a kid named Rodrigo. He´s 13 years old and the first time that I taught him,He asked me, how he could receive the priesthood. :) and this Saturday he was baptized, Sunday confirmed and ordained with the Aaronic priesthood. 
We are also planing a huge batismo on the 13th of April for the entire zone(Stake). I think its going to be great! Just in our area we have 4 people solid for baptism and 2 that could be ready a swell. The lord is Blessing us so much I cant even tell you. 
We will be attending a special meeting on Tuesday with all the other ZL this week at Pres. House, should be super awesome and I'm way excited, so I'll be sure to let you know what happens. 
I want to appoligize for not getting to write you much lately  I would hand write letters but I found out the Grajaú dosn't even have post offices. (Just a big Favella ). I'm praying that the lord helps me with the ability to type faster. :)
You asked about shoes and things, im doin pretty good, ill be needing to buy some here in the near future but ill let you know.
Well that's about it. Super Excited to be hearing the news about the new member of the family here in a bit.  Tchou Tchou!

Elder Rasmussen
 
MARCH 17, 2013
 
Well, another week has come and gone! The time is moving by faster and faster!! 
Its funny, Graham wrote me this week saying that its a family course that his call hasn't arrived yet. It really does seem like that. I've also been anxiously been waiting to receive news as well. 
So we finished another transfer here in the mission. this transfer only lasted 5 weeks because of the time in the MTC being shorted to just 6 weeks for foreign speakers, but I'm excited for the new transfer. Its a chance to start over and learn from mistakes.
Elder Hendricks and I will continue on as comps, and I am rather happy about that, even though we are two extremely different people he has really been a blessing as a comp, and has taught me so much already.
I wanted to thank you so much for the letter that you sent me last week about resilience! I know that it was inspiration from the Lord. I was in great need of the council in that letter. 
I was shocked to see that you are already thinking about applying me for collage!!! ahhh I'm not ready! I was thinking BYU Provo, Utah State and U of U
Running out of time>>>>

Elder Rasmussen

MARCH 4, 2013
So sorry for the shortness of my letter last week its getting really tough to write, it takes so much time to write presidente these days about my zone and how everything going that it takes a chunk out of the time that I have to write you guys. The worst part is is that its a rule to write him first so its a little tough. 
This week  we had zone leader council, gave a training to the elders in our zone on Tuesday and multi-zone conference on Friday. there wasn't a lot of time to work in the area but the Lord always provides a way to have success. This week we were able to baptize a kid named Ricardo. He´s not really a kid actually, he has 18 years and is planning on serving a mission next year (Can you say ELECT!) it was really a great experience. 
I'm learning as a leader. I am learning a lot about the attributes of a good leader.
I also heard from Graham that he will be receiving his call this next week! how exciting that is!! I will be sending Graham a couple of talks thatr have helped me on the mission..

Elder Rasmussen

PS- Send love to the rest of the fam I wont be able to write them this week.

FALOU UM ABRAÇO!!!
FEBRUARY 24, 2013

So I only have ten minutes left on the clock, so I'm going to get straight to answering you questions.
About our house its not in the favella no, and its not bad, everything great. Our zone is actually the biggest that we have in the mission we have 20 missionary's including us. About the new suite, I Bought a new one because they had suits on sale near the office and i had a bounce of American dollars from Christmas and birth day left over that I converted to reais. This left we with a bunch of money so i decided to buy a new suit that fits me better and is a lot less thick so it doesn't get as hot. 
Elder Rasmussen
FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Well another week passed by, so very quickly. It´s funny on the mission how each transfer that you pass through goes by faster than the last. This coming transfer, however, will be different! I'm going to be leaving the office after 7 months of serving here. Its a strange feeling actually, a mixture of emotions. But mostly I'm just excited!! Excited for the new opportunities to learn and grow and get to know the savior.
This past week I have been realizing and learning how much more i need to dedicate my heart and desires to the service and love of those around me. I what my heart to be changed, I what to be like the savior and do just as president Hinckley taught, loose myself in the service of others. And it is only by doing this that I believe I'll be able to really be changed on my mission. 
I'm now choosing to be happy, positive, and focus on others! and it's a good feeling.

Um grande abraço e beijo para você minha bela mãe!
Elder Rasmussen 
FEBRUARY 4, 2013

                                           Peter was baptized  along with the family 
                                           of 4(Luiz, Andrea, Kauê(13), and Kauany(8)), and 
                                           a Girl named Nadia that´s 11.
You asked about who all was baptised so ill give you the low down. Peter like i wrote you about last week, was baptised yesterday, along with the family of 4(Luiz, Andrea, Kauê(13), and Kauany(8)), and a Girl named Nadia that´s 11. It was really a great day.

Hey so its my last week here in the office, super strange feeling, im both excited an nervous all mixed together. Im trying to put my confidence in the Lord and just know that whatever comes i will be able to overcome and have success with His Help.
Elder Rasmussen

 JANUARY 28, 2013
You asked about the baptism, Peter is actually going to be baptised next week. He was planned for this week its just that he spoke with his family and they are wanting to come and support him, so we had to pospone until this next sunday. But its going to be great, we 4 other people that are planned to be baptised on that day as well haha, the 3rd is going to be amazing day! Its been tough working in this area but the Lord is blessing us so much before we leave. It may take a while but the blessing always come!
Elder Rasmussen 
JANUARY 20, 2013
This week was really great. I´m learning tons this transfer while training Elder Gillespie and having lots of fun. We are super stoked this week because we have a baptism planed for the 27th(This Sunday). His name is Peter and his way cool. He´s a teacher of english at a nearby english school, so our lessons have been pretty sweet, switching in and out of Portuguese. We found him as he walked in to sacroment meeting randomly one sunday and he´s been golden ever since(Super Elect!) Its been a little challaging teaching him becuase he thinks of everything very logically and has had to learn that the Lords thought are higher then ours and that through recieving an answer though the holy ghost he can know of a surity that this thing are true, besides what logic has to say. But everything looks great for this sunday and we´re all super excited. 

Elder Rasmussen