mi familia! como están?

so this week was pretty intense. i am officially the oldest at the CCM. How weird is that? as long as i dont look old.I have officially been gone a whole month which doesnt seem like that much but honestly it is because i only have 17 months left! i am not counting down though because i dont want to wish it away. I love learning more about the Love God has for each of us.

 

so i went proselyting this week and it was amazing!!! I was freaking out though because they put me with a member who got back from her mission 1 year ago and then just me. I was literally only spanish speaking. we were in the lima east mission. we started walking down this street and this old man was walking toward us. she said okay talk to him. so i started talking to him and then i literally talked to him!! i gave him a book of mormon and he was thrilled. he loved that i was american talking to him in spanish. he was having so much fun. he was the cutest old man mom like those ones we love that are farmers and wear the overalls. i felt pretty accomplished but then i thought dang i still have two hours and i already got rid of my book of mormon. so then we walked to a park and talked to a ton more people.

 

I am grateful for God because i was really lacking confidence in my spanish and so i was extremely nervous. i talked to this lady with a son and she was talking to me in spanish and then all of a sudden she started talking in english. I was a little surprised but i kept talking to her in spanish. she asked me how long i had been learning spanish and i said its been 3 and a half weeks and she wa BLOWN AWAY!! she couldnt believe that she could actually communicate with me. it was really really neat. and then she said in english, oh man i am so confused because i dont know if i should speak english or spanish to you. And then i said in english, you tell me what ever language you want and ill speak it. it seriously just made me realize right then and there that because the lord has trusted me to learn spanish, think of how many more people i can speak with. it was the neatest experience. i am grateful for that lady because she helped me realize that i really am speaking with the gift of tongues and i am learning extremely fast. then the member i was with told me my pronunciation is amazing. she asked me if my parents were from spain because i am white but i can speak so great, that is definitely not the case my friend. remember my setting apart blessing? yeah i do too. then she said at this rate, in three more months you will have perfect spanish. it was a really neat day.

 

then we went and contacted this way old couple wearing like the traditional clothes. they were from cerro de pasco which is my mission!! We literally sat on the grass of the park and taught them the plan of salvation. it was really fun. i couldnt understand it all but when my companion looked at me i knew where to start. I am so grateful they gave us that opportunity on saturday but now i just want to go to the field and learn there! haha which probably isnt good because i have lots more to learn but i looking forward to learning more outside of the huge walls of the CCM.

 

so since i am on MY journey to become more like the savior, i want you all to join me!! Every week i am going to study a christ like attribute. This week i am going to study all about faith. Study it too and then email me before next week and tell me what youve learned. some great places to start is in the bible dictionary and preach my gospel chapter 6. we can all improve in every part of our lives. Faith is an amazing thing and with it anything can happen. so try to increase your faith and become more like Christ. growing is a wonderful thing.

 

something funny but not that funny is another spanish mishap. Hna Holden and i were sitting on this table with all latinas. We were eating and that day we just barely learned the word for shoulders which is hombros. so this one girl fell and really hurt her knee so another girl said she would massage it. then i said will you massage my hombres. which is men. and the whole table just laughed and laughed and laughed. i didnt realize it for a while but it was pretty funny. much more of those will come!

 

I have realized that i really am tired all of the time. but this work is energizing!!! When i study i dont sit and think i want to sleep. If thats what you are thinking then you need to change what you are studying. Study something you find interesting. Study what the lord needs you to hear. I am just so happy and cant wait to actually change peoples lives and bring them the most amazing message on this earth that Christ lives and we can be happy. This is a gospel of joy and we need to live it like it is. Be happy!! God loves you and so do i.

 

OH YEAH!!! Elder Bednar and his wife are coming to the CCM today!!! I forgot but i am very excited. ill get to shake his hand! ah so exciting. but ill let you know about it next week. Have an amazing week at school at home at work or wherever you are. Christ lives and is our savior.

XOXOX

Hermana Rasmussen

Half Way Done with the CCM

Holy cow!! I finally was able to go to the temple today. It was so nice to be able to listen to something familiar even though it was in español haha. But i loved being there. The room was so tiny. it only fit 25 people and we were all missionaries... but i am grateful for the house of the lord. This week has been lots of ups and downs. I think i finally figured out how to plan so i have a better and more productive day and i love to teach actually. Hna Holden and i taught our district about when nephi goes and gets the plates with his brothers. There are so many things in that story that apply to missionaries. My favorite part is when nephi comes across a drunk man and his miracle is literally right there before him!! he doesn't realize it but thats his miracle. i just think how dad always said that you never know who can change so treat everyone like they are a miracle. You dont know what youll come across next but what you do could be a miracle. I love that story. I love that literally every story in the Bookof mormon can apply to us in some way. its a great book!!

So on sunday, we all have to prepare five min talks. in spanish. in our own words. Then out of all of the north americans which is about 90 they pick 4 to speak. 2 elderes and 2 hermanas. They always call the avancados which are the people that have been there the longest. And the people that just turned avancados, none of them had gotten called yet so they all knew it was going to be them. I am an intermedio so im in the middle and then the people that just got there are pricipiantes. So i prepared mine about the holy ghost and how we need to stay worthy of it and i wrote about lots of things it helps us with. I kept feeling like i needed to look over it and keep fixing it. I bet you know where im going with this huh? So on sunday morning i have a feeling to mark all the scriptures in the spanish book of mormon incase i get called... so they call three people up and they are all avancados. then all of a sudden he says hermana rasmussen serving in the peru huancayo mission. Every hermanas head just turned in my direction so fast... I freaked out! I did not want to get infront of every body and have them judge my spanish but i had to do it. So i get up and sit on the stand. Then i gave my speach and then i sat down. I actually felt really comfortable up there. After ward, EVERYONE kept saying how good it was and how good my spanish sounds and how they could completely understand what i was saying. My branch president said in front of all of the intermedios who are the people that came the same night as me, that i did a wonderful job and that i am definitely using the gift of tongues. It was nice to hear some good feedback. Im glad i don't have to really worry about giving a talk now. but with my luck ill probably get called again. but if i were Amber... :)

Heres a tender mercy for you. It was seriously such a bad day and i told Hna Holden all i want is homemade lasagna and homemade breadsticks. We walked to dinner and they literally had lasagna and garlic bread! It was really cool. It definitely wasnt as good as moms but i knew the Lord was lookin out for me haha.

I have a joke for you all. How did Harry Potter get down the hill? By walking... JK rowling. I laughed and i hope you did too haha.

I love playing soccer with all the latinos. Its pretty fun and because you are an hermana, they arent allowed to touch you so you can just run up and grab the ball. Its so fun! Amber and scott would be so proud. im going to get way good and then ill kick your trash when i get home muahahaha.

I have been sick still which is annoying. I woke up one morning with all this goopy stuff coming out my eye. I was freaking out because i went to class and the elder i sit next to said the same thing... So i went to see Hna Gonzales who is the CCM president's wife and she made me go see the doctor. They had to look at it like three different times to rule out pink eye. So i had to wear my glasses all week and throw away my contacts... My cough is way annoying and this elder is obsessed with asking me if im okay! ITs so nice but kind of annoying. Every single time i cough. Are you okay? YES! haha hes nice but i'll be fine.

All i have to say is that everytime we have a bad day, i swear the next day is always sooooo amazing. i love it. And then the next day you barely remember why you even had a bad day. Thanks for you quote dad. The one about all you have to do is whats necessary and then whats possible and you are doing the impossible. Some days you feel like you have no time to do anything but you have so much to do! and this has given me a lot of hope. I love GOD!! This church is true and i am grateful for the chance to serve the people here in Peru. This saturday we go proselyting and im so scared. But so excited!!! It'll definitely be an eye opener for sure.

I love you all and thanks for you prayers!!!

Until we meet again XOXOX

Hermana Rasmussen

Hermana Rasmussen and Hermana Nielsen

Hermana Holden, Hermana Rasmussen,  Hermana Schyler, Hermana Olson (from Canada)

The Lima temple

Week Dos!

Hi family!!!

I am so excited to email you this week! IT has gone by way fast. And the sad thing is it is just going to go by faster and faster. the funny thing was that last week when i emailed you all i got an email back from dad that said Thanks. HAHA!! that was it! I was laughing so hard!!! Also dad i love your note you gave me with the mints. I taped it on my desk and i see it multiple times a day and it gives me so much hope. Love you!

So on Thursday we had ayuno de ingles. That means no spanish. And we did actually pretty well! There were a few things that we had to look up but we can get around pretty well. Spanish is crazy and i can't believe how much i actually know. I am very grateful for the chance to learn this language. And for the fact that God trusts me to preach His gospel in this language. In my class we were talking about Mosiah8:8-18 and that story seriuosly applies to me so much. Then my teacher went on to testify about how he knows that god wants us to learn spanish for a reason and not to just serve a mission. We will need this knowledge later. It hit me so hard because of my patriachal blessing. I know God knows me!

A couple gross things... I was eating my dinner and luckily it was the last bite but i looked down and saw a little black bug crawling on my plate... it was kind of gross but the sad thing is that it wont be the last one haha. Also i got sick again. Pretty much everyone is sick here in the CCM. My district of 8 has 6 people sick. I have a nasty cough, cold and sore throat. IT isnt bad but just way annoying. I woke up one morning and my neck hurt really bad. I felt it and there was a golf ball sized zit thing on it!!!! I was freaking out. Hna Nielsen tried to pop it and then we realized it was a bug bite. It has finally gone down but i won't wear my hair up because it looks nasty.

I love the latinas here!!! We get to go through three sets because they are only here for two weeks. I became such good friends with Hna Fallas from Costa Rica. I am totally going to visit her after this. I love her. Today is the first day for Latins and some North americans. I cant believe i have already been here for two weeks! I have only talked to a few north americans but we are still finding so many connections. I love it.

Mom, remember how wendy lamping was telling me to find Sabrina Nielsen? Well i did! And i love her. We are way tight. its kind of funny how that connection was made. Did you help scott move my stuff out of my room? I hope he did it nicely, Shows how much you care about me :(

Will you send my tights to my mission home? Its kind of chilly here in lima so i wonder what its like in huancayo... Also everything has to be sent to the mission home and it would be fun to get letters when i get there! Also my little tank top things that go under a shirt for a low cut shirt. Black or white that i had in my closet.. forgot those. Will you send me my address to for the mission home??

Dad i dont know what i want for christmas... havent really thought that far ahead but ill think about it! and let you know.

Scott, I didnt take the ipod stick thing. so i dont know where it is, also i bet you and amber were the absolute best at your piano recital. How was inside out? You should make a list of movies i need to see when i get back. That would be nice :) Have fun in school!!! ITs fun to have periods. Good luck!

Amber your funny stories are the best!!! Keep them coming. I love the one about braile :) i was laughing very hard.

Something that is way cool is that we were talking about why a mission is hard. And then i realized duh!! Why would it be easy for me if it was never easy for Christ?? If i am a disciple of christ then i should feel some of what he felt and walk down partly the path that he walked down. It was a really calming feeling to know that its okay that itll be hard. ITs supposed to be.

I am grateful for how much this gospel relates to everyone. Whatever their problem is, it can help them. We have taught so many lessons now. Pretty much one every day sometimes two and i really do love it. I love teaching by the spirit and i love being able to share my joy. I am grateful for the opportunity to be called to serve the people of peru. They are amazing and I am glad God trusts me to be a missionary. I love you all very very much!!! I think about you everyday but am still very proud of myself for still not having cried :) Si se puede! that is our districts theme. It means you can do it!! Have a wonderful week.

XOXOX

Hermana Rasmussen

My NEW Life

It´s me! I bet you are so excited to hear from me huh? Haha well just kidding but I am soooo excited to write to you guys! This week has been long but not as long as everyone says. I´ve been doing fine :) I haven´t had any crying or breakdowns yet so i think that's an accomplishment. Getting to the CCM wasn't bad. The flight to Georgia was great. I sat next to a member and she told me her whole life. Then the flight to Peru was crazy. All I could hear was spanish and i was getting so frustrated! Then I calmed down because I remembered that is going to be my life for the next 18 months. I stared at the same screen for 7 hours. I sat next to a lady that was watching Cinderella the new one and The Longest Ride. I haven't seen either of those and it was so hard to look away! Then a lady in front of me was watching The Help. I didn't know where to look! haha. We got to Peru at 1 am and our bags didn't come until 2. I definitely had the heaviest bag and the absolute most clothes... oops. They told us to tell them we were tourists here for 90 days and we were going to the CCM for training. I had to get my passport stamped and the lady said how long? I said 90 days. Then she said how many weeks? Uhh at 3 in the morning i couldn't think so i said 6 weeks then shes like well that doesn't add up. Then handed me my passport and yelled next. Then we went through a huge bag x ray thing and the guy comes up to me and says what are you here for? I said training. What king of trianing? Spanish language. Then he goes hmmm. And walks away. They didn't say anything to anyone else and there were 25-30 of us that showed up! I guess the struggle is totally real when you are blonde. I woke up the next morning at 7:30 but couldn't sleep because i was legit in Peru.

My companion is Hermana Holden. She is from St. George, Utah and totally worked at Frostop. We get along so well and i am so grateful!! Oh man what a blessing. She;s amazing. She really wants to learn so badly and be an amazing missionary. I know she will be. She is also going to Huancayo which is cool. We have already taught three lessons. The last one i was totally teaching by the spirit. IT was the most amazing feeling ever. I can see how crucial it is to have the spirit while you are teaching. And yes it was all in espanol. I have learned so much spanish. I can pray, bear my testimony and ask simple questions. I have learned probably 200 words and 20 phrases. I have also memorized Joseph smith's first vision, the mission objective, james 1:5 and the baptism question. The gift of tongues is real people. Even if i left right now i feel like i know enough to get my way around. also i think a lot in spanish. In my journal i write half english and half spanish because it just comes out in spanish.

My district only has 8 people in it and we are the only hermanas. There are six elders and four of them are going to Huancayo. We totally get along. We are all on the same level of spanish so its nice. We know how to have fun but also really get stuff done. We exercise everyday which I LOVE!! It is so nice to get up and go sweat.

The food!! It is so true. Breakfast we can have either one scrambled egg or a muffin, their watery yogurt which is way good and some fruit. papaya is nasty by the way. Then lunch and dinner is the same. Rice and potatoes and chicken haha. It has already begun. We totally had mini pizzas the other day and it was so nice!! We also have some random dessert like pudding or jello and then lots of cold vegetables. They cook the vegetables and then put them in the fridge... I don't get it either. its cold cooked vegetables. They have amazing bread! People grab like five rolls each per meal. I limit myself or im going to be nasty when i come back home. There is this fruit that is really good. It looks like an orange but you peel it and it looks like fish eggs inside. IT's super slimmy and weird but tastes amazing. I think its called grenadia. So either you get the nuncas or the siempres. Every hermana and elder has gotten the nuncas. That means you can't poop. And it's kind of scary! Because what comes in definitely doesn't equal what comes out.

I had a connection with a lot of people i came with. One sister is a little sister to a tutor i had in my chemistry class at USU. One i know two of her cousins. And Another i had two classes with. Its fun to find how we all know each other because we are all from Utah pretty much.

My maestros are amazing!! they are coth 22 and male. They speak in spanish the whole class and amazingly i can understand them. Its really cool. Also singing in spanish is way cooler than english. The hymns just seem prettier. I never want to go back. I have already had to get all of my paperwork done at imigraciones and interpol. That was fun to go outside the walls. Today is P day and the temple is closed for cleaning so we went shopping. The buses here are crazy!!!! They don't follow a route. You just get on and tell them where you want to go. Also everyone is so smashed so you just cram. We got on and an elder yelled this is the closest ill ever be to a hermana! haha it was way funny.

This is way cool. The first day we all, everyone that arrived in my group, had an investigator and we tried to teach her. We were just shoving information down her throat. It was no bueno. Then she told us her daughter committed suicide and how shes struggling with that. Everyone just kept saying things and we were going nowhere. Then Elder Schmidt raises his hand and starts crying. He says sister i know how you feel. Three weeks ago my brother committed suicide. Then he bore his testimony. It made the "invesitgator" cry. It was a really powerful moment and he has been struggling a lot. But he is such an amazing guy to me. He is in my district and cries all the time but he strengthens me because if he can do it while going through what he is then i can do it. Then on sunday for testimony meeting a guy bore his testimony about how a guy in the lunch room looked around and bowed his head and started bawling. Then he ralized he was holding a picture of christ. I knew it was Elder Schmidt it had to be. I saw later on Elder Schmidt holding a picture of Christ. He's amazing.

Sorry everything is so jumbled! this is how my thoughts are.

Will someone see if my fitbit and ipod can handle 220 V? The converter would work but the plug loooks the exact same as the ones in america. IT is two long lines not circles. Thanks.

There are 6 hermanas in my room. Mom remember when we were in the sister missionary mall and a sister said she was going to the peru mtc too? She's my roommate!! haha how fun. Her name is hermana eckman from shelley idaho i kid you not. Shes really cool.

We only almost missed our flight because we landed 30 min late and our layover was only 1 hour. That's why but luckily it was only 8 gates down! thats a blessing.

Mom how was your lesson on sunday and how was getting grant's patriachal blessing?

Im glad clint already made a countdown haha. I love you bro!! Youre the best.

I barely missed my degree! dang thats too bad. OH well you better frame it or something haha.

Grant, just keep praying and going to the temple and the lord will know when the right time to go is. have faith and he will answer your prayers.

Amber your story is way funny! i laughed out loud in this really quiet room besides all the keyboards. I love that i can totally hear your voice as i am reading it. Good job on passing it the first time. IT took me three tries to pass. so good job. and i don't know about paying attention that close because i only have an hour on here so i have to read it super fast... I love how you said i am in most of dad's conversations. at least he cares about me! haha

Mim's commercial is way funny. The lady after her is smiling way too much!!!! haha good job mim.

I can't believe scott took my room already!!! that little booger...

The hummidity is so bad. MY hair is a straight up afro and i am peeling so bad! I look like a cow and i am disgusting. You would think i wouldn't need lotion but i totally need it more than at back home.

Thats so nice how many people were asking about you and wondering if you were okay mom. People are so nice. I love when people care or at least act like they care.

Its crazy how much you learn every day. It really is. You just learn and learn and learn and think your brain has no more room for new imformation but some how it does..

I am so sad!! I don't want to log off this computer. This next week might be a ittle longer just necause now i know what its like to email you guys. It is so not even real that i am here in peru. That i am a missionary and that i am a representative of christ. I love all of the people here in the CCM. Everyone is in the same boat so everyone is so helpful. We all know how each other feels. So really i am not alone!! I am just so thankful that hermana holden and i get along and that we have already taught. it was so scary the first time but then i realized that if we do our part then the Lord seriously does his. He helps you remember and helps you realize what your investigator needs.

attached is what i stared at for 7 hours. 

me and hermana holden

Most of the girls that flew in with me and then my roommates are the two brownhaired ones.

 Then the front of the CCM. then the hall and the grounds of CCM.

Well my testimony of Joseph smith grew tremendously this week. I realized that i am a lot like him. I lack wisdom and all i can do is pray and ask god for help. Also he opened his mouth! Thats all missionaries have to do. This church is so true! i love the lord and i love my savior. Yo se que la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es verdadera.

I love you all and miss you very much! Only 78 weeks to go haha.

Also thanks for the prayers, they mean a lot. :)

XOXO Hermana Rasmussen