Week #44 - "Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are."

June 1, 2015

Hey Mom & Dad - Thanks for the emails! and Mom, thanks so much for the package! I love the Gorillapod - that is going to come in so handy! I've already put it to good use! And the gel pillow you sent me for Christmas works pretty good. I think I've gotten used to it now though, because I used to really noticed the "cool", and now it doesn't seem as cold. But it still helps for sleeping.
Dad, I'm so jealous you and Uncle Rob got to go fishing at Yuba!! I have a hard time even picturing myself fishing anymore...The walleye look awesome and I'll bet they are tasty too!  Your driveway project looks really good too. I can't believe how much the house and yard have already changed since I left.

Saying good-bye to Elder Carnahan

I'm so excited for you with your new crossfit training Mom. That is pretty cool that you get to work out with a trainer who won't let you give up! Lots of the time I just need someone there to keep me going and push me. It sounds like fun! I've been so tired lately that I haven't done much in the way of exercise. It think it's because of the sun and the heat. It really wipes me out. I also had to get up at 4:30 a.m. the other day to take the bus into Iloilo for a district leader training, and those early mornings wipe me out for a few days. At the district leader training I said goodbye to Elder Carnahan who I've looked up to a lot in the mission. He's the AP (Assistant to the President) and he's going home tomorrow which made me feel a little homesick and "trunky". It always happens when we say good-bye to the Elders heading home. I won't deny that sometimes I have some really sucky days and I feel like I just want to go home, but honestly, the good times are so worth waiting for and really make up for the hard days. I'm learning so much and I can only imagine how much more I will continue to learn!

Dad's Favorite Summer Vegetable!

I went on a split with the Calinog Elders the other day as part of my District Leader responsibilities. I went with Elder Tanto who is a funny guy to work with and I learned a lot with him. We had some good laughs too!

My companion and I have been teaching a family named The Panes family, who I think I've told you about before. We showed them the Restoration video to help them visualize what happened to Joseph Smith. They are very nice family, but they only speak Tagolog so sometimes we have a hard time answering their questions.  They know a  

little bit of English so that helps too. I  really want to learn more Tagolog, but for now Hiligaynon is enough of a challenge. Hopefully eventually I can get to the point where I can switch languages in between appointments. I know a little Tagolog, and it gets us by, but I wish I could learn more.

Yesterday we taught a bunch of less active members which was good. One of the more active families we visited (the Belonio family) just got back from a trip to the temple in Cebu. It's way cool to see their pictures and think about how 1 year ago they were brand 

to the church!

This morning we went hiking with one of our investigators named Kinji to try and find those caves. Yesterday during sacrament he texted us and said he couldn't find the church so we went outside and found him in front of a building close to the church. He was just too shy to walk in alone haha It was really good to have him there though! We got fed at members houses a lot this week. There was a fiesta in an area called Gines. Fiestas are so nuts! Filipinos know how to party and eat a ton of food haha

Langka Tree (Jackfruit)

35 degrees Celsius = 95 degrees Fahrenheit---INDOORS!

Here's the answers to your questions:

#1 - What made you laugh this week? Working with Elder Tanto was pretty funny. He's really funny and good at making people laugh. 

#2 - Do you speak or teach in church regularly now? I have not been asked to speak in church since Guimaras :) 

#3 - What time does it get dark there? About 7 p.m.

#4 - How late do you and your companion stay out at night? Most nights we come home around 8 pm. It's hard to get appointments at night. 

#5 - What is something new you learned this week? I learned about a new chemical they use for laundry here that will hopefully whiten my shirts up a bit haha and every week I add a few new words to my Hiligaynon and Ilonggo vocabulary.

 

I sure miss and love you too! 

Love Elder Rasmussen

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