Week #35 ". . .Love is the motive, the spirit is key, and Christ is the reason."

March 30, 2015

Hey Mom and Dad! Thanks for your emails and for sending me pictures. It looks really nice there except the mountains have no snow on them so that's not good. :/ It is hard to believe it is spring there already. I loved the pic you sent me from our snowmobiling trip. ohhh man that powder was so much fun to ride in! I remember that day so well!! I miss winter so much but it helps to know I'm not missing out on a good snow year. haha

It has been so hot here but luckily a few little storms came in this week and kind of cooled things off a little. Yesterday we had 2 members come work with us and one of them (Kevin) just about died when we walked to our appointments! It was so funny! He was complaining about the heat and kept hinting that we should catch a ride haha He was falling behind like a dying hiker in the desert. LOL I didnt think the Filipinos felt the heat but he sure did! The girl that came with us was just fine and kept right up with us.

This week we didn't do as much finding as the week before. We were disappointed yesterday when our investigators with a baptism date didn't show up to church when they had told us they would. We visit them 3 times a week and they are great and follow along really well, but they struggle with committments. We handed out 10 Book of Mormons this week which is a record for me so far in the mission. A lot of the time we struggle just handing out 2 or 3, but not this week!

We taught a lady named Lani and she told us about this guy named Jose who she said is a member of the church. So Elder F and I went looking for him and found his house and sure enough he is a member! We talked to his son because Jose wasnt there and he was super nice. We found the new area and will keep going back to it becasue we also started teaching another family who live in the same area. The Tatay (Father) of the house I could tell wasnt very happy his wife let us in the house haha and so I started talking to him about basketball and he loosened right up and joined in our lesson. Basketball really helps get a conversation going - Filipinos love their basketball! When I mention the Utah Jazz they always say like "ahhhh Utah Jazz yeah Karl Malone!" haha 
This mission is incredible and the time is flying by so unbelievably fast. I've learned so much in just 8 months, it just blows my mind. I was talking to one of my housemates last night about how much of a difference our families are going to notice in us when we return home. I'm doing things that I would have never even imagined doing and thought I could or would never do in a million years! I have received so many huge blessings from serving and I know my family is being blessed as well.

 

Here's the answers to your questions Mom:

 
#1 - So have you gotten a more adventurous palate yet and started trying more "Filipino" style foods? I haven't really tried anything too exotic. I love the regular foods they eat here but dont really have any desire to eat balut or anything like that haha (Note from Mom: For those of you who don't know what Balut is, it's a boiled, partially developed duck fetus (fertilized dug egg)--a very common street food in Asian countries - and it looks completely repulsive!

#2 - Do you have an exercise program you are keeping with each day or does all the walking you do enough to keep you feeling fit? I do pushups and situps and run up and down the stairs, in addition to the miles and miles of walking we do each day. We also get some basketball games in on P-Day.

# 3 - What has become your favorite missionary-type activity thus far? (Tracking, Random OYM moments?, Member referrals?, speaking in church?) Sometimes its fun to tract. I'm getting a lot better at teaching so that's cool.
 

#4 - What does Tigulang gid ang nanay ko mean? You said it in your email last week and I forgot to ask you what it meant. Google translate says it means "very elderly mother", so you better have something *really* good to say about that!  Haha Mom, Google is right ;) I was just teasing you on your birthday!
 

#5 - What is your favorite scripture reference right now?  I like 2 Nephi 31:10 "And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?" and James 2:20 about Faith without works is dead and also Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." So many people think they have faith and say they worship Jesus Christ, but they actually know very little about Christ, about his life and his love and sacrifices for us and almost nothing about the atonement.  #BecauseHeLives

 

I love and miss you all so much! Have a great week! Love, Elder Rasmussen