Week #46 - “Don’t Look Back, You’re Not Going That Way.”

June 15, 2015

Hey Mom and Dad! Glad you had a good week! I would love to be there and do that crossfit you're doing Mom. It sounds pretty cool! Keep on going!

Thanks so much for all the pictures. They look so nice. It makes me miss my homeland with all the trees and plants and what not that I'm used to. Sorry to hear about Marilyn your funny top hat chicken. I didn't think Jaegar killed chickens? That will be something he needs to learn, but if I know my Mom I'm sure you're already getting him whipped in to shape! haha I guess I can include a chicken in my prayers..only for you Mom ;)

This week was really slow for us and we got rejected a lot. It wasn't just us though. Our entire zone was like that apparently. But thanks for the encouragement - I don't take it personally when we are rejected, but it's always nice when people want to listen to us so we make good use of our time. There were lots of rain storms every day and it was Independence week here too, so it was a different week. Although the Filipinos don't go all out for Independence Day like the US does.

 

 

We taught the Plan of Salvation to our investigator Wenda for the 1st time this week and she had a ton of questions. She usually has lots of questions, which I love, but she's never ever rejected any of the stuff we have taught her.  Teaching the Plan of Salvation this time was hard--she had a difficult time understanding, but she asked a lot of really deep questions which was so awesome! I don't feel like we were stumped by any of her questions, but I studied about Adam and Eve the next day for like 3 hours so I can do a better job of answering her questions the next time we are with her. I just never ever studied and understood the Plan of Salvation before my mission, but there is so much more to it than I ever thought. We always have fun teaching Wenda though because she is way cool and very smart which makes it easier to teach her. I've really loved reading the scriptures lately though and learning. We are always told to dig deep into the scriptures and that it is supposed to be fun but I never had fun before my mission. Reading the scriptures was always a chore, but now its something I always look forward to in the morning. So Mom and Dad (and everyone reading this blog!) read and study the Scriptures!  Especially the Book of Mormon. I promise you that it will strengthen your faith and increase your knowledge on the things that *really* matter in life!

 

Yesterday we went to Lapaz for Stake Conference. Our Ward took 2 big jeeps and they were both packed full just like last time. Transportation is a lot more fun in the Philippines! haha we were packed in there like sardines! The conference was really good. It was a broadcast from the Conference Center in Salt Lake, especially for the stakes in the Philippines. Pretty cool huh? One of our investigators came with which was really cool. He is a14 year old son of a lady that we teach. She asked us if her son could come with us and of course we said absolutely!

 

It is so HOT and HUMID outside right now! I was dying this morning and couldn't wait to get here to the computer place and sit in the A/C ;) It feels so great! 

 

Here's answers to your questions!:

What made you laugh this week? When we were on our way to Stake Conference yesterday and traveling down the highway on the jeep the people standing on the outside of the jeep saw what they though was the police so they all hurried and piled back inside, but it ended up just being a security dude haha so everyone was crack8ng up and laughing over that.

  
What story from the scriptures are you studying now? Lots of 2nd Nephi, Alma 12, Alma 40.. and I'm currently reading Galations.

 
How was sacrament yesterday? What are the talks about? I was Stake conference, so the General Authorities spoke through the broadcast about becoming more Christ-like.

 
Did you eat anything different this week? What food do you miss that you can't get? Did you try halo halo yet? I ate some quail that was cold haha I didn't like it and had to gag it dow because I didn't want to offend the person. I miss dairy stuff a lot. I'd love to have a ice cold glass of milk....and a grilled cheese sandwich! Yeah I've had halo halo but I don't really care for it too much haha It's pretty weird for a dessert!

Thanks again Mom and Dad. Love and miss you both so much. Have a great week!

Love, Elder Rasmussen 

Week #45 “What You Plant Now, Will be harvested later. . .”

June 8, 2015

Hi Mom and Dad -- We're going to SM today and we wanted to get an early start, so we are emailing earlier than usual. I'm way jealous you went camping..It Sounds like fun!! Thinking about my family camping without me is a little hard I'll admit, but that's cool you had fun.  Too bad about the fishing not being that great though, but it helps to know I didn't miss anything! haha Holy smokes! It sounds like you almost had to abandon ship though! Wow! That wind and waves sound crazy! Thanks for the details about the trip though. I wish I was there to see all the cool thunderstorms and rainstorms you are getting!

This week flew by as usual, even though time seems to really slow down during transfer week. We were all  expecting a text about transfer with our names on it,  but none of us ended up getting transferred which was really weird! So our district didn't change at all! After this transfer is over I will have been with Elder Crooks for four transfers which is a long time to be in the same house with someone but it sure went by fast for me. My companion Elder Faamoe will have also been with me for 3 transfers which doesn't really happen that often after training, but we generally get a long really well and have fun, so we will have fun this transfer too. Although this past week Elder Faamoe got mad at me over a misunderstanding and wouldn't talk to me (drama...) so we went on splits with the other elders that day. I spent the day teaching with Elder Crooks and we had a lot of fun. We found some really nice people and taught some powerful lessons. Of course at the end of the day my companion wasn't mad at me anymore (imagine that...) haha so things are back to normal. It's all good.



While Elder Crooks and I were teaching together we were teaching a lesson to a guy at his work and his boss came back and she chewed him out for letting us in their rice mill compound.  Elder Crooks and I walked over and talked to her and she calmed down.  We could tell she got a little bit shy when the two white guys speaking illonggo walked up, so that calmed her down haha . After we talked with her she was nicer, but told us we can't teach the guy anymore which was a bummer.

We had 7 investigators come to church yesterday which was awesome! I wasn't expecting it at all but they came! It was so cool to see them in church learning and asking questions and stuff. On the other end of the spectrum we taught some less active members yesterday and they give us ridiculous excuses for why they don't go to church. But oh well. We still twork hard and try to help them all we can.

It started raining last night so we went home early and then it really started pouring. The weirdest thing happened - a bunch of weird bugs flew into our house haha so I was running around everywhere stepping on them and trying to get them out of the house.
  

Here's the answers to your questions:

#1 What made you laugh this week? Elder Crooks teaching. He's not very good at the language but he did a really good job and he said some funny things. It was fun teaching with him.

#2 What are you studying in the scriptures these days? The Old Testament and the Book of Mormon.

 
#3 Do people there have cell phones or home phones? Do you see much in the way of electronics? Everyone has a cell phone. Lots of people have nice TV's too but lots don't. People are obsessed with speakers too. You always hear loud music playing.

 

#4 Have you been getting any rain or typhoons? Rain but no Typhoons yet. It's supposed to start raining a lot more this month as the typhoon season starts.

#5 was that a picture of a jack fruit tree you sent last week? Do you like that fruit? They grow everywhere here and the fruit when ripe is really good. They also cook it in foods when it isnt ripe as a vegetable. 

Sure miss you Mom and Dad and you know I love you!! Love, Michael

 

P.S.  I know I told you that I wasn't going to send any pictures this week since I'm on a computer I didn't trust, but it worked out ok so I've sent a few.

 

 

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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Week #43 - "They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down..." Isaiah 49:10

Maayong Gabii sa pamilya - This week went by crazy fast! It's hard to believe how fast! We had a very eventful week of finding and teaching which was pretty fun. Several times (almost every day) we've had a Sister from the ward, Sister Marites, work with us which really helps out a lot and she is super fun to work with. She talks our ear off haha but we don't mind. She is a super sweet lady and a really big help to us.

This week was I think the hottest *ever*. I probably said that last week, but what I really meant was this week! haha. The sun just cooks you. I wish you could experience it with me so you'd know just how HOT it truly is. haha

We found a new family "the Panes family" who are from Cavite so they speak Tagalog. That makes communication a little difficult since we aren't that great at Tagalog, but thankfully they are also decent at english so we are getting along just fine. They love having us over and talking to us, which is fantastic, but they are also really good at learning, so that makes it even better!

 Yesterday we went to San Enrique for lunch with Sister Marites. Her friend who has a car drove us, so I got to ride in a car with A/C for the first time in a very long time. I felt like I was in America again! There was a fiesta in town so every single house had tons of people and there were people everywhere. They of course treated us very well and the food was really good. We then went to another house and ate again. You can't walk into a house and not eat or you will offend the owner so that's how that works. We went to work after that and taught a few people and then we went again to the home of Panes family and guess what? They insisted we eat some of their Pancit! haha So we got fed again. Then to top it off we had Family Home Evening at another members house and guess what? We got fed again! So much eating yesterday!

 

 

This morning for P Day we got up early and decided to try and find the caves I've been telling you about. We found one, but it wasn't very nice and there was a big snake skin just on the inside, so everyone was too chicken to go in! I was a little creeped out too, but I still wanted to go in and explore. But we all decided to just turned around and we went hiking instead, which was fun. I sweat so much that when I rung out my shirt like a quart of sweat came out!  The member who was with us climbed this huge coconut tree and  knocked down some coconuts for us all to eat. They were really good.

 

Its another hot day (imagine that) so I'm grateful I get to sit in a a/c building while I email home. I can't wait for the rainy season to come.

Here's the answer to your question Mom:

1 - what made you laugh this week? I can't remember anything!! haha! O.K. these two members that worked with us are pretty funny. They talk a lot of Ilonggo slang that makes me laugh.

2 - Did you try eating anything new this week? If not what was your favorite meal? Nothing new. Lots of pork and chicken. The chicken last night was really good.

 

3 - So how many mangos do you eat each day now that it's mango season? Have you given yourself a stomach ache like you did when you pigged out on the mandarins?  Lots of people give them to us, so we get a lot! I probably usually only eat 3 a day. I don't eat too many. I learned my lesson from the mandarins!

 

4 - How many miles a day do you walk? I'm thinking 3-5 usually, some days more, it just depends. 

 

5 - What was your lesson about that you taught at District meeting last week? Receiving revelation through prayer.

 

Have a great week! I Love you lots!
Love, Elder Rasmussen!

 

Week #42 - “Those Who Say It Can’t Be Done Should Not Interrupt The Ones Doing It.”

May 18, 2015

Hi Mom and Dad!

I loved Skyping home last week too! Even though I was a little homesick afterwards it wasn't near as bad as it was at Christmas! After going back to our area I got busy doing laundry and then had to hurry and prepare for my District Leader lesson the following day. So I managed to get over my homesickness by staying busy.  I am getting better at it, so not too much of a worry. We didn't get much sleep the night before, so I was tired out of my mind!  We had the ZLs with us Monday and Tuesday night because they worked with us on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun! We went out with Elder Swan (the one that you saw on skype that thought Hayley was really cute haha) he showed us a few new things they do to talk to people and invite people to be baptized. It helped me just to forget about what people think or say and just laugh off the stupid stuff that happens like getting rejected and frowned at. It's amazing, but I really don't worry about that anymore which is nice because it makes it easier to talk to people and to help more people.

The following days we did a lot of tracting and finding new people which was pretty fun. We did have contact with this one annoying lady who was one of the most proud people I've ever met, and NOT in a good way. Most Filipinos are very friendly and polite, but this lady needed some lessons on how to be nice.  She listened to us but basically just fired back at us with a bunch of rude garbage. My companion gets mad so quick when people aren't nice to us haha and I could tell he was getting hot under the collar. I had to look over at him and calmly say "Elder, its ok" haha we laughed about it afterward, but honestly, she was a challenge to be patient with. We left a Book of Mormon with her Dad because I knew she wanted to read it but was too proud to accept it from us. So I considered that a victory.We did a ton of walking this week which really made us tired for a few days. I was so tired I almost fell asleep in the lessons haha so we didnt do much walking yesterday to try and recover from all that.

Today is very hot so I'm so glad to be in the A/C right now :) We planned on going to some caves today but will most likely wait until next week.

Yesterday we met a guy from Texas who served his mission here in Passi 20 years ago. He came to visit the families he baptized. It was really surreal to see pictures of him 20 years ago and then see him in person with the families he taught and baptized so many years ago! Now those families have a few RM's of their own and are 2 of the strongest families in the ward. That's pretty cool and really inspiring!

Questions:
#1 - What made you laugh this week? - We had some great laughs with the ZL's Elder Orr and Elder Swan. They are pretty funny guys.
#2 - What was your best day this past week? - The best day was Tuesday when we got to work with the ZL's and learn from them.

Ill send some pictures to you today. Glad you got my letter. 

Love Elder Rasmussen

 

Here are some pics from Zone Meeting a couple of weeks ago:

 

 

 

 

Week #41 - "Happiness Is An Inside Job." Mother's Day Skype!

May 10, 2015

We had a wonderful Skype with Elder Michael for Mother's Day. Jeff and Hayley were driving home from their long weekend trip to Grass Valley, California, visiting Grandpa and Grandma Rasmussen (I had to work because of a Federal Grant submission deadline I had, so I wasn't able to join them)--they left California early in the a.m. to be home in time not to miss his call and I made sure to get my work done and boogie home to wait on pins and needles!
Hayley was starting her job the next morning 5/11--so she was only able to stick around for about the first 45 minutes of the Skype and then she had to hit the road again to drive to Ephraim. So it was a busy night for Skyping - but we were so happy waiting pensively by the computer waiting for his call.
I love President Aquino - Elder Michael's Mission President! He allows the missionaries 2 hours to Skype home! Once again we had some technical difficulties for the first 1/2 hour because the camera on his end didn't want to work. Then when he finally got a camera that worked the video was pretty sub-par, so he was very pixelated most of the time, but it was better than nothing! So we'll take it!

Elder Rasmussen had traveled to Iloilo City from Passi the day before and spent the night with the ZL's at their apartment since there are no places to Skype from in Passi area. The Philippines is 14 hours ahead of us, so it was approximately 7 p.m. Sunday evening our time, so 9 a.m. Monday morning there. He was Skyping from an internet cafe at the local mall called "The Atrium". There were about 20 other Elders there with him so you could hear at the chattering going on in the background. It was their "SM Day", so after Skyping they would head over to "SM", which is like a big Wal-Mart I think. They get to go there once a month on their PDay to do their shopping.
He's a pretty happy Elder and despite the horrible heat right now he is loving life and loving "the mish". I really noticed that he has a bit of an accent, which he was in total denial about. LOL But I noticed that he talks faster and the inflection of his voice kinda goes up at the end of his sentences. He told us they speak English a lot because many Filipinos like to show off that they can speak English (he says it's funny because the Filipinos want to show off they can speak English and the Elders want to show off that they can speak Ilonggo).  Right now one of their investigators is a teacher and she is very educated and the family used to live in Texas, so her English is very good, so they speak English with her a lot. He says most of the Filipinos speak Tagalog to them at first because they don't expect them to be able to speak Ilonggo/Hiligaynon, so when they speak Ilonggo to them they are very surprised and very honored that they know their language. He feels very comfortable with the language now and says "we're getting around pretty good!". He is enjoying his calling as District Leader, though the teaching part of the calling stresses him out, but he's getting more comfortable with it.
He and his companion Elder F are getting a long really good and he has really enjoyed being his trainer. He says that despite their cultural differences, they have a lot in common with their love of cars and motorcycles.
We talked about what foods he is missing most, and cheese was at the top of his list and homemade cookies. He said that at the Mall they have a McDonald's and a Pizza Hut, but he says they don't eat at the Pizza Hut because it's pretty expensive and the pizza does not taste the same as America Pizza Hut. Michael was not that big of a fan of McDonald's prior to his mission, but he says after you go a long time without an American hamburger, eating at McDonald's is like heaven. haha
We talked about whether or not he wants us to travel to the Philippines at the end of his mission to pick him up. He is still not wanting us to come and wants to have the experience of returning home on his own and coming down the escalator at the airport to his family and friends welcoming him home. I guess I can't blame him. But if he changes his mind we will be ready!
I really should have taken notes, because I can't remember 1/2 of what we talked about :/ maybe by the next Skype I'll be a smarter Missionary Mom!
I'm grateful that this, our 2nd Skype with our Elder, we all did much better. There were lots of tears shed at Christmas, and thankfully we only had one or two moments where we all got a little too sentimental and got a little teary eyed. At the end of our 2 hours he told us again that we were the ones that had to end the Skype, because he couldn't do it. It's always hard to hit that Red button to end the conversation, but somehow we managed to do it. We will get to Skype again on Christmas Day - This will be the longest span we will have every gone without talking with our Michael. We are so proud of him, but it definitely requires faith and determination on all our parts to get through it, but we will persevere. I remind myself that by the next time we Skype with him we will be on the downhill side of his mission with only 7 1/2 months to go! We love our Elder! Until next time - Ciao!

Week #40 - "There are Lives To Brighten, Hearts To Touch and Souls To Save"

May 4, 2015
 

No matter where he is, he finds the bike shop!

Kamusta family! Maayong aga! (Good morning!)

Salamat sa mga email nyo sa akon (Thanks for emailing me!) ;)

 

This week really did go by fast. I love reading all the details about what's going on back at home! Thanks for getting those things for me Mom and sending them to me. As far as treats - Pop tarts are always important ;) I wish you could send me cheese. I miss cheese a lot!

 

I haven't gotten any details about the skype yet, so I'm not sure when that will happen. Most likely next Pday, so sometime Sunday night for you, but i will let you know asap so you can plan.

 

Baby Pineapples!

This week we got a lot of rain! You would think that would cool things down, but oh no...it just made it even more humid and sticky haha  but yesterday we went out in the pouring rain and I actually got a little chilly for a little bit. (It was wonderful!) I will never again be reluctant to work in the rain because it's actually pretty fun :)

 

This week we had a cool experience where we took the time to go see some members who lived pretty far away from Passi in an area called Rumugayray. We ended up teaching the husband's parents who the family has been trying to get to the church for a long time. They told us we were the first missionaries to visit their house so that was pretty cool. They are very nice people. They insisted we eat their food and when we left she paid for our ride and wouldn't let us pay. Lots of the members really worry about us since we are both foreigners haha even though we walk all over the place all day long by ourselves. Its nice to be cared for though ha ;)

 

LDS Church in Passi

We worked with 3 members yesterday. It rained a lot of the day and we were already soaked so we didn't care too much to get more wet. They tried to get me to eat the street food (chicken intestine, solid pig blood) but I couldn't, wouldn't and didn't eat it haha. I really have no desire to eat the street type food just so I can say I have. I know a lot of the elders eat it, and they make a really big deal about it, but it's just not important to me.  Maybe one day during my mission I'll get a hankering for balut or pig blood and I will try it. I just wish the members wouldn't pressure me so much to eat it. I refuse as kindly as possible, but honestly they can sometimes get offended really easily, but they are the ones that put me in a really uncomfortable situation. I feel bad, but I didn't want to eat it and that's that.

 

Trike Riding!

I had an interesting first experience as DL (District Leader) this past week. I had to go into Calinog to help the other Elders in our District who were having a companionship problem. I was a little worried I wouldn't have any idea how to help them solve their problem, but I talked to both of them individually and then together, and they were able to start talking again and told me last night that things are back to normal. So I was really glad to hear I was able to help them resolve their problem. I can't imagine the stress of Pres. Aquino dealing with dramatic missionaries all the time. My calling is much easier and if I can resolve the problems at my level and spare President from having to deal with it, then I'm glad I can do my part.

 

Here's the answers to your questions Mom:

 

#1 What made you laugh this week?- This old guy on a motorcycle yelled "joe!!" at us in a really high, sharp voice haha it was just really funny (maybe you had to be there?) We got a good laugh out of it! haha

 

#2 Is there anything you regularly do to stay lighthearted when times feel rough? Usually I take a sit down and just talk about cars or motorcycles with Elder Faamoe. He has a really nice car at home that he misses and I have my dirt bike and my truck, so we can console each other. haha

 

#3 What has been your favorite P-Day activity during your mission so far? Emailing home! Being able to sit in the A/C at the computer is legit. It's just nice to have some time on P-Day to relax. 

 

#4 What do you like most about your companion? How is he different from your other companions you've had so far? Elder F is way nice and we talk a lot. We've only had 1 or 2 times we didn't understand each other and considering we are from different parts of the world and are together 24/7 that's pretty good I think. He and I have a lot in common and have similar interests, so that helps a lot having someone to relate to and talk with.

 

#5 What do most people do for work in your area? Is it like farming? or industrial? Lots of trike drivers, sugar cane factory workers, carpenters and construction mostly.

#6 What was your most spiritual experience this week? Nothing too powerful this week but my testimony keeps getting stronger. I especially love testifying about Joseph Smith. 

I Love and miss you all! Have a great week!

Love Elder Rasmussen