I'm Alive! And In Queretaro

Hola mi familia!

I just met with President Williamson, I am so excited to serve with him. There are about 17 new missionaries here at the president's house, i''ll tell more next Monday when its my pday. But I am well and safe. I may have my first lesson tonight. Pray for me!

Love you all!
Elder Rasmussen

17 New Missionaries in Grant's Group

Last Week In the CCM

Hola!

Hope everyone is doing well. This week has been really good so far, not much has happened but I've been learning lots.

Just today, I received an answer to a "specific prayer", President Tenor of the CCM taught us about them, it is a prayer when you ask for specific things and explain to God why you need those things and then specify everything about how he can answer them. Well mine worked! God answered my prayer! It is so silly, but it was important to me. I prayed to know if I should buy a spanish quad, with all four standard works in one book. The tienda just go a shipment and there were about a dozen big ones and a dozen little ones, anyway last night I prayed and through the guidance of the spirit I asked that if I should buy a quad let there only be 3 left of that kind and if I shouldn't buy a quad then there can be any other number left.

Anyway, after my haircut this morning we go to the tienda and as I am walking up the steps I see through the glass that there are like 10 small quads left and 4 big quads, and as soon as I get inside an elder grabs one of the big quads leaving 3 left. I chuckled because I knew that that was a sign. I didn't hesitate and I brought one of the remaining 3 quads. This is just a small example, but it meant the world to me. I still can't believe it. The natural man in me keeps trying to talk about how coincidental it all is, but I know that there are no such things as coincidences. I know God answered my prayer. I know he cares about me and even though it wasn't a big decision or even an important one, but he answered my prayers. The church is true yo. Hopefully you understood my story. I typed it really fast, but if you didn't understand it then just know that God answers prayers.

Oh yeah, I got my first Mexican haircut today!

It seems like I never have an ought time to email, but it is all good. I'm doing well, and the next time you hear from me I will be in the field. Queretaro here I come! I eave Monday morning at 5:30, going by bus. I'll take lost of pictures, oh and I'll send day journal entries after this email.

Love you all!
Elder Rasmussen

I attached the picture, but forgot to shoutout to Camille for the Krispy Kreme's. Thanks Camille! Thanks for the letter too!

Above is the infamous quad, and a picture of my haircut, someone said I look like a cop in training, s idk if that's good. 

Almost Out of the CCM!

This week has gone by very quickly. I don't have much time, because we have a language class right now. But I want everyone to know that the Church is true. Read the scriptures, it is amazing. Anyway, the CCM is great. I'm getting along with my companion way better this week. We've hit our stride! I can't wait to get out into the field. Only like a week and a half left! But I am doing well. Spanish is coming along, I haven't learned too much more, it is more experience that I have gained, so it's been a good week for that. I still have a hard time understanding latinos when the talk fast though, haha.

I was really sad to hear about the passing of Grandpa Clinger. He really was a great man and a great example to me. I hope I can be like him. But I know he is in a better place now. "Death where is thy sting." I'm so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel. I know that families can be together for eternity. What an amazing blessing!

IDK wha is wrong with these pictures, I am trying to allow everyone the access to see them. So hopefully if you don't see them in the email, look on the blog. Thanks camille for updating it!

I love you all! Hope you have a great week.
Love, Elder Rasmussen

P.S. my next p day is Wednesday.

Halfway Done with the CCM!

Hola,

This week was pretty good, nothing too amazing and nothing too terrible. I am halfway through the MTC or the CCM and it seems like its gone by super fast. The best part about the food here is that like half the time it is american food. We had corn dogs! That was the best food i've had yet. The other half is mexican food obviously, and it isn't bad. It's all chicken, some sauce, rice, beans, and corn tortillas. Mexicanos love chicken. 

I like it here but I want to get out into the field. Lessons with fake investigators are really cool for me because I can gauge how my spanish is coming along. Sometimes I can just speak with minimal thought before hand and it's way cool to see the Spirit help me. Btw, last week at the temple I did get a working translator thing, so I could actually understand everything. 

We just got back from Immigration, I guess it was to process our visas as residents of mexico. We drive way out into the city, wait in line for like an hour, sign our names twice and get our fingerprints scanned, then drive home. It took like 5 hours, but it was fun. I got to talk to a local as we waited and she said my spanish is very good.

I've had a cough for about the past two weeks and its about to go away but at the same time it still wants to hang around. Im just grateful that I didnt get the stomach flu from my companion. He was debilitated for a day or two and I just got to study and read the scriptures instead of going to language class, so that was an experience. I'm learning a lot and I think that is causing me to forget english. I had bad grammar to begin with, I dont even want to think what its going to be like when I get home. But that'll be a future problem. I just have to worry about getting to that point. Sometimes I will speak spanish without intentionally speaking spanish, I am just speaking. When I listen to others speak sometimes I dont even notice it is in spanish, I just understand it. 

Also the workers at the comedor, cafe, are really mean, or at least appear to be, but one guy came up to us and was super nice. He told us that he served in Mexico City and that he got to serve in Queretaro for a few weeks. He said that the people in Queretaro are ready to hear the gospel. That was good to hear because it can get discouraging being in classes and learning for 16 hours a day. But anyway, I'm doing well. I hope all of you are doing well as well. I'll send more pics and my journal entries as a reply to this email, so dont worry. 

From Mexico City with love,

Elder Rasmussen 

Pics

Week 2 Down

Hola!

This week went by super fast. I also don't have a lot of time to write. We are going to the temple later today. I'm so excited. Last week when I went, I didn't have a translator device thing that worked. So hopefully this time I will be able to get one that works. I think my favorite thing that ive done so far here is drive through the city to the temple. It is just so crazy here. This is a ginormous city!

I really enjoyed General Conference. I felt bad that Thomas S. Monson was so weak and frail. But I think his message about the word of wisdom applies to all commandments. If we are obedient and do what is right, in times of need we will receive the strength we need to overcome any obstacle.

When teaching one of our instructors, Hermana Gutierrez, or 'Alexa', we got her to commit to being baptized. That was such a great lesson because I know that I was saying what the spirit told me to say. It is such a great blessing to be a missionary. I know that we all should be missionaries. Dad, invite the stake to have sacrament meetings that are especially for new investigators and have everyone bring a friend that they believe could use the gospel. Same for mutual. I never wanted to invite a friend because it would be awkward and we didn't really do anything that would be comfortable for them. Whoever said that in conference was inspired, so let's do it! I can't wait to get a copy of the ensign to read an reread all of the messages given in GC. 

I really am growing to love my district. I know that I am so blessed to know of this gospel. It has brought me so much happiness and I want to share that with my brothers and sisters in Mexico. I wish I could say more but I don't have time. Isn't that always the case, we never have time. One of my favorite things about being a missionary is that i have time to feast upon the words of Christ in the scriptures. Speaking of scriptures, I think I want my missionary scripture, on my plaque, to be Alma 34:8-10. Let me know if that is too long. It's about the atonement and the need for an infinite sacrifice. Go read it right now. 

I am doing well. I can't wait to get in the field. I want to serve and meet and love and help the people. Thanks for all your support and love. 

Love,

Elder Rasmussen

Here are some more pictures. Hopefully you can open them. Also, there is a website like dear elder, for the mexico mtc and you can send send free letters. so try it out. the website is like missionarypackagemx .com or something. im sure if you google it youll find it. So send me some letters if you want. ​