Week 35 - 8 Months and Changes!

Hola,

I am free!!! I got changes and I am out of the offices! I am still in Querétaro, but on the west side. I'm in an area called Satelite, with Elder Wright, from Alpine, UT. He has a year in the mission. I'm really excited for this change. I think we'll have a lot of success.

Not much happened this past week. But a cool story. Yesterday Pedro y Monica came to church again. And in the second hour, in Gospel Principles class, Monica told us that they've thought and prayed about it and they've decided they want to be baptized. I am very excited for them, and a little sad that I had changes, but it's all good. 

The church is true. I've had a lot of really tender mercies this week. If we look for the Lord's hand in our life, we'll find it all over the place. Love you all, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Rasmussen

P.S. I'll try to send pictures, but if not, I'll send them next week.

Week 34 - Josue's Baptism and Skype

Hola,

This was a really good week. I've been with Elder May almost all week. Elder Mercado has chicken pox and Elder Jimenez from Veracruz, the new one, has had some weird infection on his feet, so he can't leave to work either. 

Yesterday it was really cool to talk to my family. You guys are the best! I love you all! Then right after, we had a really awesome baptismal service for Josue. His dad was able to baptize him. It was really good.

There's not much more to say, haha, this week was pretty normal.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Grant

1. The Soto Family, (E' Jimenez, their nephew, Josue, Hna Elizabeth, Jimena, Hno Ramon, yo) After the pic was taken, Hno Ramon ended up doing the baptism.

2. Skyping

3. With the Gallardo Family, (Jesus, Odilia, Adrian, yo)

4. Package from Camille and the Clark Family, Thank you!!! You're the best!

Week 33 - Happy Mother's Day Mom and Babysitting Elders

Hola,

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!! I love you soooo much!

It was a really good week this week and I can't wait to talk to you all on Sunday!

We had a really cool experience this week. Remember those people we found last week who told us they had a "hole" in their lives. We visited them a few more times and invited them to stake conference yesterday. About 20 minutes into the conference they come. I was so surprised. I couldn't believe it. They really liked it and we ate with them later that day.

Yesterday we had two lunch appointments. I was soo full, I felt like I was going to throw up. That really is the worst part of Mexico for me: we eat so much food. They always serve us a ton, and they always ask us if we want seconds. We always have to say yes. I always feel super stuffed for a few hours. It makes it hard to go out and work haha. 

But this week, we've had to "babysit" a few elders. Which means that we have to stay with them so they don't get into trouble. That was kind of annoying this week. This is the second time we've had to do that. It kind of stinks. sometimes literally. haha But I can't believe that the change is almost over.

Look for the little tender mercies we receive everyday. I am so grateful for you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Grant

1. When it went from a sunny day to pouring rain in a matter of seconds haha.

2-3. Selfies at the bus central. We accidentally took the wrong bus after stake conference and ended up going to the other side of the city. It was a fun experience haha. (taken on my piece of junk phone, at least I get to use a smartphone though, that's nice)

4. Also, a junky picture. But the sunset is so beautiful from up in our area.

Week 32 - Elder Jimenez 2x

Hola!

This week was ok. Just a normal one. Not much happened.

Cool story though: we went to visit one hermana, but she wasn't home. There was a couple walking a little ways away. They called us over, and told us that they want to listen to us. They explained that they have a "whole" inside them. They are missing something in their lives and they think we can help them. They say that they fight a lot and are having relationship problems. The thing is that they aren't married. We gave a really good lesson that helped them. We have another appointment for tonight. They said, "we don't believe in chances, we know God send you."

It was a cool experience.

All is going here in Mexico. 

We also received a second Elder Jimenez today, from Veracruz. Now I have two comps named Elder Jimenez. The old jimenez is going to teach the new jimenez about doing the visas.

Hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Grant

Sorry, I mean a "hole" in their lives. My English is getting bad.

1.Fixing Elder Jimenez's scriptures with sealant. It worked!

2. Haircut

Week 31 - 7 Months and Freaking Cross-dressers

Hola,

This was a good week, it went by super fast. I feel like it was just last week when I was saying I finished 6 months. I feel like not much happened this week. 

You probably are all wondering what's up with my subject. I just have to ask "Why me?" Why do all the cross-dressers have to bother me? haha. We got on a bus, and I sat down next to a random guy near the back exit of the bus, I was on the aisle, and a cross-dresser and two other dudes were getting off the bus, while they were standing waiting to get off the bus, the guy in the dress was leaning his rear-end towards me, so I kept leaning towards the random dude to my left. I leaned until I couldn't lean anymore, and his rear end was touching my shoulder for a second or two. ugh. They called me a "white mormon" as they were getting off, haha at least they didn't call me a testigo (Jehovah's Witness), that would have made it worse. 

That was really the only eventful thing that happened this week, so hopefully you can just imagine the horror on my face as that was all happening.

But all is well here. Our investigators aren't progressing, so that's a bummer. But we'll just keep working, that's all we can do. Hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Grant

1. In the offices, there are a ton of dying cockroaches. They aren't dead. They are dying, so they keep wiggling their arms. (Oh and some people like to eat those, they fry them and add sugar.)

2. Selfie with Elder Mercado, he's participating in Mexico´s famous siesta. He is Elder May's comp. He's going to get his knee operated on. Also, with my super wavy hair coming back. 

3. Another Selfie in the offices, with no one looking. E' May behind me, E' Jimenez being a frito on youtube, and E' Rubio to the right.

Week 30 - Easter?

Hello all,

Apparently it was Easter yesterday, haha. It did not feel like it at all. On Friday, it was santa viernes, so they just closed everything, even the buses stopped. There was no one home this whole week-end. And on Sunday, Easter Sunday, there was literally almost no one at church. Maybe they all went to Mass with the Catholics, it might be more fun over there with the parties and such.

In Tequis, they used to have Virgin Maria Parades, here in Querétaro, they don't. I miss those. It looked so weird. They would chant prayers. "Maria, la madre de Jesus, madre de todo bueno..." Oh Catholics. I wanted to take a picture, but that probably wouldn't have been the best idea.

Not too much happened this week. I forgot my camera, I usually take pictures of my journal, and then I can kind of read back and remember what we did this week.

Elder Rubio, is from Puebla, he is pretty cool. I have enjoyed being with him this week. We're still in a trio. We have so many elders come and go that our house gets pretty messy. Hna Williamson got mad at us for that, so we've been cleaning up today. 8 new missionaries come today, so we're at the offices getting ready for that.

It was a fine week.

Love you all, and hope you have a great week!

Grant

1. Video of Elder May. He says "Soy el Elder May... y este es la misión." This was at a service project.

2. "Development Center" I thought it was ironic.

3. Oh yeah, we went to a BYU-Idaho Symphonic Band concert, we helped as "Security" haha. It was pretty cool. The pic is from when we were getting trained on how to be "Security" and the band was setting up.

4. View of the west side of QRO

5. Avenida Belen

The BYU-I concert was at the Josefa Ortiz Auditorium: 

Outside: https://www.google.com.mx/maps/@20.5864557,-100.3783462,3a,49y,145.28h,90.36t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqdDNruRe4RQv34srAnfgsQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=es-419

Inside: https://www.google.com.mx/maps/place/Auditorio+Josefa+Ortiz+de+Dom%C3%ADnguez/@20.58595,-100.37805,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s-1ACLVOE_nZ0%2FWLXds6xf6EI%2FAAAAAAABIT0%2FKODLeymiqhczud0cDkcIzF_YF74n9GZfgCLIB!2e4!3e12!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-1ACLVOE_nZ0%2FWLXds6xf6EI%2FAAAAAAABIT0%2FKODLeymiqhczud0cDkcIzF_YF74n9GZfgCLIB%2Fw203-h152-k-no%2F!7i4032!8i3024!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xb0d96af5bbc488a3!8m2!3d20.5859499!4d-100.3780514!6m1!1e1?hl=es-419

Week 29 - In the same area? Sí. In a trio? Sí.

Good afternoon!

Today is the start of a new transfer. I am still in Villas with Elder Jimenez, and tomorrow morning we will receive Elder Rubio. He is from Puebla and E' Jimenez will train him to be the new visas secretary. I have heard only good things about him, so I am excited. We need a little boost in our area. 

We haven't done too much this week. Our baptism is going to be postponed a few weeks. Ugh. I can't catch a break.

I think this week I have been able to recognize and follow the Spirit's promptings really well. I feel like that is one of the things I have learned lately.

Hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Rasmussen

I don't have my camera, but I do have a few photos.

1. View of Querétaro from San Jose el Alto

2. With the Bocanegra Family

3. View of the cool mall "Antea"

4. Con E' Pivaral, from Guatemala