This Week has been a Crazy One, Some Big Changes...

Hey guys!!!! Sounds like you guys are doing great. I love to hear about your lives and how you are living them. Every time I read the update on my family I think of the way they are following in the way of the savior. You guys are the best family and truly follow the Savior’s example by being an example to all.

This week has been a crazy one, some big changes. I'm still in Song Shan, but I'm training this transfer and now have become District Leader. It's an interesting change. But I'm excited for the opportunity to serve the other missionaries and learn from my new companion straight from the MTC. It's going to be a great transfer.

This week was full of miracles. For some reason a bunch of our investigators just weren't able to meet as much as usual, but the Lord still allowed us to see so many miracles. Just the so many people on the road that need the gospel!! There are so many people prepared in Taiwan. It's an amazing thing to see the instant change in people’s eyes when you share the truths of the gospel with them and they hear it for the first time. It testifies to me every time that it's true. I love sharing the testimony the Lord has blessed me with and has allowed me to carry on my back, one that is true and firm. I know this church is true, and I know it will bless every single creature regardless of age, size, background, or living conditions. Everyone needs this gospel, and I will stop at nothing to accomplish the will of the Lord. I am his servant and I plan on sanctifying myself each and every day and doing to the best of my ability to serve him now and for the rest of my life.

Conference was amazing. I loved the focus on free agency of choice. I love the fact that they shared much about not over scheduling your life. That is the biggest problem in Taiwan; no one has time for their families or talents because they work all day every day. Or they sit down and play video games all day every day. I walked in to email this morning to over 20 kids playing computer games, they have been here since the night before, it's sickening. But, it made me so grateful for a loving home that I grew up in and the time I had to spend with my family. Yes, money is important, but the Time is more important!!!!! So many times I've heard, I love my family I need to support them. But they are just earning money, giving their kids a pay check, some money, that is not love; love is the time and special bond that we earn through spending time together. We need time with our kids and family members or we will fail!! When President Monson was talking about his parents, I couldn't help but become overwhelmed by the tears that filled with my eyes because of the love and respect toward you mom and dad, my parents. I can't even begin to express me love and affection and respect for you guys. But at that time I was crying was tears of sadness and joy, I could remember all the times I had disrespected you guys, I have gone against your word, I had challenged your role of leading the family, I had fully, intently rebelled against your words. I was pained with a dagger to my heart that I never ever, ever, ever want to come back. I was taught a lesson that day. I want and will serve you mom and dad till the day I or you guys pass over to the other side and be united with Trey in wait for the second coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I love you guys so much, I would be on the other side of the fence, sunk deep in the depths of hell with no chance in return without you. SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH UNCLE KEVIN I have made that my goal SHARE WITH HIM, HE NEEDS IT, HE DOESN'T KNOW IT BECAUSE HE HASN'T HEARD IT IN 200 YEARS!!!
Please......everyone needs this gospel. I am so grateful for loving parents who have taught me the truths of the gospel and helped me grow up. I know I have made mistakes, but I also know that my love for you guys is never failing. That love is based on the same love that I have for the Savior, learned from prayer and scripture study! I love you guys so much, I hope that everything I do the rest of my life, will never ever destroy the 3 names that I carry, and that I am so honored to carry around with me each and every day Jesus Christ, Rasmussen, and Ballif. I carry the names of the 3 most important people in my life and I know that it is a blessing to do so!!! I love my life and I love this work. I know it's true, I can't deny it.

This week we got a call to go and babysit the new elders and sisters that were coming on. I didn't know that the Tanner's cousin was also coming on, they look a lot alike. But Shaun has grown to be a giant, I don't remember him being that tall but he has grown to be huge. But I babysat an elder, Elder Workman. He is from Farmington and went to Viewmont. First thing I told him, one rule elder, YOU TALK TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN YOUR PATH, he said OK and we got to work. It was a fun night. It was full of trials no one really accepted us until the very end where we found an amazing Philippine who we taught the gospel too and who set up for another time to meet with us. Her family members are already Mormons she just has never been to the church or read the book of Mormon. She was amazing. Driving home that night I was in the taxi of death (I'll tell you about it in a minute) I got a call from Elder Daniels the assistant...He says how was tonight, I said it was amazing. He said you know what tonight is. I said Thursday night. He said yup. Then he just yelled. He was like President Grimley wants you to train. I was way excited. I really wanted too, and thought it would be a great opportunity to teach a new elder in the new ways of the Taipei mission.... I gladly accepted. He said be in the office tomorrow morning at 9. So we went the next morning. We got paired up with our trainees. I got paired up with......guess........yup Elder Workman. We were stoked. It is going to be so much fun. He played on the Viewmont football team, he also played safety, he was on the team we beat 3-0 and stopped them all 4 downs on the 1 yard line. haha we had a good little talk about that. But we are going to have an amazing transfer. We went out that night (Friday night) after we had gotten back to our area and started contacting. No one was really accepting him he wished he could speak better Chinese and if only if then he could find those prepared people. But I told him it doesn't matter about our ability if they are prepared God will help us. So we said a prayer and I told him to pick a principle he wanted to share that night. He picked repentance, So we said another prayer and asked God if there be anyone that needed a message on repentance please put them in our path, and oh was there ever. We just talked about repentance with every contact the rest of the night and saw miracles. He talked to this kid, we sat down with him he was 16 years old....He looks at us and said at your guys church is there anything I can do to make my past mistakes leave my life. I was astonished, I turned to Elder Workman and told him, you prayed for repentance, there’s your repentance. It was an amazing thing. I got a call during that contact so I took it while he continued to teach him. It was Elder Daniels. He said how’s the night going, I said amazing, telling him some of the many miracles that we have been experiencing. Then he said, on behalf of President Grimley, he wants to call me as district leader. You've earned it he said, president grimly knows the great work that you are doing. I was excited for the opportunity to serve and to learn from the other elders and sisters in our district. It's going to be a great experience!!!

Quickly the taxi of death story. So we took a taxi back from babysitting that Thursday night. The Taxi driver had to be in his 80's with the taxi clearly aged from the BC time period. the car shook back and forth as he drove straight and tried to stay in the lane. Horns all around left and right, the scarier being the loud yell of the buses that are about to run us over because he is cutting them off. It was a ride of horror. The nodding of the head with big black glasses kept us guessing if he were falling asleep or not. The red trucker hat made all the things connected making it a perfectly great moment in time. We kept talking to him to make sure he wasn't sleeping, but our strategy didn't seem to work, it seemed the second we started talking to him the worse his driving got. He would focus on talking with us and drift all of the 4 lane road. We were stuck in a dilemma, we knew not whether to talk with him s he wouldn't fall asleep or let him fall asleep and drive better!!! Eventually we just allowed him to drive. We all held on for dear life, as the huge buses, scooters, and other cars with honking horn drove past us in a rage of annoyance because they had no away around this yellow taxi, filled with white boys from America and an 80 year old taxi driver. I don't know how to explain the feeling I had during that ride. To make things worse, the car sounded to explode any minute, and break down in the middle of the road!! It was a crazy ride.

It has been a great weekend with my trainee. He is already talking to everyone and filling his planner up with numbers. The Lord has blessed us so much; I'm so excited for this transfer. Our district is full of fire, and it's only going to get bigger and bigger, our faith is only going to grow and grow. I'm so excited!

Well parents and family..I love you guys so much this is my update. Next week I'll send a bunch of pictures. It’s going to be a great experience to add to my mission. I can't believe I'm almost a year on island. It's going way too fast. I'm just cherishing every single moment of my mission. Because it is precious to me, and I wouldn't change it for anything!!! I know what I'm doing is right and is what the Lord would want me to do!!!!!

I love you guys so much!!!!! Thank you

Love,

Elder Rasmussen