Something Special is Happening!

Hello, Hello Family. How are you guys doing? Hope that thanksgiving was a great one this year, because mine was awesome. It's pretty amazing I’ll be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years in the place I love, here in Song Shan. That's unheard of that you spend the same holiday twice in the same area. I’m very lucky and blessed of the Lord! I love this area! It's literally just like my home ward!! It's so fun being here and interacting with the members every day. What a miracle the Lord has allowed me have being here!!

This last week was amazing. I’m telling you something special very special is happening here in Taiwan especially in our district. Just an idea of the things that are happening in our district. The average new investigators in a month per district in the mission is around 50-70. Our district with less companionships are averaging around 110 new investigators a month. My companionship, or Elder Workman and I are baptizing more than entire zones. Not saying that to brag, but I just want to illustrate what the Lord is allowing to happen here in Song Shan and in this district. It's an amazing district, I love district meeting because I get to sit in front of 7 other missionaries who also like myself just want to serve the Lord and do all they can to bring souls unto Jesus Christ. I just love it, our district meetings are filled with fire and energy, every time I leave just pumped and wanting to go convert the whole city!! Which doesn't happen because there are some people that use their agency the wrong way, but it’s been a very big comfort lately along with this subject.

Earlier on in my mission Sunday was the most stressful and worst day of the week. When in all reality it's supposed to be the best, because we get to attend church and partake of the sacrament. But before it was always, waiting for investigators and them not showing up, so then I wouldn't have a spiritual good experience at church because I spend the whole time freaking out, where is this investigator and where is that investigator? It was a battle I’ve been having my whole mission. Just until recently I’ve been able to have spiritual experiences at church. Also to feel the sacrament take away all of my sins of that week has become the highlight of my week. I know that through the sacrament our sins are washed clean. I literally have felt my body be cleansed of those mistakes and a new feeling. I really is a baptism every week, What a wonderful blessing. But lately we found that as we do everything we can possibly to, to help all of our investigators know exactly why they need to do these things. As simple as simple can get, and as clear and plain as it can get, we tell them what we do, why we do it, and the outcome. After we've done that I’ve had a perfect assurance in the work that I’m doing. I know that I’m doing what the Lord wants me to do, So now I still get sad when they don't show up, or they don't follow through on a commitments but I don't allow it to bother me, because in the end it was their own personal choice whether to do it or not. It is my duty to share with them the what why and how. I know the Lord is pleased with the work we are doing right now. The way we are doing it. We are teaching People not lessons. We are helping people develop faith and endure to the end. We are helping people learn about the restoration which will bless the lives of all those who partake of its goodness. It's goodness is too hard to describe and too precious to try and explain. It's something that has to be personally experienced. It's our jobs and duty as members of this church to bring this gospel to everyone and allow them the opportunity to partake of the most precious and white fruit of the tree of life!! What a wonderful calling we all have and get to be a part of.

Huge miracle and lesson learned. Last night I was just not in a good mood. We went out contacting after an amazing day at church with 10 investigators coming and all being solid investigators who I believe will all be baptized in the coming month or 2. But it was a great Sunday, my studies were on the second coming of the Lord which fired my grill, I was ready to contact, go out and see some miracles. It was all going good, until I ran into a family in a park. They were playing with their 2 kids in the park. 5 year old girl and 3 year old boy, they were adorable. I asked them if I could share this message. They said no. I asked them if they loved their family, They replied yes. I asked them if they could live with them forever would they like that, they said no. I then said really, I asked them if right now you got separated from your two kids would you be sad, the mom was like, no that's just reality. I was like OK if you could not communicate with them, see them, or do anything with them would you not be sad, she was like no. Then I just lost it inside. I was so frustrated with this mom, with the no sort of love she was displaying right in front of her kids. I just invited them to church but still inside my heart was fuming. I don't know what it was. But I learned a most precious and important lesson at that moment in time, Families are Forever, They are the most important thing here on this earth, we need to protect them, spend time with them, stop teasing each other, stop fighting, don't do anything that would harm or hurt your family members. We are blessed, act like it!! I will forever hold this lesson dear to my heart, especially when I begin to have a family of my own. But the whole night I was just a little frustrated at him. We were just riding around and we went down an alley, to this point in time I don't know why but I just randomly stopped at a house, out of pure frustration and just not wanting to ride my bike anymore. We tracted a door and got rejected. I was just sick of riding, I saw a black staircase leading up to some apartments. I know it was the spirit leading me, but at the time I was just like, Let’s just tract for a minute. My companion was like, well what do you feel? I was like, it doesn't matter let’s just tract, it's only the 3rd time I’ve ever tracted on my mission. We walked up to the 5th floor it looked like the roof so we went to the 4th floor and knocked. The family was like, we have a sick mom upstairs can you give her a prayer. so we went up with the husband and gave the lady a blessing. The spirit of the Lord filled the room. Then we asked the husband if we could share a message with him, he was like, I don't know just go ask my wife. So we walked back down to the 4th floor asked her, She invited us right in. We started to talk to her in order to better understand her background. She was like we went to a Christian church in Xin Zhu (I’ve lived there before) she was like it was behind a hospital, I simply told her the address of our Mormon church in Xin Zhu and she was like, Yeah yeah we've been there before. We were like what? She then pulled out a picture of Jesus Christ and showed it to us. It had 2 elders and their signatures on it. The husband had been baptized 8 years ago. The wife never baptized and the son also never baptized. It was very interesting. I just looked at my companion and he smiled. We taught the mom and the son, we will teach them again on Thursday and Saturday, twice a week. I hope in the Lord that the husband will start to come back to church and we can help them mom and son receive baptism. It was a huge miracle that I can't even start to explain how it happened, other than the fact that this is the work of the Lord and that He wants it done. I still don't know why I stopped right there and walked up that staircase, maybe it was the Lord helping my heart settle down and show me there are still families that love their kids and want the gospel, I don't know. But it was a miracle that I will be forever grateful to be a part of!!

Lately I’ve been really interested in the signs of the coming. It's coming, and coming fast:D I can't wait. But so many things have already happened and are happening. It's amazing to be a part of. I can't wait to see my Lord face to face. I know that the work were doing right now is what needs to be done preparatory to His coming. It's on the doorsteps and we need to prepare. The prophets have been exhorting us to do so for ages, now we need to do what they've invited us to do. the easiest way to success and happiness in this life is through general conferences and the teaching of our living prophets, and through the Book of Mormon. I heard a prophet say, "the things we have learned in this general conference, if followed, is sufficient for us to be lead back to Christ presence" something along those lines, but the point is the living prophets words are more important than dead prophets. So listen to them, and live by them. Don't waste so much time with TV and games. Develop talents and learn the scriptures, preach my gospel, and understand the doctrine of the kingdom through dedicated study and prayer. I’m so glad for the knowledge the Lord has blessed me with since I’ve come on my mission. I may not know all things, I may not be able to answer every question, I may not be the smartest, the best looking, the fastest, or most intelligent but I do know by the power the Holy Ghost, God lives. I know it! I know it and I can't deny it. I plan on spending the rest of my mission and life helping people feel and know of his existence. The witness He's allowed me to have through many spiritual experiences is too precious to keep inside. I need to share it, and I WILL!

Just know that the work is moving forward. Something special is happening. We are preparing the world for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord is pulling so, so many prepared people and just putting them in our paths. It's amazing I’ve haven't taught this many golden investigators in my whole mission. The Lord wants the work done and it's getting done. It's our job to jump on board and be sanctified unto the Lord. I can't even start to explain the feeling that comes from being sanctified in the work, and in the eyes of the Lord. The relationship I have with my Heavenly Father is unexplainable but so real. I know he lives and Loves me. I know Jesus is the Christ. The Savior of this world, and all mankind. I know the Book of Mormon is True!!! I love you all so much, I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Love, Elder Rasmussen


PS. Could you send some of that hair gel and dry stick deodorant in the Christmas package? Thanks :D