What a Great Period of Time it is to Be Alive!!

Hey Family!!
Things are going great here in Taiwan. Just a lot of stuff has been going on because of Christmas. So we are just getting things ready and still immersing ourselves into the work of the Lord. Just yesterday on Sunday night we had a cool opportunity to take part in the nativity show that the English ward puts on every year. It was great. We missionaries had a choir put together and we sang for the nativity. It was a very spiritual event. We found lots of new people that I believe will start to investigate the church. It was a huge success. Everybody loved it. It was a great experience. We just held it right next to the temple!

This week was good. I tried and tried and tried to get a hold of David, Chen. He didn't ever answer but I’ll continue to try. I know that the college he teaches at is not in my area. But who knows I don't know where he would live. So I’m hoping this week I’ll get a hold of him and be able to work from there.

A cool miracle that happened this week. As I was on exchanges this week with a new elder in the district who has been on island only 3 weeks. We had 40 minutes to contact and find some new people to teach. We set a goal to find 2 lessons and to help them continue to come to church and learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So we wrote down the goal and set it. We went out and I saw a young girl, I started talking to her, she was about 24 years old. I started talking to her. I soon found out that she was very sad with life because work was really busy and tiring, and she didn't have a lot of friends. But she really wanted to help her faith and hope in life grow. So I shared prayer with her and testified of the importance and meaning of prayer. Then I taught her about her relationship with God and how she is of great importance in the eyes of him. How He loves her, and wants her to be happy and to be successful in life. She really liked the idea of that. Then I asked her if you start to meet God and fill his love would you follow what he asks us to do? She said yes. So I invited her to baptism. I just told her I know this is what God wants you to do. She said she is totally willing so she set a 1/21/10 baptismal date. She was way happy after I got done talking to her. Then I set her up for the next night to meet with the sisters in Xi Zhi. She ended up coming and loving it. I asked Sister Riggs in the district how was she. She just started freaking out and thanking me so much for finding her because she was golden. She come to church also, and then came to the nativity scene. She was a lot happier and met a great friend at the nativity which is also another investigator so it was a cool experience to be a part of. I’m grateful that the Lord trusted me and put her in my path. I was grateful to be a tool in the hand of the Lord's that night. It was like music to my ears when I heard her set up for baptism, and a song of joy when I found out she went to church.

Another awesome thing. At the nativity I had a women come up to me. Her name is Susan. She is amazing. About 2 months ago I found her on the street taught her and gave her a Book of Mormon, then set her up with missionaries to meet. They ended up standing her up the first time. Then called her and luckily she was nice enough to set up again. But she came up to me and was like Elder Rasmussen guess what? I was like what? She said I was baptized today. I can't even begin to explain the joy that I felt at that time. I remember contacting her and teaching her on the street, and now she is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What an amazing blessing it is!! She is Filipino, so that made me so excited. Now she can hopefully help her family in the Philippines get baptized and they can someday be married for time and all eternity. What an amazing blessing the gospel is. It brings all nations, kindred, tongue, and people together as one. There is no separation in the gospel! We are all supposed to be a unified group of ONE! We are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and living church on earth, and that will ever be, which is in preparatory to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the King of all kings. What a great period of time it is to be alive!!
This week was interesting. I was feeling something was wrong with our district. I was contacting on the street Thursday night and it just hit be strong that something wasn't right. I was confused; it just didn't have the same feel as it usually has had. So I prayed about it and I’m pretty sure that pride is starting to creep into some of the district members. We all know that pride is the downfall of everything. So I’m going to continue to prayer and study up and see how I can help the district stay humble. Something I’ve been doing that has changed my life/mission experience. After every successful contact I’ll stop, write down about the person I just talked to and then say a prayer of thanks. It has kept my mind on the Lord, and not allowed me to think that anything I’m doing is because of the Lord! Also just dedicating your day to the Lord in the morning as you kneel down and say your prayer. it's helped me immensely, I feel more humble and closer and closer to the Lord. It's been a great week for that purpose! But other than that the district is doing good, we are improving and moving toward a sturdy place in the work. We had a good district meeting last week. I talked to them about goal setting. President Grimley said "you should be getting your goals 85-90 percent of the time" So I saw the goals for the next week in the district, they are a lot more realistic, and as we actually get our goals we will gain more and more faith, and fire. So it's all looking positive, just trying to uplift, motivate, and help all the missionaries and people I’m around. I’m trying, and think that the Lord is happy with what I’m doing. There is still a ton of room needed to improve, but we all are working on it, and working on becoming sanctified servants of the Lord!

That's so crazy that Landon gets home on Thursday, you'll have to say hi for me. All my friends are getting home, it’s so weird. Steve has been home for about 4 months now. Kyle is home, Landon ends and Rob is done. I can't believe it, life just moves on and on and on!! I just can't wait to get married. Especially after last night, seeing all the English ward kids running around. I love kids so much. I can't wait to have a family of my own, to love them, care for them, be there for them!! What a beautiful and sacred thing marriage is!! It's so sad, in Taiwan it's taken pretty lightly, and there are a bunch of stuff that go on outside of just husband and wife. It's really sad. Thank you Dad and Mom for setting an amazing example of perfect parents. You nurtured me, put up with me through those teenage years, and taught me the ways of truth. I will be forever thankful for the sacrifice you two made to take care of your rowdy son Brock. Thank you!! I hope to repay you throughout the rest of my life, but even after that I know it will not be enough!! Really thank you so much. I love you Dad, I love you Mom. Oh yeah I can't forget those 5 other little munchkins. Josh, Trey, Cade, Britton, and Abby. You all are my sunshine. I love you guys so much, I can't wait to talk to you guys in a couple of weeks. I’m glad to see that you’re all doing great, and I hope that you guys are developing the Talents that the Lord has given you. Don't let those go to waste. Do all in your power to develop those talents then pray to the Lord to develop them even more. I’m really trying to develop my piano, every morning at 5. I’m up to about the ability to play 9-10 hymns. And I can sight read almost anything with the right hand. But I’m so excited to continue to develop my piano skills the rest of my life.

Well this week is a little shorter. But I just would like to share my testimony. I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior and Redeemer of the World. I know that the church was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, I know that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God at this point in time! I’m grateful for repentance and the cleansing power it includes. I know that repentance has allowed my life to become closer to God, and to feel the promptings of the spirit. I love this gospel. I love my life. I love my family! I’m grateful for all that I have, because it all came from my creator even God himself!! Thank you family you guys are the best. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

This is the best experience of my Life! It's hard and challenging, but it's absolutely worth it.

Love your son and Elder Brother

Brock