We are in Wen Da, or Da Tong Area

Hey Family looks like things are going great!!! Man I just love emailing and seeing pictures of my family, it makes me happy every time. Well this week was amazing. It was the hardest I’ve ever worked on my entire mission. I’ve never been so tired in my entire life. I’m not even kidding, just waking up is a task. It's not hard to wake up on time, but just the part of getting out of bed (the physical part) is getting harder and harder every single day. It's a great thing to know, regardless how tired, how hurt, how bad things are going, through the Lord Jesus Christ and his teaching and his power, I can move forward and continue on in the work of the Lord. This work is amazing. There are as in Song Shan, many, many prepared people in my new area. We are in Wen Da, or Da Tong Area, It is a little inconvenient, the church is about 20 minutes out of our proselyting area. So if we go to the church to teach a lesson and get stood up, then we have to ride all the way back to our area. I’ve contacted more people than my whole mission, but more than half of them are referrals I have to give to other areas, which is OK because they are souls too, but we are called to help this ward and area grow, so it's an interesting process of finding people. But the Lord still blessed us and allowed us to get all but 1 of the goals we set. It was a great week.

A cool miracle!

We were out contacting on the first night. We were by a bus stop just contacting everyone that was in sight. I had just got done contacting a lady when a bus stopped and one lady came off the bus. I turned to her and started to talk with her. I asked her about her beliefs and about who she thinks God is. She really didn't know, but I felt that she was burning inside to know. So I shared so simply but in such detail that she could clearly picture God and her relationship with Him. I asked her after sharing who God is with her, if we could say a prayer and talk with God. She said OK. As I prayed I asked God to bless her with whatever she may need. I said Amen, I looked at her and tears were streaming down her face. Without me inviting her, she just started to say her own prayer, it was a heartfelt amazing prayer, that was from someone that indeed needed help and was looking for answers. She then looked at me and asked me if I liked Taiwan, I said I loved it. She sad I don't, it's full of lies and deceit. Then I just shared with her the plan that God has for you, and the potential you have as a daughter of God. She just cried more and more and more. Then she told me the amazing part. She said she isn't one to listen to people on the street and religious ideas, but tonight the bus she was taking for 10 years for the very first time took a different route because of a road block that day. She told me this was the first time this bus has ever stopped at this stop. She credited it to God and knew that God was talking to her. I couldn't help but just be pumped and happy, and testifying to her that it absolutely is God helping you. Because he loves you he wants to help you!

Another Cool Miracle!

I was out contacting and contacted a Sister Xie. She was way cool and I had set her up for Saturday as I had thought. I had Saturday written on my planner. So I was calling her Friday night to make sure she could still come, and she said wait wasn't it Sunday. I was like no, We have Saturday written down, she was like well I have a friend that already bought tickets for me to go with a show or something along those lines. I was like really, oh OK. Then she said one sec, she looked at the tract I gave her and it said Sunday night at 6 instead of Saturday. So We just changed to Sunday. She seemed really nice. So Saturday night I was calling her to once again make sure she could still come. I dialed the wrong number by one number and called a white guy over in Tai Zhong who ended up being a return missionary, which is the funniest part of the story. Man was that awkward, my intention was to call a potential investigator and instead I called a return missionary married to a Taiwanese women. But anyway, I changed the number and called and no answer. So I just figured that she wasn't going to come, because just the whole situation confused me, I thought she was someone else other then she really was. So we were studying Sunday night at 4:30 and all of a sudden my companion just arks me isn't that sister xie the one that changed to Sunday. I was like oh yeah that's right. So I hurried and called her again, she answered, and said yeah I'll be there in a minute. So we had to frantically called some members to see if they could come join us in the lesson. We finally found one; we got on our bikes and flew to the church. We got there and she was just golden. She read the pamphlet I gave her, she recited the whole first vision to us and why it was needed. Because she said after Jesus died it was such a long time there had to be changes in the church, so God through Joseph Smith once again gave us this church. We were just dumbfounded by her understanding. She very willingly accepted a baptism date for 2/12/11. She is a very very prepared soul. Another great experience, being a tool in the hands of the Lord, and being led by the Spirit. The Lord really does take care of his servants, and his children.

Another Cool Miracle!

We were contacting and I ran into a man who was using a crutch thing in order to help him walk. He has gotten in an accident and his legs aren't too good, and it's hard for him to walk on his own. I set up a time for Sunday night with him. We went to his house, went into his room and taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a really interesting experience, his eyes aren't good so He can only read huge characters, So I wrote the prayer process for him on a paper in big characters so he would remember how to pray. Also his ears are bad he is completely deaf in his left ear and can hear 60% in his right ear. So we pretty much yelled while teaching him. it was funny. But he said he prays every day, always asking god to help him have someone take him to church. So we are going to start taking him in a taxi to church with us on Sunday. He also set a baptismal date. It was a really spiritual lesson. He was way in drugs and stuff before which is the big cause to his situation right now. So we will also start reading the Book of Mormon with him also, because he can't read that small of characters. It's going to be fun to see him progress though!

This week was full of miracles. Being a zone leader really isn't much different, now just the responsibility of taking the teaching of president and getting them directly, quickly, and correctly to the district leaders. It was been a great experience to go to the zone leader council, man was it a powerful meeting. The spirit was so strong, it was a feeling of pure priesthood power, also the feeling of complete unity filled the room. What an amazing experience, just filled my whole soul with the want to find everyone and bring every soul unto Christ!!
It was a great week, and know it will only continue to get better. We have a few baptisms coming up and will continue to work with them.

I love you guys so much,

Love Elder Rasmussen

I thought I lost my camera, but I just left it in Song Shan, so I’ll send you pictures next week. But just know I prayed for love of my companion before I came here, and the Lord has blessed me with it. I love my companion, we get along great, teach in unity and power, and just love the work. What a great calling we are all a part of, it's great!