What a Week of Miracles!

What a week of miracles. It was a great week!! Sounds like your guy's week was also very, very great. This week was full of training missionaries and going on lots of exchanges. It was fun though, even though more than half of the week I wasn't really even in our personal area. It was fun to see other areas and help the other missionaries know the direction of the mission and how the Lord wants us to do these things.

But some miracles I saw this week… I was on exchanges with the assistants. We had just gotten done teaching a lesson with one of our investigators that has a baptismal date, we had to be at a very faraway place for English that night but we had no way of riding our bikes there in time. So we decided to go back and park our bikes and take a taxi to the English class that we are supposed to teach. So as we were locking our bikes up we a guy parked a car on the side of the road just right next to where we were parking our bikes. He got out of his car to run into a store and buy some things. I quickly asked Hey! He stopped...Do you believe in Jesus Christ. He said yes and continued into the store. I yelled, stop, stop, stop come here I need to share something with you. He came and I started to say if you believe in Jesus Christ will you do what he asks you do to. He said yes, so I pulled out the scriptures to 2 Nephi 31 10-11. As I started to share with him, he got a phone call, I begged him not to take it because he needed to listen to this scripture. He said he had to, but it was cool to see that he was very eager to get off the phone and hurried the call. We read the scripture, I then said...Will you be willing to be baptized by someone holding the priesthood Authority of God? He said Yes. I was way happy at this time (this was only like 3 minutes into it). Then I set a date with him on 3/5/11. It was the fastest set date I've ever seen and heard off. You know when Jesus Christ is picking is apostles, all he says is "follow thou me" it was pretty much the same thing. Another amazing part was I asked him if he could meet this last weekend but he said he couldn't because he was going out of town, but he said I have a friend that could. He said my girl friend just called me the other day and said that she wants to start believing Jesus!! So they both set up for this Tuesday to meet with us. They don't live in our area, but we will be able to give them to other elders who will be able to meet with them and figure things out. It was a huge miracle. He kept saying I've been looking for real happiness my whole life, and have never found it. This was an amazing experience. I’m grateful for the Lord allowing me to be a tool in his hands. What an amazing work this is.

Another, I went on exchanges to a place called San Chong. I went with an elder who is dying this transfer. But we went out that night and boy did we see miracles. The Lord put so so so many prepared people into our paths. At the end of the night we found about 6 moms that are interested in the gospel and our message about families, and we set 2 baptismal dates that day also. It was an amazing night. It was crazy, moms were just popping up everywhere, and they were all nice and all wanted to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was really cool to see so many opportunities for families to accept this gospel and start to live a gospel centered life. The Lord allowed us that night to be tools in his hand and allow us to be an asset to the Taiwanese people and his work. I really do love this calling.

Also this week we went on exchanges with the elders that are now serving in my first area, or right when I got to Taiwan. It was interesting going to that apartment, knowing that I lived there over a year ago. It was an interesting flashback. It was fun though that night we went to a little community (the picture I sent). The house that I’m knocking at, it a house of an 88 year old man. We taught him the gospel and he set a baptismal date. It was a cool little miracle. They had tried before to set a date with him but he wasn't willing. This time I guess the spirit directed him and allowed him to set a date. His eyes aren't very good though, so they are going to buy him a bigger book of Mormon so he can better read the words of God. What an interesting man though, he majors in drawing ancient Chinese paintings. They are way cool, and very pretty.

This week was full of exchanges and contacting.....contacting.....and contacting more people. It just never stops I love it. I love talking to everyone in my path about the gospel. Something I've learned in the art of contacting and I guess the art of relations with people in general is if you act confident people listen and pay attention to you. But the second you second guess yourself or you act in a way that shows you aren't confident then they hesitate to listen or may not listen at all. It's a really interesting thing, so I've taken on the thought of regardless who they are, what they look like, what color of skin they have, I just go up to them like I have the most important message in the world, and that they will ever hear (which in fact I do carry around). The other day I saw that black man, I just went up to him and contacting him like any other contact. He was really cool because of it. He told me he's seen a lot of missionaries but they just don't say hi to him or anything. He was happy that I came up to him and talked with him. Although he didn't accept the message of the book of Mormon, he knows about it know. It has changed my mission, and am sure will change the rest of my life. (dating, business, family relationships) Man I've just learned so many things on my mission, I wouldn't change this for anything. I just hope that I can fully continue to sanctify myself in the Lord. That is my only mission, is to completely sanctify myself and allow the Lord to use me in any way that he wants to. I’m willing, ready, and prepared! I just love my mission!

That is the week that we were able to have. It was an amazing week and just keeps getting better and better. It has been really I interesting to see my change as a person and my better understanding of the gospel and my relationship with the Father. It was also been amazing to see the changes the gospel has brought upon all those that are willing to accept it. It is a true gospel, I know it. It was restored in 1820 and the fullness with it. We have all the keys needed to return to live with Heavenly Father again. I know that the atonement is real, and can really patch up those hurtful feelings of guilt and remorse. I also know that repentance isn't easy but absolutely necessary. in order to become sanctified we need to be 100% clean of everything we've ever done. I hope we can all have the faith and courage to let out all we've ever done and be clean. I know this gospel is true, and it has changed my life.

I love you all so so so very much, thank you so much for all the support that you give me and all the energy and excitement that you give me, Thanks.

Love-
Elder Rasmussen