Have you Read it Before?

Family,

I just love hearing from you guys. Sounds like things are going great and moving along just fine. Thank you mom for the update on each kid, I love hearing about their lives and the things going on! Thank you! But.... it's so weird time is flying by. I don't even know what to do. Now I’m only down to 5 months. The days just go by faster and faster. I mean I’m excited to come home and see each and every one of you, but I’m going to miss this amazing experience. I just love seeing the change in people’s eyes as they live the gospel. It truly changes lives, But only if we will allow it to. It's changed my life! I may have a long way to go until perfection but I know that's where I’m headed and that's my goal, and I’m not stopping until I get there which is to live eternally with my Father In Heaven and Family Members. Because Salvation is a personal thing, I would strongly encourage everyone to get into the Book of Mormon, Read it every single day without fail. No matter how tired or busy, read it every day, pray every day sincerely, talk with Heavenly Father let Him guide you through the Holy Ghost. Also gain personal testimonies. I desire so much to live with each of you forever, but each of us independent of any other person must do our own part to qualify for eternal life. Please learn the stories of prophets of old, know the scriptures. Don't just read as a family but feast as a family. Love the word of God, Crave to read the word of God, and I promise you with all my heart your life will be filled with love, and the guidance of God. I love my scriptures. I love diving into them each and every morning. Every time I do so I get a spiritual confirmation that the things I’m reading are true. I'd invite each of you to gain a love for the scriptures. Especially you Josh and Cade, because a very important thing is coming up, called a MISSION. It's the most important thing you can do in life right now. So prepare for it and made it the best thing ever. I wish I would have prepared, instead of messing around having "fun". I didn't realize what true happiness and fun was until I came to Taiwan. This is life! This is true love and happiness found nowhere else but in the gospel. So I would plead that you start to truly prepare. Make prayer more like you are truly communicating with God because you are! Read His word and be edified.

Anyway.... my week!

First I would like to share an experience that happened while contacting on the street the other day. I was contacting and went up to this one lady, she stated that "I am already a member". I said "really what church?" She then replied "Catholic." I was like "OK, we are sharing a very important message. The heavens are opened and God speaks to us today. Evidence is here in the Book of Mormon. Have you seen this book before?" She replied "Yeah I've heard of it." "Have you read it," I asked. "No I can't," she stated. After hearing this I thought to myself for a minute what she meant by no I can't. So I asked her "why can't you read it?" She then said, "because it is evil." haha I just looked at her with awe with a smirk on my face, I pleasingly asked her, "How do you know it's evil if you've never read it?" She then stated, "because my minister says so." At this time I was just like OK, that is kind of ridiculous just because your priest guy says it you believe it. (Let me take a little detour here for a minute. Right now I’m a little frustrated with Christians. They all say this and that about our church but know nothing. Satan has them wrapped around his fingers. They truly are the great whore of all the earth. Almost every one of our investigator is being affected by friend who are saying false and ridiculous things about our religion. I hate Satan, I’m so sick of people just thinking this church is evil and not Christian, when not one of them has ever even really learned about the church at all.) OK. She then said "Yeah your church was created by Mormon. When he created the church he built up a huge palace and had lots of wives' and made everyone is servant so he didn't have to work." I laughed very sarcastically. I just said "where did you hear that one" "my minister" she said. Then I was like yeah, and the world was supposed to end in 2000 right? I denounced everything she said, Hit her with the words of the Book of Mormon. Told her that not one of those so called priests was called of God, and they have never read the Book of Mormon with the intent of knowing its validity. They don't know a thing. I then told her that my 7 year old sister had more knowledge then those priests. I testified of the Book of Mormon and that this church is the only true and living church on the face of the planet. I told her if she was willing to read the book and pray she could also know that it is truth and the only truth at that. She was then like "well I have to go back and ask my minister" I replied "You can do so, but he will immediately tell you not to read it and that it's false, because his understanding of the truth of God is nothing. So if you want you can ask him but I know he'll say no. I invite you to create a relationship with your Heavenly Father. To prayer to Him and ask him if these things are true. I know he'll give you an answer. You won't gain anything from your minister. You can only learn of truths from God." She said she was willing, and also took the Book of Mormon to read, she also set up for 2 days later. Well 2 days later we were preparing for her lesson in studies, She called and said "I can't meet today" I immediately stated "you talked to your minister didn't you" She said "yeah, and my husband. They want me to be a missionary for the church, and they said that if I read the Book of Mormon I will lose faith and won’t be able to be a missionary". (Really cool was In personal study I read a passage of scripture about there being only one truth and how it was founded since the beginning of time, and for some reason in personal study I had the feeling to look it up in Chinese) As she said this I had a thought come into my mind "PERSONAL STUDY" So I told her "I have a scripture that I need to share with you" I got it out and read it to her, testified that it's the only true road that any other road will not get you anywhere. We ended the conversation and we went back to planning. I had an overwhelming sense of Sadness for her soul, but a sense of fulfilling my calling as a servant of God. It's sad that Satan had blinded her by the craftiness of Man, but hopefully she will later also have a chance to accept this wonderful perfect gospel. But I am really tired of Christians, they are so blinded, and know nothing, but proclaim to know everything.

Also one night I ran into a minister on the street. He was white, you could just feel him tense up the second I said Hi. He said to me, "ask me any question, I know it all"! I asked "Is the Book of Mormon True" He said "NO" I then said "Sir, You don't know anything". I taught him about it but he didn't want anything to do with it. I then asked him "have you ever read the book" He said "no". I said "are you willing" He then stated to end the conversation "No". Have a nice day I replied as I contacted the next soul I saw.

Another....... I contacted a Jehovah's Witness on the street the other day. They extremely dislike our church. Well I told him that the Book of Mormon is true. He was just stuck on the bible though; he wouldn't have anything about the Book of Mormon. He just kept walking and I followed closely by his side, step by step just trying to teach him. Finally I had enough, I Said "Sir, You know that the Bible Tells us about the Book of Mormon coming to past" He was like "No it doesn't say that anywhere" "Yeah it does" I said. Then he stopped, looked at me and said "OK prove it" I then said "ok but first do you believe the Bible is true and what is says is true" He said "yes" Then I pulled out the bible that I carry around know because of all the Christian's. I gave him the bible and I held the Book of Mormon. I asked him to go to Ezekiel 37: 15-17. Then I went to 2 Nephi 3:12(I think that's right, if it's not I had the spirit bring it to remembrance while contacting him). In the Bible it’s the Lord telling Judah that he needs to write and join his record with Joseph. In 2 Nephi it's the Lord talking to the descendants of Joseph to join with Judah and Get rid of False Doctrine. He just looked up at me and started quivering, (Literally) Then just stated I have to go, He just Left. As he ran away I asked him if he's willing to meet the True Church of Jesus Christ, and Read the Book of Mormon. He just waved at me. Once again I had a sense of fulfilling my calling and doing what they Lord would have had me do. It's just sad that they are so hard hearted, and blinded by false truths. If they would only be willing to read the Book and prayer they could also know that it's true. So easy, yet so difficult for them to do, because Satan is twirling them around his fingers watching from hell planning the next thing he's going to try and do to the church. But the amazing this is, Satan will never win. Never means never. God will always come out victorious, and we are on the winning side. What a wonderful calling we have to bring to past the immortality and eternal life of man, and disrupt the evil plan of Satan. I love this calling.

Another..... I ran into a Buddhist that says he worships Idols to receive peace in his heart. I asked him if it worked. He said" I think so". I then told him, let me teach you truth. I taught him the truth of prayer and Heavenly Father. We prayed in middle of the street together. I looked at him and he looked at me stating "I really do feel something" with joy and peace in his heart. I bore testimony about the reality of the Father and the Holy Ghost. He said lately he has been running into lots of problems and He hasn't known how to overcome them. I taught him about Baptism and how it will change his life and allow him to have a new start, and receive the guidance and help of the Lord. He was so excited, also setting a date to be baptized. What an amazing experience that I was able to be a part of. I know that on the face of the planet only one truth exists. All Church's are good (for the most part) and all teach us to do good things. But we are teaching more than that. We are teaching to become perfect, even as our Father in Heaven Is perfect. To become a God! You don't find that anywhere else, and if you do there is not road or path to get there. But because God loves us he has given us the path, and the way. It's laid out so plain that we just have to walk and we will get there. I’m so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that has laid out the path, and has allowed each of us to find it. Now we just need to help others find it and receive of this path’s blessings. I know this is true, I love this gospel, and I also know that without it we are nothing. We go nowhere, do nothing, and achieve squat. Jesus Christ is the one and only way! It has to be done through his restored gospel not some knock off Christian church. This is the only true Church!

We have one investigator Grace, Sister Wei. Once her friends found out that she was coming to our church. They have been sending people from their churches to find her and try and get her to stop coming. Among other things, It's a battle. Truly a battle of Truth and False. Good and Bad. Righteous and Evil. We are just trying to so hard to allow them to have spiritual experiences so they can lean on the testimony that they have felt. It's hard and it's overwhelming sometimes, in the things you hear happen and among other things. But we just keep moving forward knowing that the Lord is preparing many and it's our job to find them and help them receive the blessings of the gospel.

I know that these things are true. I know it because I've prayed to the Father in the Name of Christ and have received a spiritual witness more then I can use words to explain, that these things are true. They have changed my life, and allowed me to have peace, happiness, and hope. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Son of God. The resurrected being who has saved each and every one of us from Sin and Death. He is my rock and salvation. I know in and through Him I will receive Eternal Life. This is the testimony of my heart. In his name even Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you so much Family, Thank you for all that you do! I love hearing from you guys.

Love- Elder Rasmussen

PS: Next week it will be on Monday again. Just this week was changed around because of Temple day.

Thanks for the update on the business, continuous updates are nice, I love reading about how it's going.

Thank you All, peace be unto you!