January 6, 2014

 

I just read some of the group letters from some of my favorite two missionaries, the Kaisers (Jacob & McKenzie). They have got an awesome testimony and I really would like to be a missionary that can bear a testimony like that, no matter what the language.

After suffering through the holidays where practically no-one has been home, we finally got out there and used a variety of ways to find people, like service, teaching English, and simply opening our mouths. Even something as simple as talking with everyone improves your sklls as a miisonary, your teaching, and conecting with the people better.

 

 

We contacted this house because it had a monkey!! Turns out there is a less-active there, and we found two new investigators in this house!

We found EIGHT new investigators this week, so I had so many chances to practice, especially yesterday. We were looking for someone, but they weren´t availble at the time.  Instead this 18 year old answered us, and we were thinking about telling him that we could come back later to talk, but the spirit told my comp to just continue and get in to teach him. We invited him to church and he let us in to talk about the gospel!!! We taught him about the Restoration, and I new that he learned from me because he was able to answer the questions that my comp had for him, WOOOOHOOO!!! GO gift of tounges!! There were two people we taught in that lesson, and one of them just lost her baby and needs to recover for 40 Days! So we taught them about the priesthood really well and left them with a blessing.

There is a family that we have been trying to find that is apparently a part-member family, but we can only find the kids. While we were talking to those kids one day a little boy walked out of the door, looked right at me and said "Listase para luchar conmigo!!!" (Get ready to fight me)!  So he ran up to me and started punching me!!. I grabed his arms to stop him, but that didn´t work.  He continued to kick me and run up to my neck, so I dropped him into the arms of the other kids. Then I turned to my companion looking super mad, and said, (now I am going to be absolutly honest with you about what I said), I told my comp, " I really wanted to hit that kid" Probably not the attitude I should have had but my comp started busting up laughing

The next day we followed the spirit and contacted a young, 17 year old mom . While we were doing that, both my comp and I felt something mysteriously warm on our legs. We turned around and the kid was peeing on us!! I love the people here, but that kid must have one bad dad.

Our Sunday was very spiritual. This was my Zone Learder´s, Elder Sleight´s last Sunday in his mission. He is bummed, pretty sad, and does not want to go home. Another man who has been less active for a while, made a deal with Elder Sleight to come and bear his tesimony with him, and he came and actually did!!!! Also our times were changed from 10:00 to 8:00 So we didn´t expect more than maybe 60 people to come to church, but then a miracle happened and over 100 people came, non-members, less-actives, and everyone! It was such a great Sunday service.

New Years of course was crazy, just there were a little bit more fireworks, and even closer than before. This time we did not have any accidents, but we did play a game called Harry Potter with some fireworks, that is where I will leave it!

 

Patience.  That has been the main lesson that I have been learning this week, because this isn´t that easy. It´s not a  simple process to come to a third world country to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in a language that is not your own.  But, I know it will come. I am a servant of the Lord at this time, and if I´m doing that which the Lord wants me to do, he will make it possible for me, whatever it is. It says in Moroni (from the Book of Mormon) that you can pray for the gifts that you don´t have. I know that God will give you trials, and that He will try us, so that we can put forth all the effort that we have to become the person that the Lord knows we can be. I am thankful for all of the blessings that we have, and I am stoked to be on the Lord´s errand.

California Beach Boy Power!!!!!!!!!  Elders Rasmusson & Lovett (both from So. Cal)

 

We all went to the beach on P-day and also went up a gigantic lighthouse!! The beach was just like being at home, to some that would make them really sad, homesick, missing their family, or in other words BAGGY (missionary-speak for "homesick"), but I make it a happy moment that remindes me of good times that I had at home.