Maligayang kaarawan sa akin!! Biro Lang.. haha

(Happy birthday to me! Just joking .. haha)

Pamilya!!!!

 Oh my goodness I have so much to tell you in so little time.  But let me just first say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who wrote me a letter or a note for my birthday.  That was sooooo sweet and nice of everyone and I loved it.  I love having handwritten letters as well.  Thank you so much.  I did receive the package early so of course I have already opened it... that's ridiculous... haha but I will read those notes over and over.  Thank you!  I love you all.

 

Sister Tafiti & me sitting in the computer shop right now.

OK!  So I will start with the biggest news.  Ahhhhh.... I GOT 

TRANSFERRED!!!  So amazing.  AND... not only that.... I got transferred to Calapan, Mindoro.  Now, I am sure that doesn't mean anything to you but let me explain.  Mindoro is one of the two islands in the mission and everyone refers to it as the "promised land."  It is soooo beautiful here.  I have always heard people rave about Mindoro and I can't believe I was one of the chosen ones to get sent here.  In fact, all last transfer, Sister Hingano was saying that she wouldn't mind getting transferred as long as she got sent here.  I feel so blessed.

On the boat ride to Mindoro

It has started to rain and I loveeeee the rain.  But when it rains and we ride on the tricycles I am too cold.  I hate that.  I'm like... I thought I came to the Philippines where I would just be warm and happy hahahaha.

 At the pier when we first arrived with all of my elder companions hahaha...

Some of our investigators live on the beach!  AND My companion, Sister Tafiti is amazing.  She is probably one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen and she is so Christ-like and magaling and I know I will learn so much from her.  I can't believe how blessed I am.  She is pure Samoan but she is from New Zealand (hopefully I can pick up on her accent haha).  Anyway, I am just so blessed right now I can't believe it.  

Sister Tafiti & Me

  The new branch is also amazing but there is a lot of drama because the old President would just let anything go and would often go over budget.  Well a lot of members are offended because the new President goes strictly by the Red Handbook, so he is not so laid back.  He is a very good and effective President (not like my last Bishop).. but yeahhh.... Philippinos get offended very easily.  So we are trying to deal with that.  There are lots and lots of less-actives in this area.  Lots of work but my companion and I made a new vision for the area on Friday and set some good goals so we are excited to get to work!  In this branch there are two elders, the ZL's and us four sisters.  So we have a little family here in Calapan.  In fact yesterday we all cooked Sunday dinner together but the elders aren't allowed in our apartment so they just stayed outside (the stove is outside) and then we brought the table out and all ate in front of our apartment.  It was fun and it's nice to feel like we have a family here haha am living with Sister Bennion who is from Orem and Sister Lero who is Philippino.  They are both so sweet and hard workers so I am excited to live with them and learn from them too.

Saturday we weeded gardens at an elementary school.  Kinda fun.

We have some investigators here that we are really excited about.  Brother Wayne is 19 and grew up in the church, but now is family is broken and they have all found different religions.  He is searching for the truth and still remembers the feelings he had while attending the Mormon church when he was young.  He is super interested and I honestly think he will be baptized within the transfer.  We have another referral named Sam who is 31 and is all alone (his dad left a long time ago and all his family has moved to different parts of the Philippines).  He is living with his aunt who referred us to him, and she is a very active member.  I also just think it is good timing for him... he is prepared and we're excited.  

And lastly Alex....oh Alex.... Alex is about 40 and lives on the beach.  We went to teach him Friday but he was passed out drunk outside of his house.  We went back to teach him Saturday and he was so embarrassed and just sad.  He just asked us, "why is life like this?  Why is life so hard?"  He kept saying how he just feels like he has so many sins and they are so heavy.  His wife left him a long time ago, and you can tell that his alcohol addiction really affects his two sons that live with them... they're super sad about and embarrassed of their father.  He really really needs the atonement.  He is humble and ready for the truth, but he needs to overcome his alcohol addiction in order to be sober enough for us to really teach him and of course so he can eventually be baptized.  I hope to be able to help him make a change in his life.  Seeing things like this just really makes me hate alcohol... well really just sin in general.  Satan is so good at making something seem appealing and like it will bring you happiness until he can just catch you and drag you down to unhappiness.

That's the best part of being a missionary, is to witness that change in people's lives.  To see the atonement work on them.  When I was on an exchange with Sister Ika, we visited one of her recent converts.  He is a living testimony of this.  He is about 75 years old, and when they first found him, he was completely blind, hunched over, only looking down, he had no roof on half of his home, he felt completely hopeless, and on the very day he was contemplating suicide.  His first wife died and his second wife left him with all of his kids.  When I met him, he was smiley, standing up tall, and had a glow to his countenance.  For a service project, some of the members in that ward built a roof for him, for which he is so grateful.  He can now see a little bit (if he holds up images or things really close to his eyes) and is able to walk to church every Sunday.  Even his neighbors notice the change that has come upon him.  One of the members in the ward reads the Book of Mormon to him every day.  It is just incredible.  He is so happy now and views himself as a son of God with value.  He has such a strong testimony, and while teaching him I could feel the spirit so strong.  That is the sweetest part of missionary work.  To see the change, the atonement in their lives, and the blessings from the gospel.  To know that you are really making a difference.

I love all of you so much.  Thank you again for the letters.  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else for my birthday.  I love Jesus Christ and His gospel, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share it with my brothers and sisters.  Oh, how much I have learned and how much I still have to learn.

In front of my apartment

Just as Cynthia Haller says, "A mission is college for the soul."  Tell her thank you for her incredible example to me and support.  I often think about what an incredible missionary she must have been.

Love ya tons!

Sister Rasmussen

Sister Tafiti did my hair super cool!

naghihintay kami! ayyyyyyyy

(we wait! ayyyyyyyy)

Hello po pamilya ko!

Kumusta po kayo? Family.... I miss you and love you and I just want you to know that you are always in my prayers.

It has been another great week in Rosario.  My ankle is fine and I have fallen in love with this area.  It feels like home and maybe that is a sign that I will be transferred.  Who knows.  We are on the edge of our seats waiting to find out who will be transferred and what's going to happen.  We find out tomorrow.  It is super rare for four missionaries to all stay in the same area for 4 1/2 months so we know that there will be a change this week.  I am so grateful that Sister Hingano was my trainer.  I have learned so much from her humble and faithful example.  She really helped me to not stress myself out and just ease into missionary work.  She will be one of my favorite companions and we're both worried about our next companionship because we have had such a beautiful companionship for the last 3 transfers.  I have really been able to just focus on my purpose and try and feel the spirit because we haven't had any contention.  Maybe it is the warm before the storm?  Haha just kidding I have just decided that instead of worrying how my next companion will be for ME... like if she will be difficult and hard to communicate with... and instead just focus on how I can be a good companion to HER.  Do everything I can to love her and serve and be a blessing.  So it has given me peace as we go into this change.  We'll see:)

  

Right now it is Mango season and there are so many and they are so cheap that people are just giving them to you for free all the time.  I could live off mangos.  Haha napakasarap!!!  Haha but the other day we were just sitting outside one of the member’s houses eating fresh mangos and it made me grateful that I am here.  And I had another moment like that when we took this shortcut to a new investigator.  We walked straight through rice fields which are probably my favorite things ever and we were walking with this member and I was chasing their little girl and playing with her and I just had this feeling like I wanted to stay there forever.  It was just so beautiful and I am just so grateful to be here, so I know I just need to enjoy it while I am here.  

A HUGE smashed spider in a napkin.  It was the biggest spider that I have seen so far in my mission.

So on Tuesday Elder Christensen (one of the 7 presidents of the 70... a great honor) came and spoke to us.  It was so incredible.  Before we started he wanted to shake every single one of our hands.  I was super surprised because it would take forever, but then I just remembered how when Christ came and ministered to the Nephites, we repeatedly see the phrase "one by one."  Christ always healed and ministered to them one by one.  He never just saw the multitude as a big group of people, but more as a group of individual sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.  And He knows and loves each of us individually.  Anyway, even though it took a while I was also impressed that he would do that.  And even though it felt like a wedding line haha we went and shook the hands and talked to him, and his wife, our president and his wife, and the area presidency couple.  Then, Sister Hingano, Sister Buckley, Sister Ott, and I sang an arrangement of "Be Still My Soul."  It was so awesome.  We were nervous before because we all just kind of thought we sounded like amateurs but we practiced lots and right before the conference we just decided that we would try and focus more on the lyrics and sing with conviction.  I felt the spirit super strong as were singing and Sister Hingano stopped for a second because she was going to cry.  I am not really sure how it sounded but I think it went well and I hope that we brought the spirit.

He then focused on prayer.  He explained how he has witnessed how much Thomas S. Monson wrestles in prayer in order to receive revelation.  He said that if every member could witness it, they would be willing to work a lot harder to receive personal revelation.  He talked about how we should pray (show our humility and desire by actually kneeling).  Take a minute to be reverent and invite the spirit before you begin, and really have a sincere, faithful conversation with your Father in Heaven.  He then talked about how we can connect ideas in our mind with a feeling in our heart, and as impressions come and we recognize and follow them, we can get better and better at following the spirit.  Anyway, it was just a really good meeting and they talked about lots of other stuff but I just can't include it all in here.

This week has been really good.  As we have been evaluating the area, we have realized how much we need to help the bishop and his auxiliaries.  They have fallen into this groove where the bishop hasn't been delegating like he should, and no one really knows they're responsibilities as leaders in the ward.  They all just don't really know how to fulfill their callings and the bishop is trying to take on too much and so he just feels overwhelmed and is wearing away.  So we studied the red handbook and met with the bishop.  We informed him of our observations and then on Sunday we met with the ward council.  It went super well.  This is a new ward (as of two months) and so we are just trying to help them really get a good start and work together because it has the potential to become a very strong ward.  They seemed so grateful for our suggestions and they all agreed that there were some major problems with the way they were functioning.  Anyway, we're meeting with the Bishop again tonight to help him realize that his calling is to delegate and help him be able to do that properly.  I guess that this is part of your calling as a missionary as well.  Of course you are always finding and teaching investigators, but it is hard to really convert people if the ward itself isn't strong.  So we are excited about it and trying to do as much as we can to help them before some of us leave.

A baptism with an investigator Sister Ott has been teaching.

Yesterday, at church we had some cool experiences.  In Sunday School we talked about the Gift of the Holy Ghost and the spirit was so strong.  Then at the end, Sister Ott called on Sister Estellita to give the prayer.  Let me preface this story a little bit.  Sister Estellita has really been progressing, reading, and is going to be baptized soon.  She just has a little bit of pride.  One of the things that we didn't really know how to address is the fact that she won't humble herself to fold her arms, bow her head, and close her eyes when she prays.  She always just sits there and stares foreward, even if everyone around her is closing their eyes.  So we didn't yet know how to address it with her and we had talked about it a little bit with Sister Ott.  Well when Sister Ott called on her to pray, she said (very boldy), "ok now bow your head, close your eyes, and fold you arms."  Haha so Estellita did and she opened her prayer and then stopped (for probably 45 seconds).  Everyone was a little bit confused and I peaked and looked at her and she was starting to cry, fighting back her tears.  She then gave one of the most sincere prayers I have ever heard.  I think that part of the reason she felt the spirit so strong was that she finally humbled herself before God and even though those are small signs of respect, I think it was a big deal for her.  After words she told Ronnie Hellen and their son that she wants to get baptized sabay sabay with them, which means simultaneously.  I will be sad if I leave and don't get to see them baptized, but I guess that there are always other people waiting in the area in which you are transferred.

Anyway, I love you all so much.  Thank you for your support and your examples to me.

Eat some mexican food for me.

  

Sister Rasmussen:)

Gross!

Heto pa rin!

(Still here!)

Kumusta po kayong lahat??

 Sister Flosa.  So darling.  I love her.  And we are cooking Sopas but it's not my favorite dish in the philippines.  It's like chicken noodle soup but sketchy hot dogs instead of chicken noodle soup.

namimiss ko na kayo.  I hope all is well.  This week was a little slower dahil sa pigsa ko.  Grabe naman!!!  So.... I finally went to the doctor this week because my foot was so swollen.  Sister Ott was like Sister... I don't want to alarm you... but your foot is literally twice as big as the other.  I didn't notice because there was no pain but it was still swollen!!! I had gotten an infection in my foot and the doctor insisted that I had to rest two days with my foot elevated.  She put me on a stronger antibiotic.  So, Sister Hingano and I had to stay in for two days.  Those days were VERY LONG.  I know that I needed to get better but I still felt like I was being disobedient in the back of my head.  But now it is completely healed and everything is back to normal.  I guess it was nice to catch up on some letters and study lots.

Monday night we went and taught a family in our ward for FHE and had them bring referrals.  It was so fun!!  At the end we played this game (sort of like the instrument game) but with fruits.  Everyone has a fruit assigned to them, and you say your fruit first and then the fruit to which you pass.  The only thing is you have to cover your teeth with your lips as you talk (like you're an old person).  It was sooo funny.  It's hard enough to speak Tagalog let alone like that.  Haha and it was even worse because I didn't know all the names of the fruits that they were using.  Haha but we were laughing so hard and the investigators loved it.  I think it was good to see that as missionaries we're normal people and we can be funny sometimes too.. at least I think so haha.

Tomorrow we are singing in front of almost the whole mission so we are pretty nervous.  We are going to practice later today.  We will be singing "Be Still My Soul." I didn't expect to be singing and playing the piano this much on my mission but I absolutely love it.  Elder Christensen from the 70’s is coming to speak to us and we are so excited.

A couple days ago, Sister Hingano and I were tracting and I saw a little head poking out of a house off in the distance and I had a feeling we should go talk to her.  We approached her and she was super nice, but she had a huge sign from her church on her house: Back to Christ, and she was wearing a necklace from her church.  She told us at least 5 times how active she was in her church, but I still felt like we should share with her.  She kept telling us to enter so we went in to share a message with her.  She was soo interested the whole time.  At the end she said, "I have had all sorts of missionaries come to my house and I always send them away, but for some reason I let you in.  You're lucky!"  I was thinking...it's either because I am American or it was the spirit.  But I hope it was the latter.  And she just kept saying how it was really touching her heart and asking when we can come back and share.  So to me, that is just an example of the small miracles that happen every day.  We will follow up with her later this week.  But I have a huge testimony that, especially as a missionary, the Lord is always putting people in your path.  We also found some new investigators yesterday... a huge family and we taught all of them and their kids.  They were also super interested.  We are excited to see where it goes.

These shoes were made for walking!

Hellen is ready to be baptized.  She really wants to be baptized but wants to know if she should wait for her family.  Ronnie might be going to work abroad because he can't get a job here, and none of her kids are really interested.  But the blessings that have come into her life from the gospel are so obvious.  It is amazing to see the change that has happened in her life from the first time we met her.... as she applies her commitments - reading, praying, and going to church.  Despite how hard it is within her family, she is finding peace.  I am grateful to have the opportunity to share that peace with her.

 A member of the ward that we have reactivated.  She is super cute and cool and just feels like a normal friend.  Her name is Sister Shiela Joy Guste.  Her husband just left to go work abroad so she is all alone with her son now:( But that is a pretty normal occurrence in the Philippines.

Since my letter isn't that exciting this week, I just want to share my testimony.  Our mission has been reading the Book of Mormon but focusing on repentance.  The more I study repentance, the more I have come to realize that it is just aligning your will with God's will.  That all your desires, wants, hopes, become His.  You turn from the natural man and become one with God.  Through the Atonement (which of course is broken down to At-one-ment) you can become one with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  And through doing so.. through daily repentance. you see that it is really only by His will that we can experience complete, full, perfect joy.  I am so grateful that I am here right now.  I know I continually say it but my gratitude is overflowing.  I have learned so much and still have so much to learn, but I know 100% that this is the only true and living church on earth today.  It is only through the gospel that we can be happy.  That we can find peace.  That we can become one with our family, love our spouse more, or overcome challenges.  I am so grateful to have been born in the covenant.  To have these things.  How great is our duty to share this truth with everyone we know.  So many people are wandering in darkness, without the truth and light of the gospel and most of the time they don't even know it.  But I have seen again and again how as they are brought to the knowledge of the truth, they can fill that void in their life.  I know that these things are true and I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior.

I hope this makes sense.  I love all of you so much.  Thank you for your love and support.  I pray for all of you constantly.

 Ingat palagi.

 Sister Rasmussen

Sister Hingano is just pointing at how green and gross the river is.

Patience

Hello family!! How are you all?  It was so nice to talk to you on skype.  I loved seeing your faces and hearing your voices.  I felt like I had just seen you, yet when I thought I wouldn't see you again until Christmas it felt really far away.

This week hasn't been AS great as last week, but still good.  So first off earlier this week, I had this little spot on the top of my foot/ankle which I thought was just a bug bite.  It sort of itched so I itched it for a second and then I stopped.  Later that day I looked at it again and it seemed sort of swollen and I was asking the people we were visiting what it was from and they weren't sure.  Then, later that night I looked at my foot and it was starting to really swell and was hot and I couldn't really flex my ankle.  So I called Sister Peterson and she thought I was having an allergic reaction so I got some benadryl (sorry if I spelled it wrong).  I took that night and slept great haha but it didn't really help.  Half way through that day my foot just hurt so bad and it was really red and swollen.  We went to go teach one of our part member families and all of a sudden my stomach was hurting really bad.  As we were sitting talking to the members they asked me what was wrong and I started tearing up haha I was SO EMBARRASSED and I felt like I was just being a baby but I just wanted to keep going.  I showed them my foot and you could see a red streak coming from my knee and wrapping around to my ankle because of the blood supply.  I was basically crying and they kept saying oh it's a "pigsa!!"  But they didn't know what that was in English.  Anyway, as I was sitting there a little bit miserable, the mom of the family just started dancing like a crazy person trying to make me laugh and I couldn't help but just laugh.  Haha I started laughing my loud cackle, Rasmussen laugh like I know you all know.  Haha I was just grateful for her and helping me to not take it so seriously.  Anyway, I found out it was a boil!!! So weird.  I honestly don't even know exactly what that is or what causes it but now I am just taking an antibiotic and advil and it is slowly going away haha.

Luckily it has gone down enough today because we had our zone pday where we went to the 1500 steps at cuenca.  SO BEAUTIFUL.  Oh my goodness.  I forget that I am actually here in the Philippines in the middle of Asia and there are some beautiful sights.  It is this big gorgeous turqoise lake and you have to go down

 1500 stairs to get down.  Sister Ott told me the rumor is that in the middle of the lake is an island, and on that island is a lake, and on that lake is another island (now keep in mind that the Philippines itself is an island in the middle of the ocean).  So apparently they call it, or maybe just Sister Ott, inception lake.  Haha anyway it was beautiful haha but a lot of the sisters legs were shaking when we got to the bottom because of all the stairs.  We played basketball and games and just walked along the beach.  So beautiful.  It is good for your soul to take a break every once and a while and the sight was so gorgeous.  I was very grateful.  Coming back up the stairs was pretty hard afterwards but I felt pretty accomplished after. 

One food that I ate this week which I thought you would think is interesting was just a boiled banana.  Haha they have these really fat big bananas that taste kind of different and she just stuck it in boiling water with the skin still on.  It was good though!!

Classic Haley Face

So, I am sure you are all wondering what happened with Mac and it didn't end well, Unfortunately.  But it was a good learning experience.  We followed up with him and he had only read one page of the Book of Mormon but was doing a lot of research online.  Of the bible and of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.  When we met with him he was talking and talking and wouldn't let us get a word in.  He offered a lot of false information about the church, but Sister Hingano and I both felt very impressed to not say anything.  He said that he prayed, not to know if the Book of Mormon was true, but just prayed in general about the truth.  He said that he received a very direct answer from God that said, "I have already given you what you need.... why are you still searching?"  I respect him and his interpretation, yet that answer doesn't sound at all like God.  He always encourages us to keep searching for truth, keep learning, keep progressing.  I was looking at him and listening as he was giving all of his reasons, almost getting red in the face, and I just felt two things.  Love for him and sadness.  I was so sad for him.  I was sad about all of the blessings that I have that he won't know.  I was sad about his future.  I wished that he could have heard all of the contradictions that he made while he was explaining.  I just realized that you have to just respect others' agency and love.  That's all you can do.  You do your best, but we all have our agency, which is a beautiful gift from God.  We left that lesson sad, but grateful at the same time.  It was a good learning experience.

We felt better later that night when we went to teach Ronnie and Hellen.  Unfortunately, Ronnie was gone, but you can see the HUGE change that has been made in Hellen's life.  If we ever pass by their house, she is inevitably outside reading, and studying her Book of Mormon.  She told us how she has seen so much more peace, love, and happiness in her life as she has been praying morning and night and reading every day.  She says that feels so wonderful and she doesn't ever want the feelings to leave her home.  She loves to go to church and says that she wishes she could go to church every day and she always hungers for the scriptures.  It was so great to hear.  I teared up as she just thanked us so sincerely for bringing this truth into her life and into her family.  I am so grateful to be here and help bring some light to the lives of my brothers and sisters in the Philippines.  Her husband Ronnie however is a different person when we are there, or at church, but apparently he has anger issues and a hot head.  Hellen says that she tries to remind him to read the Book of Mormon and pray but he just won't apply these things in his life.  He is not yet convinced of the truth, but we know it is because he is not acting.  So we are really trying to work with him to humble himself and just experiment - just TRY and act.  Because once again, no matter how long he'll never know the truth through us or anyone else.  Only through himself and his own actions.  We love both of them so much.

AND Sister Estellita.  Well, almost all of her siblings and her parents are members but she has a very hard head.  One of her sons has served a mission, and one is preparing right now.  Missionaries have visited her for first time visits only because before, she was so hard.  But the change that is happening with her is also incredible.  It is all about timing.  The first few visits with her were a struggle, but we finally convinced her to read the Book of Mormon.  We explained that it is the key and evidence to our entire message.  She finally said, ok, I haven't read the thing yet so I will.  When we went back the first time she had read way more than any of our investigators have and she has continued.  The Book of Mormon has really helped her to feel of the truth.  She says she wants to read a book (like 1 Nephi or 2 Nephi) every week so she can finish as soon as possible.  She wants to read the whole thing for herself and make a decision for herself, which is great.  It is super important.  Her son also told us how she used to drink coffee all the time but now she has stopped.  Last night, we had a testimony meeting with all of her siblings and it was so spiritual.  Sister Estellita teared up multiple times.  She will be baptized soon, and I am grateful that I could help her in that journey.

Her family, the Austria family.  I love them so much and I will visit them all again at the end of my mission.  They are the pioneers of the area which means they were the first baptisms in Rosario.  For a second there, with all of them together, it made me really miss my family and extended family.  But I am so glad to be here, I wouldn't be anywhere else.

I love all of you so much!! I know I say it every week but I do.  Whether you think so or not I miss you but I know I am in the right place.  I am so grateful for the things that I am learning.  Invaluable.  I love you all!!!

Love, Sister Rasmussen

There was a ward pool party and that was the nicest pool ever.  I never expected to see anything like that here in the Philippines.  Just in a super rich nice subdivision.  There are some really poor areas but also some really rich areas too.

Napakaganda and lingo na ito!!!

(This stunning and weeks!)

Each BRGY has a fiesta a certain day where basically every house in the area takes the day off, makes tons of food, drinks, and sings kareoke.  Funny.

 Family!!

This week has been so beautiful.  I can't wait to tell you about it.  But first, I will tell you a few funny and trivial things.

So earlier this week we went to this restaurant with our district that serves Mexican food (SUPER RARE.)  OH MY GOSH.  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I ate it again.  There's not very much spicy food here and nothing like Mexican Anyway, it was so amazing and just appreciate all those little Mexican... even the dirty Mexican restaurants in Utah.  Maybe Greg and Lindsay feel a little bit of my pain because there isn't very much Mexican food in Michigan right?

Mom!! One of my pinakafavorite foods here is Caldareta.  Look it up and see if you can make it at home.  So good.  It's basically just like chicken, potatoes, and carrots but the flavor is amazing and siyempre.. of course you have to eat it with rice.  Sister Hingano and I were going to go to a member's home later today and learn how to make it but she has had some problems getting in contact with home so we are going to try and call her family again later.  Next week na lang:)  Also graham cake and graham balls.  Again, mom, look it up and learn how to make it.  Super simple but incredible.  And here in the Philippines, they pronounce graham, gray-ham.  Haha and if you try and ask for graham crackers how you normally would pronounce it in english, they won't know what you're talking about.

On Tuesday, we went to go teach a part-member family in Itlugan (isan brgy dito) and before our appointment with them, we ate lunch at an investigator's house.  Then they fed us at their house, and because it was a fiesta in their brgy she insisted that we go over to her cousin's house where we had to eat more! and then they made us go to her OTHER cousin's house and eat more!! I could not handle it and they were just waiting and watching us get our food and eat and make sure we liked it.  I don't know if I have ever been that full in my life.  It was the worst.  She tried telling us that we had to go to another house but I jokingly ran away. Haha I was like, "Sister, I'm sorry, but I can't eat one more thing." Haha she joked and said that I was bad but it was ok.  I thought at that moment I would never eat anything ever again.  Haha anyway...

Haha but, we have one investigator that we taught last week... her name is Sister Estellita.  All of her siblings and parents are members and so she has been investigating for a long time.  But I really think that this is her time.  Haha we followed up with her and asked her about her Book of Mormon reading and in two days she had read until 1 Nep. 14 which is unheard of here because these people really hate to read and the Tagalog is really deep and hard to understand.  We were so impressed and asked her how she felt. She said well... I felt sleepy, and then hungry, and then full, and then itchy, and then I watched TV. Haha at least she was honest.  Hahaha it was so funny we couldn't stop laughing.  She kind of reminds me of Aunt Elayne.  But then she recounted everything that happened in the story and even about the 3 and 8 witnesses at the beginning.  She said in all these years that she has been investigating, she never read the Book of Mormon and so she finally decided to read it.  You can already see the change it is making and her heart is softening.  Haha then yesterday, during sacrament meeting, there was a boy who recited the 13 articles of faith and when he finished she started clapping so loud hahaha it was hilarious.  She loved it and she had so much conviction in her applause.  I will give her that much.  We really love her.  I have faith she will be baptized soon.

Yesterday, we had 11 investigators at church!!! It was nuts!  The most we have ever had come to church is 6.  It was crazy.  And that doesn't include the kids of 3 families that came.  It was so amazing and you could see that it really excited the members about missionary work.  I know it's not about numbers, but the numbers are key indicators for your work inviting others to come unto Christ.  Anyway, we were really excited and we're so excited about all of our investigators.  I can confidently say that they could and will all get baptized.  The work is hastening!  We know that we can't do it without the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement.

Then last night, one of those investigators opened up to us how it has been so hard for her for her mom working abroad and she has no father.  She was full of resentment and sadness.  But after two lessons ago, one night she decided to kneel and pray about the Book of Mormon and ask if it's true.  As she described the experience her eyes welled up with tears (and she is the type of person that I never thought I would see cry) and she said it was as if for a second everything was ok, she had chills everywhere, and she knows that the Book of Mormon is true.  She asked us if she can get baptized next week haha but she is living with her boyfriend (only 17 years old) and smokes.  So it will take some time, but I know it is possible.  And we know it is so important that she had that experience because as she struggles overcoming some of those things, she can hold on to that spiritual experience which is deep within her.

On Friday, during personal study, we received a text from President Peterson saying he was on his way to do companionship study with us.  Haha we were super nervous, but this is just something that he does randomly with companionship to help train.  Anyway, it was such a spiritual and inspiring experience.  I asked him what to do if our investigators just feel like they know it's true on the first lesson and it has been hard for us to get them to read and pray about the book of Mormon because they already believe it's true.  Again, he emphasized how important it is that they have that witness for himself.  He referred to 2 Nephi 33:1,"for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men."  Siyempre it is important that we teach with the spirit.  So important.  But it can only carry it UNTO not INTO the hearts of men.  In order for them to have that really deep conversion, it can't be through us missionaries or through anyone else.  It must be within their relationship with Heavenly Father lang.  Anyway, we have really really been trying to focus on that and help our investigators have that spiritual and lasting witness.

Now, I know that this is a long e-mail, but I saved the best story for last.

On Sunday, our new neighbor moved in.  He is a 59 year old man from the Tennessee who is dating a 23 year old philippina.  Anyway....... He's your typical "jo", what they like to call them here.  We talked to him a little bit and he told us how he is a retired pilot in the air force and he has had a crazy life.  He is divorced and says that his kids won't talk to him.  He told us that his son is a Mormon and I jokingly said, "well shoot, we gotta convert you too!" Haha and he replied, "ha... good luck with that!!"

Anyway, we ran into him again the next day and talked and got to know him a little more and he said that growing up the best friend he ever had, Tom, was a Mormon and he knows a lot about the church.  But finally he invited us to come over for an intellectual and animated conversation.

Haha sister Hingano and me were a little nervous, because to be honest, it feels really weird and awkward to teach in English because we are so used to Tagalog.  I was expecting him to argue with us the whole time and I had lots of mixed feelings about it.  I know that it is easy to judge his situation, but I just have a feeling that he has gone through a lot and is just really lost.

So on Saturday, we sat down and started talking with him.  He said that growing up his neighbors were Mormon, and his best friend.  He complained how he feels like religions are so corrupt and become businesses.  He went off about how corrupt our government is in the US and how you are more free in the Philippines than you are in the US.  He is well read and I think a little bit of a conspiracy theorist, but I do think there was some truth to what he said.

Just a side note.. the whole time he was telling me about the corruption in our country and in the churches I was just thinking.. yeah... it's inevitable.  The world is getting more and more evil and man is more and more corrupt because the second coming is sooner than we think.  I am just so grateful that we have knowledge about the plan of salvation and don't have to live in fear, despite the corruption and evil that surrounds us.

Anyway, he shared his understanding of the lds religion, which was a little skewed, but anyway... finally he just said, "You know... all I really want is the truth.  That's all I want.  I am 59 and I have made a lot of mistakes, and I know I'm not going to live forever.  I want to make things right with God, and I just want the truth."

It led perfectly into our lesson and I just explained to him that all we wanted to share with him was the truth.  That was why we were there.  That even though we don't really know him and his girlfriend, we love them and pray for them, and all we want to do is tell the truth.  You could see his countenance change.

We started by asking him his knowledge about God, and he said God is a spirit and came down in the form of Jesus Christ.  We went to the bible and talked about John 3:16 (which he had memorized) and how they are two separate beings, and he was still a little less convinced.  Then we talked about the creation of man which was in God's image which means he has a body of flesh and bones.  He thought he was clever when he said, "there's where I have the problem.  Because flesh deteriorates, so how can he live forever?"  Then we talked about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and asked him how Christ lives forever if He has a body right now.  Anyway.... I am just giving you these details because the spirit was so strong and it was just a smooth lesson.  Again, you saw his demeanor change and he said, "you know I guess I just never asked myself these kind of questions."

So we taught him about the restoration through Joseph Smith and he started crying 3 times.  It was so amazing.  We then told him that we didn't want him to know the truth through us, but through the Holy Ghost directly.  He said, "you know.. it was hard for me to listen to Tom because I had another friend, another voice in my ear, who was always trying to convince me that the Mormon religion was corrupt.  I read a book about the lives of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and it didn't have good things to say about them, and I don't necessarily believe that's true either.... but I never actually read the Book of Mormon for myself."

So he told us that he would go through it with a fine tooth comb (which is exactly what we want to hear from all of our investigators haha) and that he would pray.

I shared my experience about how I received an answer that the Book of Mormon is true, and he was like, "so that's why you're here.  I didn't understand why all of these 20 year olds would give up two years of their life."

Anyway, it was just such a cool experience.  After telling us more about how corrupt Obama and our country is, he prayed at the end and started crying and just thanked us so much at the end.  I wouldn't be surprised if he gets baptized.

Sorry this is so long and if there are grammar errors.  Anyway, I just love it here and I love this work so much.  I am so grateful for this experience and everything that I am learning.  I love these people.

Thank you for your support!

See you on Skype tomorrow.

Patuloy!!

Love, Sister Rasmussen