Stourbridge, England - October 26, 2015

Hello everybody!

So this week was pretty great! We taught some awesome people, found the elect and had some fun along the way we had flat inspections this week and the couple who checks our flat is way strict! They are super particular, like your flat has to be spotless. Well they came and loved our flat! They said it was perfect! Mom and dad you should be proud.... I've come a long way haha!

So I think fall is my new favourite season. Especially in England. The colours are super pretty and there are so many leaves everywhere! Plus when we teach then like everyone gives us hot chocolate we are working with this less active member named Gillian and she is a way good cook. She makes this gourmet hot chocolate and it is the best thing ever! Definitely some favourite stuff ever!

Well the funniest story of this week...sister Owusu and I were riding the bus back to our flat and those busses are usually pretty dirty, but this time in particular was sick nasty and it smelled so bad on there. So sister Owusu is talking to me and she is like, "Sister, it smells so bad on here!" Just then I turned around to see this really old man use the grease from his lunch to stick a Greggs (a bakery shop for all you who don't know what that store is) bag to his face to cover up the smell! It was the funniest looking thing ever and like who purposefully puts grease on their face? Yuck! Haha sister Owusu and I cried we were laughing so hard. But this guy never even flinched or cracked a smile at all. He was not amused in the slightest. He was just like stone the whole time. We were trying not to laugh which just made it way funnier! It was the highlight of my week!

This week has been a little tougher getting new investigators and lessons. But hopefully it's just our faith getting tested before the miracles because we sure need them if we are to make anything happen haha. Things are looking up for the Stourbridge area. We are trying hard, that's for sure. So I've been thinking and studying a lot about "yielding your heart to God". I've come to a conclusion that the way we can really do this is pretty much all about putting the Saviour and His will before ours. It's the hardest thing ever. But in the end it's the thing that is best for us because He sees the end from the beginning so He knows which paths we are supposed to take and where those paths will eventually take us. It's only hard because we can't see like He can; we have to take those steps without seeing and trust that it is the right way. Two hymns have come to my mind over and over again this week. The first is Lead, Kindly Light. This one basically explains all my thoughts as of right now because I honestly have no idea what my future holds while I am in this area, where I will go next, or even after my mission. But hopefully I will do the Lord's will and not my own so it turns out right and the way it was always supposed to be. The second is I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go. Especially the third verse. I seriously want to be able to say, "So trusting my all to thy tender care, And knowing thou lovest me, I’ll do thy will with a heart sincere: I’ll be what you want me to be." Sometimes I ask myself why I make these kind of things so hard- mostly because I have an awful habit of over thinking EVERYTHING, but if we could all just trust what the Lord tells us then honestly we would all be in the right path and life would be a lot easier. Over all I think it is about humility, trust, and love for our Saviour. And that is what it really takes to yield our hearts to God. It's about giving up those things that we never thought we could. Putting ourselves to the side. Focusing on the whisperings of the Spirit. And then acting. I still have a long way to go on all of this, but one day I'll get there haha but there ya go, that is your random food for thought from Sister Rasmussen this week. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear what you think! This part member family we are teaching named the Sorra's fed us this week which was awesome because they made Philippino food! It was soooo good! They made a ton and wouldn't let us leave without taking seconds haha they are the sweetest. I love that family so much! Everyone pray for them because the dad isn't too on board with us teaching the kids even though the mom is all for it and is now a strong, active member in the church. Those kids need it! This pday the district got together and carved pumpkins and played some futbol. It was so fun! I think mine turned out pretty awesome

Well I have probably rambled on long enough for all of you haha! Thank you to everyone for all you do in the church and for praying for me. I can really feel it out here.

Love ya!

Love, Sister Rasmussen 

 

 

 

Stourbridge, England - October 19, 2015

Heeeeey everyone!

So this week was awesome!! We had some amazing miracles, found some new investigators and time flew by! I swear I just blink and the whole week goes by! A ton of funny stuff happened this week! First off we were out stopping by some former investigators and it was like 8pm so it was pitch dark by then. We were looking at our map under a street light and we had been walking all day so our feet were a little tired so we decided to sit down on the curb while we look at the map.  So I sit down and notice this big spider by me so naturally I jumped up and ran to the other side of sister Owusu. She wasn't too bothered by it. So this spider keeps getting closer until it eventually crawls under her bag. So she goes to move her bag and when she lifted it up there was the BIGGEST spider I have ever seen right there about to eat the spider I was initially scared of!! I have never ran so fast! It was so
scary!!

Then we were out talking to people on the high street of this random town and there was a cop parked on the sidewalk talking to this drunk chav. So sister Owusu and I were walking by them and just watching them because it was hilarious. We weren't watching where we were walking and walked right through this huge pile of throw up where he had just vommitted! Yuck!!! The worst part was we had to ride home on the bus wi it all over our shoes because there was no grass anywhere to wipe it off on! I'm pretty sure everyone on the bus was giving us dirty looks because we smelled like disgusting up-chuck!!!

Then we were doing service with the elders for this Russian lady we are teaching named Nadia. She is in her 60's and is one of those people that has no filter. Like whatever is on her mind she says out
loud. So the elders were outside in the garden and we were in side painting her lounge. She was making lunch for us and I had a question so I went in the kitchen to ask her. As soon as I got in there she turned around to tell me how I looked like Brittany Spears! Haha then she started to tell me at I need to find a good boy to settle down and get married to and how he needed to be tall and have a job and his parents and my parents needed to be friends and all this stuff haha she basically just gave me a "boys 101" talk! It was the funniest thing ever especially with how blunt she is, her broken english, and thick Russian accent. She is a gem!
Then on Saturday night sister Owusu and I got woken up to two big groups of chavs fighting right outside our flat! We live on the high street close to a couple pubs so we can hear drunk people all the
time, but this was at like 3am and they were sooo loud! Anyway so this big fight breaks out and we heard all his clashing and stuff. So then in the morning I got up and looked out the window and found that they had ripped the door from the hinges of this old abandoned building near by and used it as a weapon! They had left it right outside our door! Like, we had to step around it to get out our door haha. Crazy people! We live in flipping chav central!

The ward here is super tiny! Like on a good day there is thirty people that show up to sacrament meeting. They are desperate for priesthood holders. It is sad because if the ward doesn't grow it is going to get shut down. Jeez...it is intense stuff! But luckily this week we have found a couple amazing families that want us to come teach them so we are praying for miracles! The flat here is nice and newer than my one in Cheltenham so that is way sweet! We walk everywhere or take the
bus. But other than that it is pretty much the same work, just a different area. We really are being blessed in this area though. Some huge miracles are happening here. For example, the first lesson sister Owusu and I had together we had like zero time to prepare for because it was my first day here. But we went in and taught in like total unity. Seriously I have never been so in sync with my comp. before and it was the first lesson! And it has been that way ever since it helps that we are like best friends haha! She is the greatest! I am super grateful to be here. It has been a really big learning
experience already.

Well love you all and hope this week is amazing for you all! I can really feel all your prayers out here so thank you so much!

Love,

Sister Rasmussen

Stourbridge, England - October 5, 2015

Hey everyone!

So who else loved General Conference?! It was so amazing! I took loads of notes on it and I am really loving going back to study them. There were so many great talks that there was no way I could pick just one to be my favourite. I especially loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk on keeping the gospel simple! That is definitely something I need to work on. I over think pretty much everything. I loved how he said basically when we have questions or doubts, just go back to the simple, basic truths. Go read the Book of Mormon again and then pray about it, just like we all had to at one time. Go study the Plan of Salvation and figure out just what it is that we believe. But yeah it was great!

So yeah I got transferred to an area called Stourbridge. It is a way old ward who are seriously lacking in priesthood holders. It is mostly made up of widows. So I guess we'll just have to find and baptise a bunch of young men ready for the priesthood haha sounds like, a good plan to me. I love my new companion! She is from Virginia and is legit! Her name is Sister Owusu. We have been working hard finding a lot these past few days. So she has only been here one transfer then I came here and the area was pretty dead when we both arrived here. We are going to have to work really hard to get it going.  It won't be us really though, we will have a lot of praying and fasting and hard work to do, then the Lord will make great things happen. Definitely depending on Him for this transfer. Idk if I've ever really felt closer to Him. It feels like I am just in constant prayer with Him, I'm sure He is sick of hearing my voice by now haha but I have never been more grateful that He is there to listen to me. Thanks everyone for your prayers! I can seriously feel them out here. Hope you all have a great week and love you lots!

Love,
Sister Rasmussen