Week 41 Ixtapaluca

BUENAS TARDES FROM MEXICO!!

Did you know in Mexico its okay to carry a lion and a tiger in a cage in the back of your truck? Haha! The circus was in town last week, so theyŕe carrying around all their animals. It was kind of funny, they put the tiger and lion asleep sometimes, we saw them when the car was stopped on the side of the road and people started to come and stick their hands inside the cage!! They woke up the tiger and it roared and smacked the cage! I guess some people dont value their hands!

Last week in the changes meeting, the new District Leaders had a meeting with Pres. Bulloch. Elder Bertin is a new District Leader as well! He talked to us about our responsibility, and that he and the Lord really trust us. He told us something that made me realize the importance of our job. He said that he is loaning us the keys that Elder Bednar gave him when he set him apart to give baptismal interviews. Im learning to really rely on the Lord as I take on this new job.







Its been so cold here lately! All the houses are made out of brick, and there's no heater so at night we are freezing! Poor Elder Martinez has never been in the cold in all his life! He wakes up every morning freezing to death. The volcanoes have snow on them, They look pretty cool! Ill send the picture of the “Mujer Dormida”, or the “Sleeping woman” If you look it looks like a lady sleeping! Haha, go figure!

Hey Brother Thomas told me Adam got his call! Tell him congrats, and that I'll help him practice his Spanish! Haha, can you tell him to write me an email? Gracias!

Yesterday, we baptized Adan y Viriana. Theyre two kids of an inactive lady. Elder Sander and Elder Mora had found them and tried to teach but they never could, so they left the teaching report in the Area book, we found it and taught them. These kids are great, and were so excited to be baptized.

We are teaching a family of four, called the San Andres Family. They are really awesome, when we taught them the Word of Wisdom, they gave us their last four cigarettes, dumped out their alcohol, and gave us their expensive coffee. They are really progressing, and it amazes me every time to be able to see the change in peoples lives. When people start to complete with the commandments and repent, you can see the Atonement working in their lives. It is a testimony everytime, that Christ lives and that he really is our Savior and Redeemer. I know it without a doubt, because I have seen the effects of his Atoning Sacrifice in the lives of many people. I know Heavenly Father lives, that this is His true Church, and that people can change their entire life when they put their trust in HeavenlyFather. This is the work of our Heavenly Father!! What a wonderful opportunity to spend two years of my life serving Him. Love you all,
Elder Rasmussen

Week 40 Ixtapaluca

Hola Hola!

Interesting Mexico Fact- Our Bishop is a graphic designer and a few years ago went to Europe and won for the best design for Readers Digest. Pretty cool eh?



Maddie! Gabriela wrote you a letter, shes waiting for your letter!!
“Hello, my name is Gabriela Mancilla Hernandez. My Moms name is Piedad and my dads name is Robert. My older sisters name is Fabiola. She is 21 years old. My brother is 16 years old, Im the smallest. Elder Rasmussen and Elder Martinez are visiting us in my house and they teach us the word of Jesus Christ. We are reading The Book of Mormon. They gave us a beautiful packet of family books for Church. Your brother taught us to make “Pan Frances” (French Toast) in Family Home Evening. They are nice. Your brother is very “pleasant” (??agradable, nice?) and teaches us things and guess what? We were baptized and confirmed and they took us to see the Temple in Aragon! WE hope that some day you come to México to visit us and stay in our home. If we have the opportunity to go we will visit you. I hope that you write me! -Gabriela”

Sister Piedad signed up to give us food yesterday. She said the only day available was yesterday, her birthday! It was very humbling, they cooked us one of the best Mexican foods called “El Hambre”. It is so delicious, but I can just imagine that it costs a ton of money. Piedad worked every day last week, cleaning all the houses she could just so she could give us this food. It was very humbling...and even though we were full from the French Toast we made for Francisco and Fernando (the two kids) we stuffed it down because we know what a sacrifice it was for them!

This week Fernando y Fernando, and Raúl were baptized. There are just awesome! Fernando y Ricardo (I just realized I put “y” for and..wow this is hard to write in English!) and their family are progressing and are reactivated now. Raúl is doing just awesome with staying away from smoking! Next week we have two kids of an inactive sister that wants to start coming back to Church. Theyŕe names are Viri and Adan.

We just finished the cycle so last night when we called Elder King our District Leader he told us we didn have changes, but that he did. Then he told me that I am going to be our new District Leader! Iḿ a little nervous, but ready to take on this challenge. I know if I put my trust in the Lord, he will help me be the missionary and district leader that HE wants! Tomorrow I am going to do my first three interviews!

Well, times up. I feel like I dont have as much time to write or say what I want to because I have to think about it so much! Haha, ADIOS!!
-Elder Rasmusse

WEEK - 39 Ixtapaluca

Want to know something random and crazy about where I’m at? There’s a VOLCANO called Popocateptl (or something like that, we just call it the “Popo”) And the other day it emitted ASH! Haha it was pretty cool. About 8 years ago it erupted lava, and the people that have lived here in San Buenaventura a long time were here to see it. They say the Japanese bought it, and are putting bombs around it so it will explode and they can get all the minerals that are just waiting inside! Haha I think that’s just a story though! Oh but don’t worry, if it does explode while I’m here then it will go towards the other side, towards Puebla. Whew! I know, I know, you were worried right?

Okay just a small investigator report, Dad asked me to do that and I forgot! It´s hard to type in English now. I wish you all understood Spanish so I could just type faster and not have to think so hard! Haha okay here’s the list---
- Piedad, Roberto, Beto, and Gabi- This family is awesome! They are kind of poor, and really humble and they do so much for us. They always invite us to eat even though we know they barely have enough to eat. When we try to refuse Sis. Piedad gets upset and tells us to sit down and eat! Fabiola still doesn´t want to come to Church, we’re trying to do everything! We just have to find the right way to help her. MADDIE! Fabiola wants to hear from you! She gave me a letter to translate and send to you, but I forgot it. If you write her a letter I can translate it, she wants you to be her “pen pal”, cool huh?
- Ricardo y Fernando- These are two kids, Ricardo is 10 and Fernando is 9. I don´t remember if I told you about them. We saw a man walking alone and we contacted him, he told us he was inactive and invited us to his house. They have a “papeleria” in the back of their house, we enter through a small door in their papeleria haha its kind of funny to see me squeeze through the two foot high door! Anyways, these two kids are awesome! They’re going to be baptized next week. Their Mom, Cecillia, is an Avon seller and gave me a cool watch! The people here really care about the missionaries.
- Beatriz and her kids- Beatriz is an inactive member. She has three kids that have the age of baptism. She was a miracle! She went to Church almost two years ago when Elder Sander and Elder Mora were here. They made a “registro”…whats that word….form? Investigator form? With her direction and everything. When we were praying for help to find new investigators we found this sheet with her name and direction! Her kids are awesome, and they have their date for the 25.
- Alicia- She was supposed to be baptized last week, but was in DF all week and didn{t come to Church. We´re going to find her and she´ll be baptized this next week.
- Raul- I told you about him! Raul is awesome, he contacted us in the street right after his wife had kicked him out. He asked us what we do, and what we teach. He accepted his date for this last Sunday, but he smoked. We gave him some suckers to pull out whenever he hast he temptation to smoke, and it really works! He is really excited for his baptism next Sunday because he knows Heavenly Father is the only one who can help him with his wife. We told him we´re not very good for giving advice about his wife and him because we´re not married! Haha


This is a picture of Maria del Carmen in the center with ward members
- Maria Del Carmen- She was baptized yesterday! Tonight she told us we have to come over so she can try “Pan Frances” or, French Toast. It´s becoming a tradition in our ward! The missionaries before would buy a cake for every person, but Pan Frances is more original, right?

Mom! Haha I thought of you the other day! We had to teach the Law of chastity to Fernando and Ricardo. I was trying to think of how we could teach it, we ended up teaching about movies and how we should be careful with what we see on internet and movies. I told them imagine that the movie is a like a cookie, that looks really good, but if you put a little bit of dog poop in it would you eat it? They made a face and said NO!! We compared that to movies and internet and I think the “cookie example” really helped, so thanks! Everything you’ve taught us we can use in our mission!
We went with our District to play soccer today. I was the designated “picture taker” because I´m so bad! Haha just kidding, my knee was hurting, and we’re an odd number so I sat out. After we went to a plaza in Ixtapaluca and found Chinese food!! It wasn’t quite like Pandas, but hey that’s okay!
EVERYONE! I need your help! My companion, Elder Martinez, hasn’t been getting letters from his family. His parents don’t use computers, and his brother is always busy so he never can. PLEASE send him some letters. Use Google translator, and send it to him! His email is-
eldermtzsolano@myldsmail.net

This is for everyone that reads this! POR FAVOR AYUDEN A MI COMPAÑERO!
Okay, well we have to take off. I love you all! I just want to end with a quick story. Our goal every week is to get as many people as we can to Church. Last week we had a ton of people that said they would go to Conference, but only 4 went. This week, we really worked hard. We prayed so hard for the Lords help. This Sunday we were blessed with fourteen investigators at church! It was a huge blessing! I know this is the Lords work. I am so blessed to be a missionary in the best part of the world! Mexico is awesome! The people here are so ready to accept the Gospel, and come unto Christ. We have seen so many miracles, and all of them have been at the hand of the Lord. Love you all,
Elder Rasmussen

WEEK - 38 Ixtapaluca

Conference was great huh?!
We got there and they didn’t have it in English, so we watched it in Spanish! I understood just about everything, I know that was a blessing. I remember six months ago when I watched Conference in Spanish and only caught the part when they said “Temple de la Ciudad de México”! Afterwards we were able to watch it in English, but then the signal kept cutting out so we didn’t get to hear a few of the talks. But what I did watch was great!
Remember Maria del Carmen? She was supposed to be baptized this week, but she didn’t pass her interview so this week she will be baptized!! Wow, talk about miracles too! We were walking to an appointment and I saw a guy walking down the opposite side of the street, I felt like I should contact him so we did. He told me he was a member, but just hasn’t gone for about 10 years. He lives with his wife, his son and his grandson. His son is 10 and his grandson 9 and they aren’t members. When we taught them about baptism they said they want to be baptized! They’re baptismal date is the 18!
Another miracle, we have an investigator named Alicia. She is a referral from her neighbor that’s a member, she went last week to Church and liked it, and she told us this week she would be able to go to Conference on Saturday in the morning. When Saturday came, we left a little early and headed off for her house, choosing to take one of the many ways to get to her house. We were walking along and I happened to look to my right and I saw Alicia with her daughter buying stuff in the market! We said hi to her and asked her if she was ready to go. She hesitated a a little and then said “okay lets go!” So we went to the Stake Center, and since we got there early we went on a little tour. At the end of the tour we showed her the baptismal font, and talked a little about her baptism. We had shown her the family history library right before and so we talked a little about how her family can all be baptized and be a family forever. She said “ you mean my dad can be baptized too if he’s already died?” She was pretty amazed that we answered yes! We invited her to go to conference with a prayer in her heart to know if all this was true, and if Thomas S. Monson is a prophet. Conference in the morning was great! I know she felt the Spirit because when we left we asked her what she thought and she said she liked it a lot! We went to her house to teach her and asked her how she felt for her baptism next week and she said “Yes, I would like to be baptized” It truly was a miracle!
Wow, I agree with you! Elder Holland´s testimony was powerful! That was one of that talks that kept cutting out, we were kind of bummed but the part I did hear was GREAT! We are so blessed to be able to hear from Prophets and apostles. I feel so blessed to be able to bear testimony of the Restoration everyday! I’m so thankful for the Book of Mormon and I know that it is true with all of my heart. I know that the people we teach can know the Book of Mormon is true if they will just take the promise in Moroni 10 and ask with a sincere heart. I’m so thankful to be here in San Buenaventura! Our ward is great, the people here are so ready to hear the gospel. The time is going by way to fast! A year ago I was opening my Call! Crazy.

Les Amo!
Elder Rasmussen

WEEK - 37 Ixtapaluca

CLICK THIS LINK: http://picasaweb.google.com/homebuyer.scott/IXTAPALUCA?authkey=Gv1sRgCMDGtcHNt9LFwgE&feat=directlink

for more pictures of Ixtapaluca.

Hola Familia!
Right now, we’re in a internet café around the corner from the Ripley’s believe it or not museum. We went with Elder King our District Leader and his companion. There’s a wax museum that was pretty awesome! I’ll have to send pictures next week, because there’s no place to put my memory card.

This week was awesome! Our Zone Conference was amazing, and filled with the Spirit.

President talked to us about the new Bible that came out. We read a verse in the Bible we use now, and then read the Joseph Smith Translation, and it is completely different! He talked to us about exact obedience and we read from the missionary handbook. We have a new rule, all the Mexico missions can’t drink coke anymore! I guess some missionaries were going and buying it and giving a bad look for the members so they made a new rule. They always give us coke to drink here, so that will be interesting when we tell them that we can’t drink it.

The Zone Leaders trained us on “programming” the investigators baptismal date in the first lesson. It is something that comes from President, and it really works! It made me realice(realize: neat to see how Spanish is taking over) how important questions are. When we use questions efficiently, the investigators realice for themselves that they need to be baptized. It is really a great experience, and I have felt the Spirit and I know they have too when they accept to be baptized.

This week we took the Manzilla Hernandez Family to the Visitors Center, and they loved it! They saw the Testaments and they all cried afterwards! They told us that in a year they will be in the temple! I told them to tell us so we can be there too. This family is awesome! After Roberto and his son, Beto, had their baptism we went to their house and I made them French Toast! Haha, they were all amazed by it! This family is great. Their daughter Fabiola doesn’t want to be baptized. She didn’t come to Church yesterday, so her date is for the 11 of October.
Yesterday when we baptized, we baptized with the other missionaries in our area. We had 5 baptisms in total, and all of us were in white except for my companion, (I asked him if he wanted to baptize too).The picture is awesome!! I’ll send it next week.

Also this week, we took one of our investigators Maria del Carmen to get married! Her son was just baptized, and we’ve been working with her. She’s really excited to be baptized, but she wasn’t married. We talked to her husband once and he basically told us to go away, and that he wasn’t going to get married. We talked to him on Friday and he said to his wife, “Oh, well if its so you can get baptized that’s fine” !! We took them early Saturday to get married and this Sunday is her baptism after the first session on Sunday.

The Lord is really blessing us! Elder Martinez and I are seeing miracles all the time. We try and contact as many people as we can in the week, and this week we tried extra hard to contact. A lot of people said no, and I told my companion not to get down on himself because it was probably a test of our faith! We were walking to an appointment and a guy called us and asked us what we do and why there’s always an American with a Mexican. We told him we’d like to teach him and he accepted! His name is Raul and I know he’ll progress.

Well I have to go, not much time to write! Love you all, thanks for your support and prayers! Hasta luego,
Elder Rasmussen

WEEK - 36 Ixtapaluca

Hey Everyone!
“Our Purpose is to Invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored góspel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.” (I hope I remembered it right? I can only think of it in Spanish!)
This week was great! Ixtapaluca is awesome, its the real Mexico! It’s a lot different than Pachuca, but I like it.
Mom and Trent asked me some questions…
Mom- we wash our clothes with a member in the Ward. He has a Lavanderia and gives us a discount of 5 pesos every kilo. Hot water and shower-yes. Food-YEEESSSS. They feed us a ton here! Everyone wants us to eat with them. I’m sure I’m going to leave this area fatter! No don’t worry, we eat a lot but our area has a ton of hills so we get a good work out every day. It rains about every day here, and it´s a little warmer, but nothing like Arizona!
Trent- My new companion is awesome! He’s a hard worker, and knows a lot about the work because he was the Ward mission leader in his Ward, and had the chance to work with the Zone leaders.
My new area… well it is called Bautizaluca for a reason! The people here are so ready to hear the gospel! It’s a little different working here. The streets are all “cerradas”, streets with a gate to close it off. If we have an appointment we have to shout their name or wait until someone opens the door for us. We do a lot of contacts in the street, and we’ve had quite a bit of success with that. The key for area is to work with the members, so w ego with the new converts and less active members to ask them for referrals. The sister who was baptized this week was a referral!
Yes I’ve dreamed in Spanish. I thought I told you about it already…last week I was talking in my sleep. I woke Elder Martinez up and he said I was propped up on one elbow and shaking my finger saying “Hermana, tiene que bautizarse…” –“Sister, you have to be baptized…” haha! I guess that means I dream in Spanish right?

This week Piedad and her daughter were baptized. They were so excited they could hardly stand themselves! Next week Piedad´s husband Roberto, and their son Roberto are going to be baptized. Roberto went to the Church farm on Saturday and had so much fun, and worked so hard he couldn’t get up on Sunday to go to Church! We told him if he didn’t go he couldn’t be baptized next week (they need three Sundays at Church to be baptized). He got up real quick and changed. Piedad´s daughter, Fabiola, is going to be baptized October 4th!
The Lord really blessed us this week. We found a new family that looks like they will really progress. The dad’s name is Alejandro and his wife Sarai. Alejandro has read the Book of Mormon before, and used to sell books in the Distrito Federal when he came across an original copy of the Book of Mormon! He really liked Church yesterday and wants one of the new bibles that the Church just came out with. Everyone is so excited for it!
My computer isn’t working, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to send you the pictures!

Our Ward meets in a different Casa de Oracion than the one Elder Hunt is in. He’s another District Leader in my Zone. Our Ward is called San Buenaventura. Dad, our divison is the street that says “ Paseo de San Buenaventura”. We have the part where the Casa de Oracion is, if you can find that you’ll know my area. Just a little about my area there are 25,000 houses, with about 4 people in each one so 100,000 people…mas o menos. We have half of that and some other little pueblos so our area is really big. (Since Elder Ras has no time to send pics I found these off the internet and he confirmed "this is his area" . . . amazing! ! ! !)

Tomorrow is our Zone Conference, and Elder Martinez and I have been assigned to give a 5 minute talk on “Our Purpose”. Wish me luck!

Okay I’m out of time because I was trying to send you a picture, I’ll have to send you more next week!
Adios!

Elder Rasmussen

WEEK - 35 Hello Ixtapaluca

VIVA MÉXICO!
Hey everyone how’s it going? I’m here in my new area, and it’s so great! Hope everything’s going well at home. Everybody is getting ready here for the 15 of September, its the Independence Day of Mexico, and everyone is going crazy for it!
It was really weird leaving Pachuca! I´ve been there so long, it was just so strange to think I was leaving. We ate three times on Monday because everyone wanted to feed us! Raúl and his wife Yadira fed us, then we went and ate with Mari, Antonio and their family, and after with Griselda and her family. Antonio gave me a painting/carving he made of a tiger. They all signed it and wrote a note. When we ate with Griselda all her kids gave me a Little picture of them that they get in school, I also got a recording of them talking so I´ll send that next week. One of the families in the Ward wrote a letter and gave me a snickers, it was pretty nice. They told me how much they appreciated my work in their Ward, and told me I could come back and visit anytime. When it came time to leave Tuesday morning I really didn’t feel like I was leaving!
Okay it sounds like you’ve all been wondering where I got sent so I’ll tell you, but first I want to tell you about cambios. We went on the bus from Pachuca and headed out for D.F. Elder Spencer was in Pachuca as well, so when he saw me he was excited and asked me if I was training as well. He was really excited and nervous to train, just like I was! We finally got to the “Manzana del Templo” or.. that translates into Temple square. The trainers had a meeting so Elder Spencer and I went to that. President told us how the assignment as trainer is one of the most sacred assignments he can give as president of the mission. He told us how the Lord expects us to give the best to our companions, to help them start their mission off right. I walked out feeling pretty overwhelmed! In this meeting there were all the trainers and all the new missionaries. Everyone was trying to guess their new companion! At the end there was only one American and one Mexican in the room, so they knew who their companion was.
The changes meeting is in the chapel. All the missionaries sit in the seats, and the new missionaries sit on the stand behind President. It’s pretty funny to see everyone so nervous waiting for the changes. President reads the zone and then he reads one Elders name and says who they’ll receive and what Ward or area they’re in. Everyone in my generation from the MTC has changes, Elder Bertin went to Palmar with Elder Mora, and Elder Spencer went to Constitución with his “hijo”, or the missionary he is training.
“Elder Rasmussen, you’re going to receive and train in the area San Buenaventura, Ixtapaluca. You will be working with Elder Martinez from Monterrey.” Elder Martinez is awesome! He’s from Monterrey, and is so ready to get to work. He was the Ward mission leader in his home Ward and got to go in divisions (splits) with the zone leaders all the time.
A Little about our area… Ixtapaluca (pronounced eextapalooka) has the nickname in the mission- “Bautizaluca”. Our area is called San Buenaventura. Its HUGE! It´s the biggest…fraccionamiento? Sorry I don’t know that translation of that. Its the biggest fraccionamiento (Housing Subdivision) in all of Latin America! If you look at it on the map there’s a road called San Buenaventura that divides the fraccionamiento in two. We have the biggest part. Everyone says they want to come to our area because its so elect. I think President knows there’s so much potential here that they put another companionship here. That road I told you that divides it in two also divides our areas. The other companionship is a trio, so we have 5 missionaries in our Ward! Our Ward was going to another church building kind of far away, and so they built a “Casa de oración”, a House of Prayer. It’s a three story building about twenty five feet wide. We had 150 people at Church yesterday, and we were all crammed in to it! They put in a tv system so there are people in another room that watch sacrament meeting! Its pretty crazy.

We’ve been so blessed to find people to teach. Elder Martinez and I decided to contact at least 12 people everyday, and we’ve already seen the blessings from it! We found a family of four that is just so ready to hear the Gospel. The missionaries before found a family of five that is also progressing for their baptism. The mom, Piedad, and her daughter went to Church last week and yesterday so their baptism is this coming Sunday. This sister’s story is really great… She had been praying that Heavenly Father would show her the right way, when she was in the park later that day someone in the Ward saw her and asked her why she looked so down. She told him that she has had problems with Money and didn’t have Money to make a phone call, he invited her to make the call from his home. When she was there the missionaries came over and she started crying! Those missionaries both left this last transfer, and we came here, when we set her baptism date she accepted full heartedly! Her whole family is progressing for their baptism.

I love missionary work! Elder Martinez and I have felt the Spirit guiding us, and helping us with this great work. Oh! I forgot, Elder Sander was here with Elder Mora! When Elder Sander trained Elder Mora they were in my same house! Everyone remembers them because they really helped out the Ward. I´ve already met some of their converts! Pretty cool huh? Well I have to go, my area is awesome, my companion is great, and we’re working hard! I forgot my camera so I’ll send pictures next week of everything you asked me for.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Rasmussen

WEEK - 34 BYE BYE PACHUCA

Hola Familia
We´re reporting a Little early today. We have a ton of stuff to do because we both have changes!
Yesterday, Marisol was baptized. We sang a musical number with some people from the ward. Marisol was crying a lot! She really liked her baptism, and I am positive she felt the Spirit testifying to her that the covenant she had entered in to was real, and true.
Well, we were in her baptism, about to start, when Elder Tanner walked in to our church. He pulled us aside and told me I have changes. He told me I´m going to “train” or receive a new missionary. Elder Mora is changing areas to Palmar, where he´s going to be District Leader.

This last week was a little crazy, they told us on Monday that we had to find a new house in Palmar. We didn´t know why, but did what we were told! We had to find it by last Monday or by Tuesday. We found the only available department in the Department buildings in Palmar. That was Monday, and then Tuesday we didn´t have water so we went to our District Meeting without showering! (Don’t worry, we didn’t stink up Pachuca, we showered later) We had to fix the tank on top of our house almost all day Tuesday. Then Wednesday we had to meet up with the secretaries to put all the things in the new department. We finally got to work Wednesday night, it was a little strange to only have half a week to work!



This last Thursday, Elder Jaramillo finished his mission. He was one of our awesome Zone Leaders! He was a great example to all of the Elders in our District, I really looked up to him and learned so much. His last District meeting with us he said how as he was thinking about his mission, all he could remember were the happy times, all the blessings he´s received from serving a mission. Seeing him leave made me thankful for everyday I have in the field, time is going by so fast!!




Last night we went to tell the Tavera Family that I´m being changed. Maribel, Griselda, and their mom all started crying! Antonio, Mari´s husband, made me promise I would come back after my mission to visit them! I told Estela, their mom, that I was leaving. She looked really sad because I won´t be here for her baptism, we told her that it wasn´t too late to be baptized. So she might be baptized today! She has to do some things first, but she definitely could today!

I´m really going to miss this area. I am so grateful I started my mission here. It has been such a blessing to serve the Lord here in Pachuca. I will definitely miss the people! I can´t describe the joy I feel, to have seen these people change their lives. This has been a great experience here, that I will never forget! President, in the last Zone Conference, said "EN PACHUCA, SÍ, SE PUEDE!". There is a bad attitude in our mission that when you get sent to Pachuca, its a bad thing. Well I´m glad I was here, and I leave with "EN PACHUCA, SÍ, SE PUEDE!"

Well we don´t have much time to write, we have to pack and do a ton of stuff. We leave tomorrow at 8:30. We have our “reunion de cambios” or changes meeting, at the Stake Center right by the Temple in D.F. So next week I´ll have a new companion, Elder Mora was awesome. I´m grateful I had the chance to serve with him for 2 cycles!
Love you all, adios!
Elder Rasmussen

WEEK 33 - PACHUCA

Link to more photo's from Trevor in Pachuca:

http://picasaweb.google.com/scottmster/PACHUCADISK?authkey=Gv1sRgCNfHu97ywtKiDw&feat=directlink

HOLA FAMILIA!
How are you all doing? It sounds like everything’s going good! Tell Brandon I said hi! Tell him to write me if he ever gets a second.
The package came! I got it Thursday in the Zone conference. Two weeks is pretty fast! Wow thanks for everything! I thought you had sent me a bowl of mashed potatoes! I couldn’t figure out what it was, I opened it and THEN saw the Graham crackers! Thanks so much, its an awesome treat! The FHE book was like you read our minds! We saw it in a members home and wished we had it! Thanks! The ties are awesome too, I gave one to Juan Antonio at his baptism. Everyone was eyeing the pens, I gave the one pieced one to Elder Jaramillo, my zone leader that goes home this week! I gave one to Elder Mora, and Elder Tanner wants one too. Thanks for the watch! Its great! Thanks for everything, I really really have enjoyed it!

See more of Ramon's incredible story in week - 25 Bares testimony - week 28 Bapt, and story of a 12 yr olds missionary efforts ! !
Ramon was sooo excited to get his missionary tag! So were his brothers! Ramon wore his badge and the tie I gave him to Church! His brothers wore their ties too. Jude and Toñito want one too! I have one left, so I don’t know who I’ll give it too. They really liked it!

I don’t know if you remember when I did the magic trick you sent me. It's the one where the cards are all White, then they turn color, and then change White again. Well I showed it to Elder Mora and asked him how I could use it for the Gospel. We came up with this…
So I start out showing how all the cards are White. Then we say how when we´re born we’re completely free from sin. But we go through life and we start sinning a Little, and a Little more, and a little more, until we have a lot of sin. I show that all the cards are colored. But when we receive baptism, our sins are completely washed away. I take the deck of cards and put them behind my hand and act like the cards are being baptized. Then I show that the cards are all white again. Haha! Its so fun to see the faces of the kids! They are so amazed! The adults like it too, the y just don't show their awe as easily, haha. Pretty fun.

Well This week was a miracle. Juan Antonio, Mari’s husband was baptized! When Mari and Griselda and everyone was baptized last month, Antonio couldn’t be baptized. They told us he needed to wait but couldn’t tell us why he couldn’t. So we just kept on teaching him, and this week he was baptized! President told us it really is a miracle that he was baptized! This family is so awesome. In Antonio's baptism, Mari bore her testimony and said how their goal now is to go to the temple in a year! I´m so happy for this wonderful family! I feel grateful that the Lord permitted us to be the means of helping Juan Antonio receive baptism. This family is so different now, the Spirit in their home is even different! I pray this family will continue strong and faithful so in one year, they can be sealed together as an eternal family.

This week was our Zone Conference and it was soo awesome! Elder Tanner and Elder Jaramillo trained us on how to McConkear. I´ve explained a little about this verb, basically its a Word the Mexican Elders came up with. It means to help others to accept baptism when they are keeping commitments and everything, but don’t want to be baptized. President Bulloch wrote a thing called “Baptismal Invitation” and it is truly inspired. I tried my best to translate it and sent it to dad through pouch, so you should get it here soon.
Presidente Bulloch´s message was the best! He read a letter from a pair of missionaries in Pachuca. I haven’t really told you guys this, but Pachuca has this really nasty reputation for not baptizing. Missionaries in all the misión say “Oh, they don’t baptize in Pachuca. En Pachuca, no se puede.” This companionship was in an area for six months, and saw their Ward was suffering because the missionaries before were not doing anything. These missionaries worked hard, and started to gain the trust of the members. After a while they started to baptize and baptize. This Elder left Pachuca with 23 baptisms. In his letter to President, he said how in Pachuca, sí se puede. In Pachuca, they DO baptize. We talked about their qualities and the things they did good, and then compared it to Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon. I left my study journal at home so I don’t have the scriptures, but it was great. President taught us with such power and authority, we all felt the Spirit so strong.
It amazes me how when people come to accept Jesus Christ, and His Atoning sacrifice, they come closer to our Heavenly Father. They start to change. They look different. They treat their family differently, they have a different aspect on life- an ETERNAL aspect. The Book of Mormon is true, when we read and study and mediate on the things in this sacred book we change, because we´re becoming more like Christ. I’m so grateful that we’ve seen these people change their lives for the better!

This gospel is true. I know it with all my heart. Thanks for being so supportive of me! Your prayers really help Elder Mora and I. Hey I was thinking, why don´t you guys put together a list of questions you want to ask me? I don’t think I’m explaining some stuff very well, so if you have questions just let me know.
Adios! Les amo,
Elder Rasmussen

Week 32 - Pachuca

Trevor and Elder Mora at the Pachuca soccer field

"Mission Title of Liberty" see Week 25 for details
Hola Familia!
Hope everything’s going well, sounds like everyone’s excited about going to school right? Haha, school just started down here and they’re not too happy about it! We just saw a tiger in the back of a truck! They’re still advertising the Circus before it leaves town!

Raúl was baptized yesterday! He was so excited, and afterwards he was smiling the whole time! We showed a slide show with “His Hands”, in Spanish of course. It was great, and the Spirit was strong in his baptism. We had a good turnout too! The room was full of people! This ward has gotten really excited since the Tavera Family got baptized. Now we just need to help them give us referrals!

This week a sister named Marisol has her baptismal date. She works in a place where everyone is a member. The family that owns it invited her to the Visitors Center and to Church twice. We know she has been prepared by the Lord, and is excited for her baptism this week. It just shows the effect that we can have on others as members of the Church. I tried to help the members of the ward see that yesterday in my talk. I didn’t think I was so nervous but Elder Mora told me I was! I shared the story about Raul and how a member simply shared his testimony and a Book of Mormon, and now Raul is the newest member of the Church. Wow, I feel so grateful that the Lord led us to him. In a year he and his wife can enter the temple! You can do so much just by being an example to those who aren’t members!
Saturday we did a thing called Celestial Referrals. We prayed for what streets we should go to and went to knock doors. When we were knocking nobody listened to us, or let us in. The last building we were going to knock a lady opened the door, I told her we had a message that would bless her and her family, and how the Church of Christ has been restored to the earth. She let us in, and the first thing we did was invite her to Church. This lady, named Janet, told us she would like to go. We taught her and said that it was very interesting and caught her attention. She went to church yesterday and left with a bunch of questions. When we went by last night we set her baptismal date for September 6, and she accepted! Heavenly Father is really blessing us with people who have been prepared to accept the gospel!
Remember Antonio, Mari´s husband? He’s going for his baptismal interview tomorrow, but he´s still unsure about whether he wants to be baptized.. We’re going to help him resolve his doubts, because he knows this is true! I think he’s just scared to accept it, but don’t worry we’re going to help him this week!!

Trent asked me some questions, if you guys want to ask me questions maybe this is the best way?
1. What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten so far? - We eat the best food! The weirdest thing was “patas de pollo”, or chicken feet!
2. Have you had any more encounters with dogs lately? – yeah about everyday!! I’ve learned my lesson and now I carry a rock if they look like they’re going to chase us.
3. Has your love for spicy food increased or decreased since you´ve been in Mexico? – I don’t have a choice, its increased! We eat chile with every meal! I’ve even eaten part of a manzana, they say they’re more spicy than Habanero!
4. What percentage of your budget is used for ice-cream? Haha- Remember Belen and Diana? Me and Elder Sanders last baptism? Their mom has an ice cream shop and always gives us free ice cream!
5. How’s your Spanish? Are you starting to think in Spanish yet? – The people here tell me it’s good when I tell them I’ve only been here 5 months. I don’t know if they’re being nice or if they really think this white boy can speak Spanish! And yes I’m pretty sure I am thinking in Spanish because the other night Elder Mora said I sat up in my bed and started mumbling in Spanish! Haha

This week we have our Zone conference and interviews with President. I always look forward to that, I always learn so much!! I’ll tell you about it next week!

Well I have to go. Don’t forget to be an example to everyone! Missionary work is so easy, and we don´t know how many of our friends and neighbors are prepared and ready to hear the gospel. I’m thankful you guys are doing such an awesome job and helping out the missionaries!!
Con mucho amor,