#tooblessedtostress

                                    You knew I would do this!


There's a scary red timer at the top of the screen and its stressing me out!!! i forget everything.

Is my fish literally dead?.....(moment of silence) he died because he loved me so much I just know it.

Well the end of my first week of the CCM. I will say that as probably expected this week has been pretty rough but I'm all gewwd. ha ha dad and Raquel remember what happened when i got stressed about college? ya it happened again ha ha. Its crazy its like starting college all over again and feeling stressed and behind and I finally realized that I was expecting myself to be fluent in Spanish and teaching lessons and I had only been here 3 days!!! its sounds so dumb when I say it but i really was doing that to myself so i got super stressed but once i realized it I calmed down.

nobody is  perfect...I gotta work it...Hannah Montana anyone?

 I love this place!!!

Not trying to sound like a brat I don't like the food/eat the food ha ha I'm just not a heavy food eater and every meal is like a huge piece of meat and rice and potatoes...no me gusta. and my body no likey. So i opt out with granola bars and trail mixes and, from my suit case and  if there's bananas, peanut butter, fruit and vegetables. sounds better then it is.

a whole bunch of people have gotten sick with stomach stuff here so then i REALLY don't want to take my chances so you can see how my choices are limited. but i will survive..hey hey..

                                             Love it!!

We went proselyting this week and it was SOOO awesome. Usually north armericanos are given a latina companion and were bused out to the Lima North Mission. But I got Hermana Johnson who's been here two more weeks than me and she is seriously SO awesome we got along so well and her Spanish was so freaking good. The whole experience just reminded me why I'm out here and it just totally about the people and serving them and serving in place of the Savior and I just love that. And being with Hermana Johnson helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel of how great it is when you mesh super well with a companion and how much you can grow. She was seriously my tender mercy this week.
Another one was on the bus ride home from proselyting and i talked to an elder from Honduras for like the whole 45 minute bus ride home all in Spanish!!! he knew a couple English words but it was seriously the best experience. He told me his story of how hes the only member in his family of 8 and his mom wouldn't sign his forms to go on a mission and hes only been a member for like 15 months! crazy crazy crazy. You're right dad i am so blessed and the lord has given me sooo much. #tooblessedtostress anyways at the end he told me how good my Spanish was and walking off the bus i realized what i had just done and it was just that extra push like guuurl anything is possible.

                                   Beautiful Lima-Peru Temple

Here is a couple things I've learned this week:

1. I'm a picky eater?...since when? now. but for good reason. nobody's got time for bathroom issues

2.I miss long hair. it was like my identity ha ha like Samson.

3. donde esta pizza?

I sleep on a top bunk for the first time in my life...don't freak out mom I'm fine I wont fall off! my companions think I'm crazy cause I LOVE physical activity. and when I do exercises in the room they give me strange looks but i am converting Hermana Tuft and we stretch together sometimes ha ha.

Line of the week:

Hermana Cunningham while someones eating chips..."mmmm I love the smell of pizza pringles. makes the room smell like a party"

I love and miss you all soooooo much but I  have to stop myself from thinking about it. Have a buena week don't yell or freak out! I'M EXCITED FOR LIFE!

hugs and snuggles

Hermana Rasmussen

My District

                                                                                                                                       

So I had this dream

2/17/14

So I had this crazy dream last night (like always) that I was 19 and decided to go Peru by myself and I forgot to bring my retainer...AHHHHHH

es no dream.

Well I made it, arrived, and got to bed at like 3 in the morning. The plane ride was not my favorite if you could imagine I sat next to Hermana Essig on both flights which was nice but I felt bad cause sometimes I would just shut down and stare out the window trying  to keep my nausea in check, the medicine made my air sickness better but not ALL the way better so I just tried to shut my eyes and think happy thoughts. So my bags are heavy..haha but every time I needed to move them someone was always there to help me!(tender mercy) Who knows how I'm going to handle them by myself but everything is possible if you just believe!

Seriously they aren't kidding when they say that the days feel like weeks because I've only been here two days and i feel like ive spent three years here! no joke. They have felt kinda rough for that reason but im alive and all es bueno.

I'm in a threesome with Hermana Tuft and a Hermana Wassom from Washington. the CCM is pretty dang nice compared to what were going to have in the field, Here en la CCM it feels like we are in a bubble and outside the walls is Peru, half the time I forget we are in Peru.

 DONT FLUSH HIM!! ohana means family you guys! ooooh my poor fish hes a fighter, I think hes bipolar. never underestimate the power of clean water. that statement translates to many situations especially in a foreign country.

They have this fruit called Granada or something like that and you smack it on the table to crack it open and it looks like slimy fish eggs inside. It takes pretty OK but apparently it helps your bathroom trips become frequent (TMI?) but I guess I need it.... so I will be eating Granadas  everyday.  Ummm the food? well there's always rice I try and always eat all the vegetables they have available and I don't eat the bread or a lot of the desserts or they would have to roll me out of here.

They have a new mtc president elder Gonzalez, He looks just as confused as I do so that's good were on the same page.

I Saw Seth Fankhouser!!! it made me sooooo happpy. tender mercy moment cause these days haven't been the easiest and just talking to him when i can just gives me that little piece of home I need to get me through the day.  

I can tell I'm getting awkward already, on the bus ride from the airport I sat next to the one elder that flew in with us from Atlanta and the car ride was bumpy (crazy Peruvian drivers) and so you bump into the person next to you and when that would happen its like NOOO don't touch me!!! haha not that bad but It was funny.

Our first Spanish class was yesterday(3 years ago it feels like) and I can understand like 87 percent of what the teachers say but speaking and explaining things i feel like I'm learning Chinese! my new phrase for when i don't know what to say is ¡si se puede¡ which means YOU CAN DO IT! (say with an latino accent) 

I didn't think that my need for alone time and independence would be a problema here but i never realized that you are stuck to your companions hip like Mia is stuck on mom, hahaha but seriously its kinda hard sometimes. Our schedules are all messed up because our district has been coming at different times on the different flights due to the flight delay So i never know whats going on.

My straightener is being weird and only goes to 20 degrees, I don't think I have the right converter or adapter? I'm just so confused on that whole subjecto. So my hair es no bueno right now, I probably look like a jungle child.

Its humid here and really warm especially today and I LOOOVE IT!!!!  no more purple dry hands and red noses! I'm the only one not sweating, my body is finally at a normal temperature!

Yes i miss you guys sooooooooo much I didn't think i would as much as I do haha but I DO!!!! Push Mia over for me and run around the house with a treat in your hand so she doesn't get restless and MORE crazy than usual. Mom, my retainer? want to put it in the sheets package for the mission home? hopefully I don't look like quasimoto after 6 weeks without it. And if you need an idea of stuff to put in my packages put granola bars!!!!( my other main food group)

There are a couple of letters on my bed or somewhere in my room if you may can you send them? and put my ipod en una safe place cause half of my life in pictures is on there.

Sorry no photos this week we can't unless it's on p day. We went to the temple today! and saw the temple president and I said: presidente potticolo..I forgot his name but I went up to him and I thought he didn't speak English so I started talking to him like a gringo and he's just like...you can speak in English...OK! but ya I saw him. we went to the metro today and I bought PEANUT BUTTER!!!(one of my main food groups) and quaker instant oatmeal, I was SOOOO happy!!!! So today I ate a banana and peanut butter for lunch cause I just couldn't bring myself to eat chicken and french fries cause its soo hot outside which I love. never underestimate the power of a banana and peanut butter. never.

(A big Hug to MAMA i miss your hugs SOOO much it makes me want to cry every time I think about it)

photos next week

peace out girl scout (peace sign, kissy face)

Hermana Rasmussen (hard to pronounce for latinos)

HOLAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

2/17/14

HOLAAAAAAAAA!!!! ladies and gentlemen...i made it. I havent read your emails yet but they are just giving us 5 minutes to give our dues. Im pretty sure the flat iron is broken... more on that tomorrow. Love you all SOOOOO much its insane. so much soudageezzzz.

con mucho amor

Hermana Ramussen

Hola...from America?

Well if things had gone according to plan I would be enjoying my first full day of the Lima MTC. But...Heavenly Father had a different plan.
So..funny story. Tuesday night I was set apart and later that evening as I was stress-fully doing all the things that you naturally put off till the last second like packing and pigging out on all the ice-cream that I would miss oh so much... my dad had the thought to check the status of my connecting flight to Atlanta due to the super bad weather down there.
Low and behold my flight was CANCELED.
After same confusion and phone calls to the church, and calls to the airlines, and calls to the other missionaries who were scheduled on the same flight as me, I am now booked to leave on Saturday!
 I cant lie, I was QUITE relieved.
Now I could finally do all the little things I just never had the time to do (aka procrastinated) and work off all the ice-cream that I had just gorged myself on, woot woot!
So here I am stranded in America.

Till Next Time (waving from my window)

~Hermana Rasmussen~

Here are some of my favorites from a missionary photo shoot with Emilie Ann Photography with my friend Morgan who is called to serve in Guatemala!

My Farewell Talk

Hola me llamo Camille Rasmussen me gusta taco bell, donde esta el bano…and that’s about as far as I can go. If the gift of tongues is real then hopefully a year and a half from now I can tell you more. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Camille Rasmussen and I have been called to serve for a period of 18 months in the Peru Cusco mission. I want to rewind to my life about 9 months ago. I was standing in Cusco Peru having a conversation with my brother Scott when he asked me if I (like him) would want to serve my mission in Peru? I responded “mmya but It would have to be in Cusco” well I guess someone was listening. Forward 6 months later and my call had finally come, while reading my call I knew I wanted to look and see where I would be serving before saying it out loud to my friends and family, so when I read The Peru Cusco Mission a flood of thoughts and feelings ran through my head, besides the fact that my mom is from Peru and my brother served in the same area, and we as a family had been there 6 months prior I knew in that moment that my call was inspired by God and was of no coincidence

I would like to start with a scripture Alma 37:6 “ Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass,” So what are the simple things and what great things can they bring to pass in our lives. The answer is quite simple and seems to be the answer to every starting question of every Sunday school lesson, Prayer, Daily Scripture study, Choosing the right. President Monson said

“ these suggestions are not new, they have been taught and repeated again and again if we incorporate them into our lives however, we will have the strength to withstand the adversary, Should we ignore them we will be opening the door for Satan to have influence and power over us,”

Let’s start with Daily Scripture study: Now I will admit that I am no poster child for scripture study. When I was younger I remember hearing those stories where people would be flipping through the scriptures and they would stop on a random page and a verse would be highlighted that had the answer to all their life’s problems. SO naturally my scripture study would consist of me opening up to a random page and waiting for concourses of angels to sing hallelujah while I read the solution to my life’s woes. Sadly it did not work like that and I would end up turning to the exciting chapter where omner begat Kish and kish begat riplakish and riplakish begat kishkumen and so on. Well I am happy to announce as of last week I don’t do that anymore. (haha just kidding dad) We are taught of great spiritual and temporal blessings we receive through consistent scripture study. With consistent (key word consistent) scripture study we are laying the foundation upon which are testimonies may grow and flourish. I love the analogy Elder Bednar made when he said

"if you and I are focused and frequent in receiving consistent drops of spiritual nourishment, then gospel roots can sink deep into our soul, can become firmly established and grounded, and can produce extraordinary and delicious fruit,”

Wasn't it the best feeling when in school the teacher would announce that the test was an open book test. Well brothers and sisters life is an open book test and that book is the scriptures. Heavenly father sent us with a manual on how to navigate through this mortal probation and return safely to his presence. Daily scripture study may seem a small and simple thing but it has the power the change our lives and the lives of our families.

Next daily prayer: I seriously LOVE prayer. wow what an amazing gift that is. Not only do we have the scriptures to help guide us through life but we have a 2 way communication to our heavenly father, our creator, who has a plan for us and wants us to succeed. President monsoon councils “To those within the sound of my voice who are struggling with challenges and difficulties large and  small, prayer is the provider of spiritual strength; it is the passport to peace. Prayer is the  means by which we approach our Father in Heaven, who loves us. Speak to Him in prayer  and then listen for the answer. Miracles are wrought through prayer.”

Lastly Choosing the right every day. Well that sounds simple enough. Yet the consequences of not doing so can bring us farther from the lord then we would ever want to be. Elder L. Whitney Clayton said:

“Keep your spiritual compasses before you constantly. Watch them carefully. Don’t allow yourself even a single degree of deviation from the strait and narrow path. An error of just a degree or two will make a huge difference over time,”  

Here is an example Elder Uchtdorf would use to teach young pilots this principle "Suppose you were to take off from an airport at the equator, intending to circle the globe, but your course was off by just one degree. By the time you returned to the same longitude, how far off course would you be? A few miles? A hundred miles? The answer might surprise you. An error of only one degree would put you almost 500 miles off course."

President Hinckley states that it “is the way with our lives. Instead of following a steady course we [can] be pulled from our original destination. If the movement ever so small is continued that very small movement becomes a great gap and we find ourselves far from where we intended to go.”

Doing these things is easier said than done. The trick is to make it a habit “we 1^st make our habits then our habits make us” Everyone including myself find it a constant struggle to make these things an integral part of our day to day lives but they are essential if we want to stay on the straight and narrow. Elder Uchtdorf councils

“try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you”

I have been so blessed to have been taught the small and simple things through primary, Sunday school, and young women lessons. I want to thank all my teachers throughout the years in this ward. Im sorry for all the times I was Chatty Kathy during lessons which seemed to occur too often but your example and effort and love was felt. There are so many in this ward who have been such examples to me who probably don’t even know it but your faithfulness in your callings and acts of quiet service do not go unnoticed and has taught me what it is to be true disciples of Christ.

Heavenly father has blessed me with some of the greatest friends who are examples to me every day and truly make me strive to be a better person.

I am So grateful for my parents who have done and sacrificed so much for me and are the reason I'm standing here today. And for my siblings who have become some of my best friends, I know I can be sassy with them and they are forced to be by my side everyday, that’s the great things about families through good and bad days they’re forever.

I am most grateful to my father in heaven and for my savior Jesus Christ who suffered all because he loves us and I feel that love everyday in the world around me. I'm so grateful for my heavenly father for giving me a chance to bring the good news of the gospel to the Peruvian people. Even though I feel SO incredibly inadequate, I'm just a 19 year old girl who can barely kill a spider by herself but I'm willing and I have faith that the lord will shape me into the servant he needs me to be. I pray that we may remember that we have the good news of the gospel in our lives today and if we only remember to do the small and simple things then the greatest blessing heavenly father has to give may to come to us and our families.