GET THAT CORN OUT OF MY FACE! (NACHO)

Well we had changes last week andd...drum roll please.... I'm still here.I really thought I had a change, I even packed a little bit because packing for changes is probably the worst. but nope. no stress. 6 more weeks of ollantaytamboooooo. Hermana Davis and I have gotten a little down in the dumps and a little frustrated with the peeps here. Its like we find people and it all looks like its going great then we have the next appointment with them and they tell us basically that they want us to keep visiting them and teaching stuff about god but other then that they dont want to cumplir with anything! Its super dissappointing and thats probably happened 3 times this week. Theres really nothing we can do but keep working durazo and trust that we are making some kind of difference and doing what Heavenly Father wants us to.

            CHILLIN WITH OUR FRIEND TONY

So I have this book were I put "moments of the mish" and one of the moments of this past week was..

That moment when...you feel something brush by your backpack, you look down ...you got robbed. 

This past week they had the celebration bajada de reyes (coming of the wise men) with lots of chicha(an alcoholic drink they make here and everybody and their dog drinks and smells terrible) and they had bull fights and Hermana Davis and i stopped to see the hollabaloo and bam..got robbed. lost 36 soles but luckily(tender mercy) it wasn't my wallet that had my credit cards and ID. But I did loose my cool llama wallet:(

another moment

that moment when...there's a cockroach in your shoe...

        I FOUND THIS COCKROACH IN MY SHOE

This week we went to go visit a less active Hermana Felicita, not sure if I've told you about her but shes a lil old and coo coo, like the other day talking about her evil neighbors she was swearing and then during the prayer she started whispering about her neighbors to Hermana Davis ha ha but she's super sweet and funny. But we arrive and shes about to leave to go get firewood and I was like "ya lets go!" so we go all the way down to the train station that goes to machupichu with her (10 minute walk from the house), and start to gather wood by the side of the train tracks and she starts making big ol piles and Hermana Davis and I are like "how in the world are we going to carry all this all the way back home"...like panais..on our backs! So if you can just picture us 2 missionaries with Hermana Felicita  with a HUGE bundles of firewood on our back and just as we are about to leave here comes the train with a big ol load of tourists...perfect timing. so walking through the station we got people taking pictures, we got people laughing...we were quite the tourist attraction. I really don't know how I walked with all that wood all the way home and with my backpack that weighs a ton...felt like a pioneer. but we did it. and it was awesome. #noregrets.

                          TOURIST ATTRACTION

So its the season of the corn here in the Sacred Valley. which mean lots of choclo with fresh cheese....LOTS. Choclo is like corn but with kernals are big and thick. If the rice didn't get me, or the papas or the panetone...this choclo will be the end of me. 

Hey guess what....WERE GOING TO MACHUU PICHUU!! at the end of this change, so like February 17ish! Hermana Davis and I decided to take advantage that we are in the most closest sector in the mission to machu pichuu and instead of having to wake up at 2 in the morning like everyone else from Cusco, we just gotta hop out of our beds and catch the bus!. were excited. 

     MY PENSIONISTA MADE ME THIS SKIRT

                                  AFTER CHURCH

Even though its gotten a lil hard with the work here,(president didn't say this was the hardest sector as a joke) I know we are here for a reason. I'm so grateful for the help I get from the Lord. everyday walking from appointment to appointment I get to thinking...what am I going to say?? I'm just a little girl! I don't even know these people! I don't know what they need! and I feel a little like Nephi going back to Jerusalem without the slightest idea what hes going to do but knowing that heavenly father commanded it and therefore has provided a way. And that's the absolute truth, somehow everything works out in the end and we get through it and he fills my mind and mouth with the words. and Its like that in every aspect of my life. I'm SO weak but hes making me stronger. Were always telling people to trust in the Lord and to put their confidence in him and to be patient an have faith in the trails..I think its time to apply that to myself!! 

Love this gospel. I would be nothing without it and I pray that these people can get the change to hear it, to understand it, and to feel Heavenly Father's hand in their lives as I've seen in mine. 

love you guys!!! 

xoxoxox

WE MADE IT !!

Hermana Rasmussen

GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT MISSION

DING DONG THE FLEAS ARE DEAD (FOR NOW)

well I really have no idea how to start this email. holidaywoobywatty??

umm first Christmas!! it was awesome talking to you guys. that was probably the best thing that happened all day, that and eating tacos. I forgot how much I just miss hanging out with you guys and talking about lyfe. 

well Christmas started and we woke up and I wrapped Hermana Davis presents and went downstairs and my  pensionista was like "wow there's a present for you by the tree, who could I be from??" ha ha she so cute. then we ate breakfast normal, for traditions sake I ate panetone and hot chocolate they made and ate the night before, it was cold and kinda chunky but hey...that's become my new normal. The night before they wanted us to join in on the fiesta at 12 and eat fried chicken and all that good unhealthy Peruvian stuff but my comp was sick throwing up and I was tired from trying to find people who weren't home all day so we stuck to the rules slept... until like 1 when I was woken up by the fiesta and fireworks that sounded like the revolutionary war. 

Happy NEW YEARs! wow 2014 seemed super long and SO many things happened! I'm a new person and it's wonderful. 

well new years eve the son of our laundry lady Hermana Victoria (they are members) who lives right next to us had his baptism. They are passing through a rough patch right now, her husband who is also a member has now seemed to joined to dark side of the force so we're just trying to help her out and give her support and  the days before we taught her son Diego about baptism and el espiritu santo and Hermana Davis and I did the program for the baptism and we did a special musical number, a cool mash up of I like to look for rainbows and I feel my Saviors love" with her playing her ukelele and me singing. keeping in line with Peruvian tradition the baptism that was supposed to start at 6...started at 8. cause we had to wait for the priesthood to show up and be witness. 

The dad never showed up but all went well and it was super cute and spiritual. and one of the best parts was a recent convert teenager Yohann who has been on the fence for a while gave a talk and him and lil Diego are like best friends so that was really awesome, he was super nervous but did goood. and now is going to bless the sacrament this sunday. So that makes us super happy. 

So here in Peru they wear yellow for new years as good luck...but what I didn't know was that yellow underwear is a bigger tradition. so outside of the market everywhere you turned there's yellow underwear...., every type, for every age, for every size....YELLOW UnDERwear!!!! ha ha one  of the elders bought a pair for his companion as a joke. 

But that night also was the activity in the church for new years but obviously we couldn't stay but all the missionaries we grabbed the snacks and hit the rode even though everyone wanted to dance, we resisted. it was actually super late and we still had travel back to ollanta and it was raining super hard, so yet again we were outside of the gas station waiting for a combie from cusco to come and hitch a ride to ollanta. the Lord answers prayers and we found one. 

Not much else has happened..oh ya ha ha yesterday we were in a lesson with a less active girl we are rescuing (Dinnes) and this white lady comes to deliver something and shes dress like she grabbed every random possible thing at DI and put it on, and were just sitting there and shes at the door and Dinnes is like oh these are the missionaries, and She looks at us like we have a disease and is like "oh ohhh  I know ya I'm good with my path I'm a sociologist (or something like that), I'm anti missionary I know all about mormons, ya like don't pray for me or anything" like super freaked out... O_o  and me and Hermnana Davis are just like calm down lady we haven't even said anything! but you know what we did that night?....we prayed for her ha ha. 

this is the last week of the change the days are long and the week s are flying by. I really hope I don't get a change next week, my comp keeps saying I'm headed for Puno...NOOooo. its gotten really cold here and rainy and I feel like a bear that just wants to hibernate in a cave for a few months...so I mean if I'm feeling that here I can't imagine what I will feel down there. I dunno we'll see what happens. #prayforme 

well that's all for now folks. The gospel is the best thing in the entire world and is the only safe path in this world of SO problems and worries and only through Jesus and his expiation will we truly find peace and lasting happiness in this life and blessings that Heavenly Father wants to give us so bad but can't until we show our obedience and faith. 

have fun in the snow. aw I miss seeing Mia eat the snow and run around and be a weirdo. Love youuuuu

new years kisses

Hermana Rasmussen

p.s I think my paneton streak has ended. I'm pretty sure I overdosed last night...I never want to see another piece of paneton for the rest of my life. 

OOOO.....AHHHH.....MMMMMM...THAT'S IT I'M NOT GOING

6:30 jazzercise...7;30...dinner with me...I can't cancel that again!

I'm booked

HEY....I'm 20....gimme a woot woot. 

this morning the elders bought a cake and of course as tradition...smashed my face in it. I literally couldn't breath there was cake all up in my nostrils ha ha ew. And the hermanas made me my name baked from snicker doodles ha ha luuv it. Its the first time outside doesn't look like a snow globe and is as cold as death on my birthday, so I'm kinda liking this warm weather thing. 

well we had our Christmas program with prez which was bunches of fun. our district sang a special musical number with this cool member who plays like 50 instruments and played the cool Peruvian flute WHILE playing the guitar while we singed angels we have heard on high. I dunno I was pretty dang impressed ha ha.  we ate pizza and cake and then we played a cool game. so everybody in the zone had to buy a gift of 10 soles or less and we all sat in a circle with president read the night before Christmas(read in Spanish)  and every time he said my or mine in the story you had to pass your present to the right and when he read you or your, you passed it to the left. and when he said a word like santa or elf there were some presents with a sticky note and if you had that present you could switch presents with anyone. So I bought from a recent convert who has a cool handy craft store a sweet real rabbits foot key chain and Inca cola and some chocolate and i wrapped it SUPER girly and with pink ribbon and Barbie wrapping paper ha ha and ALL the elders wanted my present ha ha Classic. but of course I ended up with....a box of rocks and....a sling...ha ha typical elder move. then we had the spiritual Christmas program and sang a whole bunch and felt the spirit a whole bunch more. 

There was the baptism of the son of the president of the branch and 2 seconds before elder zerillo is like hey wanna give a talk? ....typical elder move. So I talked about el espiritu santo (holy ghost). then as a district we sang a special musical number, as my lovely district gave me a nice solo at the end....and Then we had a Christmas-ish activity with the ward and it started at 5 which in Peruvian standard time actually started at 7 and the preparations didn't start till 6:30 so  I played Christmas hymns while everything was being prepared and then they are like hey Hermana Rasmussen sing something while we wait... so I sang. its just been a big week of singing. but its fun and I love it. 

Even though it does not feel like Christmas or diciembre here at all...feels more like mid march early April ha ha...well apart from the Christmas tree made from sprite bottles in the plaza ha ha classic Peru, I have love love loved the opportunity to get to know my savior more and feel study and teach the insurmountable importance of his life and  example and role he and his gospel has in our salvation. he is literally EVERYTHING. with out him we are NOTHING. He is the savior of the world the king of kings the prince of peace, and yet was born in a humble stable and led his life in pure perfect service and never searched or seeked glory not the least bit but always glorified his father. I love my savior more then I can put into words, my soul really does hunger for the day that I can see his smile and feel his warm loving embrace. lets just remember to be happy and relax remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas

I'm so excited to talk to you goof facess!!!

if you say so much as one syllable I'll HUNT YOU down and gut you like a fish....i f was want to fax me press the star key.

more Christmas kisses

Love Hermana Rasmussen

p.s "this is not pudding....WHAT is it!?

AT LAAAAST MY LOVE HAS COME ALONG......PANETON

So...just a suggestion...the next time you watch jungle book, pay extra close attention to baloo the bear when he gives the instructions on how to pick a prickly pear....because hes not kidding. So in Spanish prickly pear is Tuna which grows on cactus, and if you remember my shpeel on how I'm always on the lookout for fruta gratis (free fruit)so finally while Hermana Davis and I were in rumira(a lil pueblo like 1 mile away from the house) Hermana Davis spotted a ripe tuna! so she carefully picked it and gave it to me, and me being super patient I dived in totally ignoring the fact that it was a prickly pear...emphasis on the prickly....long story short, yes I ate it but had little tiny thorns all up in my fingers and one in my lip which Hermana Davis gladly took out ha ha but then I had to walk the long trip home with my hands in the air like a surgeon before surgery. Hermana Davis had a good laugh #cactusbutt #lionking. when we got home Hermana Juana and Hermana Vicky had to take them all out with tweezers, it didn't really hurt at all it was all just kinda funny. but next time I know just to use the paw....have I given you a clue?




Hermana Juana helping me to get the thorns out

Well the truth is it does not feel like Christmas time. half the time I forget its diciembre and its flying by so fast! basically we are going to blink and tomorrow is Christmas. So here they really don't have any strong traditions they just eat paneton y chocolatada(hot chocolate that is just average)  on Christmas eve but paneton....I didn't like it much in the house but here...its SO GOOOD and fresh and mmm mmm. if I wont get fat from the mountain of rice they feed me why not just put a slab of paneton to go with it. I wont complain. 

ME GRUMPY BECAUSE IT WAS TOO COLD

So the weather here is being SO WEIRD. literally one second it feels like Quillamba and the next it feels like I'm about to go into a depression because its so cold. The other day it was nuts, so it was super hot and i was super happy and then all of a sudden the wind picked up and we look a here comes the scariest darkest rain clouds you have ever seen so we book it towards the house and just when we get to our street it starts HAILING like big ol ice chunkies that hurt so we are screaming and running to the house (not the first time). Hermana Juana said that there has never been weather like that in ollanta since shes lived here and im pretty sure that's a long time cause shes  like the grandmother willow of ollanta and EVERYbody knows her. ha ha every one keeps saying it was being the people of ollanta are so bad that the weather is like this ha ha I wouldn't be surprised.  

Well so we have started to have noche de hogares(fhe) here for the people in ollanta and it takes all of our power to get people to come and this last one was pretty much a miracle. so usually we have a lesson with a couple that we are teaching and then they come with us to the noche de hogar but this last week we had the lesson and then after they were like syc! we cant come...but maybe we can come later...  -_- noooo! so we went to the house and like no one was there so I went to the bathroom and i just prayed like PLEASE have people show up, then since no one was there Hermana Davis and I went to buy milk for the hot chocolate and when we got back BANG miracle a whole bunch of people show up that have never come to our noche de hogares. Hermana Davis and I were just like whaaaaat is happening  O_O  then we had a nice lil lesson and a fun game of hot potato and then our investigator couple showed up. I knew it was a prayer answered. god is definitely a god of miracles

well this is my last week being a teenager... this whole teenager thing been fun  but I'm ready to be big girl now ha ha 

the church is true. don't doubt it....EVER....or I WILL hunt you down and gut you like a fish!

holiday kisses

Hermana Rasmussen

p.s drink a whole gallon of egg nog for me 

p.p.s 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN THE MAN. you are awesome and I'm just a lucky gal to have a bro as kewl and as yewl. keep it fresh;) 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Thanksgiving was pretty awesome. we went to the cute lil house of the gringo family the Pierces, and somehow they found a turkey in cusco...which was cooked like a dream and we had mashed potatoes and gravy and fruit salad, salad, chibata bread, and stuffing! (martha stewart worthy), cake and icecream and we made banana bread. So all in all I would say it was a very fruitful thanksgiving, I couldn't have asked for anything better except to be with all of you crazy people. 

We did a scavenger hunt for the kids here and it was pretty fun, kinda stressful, especially when these kids are sometimes...a struggle...but I'm sure they had fun. the best part was at the end of the scavenger hunt when we had the kids looking for the "treasure" (candy) that we buried in the patio of my pensionista, and me and Hermana Davis were inside waiting for the other group of kids to come back and we go outside and all the kids are holding hands and dancing ha ha Hermana Juana (our pensionista) was making them dance before getting the treasure ha ha ha it was a great sight. 

we had the primary program which I played the piano for which really turned out a miracle. during the practices these are types of the things Hermana Davis and i would say...

"wow we are not going to have kids....ever...."

"I hope I NEVER get called as primary president"

ha ha but alas came sunday and the program literally went Perfectlyyy and even the songs I was really bad at playing went fine...Hermana Davis and I were like "what is going on" 

God really is a God of miracles, and I had an epiphany about the children. this week talking to a lot of people and having a lot of people reject us and be super stubborn in their ways, we really do need to be like little children and humble ourselves like it says in Mathew  "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven"and its so true! during our activities with the kids every week when we teach the kids how to pray and stuff they just accept it and DO it, and then when we teach adults some literally REFUSE to do it! I have learned that we have to be humble and submit ourselves to Heavenly Father's will even when its hard to accept or when His will requires some sort of sacrifice on our part. the first law of heaven is obedience and obedience requires humility.

Its the start of the BEST time of the year!!!!!!!! we have been singing christmas hyms everyday for a couple of months now but now its official haha

love yall, and hope you have a amazing first week of chirstams!!!!!

                                 PEASAC

kiss kiss

Hermana Rasmussen

BEARS....BEETS.....BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

I don't know  what to say about this week but this week but felt puuurty long.

We had a conference in Cusco and Elder David Evans came and talked to us, he is a general authority, the head of the missionary department I think? but anyways of course it was soops spiritual especially at the end of the conference when prez announced to us that he received the call that morning that his dad passed away, and he told us how it was expected but how every year for his birthday instead of getting his dad presents because he had everything, he would do one activity with his dad every month, and when he got called to be a mission president which was in the middle of the year he told his dad that when he got back they would finish the activities for the next 6 months, and he just told us about going through hard things and cherishing the relationships we have in this life and how we will have them in the next.

Of course all the sisters were sniffling and pretty sure the elders shed a few, the spirit was just so thick! and then of course I had the lovely pressure cough cough opportunity to give the closing prayer after that spiritual bomb feast. but all went well. it was fun to see everyone from my district in the ccm and my old comps...blast from the past. then after of course Hermana Davis and I went to dunkin donuts....while in cusco you just don't pass up super unhealthy american yummy food. that's just a rule while in Peru in general.

we had a "thanksgiving" activity here but after much deliberation about the activity and some argue about culture and customs they called it (translated) "share and give thanks". we made banana bread and may I just say D-lish. didn't last long. 

The "thanksgiving" dinner we had reminded me of charlie brown. I'll just say there was hot dogs, popcorn, jello ha ha. my favorite part was definitely at the end when the women went in with their bags to snatch the left overs.. typical Peruvians:) I might have or have not been part of the scrawl.. que puedo decir, es en mi sangre:) what can I say, its in ,my blood.

                 

THESE PICTURES REMINDS ME OF ANNE OF GREEN GABLES 

Us being super appy walking up a huge hill that we always have to hike up‏

OUTSIDE OUR DOOR

AND OUTSIDE OUR STREET

There's a gringo family in our ward who are going to live here for a couple of months and they invited us all the missionaries over for a real (well as real as we can get) thanksgiving dinner can I get a woot woot. we are so excited. 

Have an amazing thanksgiving week everybody get fat and happy Thursday and eat all the pie you could possibly eat for me and mom don't get too crazy on black Friday like we did last year...

kiss kiss

Hermana Rasmussen

BEAUTIFUL CUSCO PERU, A VERY SPECIAL PLACE

BEST MISSION IN THE WHOLE WORLD

Duck ready to fly

BREAK ME OFF A PIECE OF THAT ...FOOD BALL CREAM!....FANCY FEAST!!! NAILED IT

Sometimes I feel like frodoe in lord of the rings here. the mountains literally look like lord of the rings...its so cool. sometimes me and my comp just start humming lord of the rings cause it just makes sense to do so. 

I got sick last weekend, not sure with what but I was having chills and my stomach was doing weird stuff and I felt pretty poopy, then sunday came and the ride up to church was not the greatest and when we got there  during reunion sacramental my body was like "nu-uh we wanna go home!" so we were on our way home and first of all we had the worst seats in the van, the ones that were facing the back of the car and so i'm just sitting there closing my eyes trying to forget my life and I start feeling light headed and then my ears plugged up and everything started going white... and I was like oh dang I'm gonna pass out. then my comp starts asking me if I'm ok and I'm like um I'm going to pass out and shes like "ummm well that's not good,  umm..." and she just puts her arm across me.  so just by that answer I knew she would not know what to do if i did pass out, and then that would leave me in a big van in the hands of a bunch of Peruvian farm peeps... so I prayed like cray cray that I would not pass out and I started breathing super deep and put my hands above my head to get my blood moving? not really sure I was just trying everything I've ever heard of that helps, so for a bit everything was white and I could not see Anything and I couldn't hear anything...so for a while it was quite terrible. but by the grace of a loving heavenly father my vision cleared up and I could hear just as we pulled into ollantaytambo, and somehow I made up the cobble stone streets to the house and to my bed. #tendermerciiiiii 

so after feeling like dog poop  (which there is SO much of here) im all good now. 

I had a real cool like spiritual power flow the other morning during personal study while reading Alma 26. and lately its been a little bit hard, well the truth is missions are always hard but especially with being sick I was just feeling kinda worn out but while i was reading this chapter where Alma and talking about and rejoicing in the experience he and his bretheren had preaching the gospel to the lamanites even though it was super duper hard and they and "their hearts were depressed" at times but the lord told them to have patience in all the hard things they were going through and it was like a spiritual wall just hit me and I could feel SO strongly that heavenly father loves me and is aware of me, and then I felt so strongly the love he has for the people here in ollanta, and really we have a purpose here and its to help them all know that they too have a heavenly father who loves them.  that experience has really helped me keep on keeping on.

cool story so there's a lady who works in the plaza and sells touristy stuff and we would always see here going over there and visiting other people, and I don't know why but I would always see here and she would smile and after for like 2 weeks here face would just like come into my head at super random times, and i thought man we gotta talk to her somehow. then the other day she came into Hermana Juana's store and was talking to her and we were there and my comp just grabs my arm and is like ITS HER. and this lady se llama Edith, and she was telling Hermana Juana how we never have come to visit her and it was just so perfect my comp and I just stood there staring at her like "hark the herhald angels singgg haaaaleeluahhajaa!"  like in the best 2 years when the investigator calls after they are fasting all day. so we set up an appointment and we have had a couple of visits with her and so far so good so im excited to see what happens. 

SO crazy story...I finished 9 months!! say whaaaaa. 

I don't feel like it, I mean I just got here! but on the other hand these have been the longest 9 months of my life...basically I've been here for 9 years, but there is literally no where else I would rather be and that it the absolute truth. I'm here for a reason and I'm pretty sure its more to change my life then anybody else. I love to feel the spirit and I love that I can show how much I love Heavenly Father and the gospel by sharing it. I mean the other day we saw peeps de-corning?(taking all the little graduals off the corn) and I was like hey we,re going to help you! and we started and after getting to know them I was able to share really my testimony and really preach the gospel,  after just little experiences like that of sharing the message of the restored gospel you feel like a million bucks(the spirit) and its just like THIS is why I'm here and its AWESOME. no I'm not perfect at all, but you know, I can do what I can and what hes asked me to do to the best of my ability and He will take care of the rest. 

love you all so so ohhhhhh so much. BIG hugs...with out bed bugs.

kiss kiss 

Hermana Rasmussen

ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! what is it now 42? 43? I can never remember;) you are awesome and I miss you so much. cant say I miss you waking us up at 6 while yelling scripture power and playing charlie brown on the piano as much;) miss your thai food sooo much and nobody can do crapes here the way you do em. I made them the other and I couldn't stop saying "my dads are so much better" you are such an example to me in so many ways. you work so hard and I

I'm so grateful for the sacrfices you make and are making for me everyday of my life. LOVE YOU have an amzing day. go finishin and eat rice with a fried egg with a runny yoke:)