PARA, PARA, PARADISE..........PARTII

Can I just start by saying I LOVE QUILLABAMBA. I love it! I forgot how much I loved and missed it. the climate the people the place EVEYTHING!!!!. I'ts gorgeous and the weather was perfect of course. I was super super super happy. 

                 quillabamaba

when we got there I was on cloud nine I couldn't stop smiling. I got to visit my converts and people that i love so much and it was seriously amazing.

I realized this week more the ever that I love being a missionary! its one of the most amazing opportunities that Heavenly Father has ever given to be and I'm so happy! it was so fun to see Hermana Roxana my old pensionista:) she made my favorite food and even tried to make a cake cause she knows how much I love cake but she was super angry cause it burned ha ha 

I really love my crazy quillabambinans. 

HERMANA ROXANA MY OLD PENSIONISTA

Even though there were some intersting problems with the sisters there in quilla and my comp and I have never been so stressed out in our lives it was an amazing experience. So we got back to cusco saturday like at 5  just in time for me to sing at a baptism. i think we are still recovering from the lack of rest last week. after a week of sleeping on the floor...your body kinda hurts.

   OUR THRONES

 But I KNOW that it was a blessing. 

we got to go back and visit the people and place we love. 

love you all 

xoxox

Hermana Rasmussen

HELLO!!!!

Sorry not a lot of time to send the big email but I promise next week a reeeeal good one. 

Thank you for all your prayers. I need them. I pray for every single one of you guys everyday

Love you all tons!!

Hermana Rasmussen xxx0000

A COOKIE AND A KISS

well as predicted conference was THE BOMB!!

Heydad...temple....Thailand....WHAT!!!! that is SOOOOO awesome!! can we go to the dedication....pweeeeze:)

             A PACKAGE FROM HOME

Well this week we were in Abancay visiting the hermana leaders there and like I said last week it was a 6 hour bus ride...almost threw up but survived.

Aabancay is literally like San Francisco. HIlls. hills and more hills. the calf's of the sisters there are ripped. But it was great.

                

WINNIE THE POOH IN ABANCAY!!!   

I worked with hermana Chipunavi from Bolivia, she is one of the best missionaries I know my favorite part of the day was when during one of our lessons a little girl went to the stove grabbed the pot of rice sat down and started stuffing her face with the big spoon with rice....haha  only in south america #loveit  but by the end of the day I was dead and slept like a rock and the great thing is that Abancay has fleas....yep...I have fleas...otra vez..(again).

Friday we picked up hermana Florian (my sister in the mish, we have the same trainer) she came from Juliaca and is finishing her mission so its been fun the to be in trio these last couple of days. but this week with the visits to Abancay and conference we've had about zero time to work in the sector.

 

               HERMNA FLORIAN

But good news! so changes are today (we dont have changes) and we are only going to be visiting the sisters here in cusco and....QUILLABAMBA!!  I'm going back to  the mother land!!!!!!! which also means less traveling for us which means more time in the sector! we are pretty happy about it.

 

lunch we went to Bembos and pink berry...that's kinda the perk here in cusco. there is food that is actually prettty real like CHILIES! we like chilies its only a tad bit expensive but its worth every penny. 

                   

                      

                     Pink Berry

love you all tons!!

xoxoxo

Hermana Rasmussen 

KEEP CALM AND.......WATCH G-CONF!!!!!

well this week has been kinda longish. 

we had interviews with prez and of course they were awesome. he talked a lot about the doctrine of Christ and how really the whole point of living the doctrine of Christ is to have the spirit. that should really be the main focus of our lives to have the spirit cause if we have the spirit today we are going to be able to endure to the end today and the next day and the next until eternal life and really the gospel is all connected and its so awesome and important!! 

He also told me: "your twin the other hermana Rasmussen is engaged" wahhhh . Its kinda funny cause I'm the second hermana Rasmussen sister leader in san Jeronimo, so some people get pretty confused cause they see my name and are like another one?

I joke that I'm her resurrected, in her glorified and perfected form haha.. 

we did splits this week with a compeñonship here in cusco and I got to work with the beautiful hermana Hollingshead (she was literally a Disney princess in Florida and in Tokyo...no biggie) and we had a great time working together, I was kinda scared cause I really don't know my sector well and she stayed with me in the sector while hermana urgarte worked in their sector. but as always the Lord helped and we had things to do like sort potatoes...Peru isn't Peru without potatoes....or rice...or pollerias and oil.

                 SISTER HOLLINGSHEAD AND I                   SORTING PAPAS

 

Yesterday was kinda  hard day of work for us we literally walked for hoursss haha and we had citas fijas but everybody failed us! and we even had a member with to accompany us... classic but at the end of the day walking back to the house my feet were super tired and nose almost  frostbitten hermana ugarte and I realized that we should see the miracles and we named all the miracles of the day like how our investigator who's going to get baptized el 11 came to church! and how we needed to contact 7 families to meet our contacting goal and we actually found 9 and a couple of them actually have potential. I learned that finding joy in the journey is actually really good advice, that if we can pay more attention to the roses instead of the thorns we are naturally just going to be more happy and really see that Heavenly father is blessing us even when at times it seems that he is not. 

Tomorrow we are going to Abancay for visits at 6 in the morning for a nice 5 hour bus ride...woot woot! #prayforme -_-

 hug hug kiss kiss 

hermana rasmussen

craving of the week:

subway

PUERTO MALDONADO

well these last couple weeks have been a bit cray crazy. 
well last Monday went on splits with my beloved Hermana Essig in Tio which was really fun, love her so much. we have realized we have come a LONG way from the CCM...thank goodness. 


                             
                                             Sister Essig 

Then wendsday we had concilio with presidente which is a training meeting we have at the mission home with all the zone leaders and hermana leaders and prez and hermana harbertson.

Its awesome every time we get to hear prez talk, its just

like spiritual awesomeness coming out of his mouth every time. He talked a lot about obedience and also how everything we are learning here in the mish is going to help us out so much with whatever job were going to to do after.Its so true, there's rules and standards everywhere, school,  jobs, life and if we can't learn how to keep the rules here in the mish were not going to know how in other places.

Also we eat a SUPER yummy lunch, we had lagzañaaa and VEGGIEs!!! and cake and icecream... spiritually and physically fed to the MAX.

last week we also visited the hermanas in Puerto Maldonado (The Jungle).And like I said we had to go in plane and you all know how I am with planes...but I experienced a modern day miracle....the church is true and there really is nothing more american then apple pie. There can be miracleeees when you belieeeeeve(whitney houston voice)

but really I thought I would die on that airplane ride but....I didn't get sick, I didn't feel nauseated, ya sure it wasn't my favorite part of the week but I was fine and was able to work normally when we arrived and got back. 

             PUERTO MALDONADO

So Puerto Maldonado basically in the MIDDLE of the jungle and hotter than Africa. its like quillabamaba but MORE jungle and WAAY more hotter. When we arrived I got off the plane and thought the wing motor was blowing hot air and my thoughts exactly were ugh this is uncomfortable and kept walking away from the plane...it wasn't the plane. its super humid and hot. its like Florida and Hawaii combined. but I was super happy at least it wasn't cold cusco. Theres 2 companionship of sisters in Puerto so the first day I was with Hermana Tango( who I lived with in quilla) and it was really fun.

              PUERTO MALDONADO

Puerto is really different. everyone is more layed back and has a chill personality and everyone's house is out in the open and there's less clothes...but LOTS more fruit. I think I tried like 5 new fruits that I didn't even know existed. 

The second day I was with Hermana White and it was SO HOT, I have never sweated so much and I casi NUNCA sweat, so that just tells ya how hot it was. I drank like 8 glasses of refresco that day and only went to the bathroom once...where as here its like I drink a little glass of water and I gotta go 5 minutes later. But it was a cool experience, I'm excited to go back and visit.

                WITH SISTER TANGO

Then this week we were in Urubamba visiting the sisters there and seeing as how they are now visiting ollantaytambo I worked with hermana Minaya todo el dia (all day) in my good old Ollanta. Hermana Juana (my other mother) was sooooper happy and made my favorite lunch colifor rebosado with palta(shes the best) and I was able to visit a couple of people, of course a ton of people weren't home..typical ollanta but it was fun being in old territory.

I really like visiting the Other hermanas but it gets kinda hard cause we are not in our sector as much as I would like. I'm still getting to know people and getting to know my Ginormous sector and the change is almost done and it seems I've only been in the sector 2 weeks... but the Lord will help us out. 

This morning at 2 in the morning we had to drop of my comp to go to machu pichu so I'm kinda tired and its not the first time I've had to wake up before the sun this week(taking sisters to the airport)...then today I visited the ruins of ollanta wiht the hermanas I live with which was much fun. 

                                                          

               TODAY IN OLLANTAYTAMBO

well love you all hope your lives are as crazy as mine...it makes life that much more interesting. 

xoxoxo

Hermana rasmussen

                WITH MY COMP 

quote of the week:

hermana azevdo who I live with: yo quiero mis poop cats 

(trying to say kittens, thinking about puppies) 

craving of the week: apple pie and home made quesadillas in the microwave

                                            BEAUTIFUL JUNGLE

Saksaywaman (sexy woman)

  Beautiful Saksaywaman fort



Well this morning all sisters in our room woke up at 3:30 to go to Saksaywaman (sexy women not sure how to spell it but how its pronounced) so that we could get in for free...we got there at like 4:30 and had to wait there until the same sort of came up at 6... it was So cold as you can see in the pictures I am Rudolf. um it was cool...I dunno after waking up to ruins outside my window everyday for six months....ruins are ruins... but after we waited in the plaza of armas for like an hour waiting for McDonald to open...ya its not the same. its funny how at the house the last thing I wanted to eat was donuts and MacDonalds and everything fried and delicious  and here its like the heavens have opened when we can eat that stuff. the mish changes ya.

Did I ever tell how hna Juana bought a cuy for us our last week in ollanta. ya she bought it LIVE. and we had fun watching her skin it and clean its innerds....blahghsdjk super gross but YOMO(you only mission once) 

I have to say cuy is not my fav....and the insides less... 

HOW TO FIX AND EAT A CUY

Well cusco is treating me good, even though I've learned to not trust the weather AT ALL. The clouds have become my enemies. The sun tries So hard to come out and the clouds are like oh hey you wanna make hermana rasmussen happy? NOPE. #thatsmylife

                          

                                                           VALLE SAGRADO

 Hey did you know prez and hermana Harbertson go to my ward? so that's kinda neat to see them, it kinda helps cause it makes us be on time haha

This next week we are going to visit the Hermanas in Puerto Maldonado (jungle)...so I'm excited except for the fact that we have to take a 45 min air plane ride...just thinking about it gives me the vomits. #prayforme 

We do work visits with hermanas in Abancay, here in cusco, urubamba, and Puerto Maldonado. I'm really excited cause I have SO much to learn from these amazing sister. 

This week all the sisters in my house were sick at one time or another,throwing up or toilet troubles or both  haha poor things, well all except me. I have learned that if I don't eat SalchiPapa (fried hot dog and potatoes that everyone and their dog eats here) and I eat my fruit and oatmeal and do my weird exercises every morning, I don't get sick. Ya my nose is always runny but that's just cause its freezing. when it gets really bad I stick hand-warmers in my bed before I go to sleep. I'm probably exaggerating..but its really cold...for ME. 

So like I said my sector is GIGANTIC, I haven't even seen the half of it, and we take a LOt of buses...not my fav I've  gotta say but its life. We walk a lot cause buses cost and exercise makes ya happy. walking more we contact more families, most of which reject us like its their day job but Nooormalllll. we WILL find you peeps who are ready to hear the gospel!! were gonna getcha getcha getcha one way or another..(like the song)

I'm happy, a bit stressed,but with a good stress. 

love you all, hope its a party in the USA. remember to look at your troubles from an eternal perspective! by doing so helps and lets you be HAPPY cause that's what life is all about:) 

xoxox

Hermana Rasmussen

craving of the week:

Costco Hotdog

Salad!!!!!!!!!!!

TIME TO FACE THE CHANGE. CHA CHA CHANGESS (SONG FROM SHREK)

Changes are crazyyy. one minute you're in Ollantaytambo eating a fig from the tree in your patio (so yummyyy) and next your on your way to cusco. 

So I was pretty sure this change I would have a change so I was 89% packed but I was super scared because the elders kept telling me lies jokingly of where I was going to go, so I was a bit stressed, so the day of cambios we went with all the sisters to Moray but the peeps there wouldn't let us in unless we payed 40 soles(way too much) so some guy took our cameras and took pictures of the ruins and then gave us back our cameras... kinda defeats the purpose but at least we now have pictures of the ruins there.

while we were there the elders called us and made up fake changes so for like 3 seconds I thought I was going to puerto, but being the liars that they are we didn't trust the info but then were all super nervous for changes...

went to internet...

I see the name of Hermana Ugarte....

san jeronimo..

sister training leader...

WAT O_O. tears... then Hermana Davis opens her email..shes going to Sicuani... we were not expecting that at ALL. the fact is in the mission they are closing the small sectors and focusing on the bigger cities and less missionaries are coming into the mission so...they closed Ollanta:( the missionaries in Urubamba are going to visit the people there. but long story short it was SUPER terribly sad leaving Ollanta. especially for our pensionista she cried probably 3 days straight. we felt so bad because shes going to be alone in the house except for the weekends when her daughters come from studying.

We were also thinking about the people that we were teaching and helping and now they aren't going to have that help...these changes have been just one big bawl fest if your can imagine... but I'm sure Heavenly Father will take care of them. 

we had ZERO time to say goodbye to anybody. I miss hermana Davis tons, after almost 5 months together in a place like Ollanta you get close, but we got big plans for after the mission like G-conf and a St.George trip and opening a pasterleria...haha Lots of plans

So my new area..San Jeronimo...its huge, its cold, not too pretty. haha well compared to Quilla and Ollanta cusco is like the Mr. Hyde of Peru. 

Cusco is not very pretty but it has EVERYTHING. I don't like it. there's a store called Plaza Vea and I walked in and its like walmart...I was like NOOO this is not Peru!!

   I look really tired..cause I am. 

My new comp is Hermana Ugarte, she's from Argentina and I'm guessing or at least hoping her Argentinian accent will rub off on me Shes awesome  and really nice. we live in a pretty nice house with 2 other sisters one from Bolivia and the other from ceder hills, the atmosphere in the house reminds me of Quillabamba, a bit crazy a times but fun.

more next week. 

Love youu!!!!!!!!!!! 

xoxox 

Hermana Rasmussen