I'M HAVING FUN | 9.10.18



hola hermanitos!!!

life in my little corner of Texas!!!

So so so much has happened since I last was able to email... LAST friday? So like a week and a half ago, in the running for the most packed 1.5 weeks of my life. I will try to give some highlights haha but it's hard to even know where to begin. okie I am going to have some different sections I think?

I LEFT THE MTC
sad!! I truly loved the MTC. The people and teachers and spirit were tiiiiight. Met some people who I sincerely intend on beng friends with for the rest of my life. Legitimately CRIED when I had to say goodbye to one of my teachers lol.  Laughed harder than I had for so long. Got to stroll to the temple weekly. Balled out on the beach volleyball courts. Learned lifelong lessons. Wish I could have been there for a few more months tbh. etc. 

MY TRAINER
Here's a story: on my first day on my mission we were all at this church meeting the mission president and learning some basics about mission living. Then came the time to meet our trainers!!!!!! (so, for people who are not familiar, for the first 12 weeks of your mission you have a trainer, which is basically just a companion who has been on the mission for a while and shows you the ropes) I was terrified. I think the scariest part about a mission for me is having to be around someone for so long. Our mission president, President Dalton (he ROCKS, prettiest/cutest/nicest family and he just like gets it. I'm really excited to learn more from him. Plus his wife totally reminds me of my aunt Kristin. Kristin, if you're reading this she reminds me of you) had all the sister trainers line up in front of the room. He told all the new sister missionaries to follow the spirit and try to just discern through the spirit who our trainer was going to be? I thought he was crazy? 
But I somehow knew? 
There was this way steezy hermana, super tall, cool outfit, and I was just like WOAH HEY I DON'T KNOW WHY I KNOW THIS BUT I JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE COMPANIONS? and I was right? the church is true? We hugged and started chatting immediately and I loved her from the second we got to meet:) Her name is Hermana Casper, she is from kind of all over but mostly from Washington. She's been on her mission a year or so. She loves making super yummy healthy food and working out!! We get along very well. We oftentimes make each other breakfast, work out together, we even have a sweet pull up bar in our apartment and we both are getting swoll by doing pull ups every day!
Hmmm what else. 
She is super good at spanish and knows our area really well bc she has been here in Garland for 3 transfers already. We love biking around and talking to new people and practicing Spanish together. She was kind of an answer to my prayers bc she is the best companion I could ask for. 

SPANISH
I love speaking Spanish! I lucked out and am in a purely Spanish ward. Dude. You don't understand how lively the LDS religion is until you attend all 3 blocks at a hispanic ward. Seriously. Releif society was POPPING. it wasn't a lesson really, more just like people yelling about love and service! I feel very at home here!
I would like to thank my parents for putting me in Spanish Immersion Elementary School. Go eags. (emerson eagles, not skyline eagles. thought I should clarify.) It seriously has changed the game for me. I hadn't taken Spanish since 5th grade basically, even in the MTC, and since setting foot in Texas I've been able to comfortably chat with all the Hispanics. It's all just somehow returned to my brain. I think it's literally the gift of tongues haha like I have not studied the language since I was 11 and now I can speak it almost fluently?? But yeah it has been so fun, like I still have a lot to learn and my grammar isn't top notch right now, but it has kind of strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father wants me here! Speaking Spanish! and that He is working with what I already have. Kinda sweet. I am grateful. 

THE FOOD
i luvvv the food. Usually we get a lot more MExican food (according to my companion) when we go to people's houses for dinner, but I've still gotten some good stuff. I am pumped for what is to come.  Here are some highlights thus far:
- When I first got here the bishop's wife picked us up and bought us massive elotes with crema and chile and limon. i love elotes!! and they gave us agua fresca which is yuuuuuummmyyyyy. 
- We were studying at the Rio Grande (dank Mexican grocery store) and I was an hungered so I hopped in line to get a taco. Out of nowhere this guy sitting next to my companion goes: "hey sisters!!" Turns out, he's an inactive member, he was there with his wife, both so cool, bought us both lunch and more aguas frescas, and gave us his number and said to call him if we ever needed anything, a ride anywhere, somewhere to eat dinner, etc. Then he was like 'y'all can come kick it at our house sometime
 and we were like 
yes 
and so we are gonna go hang out with/teach them a bit on Wednesday because he seemed actually really interested in coming back to church. 
- Hermana Villanueva just had us over to her house and we made huaraches 

ASSORTED COMMENTS
- We have been called "guapas" by hispanic men basically every day since getting here. Kind of ew, kind of funny
- We taught an ancient Hispanic couple in their bedroom as they were literally tucked in to bed. It was really spiritual but also kind of funny because they just had a huge case of little oatmeal packages and plastic spoons and I think that's all they eat? and when I asked them about it they just started yelling "SII, LA AVENA, MUYYY RICO!!!" ("yes, oatmeal, very yummy") also we are mostly teaching the husband Ricardo but his wife Jesus (yes, her name is Jesus, yes, she was born on Christmas) chimes in and usually would say stuff like "no, el no lo ha leido [el libro the Mormon" (no, he hasn't read the Book of Mormon) but he just weakly lifted up his arm and goes "Si!! Lo ha leido!!" (yes, I have read it) it was really funny but also it's cool because Ricardo has had a super rocky life but he's super stoked on the Gospel!
- in the airport on my way to TX I snagged what probably will be my last Mamachari Komboucha for 1.5 years. Probably the hardest goodbye of them all tbh. It was even Blue Moscow. 

That's all I can think of for now... Please email me!! I wanna hear from y'all! Or if you wanna be pen pals I love to write actual letters so shoot me some snail mail and I promise to respond with some kind words!!

My address:
2854 belt line road apartment 293T Garland, Texas 75044

les quiero mucho!!!!!!!

hermanita rasmussen

1. yummyyy
2. Que linda! 
3. Our cute lil balcony, flowers, freshly roasted beets + lemon 
4. Desk 
5. This fam is so tender and PHOTOGENIC
6. We didn't 




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