PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE | 11.5.18

we had interviews w/ pres and a c00l district meeting this week. Some elders in my district were explaining a how someone yelled at them for many minutes when they knocked on their door and one of the elders described it as "psychological warfare". I thought it was a really funny phrase also it kind of applies in missionary work frequently

like, we had this suuuuper awesome girl we were working with. We would talk to her every day, she loved reading the Book of Mormon, had really inquisitive questions, asked if she could please come watch General Conference with us (um, yes?), you get the idea. We loved her. Then basically, she dropped off the face of the earth for like 3 weeks. We were so so sad. and we kept analyzing what we had done, if we had somehow offended her, maybe she didn't like the brownies we brought to her house, maybe her siblings are making up rumors about us, maybe she joined a cult, our minds were going crazy! bc we love her so much and then she disappeared! and then, last Saturday, we were on splits (basically when each of us go out with a member of our church instead of together so we can visit 2x as many peeps) and we decided to knock on her door. Her lil bro opened it, then SHE JUST WALTZED DOWN THE STAIRS LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED? AND GAVE US HUGS? SAID NOTHING ABOUT THE MONTH OF EMOTIONAL TURMOIL WE WERE EXPERIENCING? but now we are very happy because she is alive and we are teaching her again. basically the moral of this very long story is that missionary work is psychological warfare sometimes but in the most loving way possible. Does that make any sense?

it has been new for me because in my day-to-day life when I am a normal person and not a missionary if I am being completely honest other people's actions never worried me much? I kinda just did my thing, and wasn't too worried about other people at all. But I really hope that I am starting to become a more caring person haha because I have begun to realize how so many ordinary people have so many needs/fears/worries/trials in their lives. Sometimes I think about how many times I would like do nothing when people would tell me about things they were going through back home and now I just shake my head at my past self. It's kind of nice because my full time job is now to help people. maybe if I practice it for 1.5 years I will be a nicer human.

ok so anyway, 

A CONCERT!

it's true! we did go to a concert! with our zone and our mission president & his family!! it was BYU Noteworthy haha for those of you who are less familiar with BYU culture there are like approx. 12,000 acapella groups on campus. It's kind of super funny. and they followed me all the way to Richardson TX!! So we took our really cool neighbor we teach sometimes. Her name is Carmen and she loooooved it. Like was clapping along the whole time it was super cute. Hna Casper & I decided that accapella is not our fav genre of entertainment but it was really the best to get to hang out w/ Carmen and all the other missionaries in our zone!!! It was a gr8 opportunity. But also felt way weird to listen to music that wasn't about Jesus with my mission president sitting behind me. haha

A LOT OF GOOD FOOD:~)

the best flautas to date!!! were had yesterday. 

Hmmm

I also had, another set of flautas a few days ago

and I also participated in eating enchiladas verdes, some yummy tacos, and many other really great items to eat.

oh I had this super odd baked pumpkin for dessert but it was sooo good. I ate it with strawberries haha way random but bomb. 

today we had a really fun outing with one of my favorite Hermanas in the ward, Hermana Obregon. She reminds me a lot of my mom (<3) and is really cool and LUVS doterra!! yet again Utah County is coming after me!! she took us grocery shopping and then was like LETS GET GORDITAS! so we drove like 20 minutes to get these amaaaazzzziiinngg gorditas. I had never had them before but they were extremely yummy!! It's kind of like a pupusa but different and probably better. I got some with carne de res y salsa verde, huevo con chorizo, and nopales 

something that is funny is that this AM we were doing laundry, and this Korean man who works at the doughnut shop across from our apartment had some technical difficulties w/ the washing machine and basically long story short I offered him some of my laundry detergent bc he needed more!! and so he thanked me and poured literally 3/4 of my large container of Tide into the machine!!!!! It was really funny I had to run over and stop him, and told him you only needed a little bit but that it was ok!! And then I think he felt kinda bad and so we were going to grab some yummy doughnuts right after and he gave us a bunch of FREE DOUGHNUTS!

so the moral of this story is: always let people use your laundry soap. 

HAPPI MOMENTS N THOUGHTS

- at dinner yesterday Hermano Gomez in our ward told us about how a mission is really the time to learn how to recognize the spirit... because it is seriously the time in your life when you will be working the hardest to be close to the spirit. He said that this time we have on missions will really set us up for the rest of our lives even if we just learn those simple things, like recognizing the spirit. That's something I have been working on a lot. 

- Yesterday we were fasting and biking all morning! I feel like a big kid because I do a big kid fast now. Full 24 hours baby. But I was really grateful for that opportunity, because our entire mission was actually fasting together yesterday so that the Lord will pour our His spirit on all of the people in this area. It was really powerful because Saturday night we all (like all 200+ of us!) had a conference call and our president prayed very sincerely and powerfully for each of us. As we were working that afternoon, probably for the first time in my life, I felt a really strong and deep sense of joy. It was kind of like this blissful sheen of peace and comfort just came and rested upon me!!and it was just while I was sitting on some bleachers reading El Libro de Mormon. I had a few special shiny moments like that during the day, at super random times. I think that I received those spiritually charged moments and was able to perceive them because I was making an intentional effort to get closer to my Heavenly Father- and He was right there with me. wow. 

- I had a dream about the Book of Mormon 2 nights ago. I am a true missionary:-)

- here is a little quote that I wrote in my journal this week: "I am a little bit overcome right now. I am surrounded by and completely filled up by a feeling of the special-ness of this time. It's one of those moments when I feel like my past, present, and future have all calibrated to deliver this moment to me"

- I have been studying a talk called "Be 100% Responsible" by Lynn G. Robbins. It is really changing the way that I see my actions. I have been working on finding a way instead of choosing an excuse. We are to act, not to be acted upon!! Giving up responsibility for our actions is a way of subtly giving up our agency, and can lead to sad emotions. They can taste like bitterness, shame, jealousy, there are many flavors. But the funny thing is that it's always our choice to feel that way. When we let go of responsibility for our actions, our choices, etc, those emotions surface. Anyway I don't know if that actually makes sense, but y'all should read that talk!! it's killer!!

A CHALLENGE.

make a collage out of magazines/ticket stubs/pics/stickers of everything that makes you happy. I think I will do the same. Collages make me very happy. 

on a spiritual side, check out this scrip!

Mosiah 4:19-21. It is located in the Book of Mormon, if you don't have one you can look it up on lds.org!! 

wow. So the challenge is, read this, and apply it to yourself!!! are you seeing anyone as inferior to yourself? If so, stop! we are all DUST. just give. give out of gratitude to the being that has given you each breath and your body and the earth which you stand on. 

I live in a sweet sunny apartment in Garland. It is located at

 2854 Belt Line Road 

Apt. 293 T

Garland, TX 75044

I hope y'all have a stellar week. 

Les quiero MUUUUCHO. 

besos,

hermanita rasmussen

¡fotos!

1. our amiga at the fruiteria across t

he street. She always runs and hugs us every time we walk in hahaha I'm in love

2. I LOVE TO COOK!!!!

3. gorditas :'-)))

4. me, Hermana Casper, Carmen

5. plantas y mi libro