So great to hear from you again! Sorry if this is cut short, our day got crunched today cuz we spent three hours at the police station trying to get my companions visa renewed. Thank you for keeping me updated on the political stuff. Im glad to hear that Romney is doing so well. I wouldnt mind Santorum either, but I prefer Romney. It was interesting because the second question we got asked in that class was what we thought about Romney. I just told them that Ive been a little out of the looåp for 5 months, but that I like him, and am hoping for him, but that id be just as happy with Santorum. I also said that I feel any of the candidates would do a better job than Obama has done. They were all stunned. They all love Obama here. They like the idea of a high tax and government money being given to the lower class...because thats what they have here. But when i told them America is more about making what you can of yourself and keeping what you earn, and paying the neccesary taxes for roads, police, and all that. But that obamas attempt to socialize America was met with a majority of America disagreeing. That his support has plummeted, and that our constitution and way of life are different. Another person asked if we thought we were better than everyone else. We told him that we like where we live better, but that we dont think of the rest of the world as inferior by any means. It was an interesting discussion. I wish it would have lasted a bit longer. But it went well, they were all very respectful.
Other than that it sounds like things are going well for everyone else. Em told me about the lean on the house she was looking at and that its not going to work. Thats too bad, but Im betting they find a much better place.'
As for the language. My understanding has skyrocketed, but my speech just cant seem to make it past my lips. Im working on it though, Itll come.
I dont have a whole lot else to report this week. Did you ever get some info on my doctrinal question i asked about a few weeks back? Im still curious on your insights.
Well...I guess ill end here. Still got to do some grocery shopping. . Cant wait to hear from you again next week.
-Elder Rasmussen-
Monday, April 9, 2012
February 13, 2012
So good to hear from you this week. I am pretty sure that I got all of your messages this week, and I did get both of your photos. Thank you for all the emails and the updates. They were nice to have and be able to read today.
Thanks for the updates on Romney and the whole political scene. It's nice to see were getting some traction there. So many people here love Obama, and it's always a bit of fresh air to see that he's being stacked against. I honestly think that if he is in another 4 years, we will really see the fulfillment of the Constitution hanging by a thread prophecy. It's horrifying.
So this week we have been asked to go to a school out on an island called Askøy and give a presentation in an English class about the States. They mostly just want to hear what we think about politics there. Its gonna be hard because ive been so detached from it all for so long. That, and my comp doesnt follow politics at all, so its all me. Also, people here love Obama cuz hes a socialist and cuz of the START treaty he made with Russia. In their eyes it stopped Russia from aiming Nukes at Norway, but in reality Russia only got rid of all their old, decrepit, cold war era nukes to fulfill their end of the bargain. It talks about it in Trickle up poverty i think. They still have ALL their good nukes. And American is that much less safe thanks to Obama. he really is an idiot.
So, to answer your question about Perry, our baptismal candidate for last month. he's kinda just fallen off the map. i have no idea where he is or what hes doing. So, for now, we're just looking for new investigators.
We did have our baptism Sat though. Ill be sure to send pictures later on tonight. But ill tell you, these last 2 weeks leading up to it have been exhausting to all of us. The battle against her to do this was fierce! Her family was constantly sending her all the anti material they could get their hands on. Everything from blacks and the priesthood to secret handshakes that get you into heaven. They would call her every day and scream at her. They would blow her phone up with anti texts and email her link after link to anti pages online. A few times she told me, 'the baptism is off, I just cant do this' But after many long hours teaching or just talking on the phone she always calmed down just enough to push on for another day. It all paid off Saturday. I have never seen anyone so full of smiles and laughter as she was after her baptism. She told us that she has never felt so happy in her whole life. She also asked me if I would be the one to confirm her, so I confirmed her a member of the church and gave her the holy Ghost. I still dont think I quite comprehend the significance of that.
I will admit though that this week has been exhausting. I am one who is of the opinion that all questions deserve an answer, and firmly believe that all questions have an answer. So I had no problem going through all the material and questions her parents attacked her with. Ill tell you that I utterly destroyed it all. My companion later told me that he felt really uneasy about going into that, but was really impressed with my answers. He said it was like watching me open a dark closet and just run in guns blazing. he's all like 'That is Satans worst material to use against us and you just laughed it in the face.' I felt pretty good about it. But it was draining.
I have some pictures that I will be sure to send to you. I said before I left that if I got just one baptism i would be overjoyed. I could go the rest of my mission without another baptism and feel more than accomplished. But that wont stop me from trying.
Before i left I also said that if I came back with nothing else I at least wanted to know what I wanted to do with life. Ive decided I need to go into teaching. Everyone in my MTC class told me to be an institute teacher, my companion says teaching is my greatest strength, and even Ane Rebekka said 'Why cant you just talk to my parents? Youre a really good teacher.' I told her *Id love to! bring em to the baptism.' I just am not so sure WHAT i want to teach. I think I want to major in theology and minor in history. But thats just what i need to do with my life. And i feel like im continually learning the trades ill need to get there. Better study habits and better time management. And my testimony is just exploding. It's really hard to feel the spirit here sometimes, but I feel like Im really starting to become a member of this church. it took a while, but theres an undeniable change happening inside of me, and I am so grateful for it. I know that it would not have come any other way than by doing this work. I just hope that i can continue to improve my shortcomings and become the man I one day hope to be.
-Elder Rasmussen-
Our Teaching Apartment. (3rd floor, room with the closed blinds)
Rulekabab!
Domkirke
The King's Castle
haha, this is from Norsk trivial persuit. it says: Is it MORMONS, Jews, or Jehovah's Witnesses that can have multiple wives
Thanks for the updates on Romney and the whole political scene. It's nice to see were getting some traction there. So many people here love Obama, and it's always a bit of fresh air to see that he's being stacked against. I honestly think that if he is in another 4 years, we will really see the fulfillment of the Constitution hanging by a thread prophecy. It's horrifying.
So this week we have been asked to go to a school out on an island called Askøy and give a presentation in an English class about the States. They mostly just want to hear what we think about politics there. Its gonna be hard because ive been so detached from it all for so long. That, and my comp doesnt follow politics at all, so its all me. Also, people here love Obama cuz hes a socialist and cuz of the START treaty he made with Russia. In their eyes it stopped Russia from aiming Nukes at Norway, but in reality Russia only got rid of all their old, decrepit, cold war era nukes to fulfill their end of the bargain. It talks about it in Trickle up poverty i think. They still have ALL their good nukes. And American is that much less safe thanks to Obama. he really is an idiot.
So, to answer your question about Perry, our baptismal candidate for last month. he's kinda just fallen off the map. i have no idea where he is or what hes doing. So, for now, we're just looking for new investigators.
We did have our baptism Sat though. Ill be sure to send pictures later on tonight. But ill tell you, these last 2 weeks leading up to it have been exhausting to all of us. The battle against her to do this was fierce! Her family was constantly sending her all the anti material they could get their hands on. Everything from blacks and the priesthood to secret handshakes that get you into heaven. They would call her every day and scream at her. They would blow her phone up with anti texts and email her link after link to anti pages online. A few times she told me, 'the baptism is off, I just cant do this' But after many long hours teaching or just talking on the phone she always calmed down just enough to push on for another day. It all paid off Saturday. I have never seen anyone so full of smiles and laughter as she was after her baptism. She told us that she has never felt so happy in her whole life. She also asked me if I would be the one to confirm her, so I confirmed her a member of the church and gave her the holy Ghost. I still dont think I quite comprehend the significance of that.
I will admit though that this week has been exhausting. I am one who is of the opinion that all questions deserve an answer, and firmly believe that all questions have an answer. So I had no problem going through all the material and questions her parents attacked her with. Ill tell you that I utterly destroyed it all. My companion later told me that he felt really uneasy about going into that, but was really impressed with my answers. He said it was like watching me open a dark closet and just run in guns blazing. he's all like 'That is Satans worst material to use against us and you just laughed it in the face.' I felt pretty good about it. But it was draining.
I have some pictures that I will be sure to send to you. I said before I left that if I got just one baptism i would be overjoyed. I could go the rest of my mission without another baptism and feel more than accomplished. But that wont stop me from trying.
Before i left I also said that if I came back with nothing else I at least wanted to know what I wanted to do with life. Ive decided I need to go into teaching. Everyone in my MTC class told me to be an institute teacher, my companion says teaching is my greatest strength, and even Ane Rebekka said 'Why cant you just talk to my parents? Youre a really good teacher.' I told her *Id love to! bring em to the baptism.' I just am not so sure WHAT i want to teach. I think I want to major in theology and minor in history. But thats just what i need to do with my life. And i feel like im continually learning the trades ill need to get there. Better study habits and better time management. And my testimony is just exploding. It's really hard to feel the spirit here sometimes, but I feel like Im really starting to become a member of this church. it took a while, but theres an undeniable change happening inside of me, and I am so grateful for it. I know that it would not have come any other way than by doing this work. I just hope that i can continue to improve my shortcomings and become the man I one day hope to be.
-Elder Rasmussen-
Our Teaching Apartment. (3rd floor, room with the closed blinds)
Rulekabab!
Domkirke
The King's Castle
haha, this is from Norsk trivial persuit. it says: Is it MORMONS, Jews, or Jehovah's Witnesses that can have multiple wives
Sunday, February 19, 2012
January 30, 2012
Hey Dad,
Thanks for all of your letters! It was great to get all the updates. Dont feel bad about missing out last week. It's fine. Im sorry you didnt get any elk though.
I heard about Mitt getting creamed in SC. That sucks. Im hoping things go well for him in Florida. Im sure that Oddbjørn will let me know all about it tomorrow.
As for the doctrinal question, I think I found most of my answer. I studied it out for a week, and have concluded that both Ham and Canaan must have been guilty of something. One LDS book said something about Ham stealing noahs garment when they were leaving the arc, but because Ham had been blessed the curse fell on his son. One Jewish site said that the verbiage in the text implies that either Ham seduced noahs wife and canaan was the result, or that Ham sodomized noah while he was drunk (they justify this by comparing the state of the world before the flood and the influence it had on Ham) There was another site that suggested that Ham castrated Noah. Whatever the case, Ham did something wrong that warranted Noahs anger. And if Ham was punished, and fell away to any degree, it would have influenced his son Canaan to also be less active and not worthy of the priesthood...which would have ten trickled down through generations. I also know that after noah divided the lands between his sons that canaan settled in a land that belonged to someone else, thus making him a slave in that land automatically. maybe that was the curse. i also know that in Canes circumstance, the curse of cain was that he was cut off from the presence of God. The mark of cain was different. So maybe that is the same type of curse. Also, Abraham opened a dispensation, so it makes sense that pharaoh didnt have the priesthood at that time, even though he knew the traditions of the patriarchal order and stove to live it, he didnt have the authority. And there was also something about select groups only being allowed to hold the priesthood, and not until 1978 were all worthy men allowed to hold the priesthood.
Wow, that was a lot of information. This apparently has been debated for over 2000 years. But, as far as I can conclude, both Ham and Canaan did something wrong that drove the seed of that line away from the opportunity to hold the priesthood and it carried over into the next dispensation. Any additional insights would be appreciated. My one question left still is Why, if God is unchanging, did He not allow all worthy men to hold the priesthood in earlier dispensations? it's nothing that ill lose sleep over, im sure theres a reason. But if you have any ideas, they would be appreciated.
I hope all of that made sense. It was kind of a mish mash. Sorry.
Well, have fun in Costa Rica, I hope you get to decompress, soak up some sun, and throw down a few books.
-Elder Rasmussen
Thanks for all of your letters! It was great to get all the updates. Dont feel bad about missing out last week. It's fine. Im sorry you didnt get any elk though.
I heard about Mitt getting creamed in SC. That sucks. Im hoping things go well for him in Florida. Im sure that Oddbjørn will let me know all about it tomorrow.
As for the doctrinal question, I think I found most of my answer. I studied it out for a week, and have concluded that both Ham and Canaan must have been guilty of something. One LDS book said something about Ham stealing noahs garment when they were leaving the arc, but because Ham had been blessed the curse fell on his son. One Jewish site said that the verbiage in the text implies that either Ham seduced noahs wife and canaan was the result, or that Ham sodomized noah while he was drunk (they justify this by comparing the state of the world before the flood and the influence it had on Ham) There was another site that suggested that Ham castrated Noah. Whatever the case, Ham did something wrong that warranted Noahs anger. And if Ham was punished, and fell away to any degree, it would have influenced his son Canaan to also be less active and not worthy of the priesthood...which would have ten trickled down through generations. I also know that after noah divided the lands between his sons that canaan settled in a land that belonged to someone else, thus making him a slave in that land automatically. maybe that was the curse. i also know that in Canes circumstance, the curse of cain was that he was cut off from the presence of God. The mark of cain was different. So maybe that is the same type of curse. Also, Abraham opened a dispensation, so it makes sense that pharaoh didnt have the priesthood at that time, even though he knew the traditions of the patriarchal order and stove to live it, he didnt have the authority. And there was also something about select groups only being allowed to hold the priesthood, and not until 1978 were all worthy men allowed to hold the priesthood.
Wow, that was a lot of information. This apparently has been debated for over 2000 years. But, as far as I can conclude, both Ham and Canaan did something wrong that drove the seed of that line away from the opportunity to hold the priesthood and it carried over into the next dispensation. Any additional insights would be appreciated. My one question left still is Why, if God is unchanging, did He not allow all worthy men to hold the priesthood in earlier dispensations? it's nothing that ill lose sleep over, im sure theres a reason. But if you have any ideas, they would be appreciated.
I hope all of that made sense. It was kind of a mish mash. Sorry.
Well, have fun in Costa Rica, I hope you get to decompress, soak up some sun, and throw down a few books.
-Elder Rasmussen
February 6, 2012
It was great to hear from you again! I'm glad you had a good time in Costa Rica. Sounds a little pleasant esp being here in 1 degree weather...haha. I am, however, afraid that your letter got cut off early again. I have below attached the letter I got from you so that you can see what I received this week. It sounds like you had more to say and it ended abruptly. But i did hear about Mitt taking Florida. I was thrilled! I heard that he essentially called out Newt on some of the smack hes been talking. Hopefully by the time Super Tuesday rolls around Mitt is still there. I have high hopes for him. Its funny to see peoples opinions here about Obama. A lot of people here, even members, were stoked when he was elected because they knew he was going to try and socialize America. I was actually talking t a lady in church yesterday who is convinced that Obama has been doing a good job of cleaning Bushes mess. Im so tired of everyone passing Obamas screwups off on bush. Its sickening.
Not a whole lot to report this week. We have a baptism on Saterday, its set, but its exhausting me. Her family keeps slamming her with anti material and she needs answers right away. Weve lost a lot of contacting time and personal time consoling her. Shes way strong, just very sensitive because of her family situation. Im drained to say the least. Its been extremely stressful.
We are on our way out to go rock climbing this afternoon, so Im gonna have to cut this short. I hope that I get a minute to write a little more later, but all the other elders are rushing me out the door. Very inconsiderate on their part, but what can you do?
Hope to hear back soon, and have a great week. Love you dad!
Not a whole lot to report this week. We have a baptism on Saterday, its set, but its exhausting me. Her family keeps slamming her with anti material and she needs answers right away. Weve lost a lot of contacting time and personal time consoling her. Shes way strong, just very sensitive because of her family situation. Im drained to say the least. Its been extremely stressful.
We are on our way out to go rock climbing this afternoon, so Im gonna have to cut this short. I hope that I get a minute to write a little more later, but all the other elders are rushing me out the door. Very inconsiderate on their part, but what can you do?
Hope to hear back soon, and have a great week. Love you dad!
January 23, 2012
Hey Dad,
Haven't heard from you this week, but I thought I'd send an email anyway. Not a whole lot has happened this week, so this might be a little short. Sorry about that.
So last p day, after sending my last email, we went to an aquarium. It was pretty cool, just a little unkempt. I'm not sure if its because its being remodeled or cleaned. But they had some cool exhibits. There was a small snake and spider section. We got to watch them feed some of the snakes. They were being fed mice, and we saw one jump, latch on, and coil itself around it, then eat it. The cool thing is that the snake was not as big around as the mouse, but it still ate it whole. I knew that snakes could do that because their jaws were detachable, but it was still cool to see. They also had penguins, fish, sharks, rays, all sorts of stuff you'd find at an aquarium. It was smaller then I thought it'd be, but was still fun.
We have another set baptism. This one is solid. We hope to have 2 for Feb, we'll push for 3. But the work here is moving forward.
I did get that money from the insurance by the way. ill probably use some of it to buy a dictaphone so I can record Norwegians and practice along with what they say. If I can get a good one I can use it to record journal entries as well. I need to keep some sort of record. I haven't been writing in my journal at all. It's unfortunate, but it's just tedious. I'd much prefer and electronic journal, something on a computer, but a dictaphone would work too.
I heard that Romney lost big time to Gangritch in South Carolina. Several members here have been talking about it, and know that that is something I would be interested in hearing. Lets just hope he steps it up in Florida. He's been doing so well. I remember being in South Carolina a few years ago. They had stands with Obama merchandise all over the place. It was disgusting. They called him 'the anointed one' out there. Ugh.
I have a doctrinal question for you, it came from one of my investigators originally, but i cant find an answer and I am curious too. In the pearl of Great Price, Abraham 1:24-27, it talks about Pharaoh being a righteous man, but not being able to hold the priesthood because of his blood line. The concern of my investigator is inherited sin. That he could not hold the priesthood because of his bloodline seems unfair to her. I asked my mission president and he said as far as he can tell it was Pharaoh's bloodline, but that the important thing is that bloodlines don't prevent us from holding the priesthood today. But that isn't what my investigator wants to hear. Looking further we found a pamphlet online that says: At times in the past, the power and authority to act in the name of the Lord was bestowed upon only a few worthy males and withheld from all others. In the days of Moses’ leadership of the children of Israel, for example, only the tribe of Levi had the privilege to hold the priesthood (see Numbers 8:5–26 <http://scriptures.lds.org/num/8/5-26#5> ). Our day is the “long-promised day . . . when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood.”
It's my understanding that each of the seed of Jacob were given different blessings or curses when their father died, and that the tribe of Levi were the only rightful priesthood holders. But that was long after the events recorded in Abraham. So, having all the knowledge and research materials that you do, I ask Why was pharaoh's bloodline forbidden to the priesthood? I'll continue to look for an answer myself, but would love some insight from you as well.
Well, that is about it for me today. I'm sorry I missed your letter, and look forward to hearing from you next week. I love you dad.
-Elder Rasmussen-
Haven't heard from you this week, but I thought I'd send an email anyway. Not a whole lot has happened this week, so this might be a little short. Sorry about that.
So last p day, after sending my last email, we went to an aquarium. It was pretty cool, just a little unkempt. I'm not sure if its because its being remodeled or cleaned. But they had some cool exhibits. There was a small snake and spider section. We got to watch them feed some of the snakes. They were being fed mice, and we saw one jump, latch on, and coil itself around it, then eat it. The cool thing is that the snake was not as big around as the mouse, but it still ate it whole. I knew that snakes could do that because their jaws were detachable, but it was still cool to see. They also had penguins, fish, sharks, rays, all sorts of stuff you'd find at an aquarium. It was smaller then I thought it'd be, but was still fun.
We have another set baptism. This one is solid. We hope to have 2 for Feb, we'll push for 3. But the work here is moving forward.
I did get that money from the insurance by the way. ill probably use some of it to buy a dictaphone so I can record Norwegians and practice along with what they say. If I can get a good one I can use it to record journal entries as well. I need to keep some sort of record. I haven't been writing in my journal at all. It's unfortunate, but it's just tedious. I'd much prefer and electronic journal, something on a computer, but a dictaphone would work too.
I heard that Romney lost big time to Gangritch in South Carolina. Several members here have been talking about it, and know that that is something I would be interested in hearing. Lets just hope he steps it up in Florida. He's been doing so well. I remember being in South Carolina a few years ago. They had stands with Obama merchandise all over the place. It was disgusting. They called him 'the anointed one' out there. Ugh.
I have a doctrinal question for you, it came from one of my investigators originally, but i cant find an answer and I am curious too. In the pearl of Great Price, Abraham 1:24-27, it talks about Pharaoh being a righteous man, but not being able to hold the priesthood because of his blood line. The concern of my investigator is inherited sin. That he could not hold the priesthood because of his bloodline seems unfair to her. I asked my mission president and he said as far as he can tell it was Pharaoh's bloodline, but that the important thing is that bloodlines don't prevent us from holding the priesthood today. But that isn't what my investigator wants to hear. Looking further we found a pamphlet online that says: At times in the past, the power and authority to act in the name of the Lord was bestowed upon only a few worthy males and withheld from all others. In the days of Moses’ leadership of the children of Israel, for example, only the tribe of Levi had the privilege to hold the priesthood (see Numbers 8:5–26 <http://scriptures.lds.org/num/8/5-26#5> ). Our day is the “long-promised day . . . when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood.”
It's my understanding that each of the seed of Jacob were given different blessings or curses when their father died, and that the tribe of Levi were the only rightful priesthood holders. But that was long after the events recorded in Abraham. So, having all the knowledge and research materials that you do, I ask Why was pharaoh's bloodline forbidden to the priesthood? I'll continue to look for an answer myself, but would love some insight from you as well.
Well, that is about it for me today. I'm sorry I missed your letter, and look forward to hearing from you next week. I love you dad.
-Elder Rasmussen-
January 16, 2012
Hey Dad,
It was so good to hear from you. It's always nice to know I'll have mail waiting for me on P Day.
It's crazy to imagine Utah without snow in the winter. It's scary to think about all the potential wildfires that will cause in the following months. I hope that something comes soon. As for the weather here, its been a mild winter for Norway also. Last year was their coldest on record, and this years there's hardly anything. It's wet here in Bergen, but that's typical. There's a small bit of snow in the mountains round about, but not a whole lot. And it's not that cold. Maybe in the 30s. As for the HUGE storm that was supposed to hit us, it passed Bergen by about 50 miles. But the North got hammered pretty bad. It caused a lot of damages, and 4 people died. Other than that I haven't heard the particulars. It was strong enough to get it's own name though. I don't recall it, well just refer to it as hurricane Gadianton haha.
Elk hunting sounds like it will be really fun, just difficult having to hike, esp after your knee surgeries. I hope it pays off though. I'm excited to hear what comes of it!
I've heard of that game that Jace likes. It's called Minecraft. It started to get really popular, but I never got into it myself. The graphics were 8 bit, and just painful to look at. But old school gamers loved it. There is a lot of fun you can have with it, Im sure, but if I wanted to play a game where I build cities Id stick to Warcraft 2, at least there I can destroy the other guys city :) Just personal preference I suppose.
I talked to Jeff a little on Christmas. He sounds really happy with his current GF, and says that marriage is definitely the goal. I hope all goes well in that, and will be happy to hear how it progresses.
Costa Rica sounds like it will be a good break from it all, esp if you just get a chance to sit, relax, read, think... My mission president has a son serving there. his first member dinner was a soup with fish heads in it, eyes and all! He said he had to pray to be able not to puke. Makes me grateful Im here being served delicious pasta, lam meat, potatoes, fish cakes, and tøtebær.
As for the package, I have 1 and a half summer sausages left, and some of the pop corn. I finished the almond rocas yesterday. Sooo good. Thank you so much again. It was great! And the Fish Oil is working wonders. No more wishy washy, somethings-rotting-inside-of-me, my-bodys-lacking-something feelings. Never realized the sun did so much. But the long sun rises and sun sets make it worth the long hours of darkness.
So my new companion is named Elder Stoker. Hes awesome. I can already tell were gonna do great this transfer. Hes super good at the language, and has the program down. I know the language will really take off this transfer. I picked up a big fate dictionary. Every missionary here, as well as the mission president, says itll be your best purchase. It's really been helpful so far. Its usually 999 kroner for it, but I found one on sale for 300. Score! So took it! Ive learned more in the past 3 days with this guy than i did all last transfer, so Im excited to see how i improve. Ill definitely keep you posted.
Last week we went to Edvard Griegs house. I will send pictures when i get a chance. I dont know if you're familiar with him. He was a composer from Bergen. He was huge in Europe. He was like Norways Mozart. It was really neat to see it. One of those once in a life time experiences. The view around the house was beautiful. It sits on the side of this cliff overlooking a lake with little forested islands out in it. You only see views like that on postcards.
My most spiritual experience this week was actually yesterday. One of the YSA came up and asked if I could give her a blessing. Her name is Ane Rebekke. Shes actually our next baptism. But her family lives in Stevanger, and are super traditional in the State Church. They were furious when she told them she was getting baptized. Well, her g-pa died this week and she has to go back tomorrow for his funeral, and shes terrified to face her family again. She was saying that she should be grieving, but she cant because she is so terrified to go home. She just told her family over Christmas break, so for her to be having to go back already is too soon for her. So I and my companion gave her a blessing of comfort and protection. I dont even remember everything that I said, I just spoke as the Spirit directed. I hope that it brought her the comfort she needs. Ill tell you more about her when I come home. her story is actually pretty incredible. but shell be baptized on the 11th of Feb. As for our last baptism, the freakin kid wont come to church so we keep pushing it back. So frustrating. We're planning to meet with him Friday and hopefully get him to church next Sunday. I just want him to feel included. I think the only reason he hasn't been coming is because hes shy. So well work around that.
Well, thats about it. I know that my work here will pay off hard core at some point. I may be really ineffective for a year and a half and kill it the last 6 months. Im really studying hard right now to prepare me to me a beast next year. Ill still study, but im really cramming it in now so that I wont have to next year, even though I will be I wont have to....did that make sense? I just really dont want to disappoint anyone here if my baptism numbers are low. But Im growing exponentially in spirit and knowledge. It will set me for life like nothing else can, that includes the Military. There's just something different in the atmosphere of it all.
I hope this week goes well for you, and I look forward to next weeks letter. We're going to an aquarium today. Ill be sure to write about that next week. And yes, the days are gradually getting longer...by about 3 minutes a day. Im looking forward to seeing what summer is like. I bet it's just really green and beautiful. Love you Dad.
-Elder Rasmussen-
It was so good to hear from you. It's always nice to know I'll have mail waiting for me on P Day.
It's crazy to imagine Utah without snow in the winter. It's scary to think about all the potential wildfires that will cause in the following months. I hope that something comes soon. As for the weather here, its been a mild winter for Norway also. Last year was their coldest on record, and this years there's hardly anything. It's wet here in Bergen, but that's typical. There's a small bit of snow in the mountains round about, but not a whole lot. And it's not that cold. Maybe in the 30s. As for the HUGE storm that was supposed to hit us, it passed Bergen by about 50 miles. But the North got hammered pretty bad. It caused a lot of damages, and 4 people died. Other than that I haven't heard the particulars. It was strong enough to get it's own name though. I don't recall it, well just refer to it as hurricane Gadianton haha.
Elk hunting sounds like it will be really fun, just difficult having to hike, esp after your knee surgeries. I hope it pays off though. I'm excited to hear what comes of it!
I've heard of that game that Jace likes. It's called Minecraft. It started to get really popular, but I never got into it myself. The graphics were 8 bit, and just painful to look at. But old school gamers loved it. There is a lot of fun you can have with it, Im sure, but if I wanted to play a game where I build cities Id stick to Warcraft 2, at least there I can destroy the other guys city :) Just personal preference I suppose.
I talked to Jeff a little on Christmas. He sounds really happy with his current GF, and says that marriage is definitely the goal. I hope all goes well in that, and will be happy to hear how it progresses.
Costa Rica sounds like it will be a good break from it all, esp if you just get a chance to sit, relax, read, think... My mission president has a son serving there. his first member dinner was a soup with fish heads in it, eyes and all! He said he had to pray to be able not to puke. Makes me grateful Im here being served delicious pasta, lam meat, potatoes, fish cakes, and tøtebær.
As for the package, I have 1 and a half summer sausages left, and some of the pop corn. I finished the almond rocas yesterday. Sooo good. Thank you so much again. It was great! And the Fish Oil is working wonders. No more wishy washy, somethings-rotting-inside-of-me, my-bodys-lacking-something feelings. Never realized the sun did so much. But the long sun rises and sun sets make it worth the long hours of darkness.
So my new companion is named Elder Stoker. Hes awesome. I can already tell were gonna do great this transfer. Hes super good at the language, and has the program down. I know the language will really take off this transfer. I picked up a big fate dictionary. Every missionary here, as well as the mission president, says itll be your best purchase. It's really been helpful so far. Its usually 999 kroner for it, but I found one on sale for 300. Score! So took it! Ive learned more in the past 3 days with this guy than i did all last transfer, so Im excited to see how i improve. Ill definitely keep you posted.
Last week we went to Edvard Griegs house. I will send pictures when i get a chance. I dont know if you're familiar with him. He was a composer from Bergen. He was huge in Europe. He was like Norways Mozart. It was really neat to see it. One of those once in a life time experiences. The view around the house was beautiful. It sits on the side of this cliff overlooking a lake with little forested islands out in it. You only see views like that on postcards.
My most spiritual experience this week was actually yesterday. One of the YSA came up and asked if I could give her a blessing. Her name is Ane Rebekke. Shes actually our next baptism. But her family lives in Stevanger, and are super traditional in the State Church. They were furious when she told them she was getting baptized. Well, her g-pa died this week and she has to go back tomorrow for his funeral, and shes terrified to face her family again. She was saying that she should be grieving, but she cant because she is so terrified to go home. She just told her family over Christmas break, so for her to be having to go back already is too soon for her. So I and my companion gave her a blessing of comfort and protection. I dont even remember everything that I said, I just spoke as the Spirit directed. I hope that it brought her the comfort she needs. Ill tell you more about her when I come home. her story is actually pretty incredible. but shell be baptized on the 11th of Feb. As for our last baptism, the freakin kid wont come to church so we keep pushing it back. So frustrating. We're planning to meet with him Friday and hopefully get him to church next Sunday. I just want him to feel included. I think the only reason he hasn't been coming is because hes shy. So well work around that.
Well, thats about it. I know that my work here will pay off hard core at some point. I may be really ineffective for a year and a half and kill it the last 6 months. Im really studying hard right now to prepare me to me a beast next year. Ill still study, but im really cramming it in now so that I wont have to next year, even though I will be I wont have to....did that make sense? I just really dont want to disappoint anyone here if my baptism numbers are low. But Im growing exponentially in spirit and knowledge. It will set me for life like nothing else can, that includes the Military. There's just something different in the atmosphere of it all.
I hope this week goes well for you, and I look forward to next weeks letter. We're going to an aquarium today. Ill be sure to write about that next week. And yes, the days are gradually getting longer...by about 3 minutes a day. Im looking forward to seeing what summer is like. I bet it's just really green and beautiful. Love you Dad.
-Elder Rasmussen-
January 7, 2012
It was so good to hear from you. So, not a whole lot new to report. We ended up having to push our baptism back a few weeks because the guy hasn't come to church. He went out to his Hita with his family for the holidays so wasn't around to attend. We met with him this week and hes had all the lessons. Theres no problems, just gotta get him to church two more times and get him in the water. He's a good guy though, really positive. Just needs to up his attendance. We have another guy who wants to be baptized, but has to quit smoking first. Get this, he was contacted right before I got here. At the time he smoked (but only like 4 ciggs a day) and drank a liter of coffee every morning. Hes sense stopped the coffee, and read the book of mormon twice, and is on his third time through. Pretty impressive right? But heres the miricle, he has a reading disorder. He has to read things like 4 or 5 times before it registers what it is hes reading, but he understands the book of mormon with no problem. Its a complex book for a normal person to read, and hes flown through it twice already. I have read the book of mormon once sense I got here. I finished it in 6 weeks. i thought that was good, but sheesh. So he really wants to be baptised, just needs to drop the ciggs. Hes solid though, its just a matter of time.
So transfers are this week, and Im the only one staying in bergen. Im happy with that though. We have a few baptisms in feb that I did NOT want to miss. We had one this last week too, a guy named alexander. He told us that he only agreed to read from the book of mormon and come to church just so he could find a flaw and prove us all wrong. But he said that backfired and hes found something that he cant deny. So he was confirmed yesterday. We have 2 solid baptism dates for bergen branch, and 2 more soft commitments, but things are taking off here. We set a goal to have 100 baptisms in Norway by June 30th. So far we have 30 scheduled for Jan alone. If we can keep that up we can meet our goal. We invited all the wards and branches to have a fast for mission work, and all of us have stepped it up with studies and obedience. Ive got some heavy goals for my next transfer so hopefully my new companion is a hard worker.
Dont have much else to report other than that. Have a bit of a dry throat today, but its not too bad. Tell jace happy bday for me, and that ill be looking forward to tearing up some final fantasy and zelda when I get back. Love you dad
-Elder Rasmussen-
So transfers are this week, and Im the only one staying in bergen. Im happy with that though. We have a few baptisms in feb that I did NOT want to miss. We had one this last week too, a guy named alexander. He told us that he only agreed to read from the book of mormon and come to church just so he could find a flaw and prove us all wrong. But he said that backfired and hes found something that he cant deny. So he was confirmed yesterday. We have 2 solid baptism dates for bergen branch, and 2 more soft commitments, but things are taking off here. We set a goal to have 100 baptisms in Norway by June 30th. So far we have 30 scheduled for Jan alone. If we can keep that up we can meet our goal. We invited all the wards and branches to have a fast for mission work, and all of us have stepped it up with studies and obedience. Ive got some heavy goals for my next transfer so hopefully my new companion is a hard worker.
Dont have much else to report other than that. Have a bit of a dry throat today, but its not too bad. Tell jace happy bday for me, and that ill be looking forward to tearing up some final fantasy and zelda when I get back. Love you dad
-Elder Rasmussen-
January 2, 2012
Ill start off by answering some of your questions:
The Omega 3 pills are fantastic. I feel a lot more normal now sense Ive been taking them. I could definitely feel a difference. We dont go to work till 12 noon for the first 12 weeks. They have a new program for new missionaries called The First 12 Weeks. The intent is to train you so that you're able to train after the first 12 weeks of your mission. Part of that includes an extra hour of companionship study. So you do personal study from 8-9, language study from 9-10, and comp study from 10-noon. Then we eat lunch and go to work.. After the first 12 weeks you go back to 1 hour of comp study. I don't know how I feel about the training though. It's all the same stuff we learned in the MTC. Just all over again. We watch the same video clips, read the same Preach My Gospel passages...just repetitive. I guess it really makes more sense when you can get out and apply it for real though instead of just to another missionary in the MTC. But they have this video series called The District that we have to watch clips from. Im not kidding its like Mormon reality TV. It mind numbing to watch. It's supposed to be an unscripted documentary type series on missionary work. But the Norway mission is a LOT different than the San Diego mission (where the district is based) and some of those missionaries just make me angry to watch. They totally teach for numbers and not for people. But I guess that can be good too so that you can learn from their mistakes.
So a typical day consists of studies till noon, contacting till about 8:30pm, and back home for planing (pres wants us home by 9-9:30, and its 20 minutes to ride the bybane back to our area and another 20 minute walk home.) Sometimes we can fit in member dinners or teaches in that 8 hour block of contacting time. There are also several activities we do with the YSA several nights a week. Mondays we have FHE at 7, Fridays we have Sport, Tuesdays we have district meeting at 11 and MMK at 6. We spend a lot of time on the streets contacting in the cold and the rain.
The sun stays up for 20 hours a day during the summer, unless you're in the North. Then the sun never sets. Also in the North is where the sun never comes up in the winter time. If you're still wanting to come pick me up in 2 years then there's a good chance you'll get to see the infamous endless hours of sun. Because transfers here are 9 weeks instead of 6 the mission is 23 months. you can volunteer a 25 month if you want. But that means ill be done in Aug of 2013. That would be a perfect time to see some of Norway. But Ill leave that up in the air until the time gets closer.
My ability to understand Norsk is a ton better than my ability to speak it. But my trainer says he has notices a HUGE improvement on my fluency. Interestingly enough some of the best speakers here said it felt like 6 or 8 months before it started really coming. They just memorized and studied their brains out and one day it just clicked. Im hoping the same happens for me. i just dont want to feel like Ive wasted months of the missions time and money, though i have noticed a ton of growth in myself. So it's not been a waste for me, I just dont want others to see me as a waste.
As for the members, they are awesome. There are a lot of old people, one of them is named Brother Rasmussen. He was happy to meet me. Hes extremely passionate and outspoken about the gospel. Its great. All the members get excited when they first meet me and see i have a Scandinavian surname. They all ask 'Er de Norsk, eller Dansk?' I tell em all its Danish. Theyre always thrilled to have Scandinavian missionaries so I was well received. We have a member named Helga whos a 50 something year old guy with a crazy obsession with ties. I think hes autistic, hes definitely slow, but hes super nice. He has like 10 thousand ties, not even exaggerating. He gives all the new missionaries a tie. Theyre usually ugly, but we all wear em anyway because we appreciate them. Mine is grey with blue and red flowers on it. The YSA are solid. They come to everything and make American YSA look extremely ungrateful. Members here love the Gospel. There are a few young couples in the branch. Theyre just like American young couples. They all take great pride in the church building here. Theres someone there every day cleaning, even if theres nothing to clean. They're very proud of the building.
As far as needs, all i need is patience. Im starting to itch for gaming time and movie dates. lol, (lol is short slang for Laugh Out Loud in case you didnt know. Ive noticed Ive used it a few times) But if there is anything that i need i will let you know.
We have moves next week. This transfer flew by! I dont know yet if ill be staying in Bergen or if ill be moving to a new area. i guess we will see.
So, New Years we spent at the church. We got permission to stay up til midnight. We just played games with the YSA and ate snacks (chopped up raw vegetables, chips, sprite, eclairs) At midnight we all went out and lit sparklers. The whole city was shooting off fireworks for like 20 minutes. It was like a warzone. They were everywhere. you could look 360 degrees and see em exploding in the air all over the place. I guess New years is the only time of year when fireworks are legal to buy so they go nuts. We also saw a lot of scantily clad women on the busses and the bybane. All going to parties no doubt. Its really sad that people think they have to dress like that to be noticed, and that they dont set higher expectations for themselves. Morality is super low here. I could go up to just about anyone here, tell them Im American and looking for a good time, and they would make sure to get me to the best parties, with the best women, with all the drink or drugs i wanted, and show me their idea of a good time. That is esp true for missionaries, theyd get a kick out of that. And it would all be free. They have this idea in their head that Americans party like crazy and that its like Sodom and Gomorrah there. Theyve all seen movies like American Pie and think that is how we all are. And so they model their parties like that trying to keep up. Its pretty sad. So any chance they get to party with an American they take. Im glad that aspect of this country is a well kept secret from the US because i know that plenty of people would came here to take advantage of it. Its in seeing things like this in the world that make me extremely grateful for the gospel and all the many blessings it brings us.
That being said, i should tell you about a guy the sisters are baptizing in Feb. His name is paul. He started cleaning up his life after he met the missionaries. Hes been struggling with drugs for years. Total narco man. The first time he came to an activity he said that he was happy for us who grew up with the church, that we never had to go through the things hes been through, but felt that he would be a negative influence to the church if he started coming. When we told him we wanted him here, that he could change and find the same happiness he just up and quit his substance abuse. Hes loving it here so far, and making some HUGE changes to do this. You can almost literally see the hand of Christ molding him. His countenance has changed entirely. It's pretty incredible. Most of the YSA members here are converts of the last 2 years. Only one has been a life long member, and 2 converted in the last 5 years and have served missions. So many incredible stories to tell. Blessings like this could not come from nowhere. It's evidence to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this church is true. There is no way that it could be otherwise.
Well, Im all out of things to talk about...for now. Im looking forward to next weeks letter and hope that you have a good week. i love you dad.
-Elder Scott Rasmussen-
The Omega 3 pills are fantastic. I feel a lot more normal now sense Ive been taking them. I could definitely feel a difference. We dont go to work till 12 noon for the first 12 weeks. They have a new program for new missionaries called The First 12 Weeks. The intent is to train you so that you're able to train after the first 12 weeks of your mission. Part of that includes an extra hour of companionship study. So you do personal study from 8-9, language study from 9-10, and comp study from 10-noon. Then we eat lunch and go to work.. After the first 12 weeks you go back to 1 hour of comp study. I don't know how I feel about the training though. It's all the same stuff we learned in the MTC. Just all over again. We watch the same video clips, read the same Preach My Gospel passages...just repetitive. I guess it really makes more sense when you can get out and apply it for real though instead of just to another missionary in the MTC. But they have this video series called The District that we have to watch clips from. Im not kidding its like Mormon reality TV. It mind numbing to watch. It's supposed to be an unscripted documentary type series on missionary work. But the Norway mission is a LOT different than the San Diego mission (where the district is based) and some of those missionaries just make me angry to watch. They totally teach for numbers and not for people. But I guess that can be good too so that you can learn from their mistakes.
So a typical day consists of studies till noon, contacting till about 8:30pm, and back home for planing (pres wants us home by 9-9:30, and its 20 minutes to ride the bybane back to our area and another 20 minute walk home.) Sometimes we can fit in member dinners or teaches in that 8 hour block of contacting time. There are also several activities we do with the YSA several nights a week. Mondays we have FHE at 7, Fridays we have Sport, Tuesdays we have district meeting at 11 and MMK at 6. We spend a lot of time on the streets contacting in the cold and the rain.
The sun stays up for 20 hours a day during the summer, unless you're in the North. Then the sun never sets. Also in the North is where the sun never comes up in the winter time. If you're still wanting to come pick me up in 2 years then there's a good chance you'll get to see the infamous endless hours of sun. Because transfers here are 9 weeks instead of 6 the mission is 23 months. you can volunteer a 25 month if you want. But that means ill be done in Aug of 2013. That would be a perfect time to see some of Norway. But Ill leave that up in the air until the time gets closer.
My ability to understand Norsk is a ton better than my ability to speak it. But my trainer says he has notices a HUGE improvement on my fluency. Interestingly enough some of the best speakers here said it felt like 6 or 8 months before it started really coming. They just memorized and studied their brains out and one day it just clicked. Im hoping the same happens for me. i just dont want to feel like Ive wasted months of the missions time and money, though i have noticed a ton of growth in myself. So it's not been a waste for me, I just dont want others to see me as a waste.
As for the members, they are awesome. There are a lot of old people, one of them is named Brother Rasmussen. He was happy to meet me. Hes extremely passionate and outspoken about the gospel. Its great. All the members get excited when they first meet me and see i have a Scandinavian surname. They all ask 'Er de Norsk, eller Dansk?' I tell em all its Danish. Theyre always thrilled to have Scandinavian missionaries so I was well received. We have a member named Helga whos a 50 something year old guy with a crazy obsession with ties. I think hes autistic, hes definitely slow, but hes super nice. He has like 10 thousand ties, not even exaggerating. He gives all the new missionaries a tie. Theyre usually ugly, but we all wear em anyway because we appreciate them. Mine is grey with blue and red flowers on it. The YSA are solid. They come to everything and make American YSA look extremely ungrateful. Members here love the Gospel. There are a few young couples in the branch. Theyre just like American young couples. They all take great pride in the church building here. Theres someone there every day cleaning, even if theres nothing to clean. They're very proud of the building.
As far as needs, all i need is patience. Im starting to itch for gaming time and movie dates. lol, (lol is short slang for Laugh Out Loud in case you didnt know. Ive noticed Ive used it a few times) But if there is anything that i need i will let you know.
We have moves next week. This transfer flew by! I dont know yet if ill be staying in Bergen or if ill be moving to a new area. i guess we will see.
So, New Years we spent at the church. We got permission to stay up til midnight. We just played games with the YSA and ate snacks (chopped up raw vegetables, chips, sprite, eclairs) At midnight we all went out and lit sparklers. The whole city was shooting off fireworks for like 20 minutes. It was like a warzone. They were everywhere. you could look 360 degrees and see em exploding in the air all over the place. I guess New years is the only time of year when fireworks are legal to buy so they go nuts. We also saw a lot of scantily clad women on the busses and the bybane. All going to parties no doubt. Its really sad that people think they have to dress like that to be noticed, and that they dont set higher expectations for themselves. Morality is super low here. I could go up to just about anyone here, tell them Im American and looking for a good time, and they would make sure to get me to the best parties, with the best women, with all the drink or drugs i wanted, and show me their idea of a good time. That is esp true for missionaries, theyd get a kick out of that. And it would all be free. They have this idea in their head that Americans party like crazy and that its like Sodom and Gomorrah there. Theyve all seen movies like American Pie and think that is how we all are. And so they model their parties like that trying to keep up. Its pretty sad. So any chance they get to party with an American they take. Im glad that aspect of this country is a well kept secret from the US because i know that plenty of people would came here to take advantage of it. Its in seeing things like this in the world that make me extremely grateful for the gospel and all the many blessings it brings us.
That being said, i should tell you about a guy the sisters are baptizing in Feb. His name is paul. He started cleaning up his life after he met the missionaries. Hes been struggling with drugs for years. Total narco man. The first time he came to an activity he said that he was happy for us who grew up with the church, that we never had to go through the things hes been through, but felt that he would be a negative influence to the church if he started coming. When we told him we wanted him here, that he could change and find the same happiness he just up and quit his substance abuse. Hes loving it here so far, and making some HUGE changes to do this. You can almost literally see the hand of Christ molding him. His countenance has changed entirely. It's pretty incredible. Most of the YSA members here are converts of the last 2 years. Only one has been a life long member, and 2 converted in the last 5 years and have served missions. So many incredible stories to tell. Blessings like this could not come from nowhere. It's evidence to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this church is true. There is no way that it could be otherwise.
Well, Im all out of things to talk about...for now. Im looking forward to next weeks letter and hope that you have a good week. i love you dad.
-Elder Scott Rasmussen-
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
December 12, 2011
Thanks for the email. It was great hearing from you. i loved your gingerbread house. Congrats on the win! So I have a bunch of new pics this week. Ill have mom send em to ya. Its a little harder to up lead them again. These comps are slow. We went to an old fortress today. Its on the harbor in the city. It was built in the 1200s. Part of it was destroyed in WW2. The Nazis had a ship in the harbor that the Norwegians blew up, but the explosion caused some damage, but they've restored what was lost. But most of whats there is the original building. Also took some pics of the city. So I hope you enjoy them.
Its been rainy again this week. We now only get 2 hours of the sun. It takes some getting used to. its dark by 3pm here. So crazy.
Don't know a whole lot to talk about. I flew to Oslo on the 6th for a conference. I've ow had a total of 10 flights while I've been here. The church dumps money into the missionaries here! I swear I have 10 missionaries in Brazil paying for just me. (you can tell that to alex Jensen hehe)
We had a Julebord (Christmas party) a the church this week. It went well. Had a TON of people show up.
Sorry to keep this so short. But other missionaries are fighting for the comp so I should log out. Enjoy the pics. love you guys
-Elder Scott Rasmussen-
Front street at night after hiking
My backyard after the storm
1800's Shopping center
Fortress (from the street)
Another building in the fortress
A bunker
Fortress side, love the windows
Another view of the side
More of the fortress
Ruins of a section destroyed in WW2 when a ship in the harbor next to it was bombed
A church across the bay from the fortress
The ramparts surrounding the fortress (look how high!)
Me with the cannons
Silly sister missionaries
A memorial to the old kings
Fortress from the North
A road in Bergen sentrum (notice the license plates here) (also see the houses on the hill)
Communism is alive and well here
St Johns Cathedral (its HUGE!!!!)
St johns Cathedral 2 (notice how dark the sky is, its 2pm!)
Bergen from the Cathedral doors (sorry so blurry)
Steeple with Crows
Its been rainy again this week. We now only get 2 hours of the sun. It takes some getting used to. its dark by 3pm here. So crazy.
Don't know a whole lot to talk about. I flew to Oslo on the 6th for a conference. I've ow had a total of 10 flights while I've been here. The church dumps money into the missionaries here! I swear I have 10 missionaries in Brazil paying for just me. (you can tell that to alex Jensen hehe)
We had a Julebord (Christmas party) a the church this week. It went well. Had a TON of people show up.
Sorry to keep this so short. But other missionaries are fighting for the comp so I should log out. Enjoy the pics. love you guys
-Elder Scott Rasmussen-
Front street at night after hiking
My backyard after the storm
1800's Shopping center
Fortress (from the street)
Another building in the fortress
A bunker
Fortress side, love the windows
Another view of the side
More of the fortress
Ruins of a section destroyed in WW2 when a ship in the harbor next to it was bombed
A church across the bay from the fortress
The ramparts surrounding the fortress (look how high!)
Me with the cannons
Silly sister missionaries
A memorial to the old kings
Fortress from the North
A road in Bergen sentrum (notice the license plates here) (also see the houses on the hill)
Communism is alive and well here
St Johns Cathedral (its HUGE!!!!)
St johns Cathedral 2 (notice how dark the sky is, its 2pm!)
Bergen from the Cathedral doors (sorry so blurry)
Steeple with Crows
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