Temple Day

Aloha!

Today was temple P-day so we got to travel to Brisbane and go to the Temple. I love the temple so much! My companion and I were really looking forward to going to the temple too especially because the last few days have turned out to be extremely hectic and just stressful. Everything that we have been planning has been falling through. A few of our most solid investigators seem to be faltering, and we are trying to do all we can to encourage them to carry on. And especially yesterday when every one of our five appointments fell through and one of them even fell through twice in the same day and then we just decided to start knocking on doors with the remaining time we had and a crazy lady let us in her house and started ranting and raving about being the most intelligent woman on earth and how she is persecuted and how she was "cleaning" her house which was very verrrry not clean at all and telling us all this whilst cleaning her feet in a bucket of dirty water. I just about lost it. And once we finally got out of there after telling her she was a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves her and leaving her a pamphlet (because she is after all even if she's off her rocker) then her upstairs neighbor came out with no clothes on and was extremely intoxicated. After that we went to another appointment which also failed. And we couldn't wait to get to the temple today and then our ride got sick and we had to scramble around everywhere to get another one or else wake up at 3 in the morning again to get the train. I really almost lost it then. But the Lord provided a way and we got a ride and we went to the temple and I feel Oh so much better now. So that's the story of how the Temple can calm a troubled mind. But now we are back in Toowoomba and ready to move forward no matter what the adversary might be throwing at us. 

One cool thing since last week is that we are now teaching a family that lives about an hour farther west into the great Australian outback, in a town called Dalby, that is tiny and has a tiny branch but no missionaries. So we were nominated to go because here in Toowoomba are the closest missionaries to them, and because the family has two daughters, 12 and 14, and I am the only sister who can drive. So we lucked out on that one because this family is awesome! The 14 year old was baptized at 8 but has been less active nearly all her life and doesn't know much, the 12 year old wants to be baptized! The Mom who grew up in the church but fell away in her teens wants to come back to church full force and the boyfriend of the mom is a very interested non member. So we are very excited to be teaching them! We are teaching them every Sunday after church so we get to roadtrip every Sunday as well. And maybe more often as we help the 12 year old get prepared for her baptism.  So that is exciting. Our other investigators are all starting to kind of hit roadblocks at the moment but I'm sure with the help of Heavenly Father and some faith we will make it through. This transfer is already nearly half way over and I'm starting to feel like I'll never leave Toowoomba! But I'm loving it most of the time anyways. It's starting to get cooler and their fall season is coming on. It was 16 Celsius the other morning and I was freezing haha that's like 60 Fahrenheit but you know how I deal with cold. 

Hope everyone is excited for March Madness. 

Ofa Lahi Atu,

Sister Rasmussen

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

They just don't celebrate here the way we do. Holidays just aren't as big of a deal here in Australia as they are back home so Valentine's day just snuck up on me without even realizing what day it was. There was nothing in the shops, no decorations, no candy, no cards, and no one was really talking about it until like the day of. So weird. But my companion shouted (Aussie slang for bought us) me and the other sisters KFC haha that's a typical missionary celebration for you. Have I ever mentioned how obsessed they are here with KFC? well actually with chicken in general but especially with KFC. Everyone here loves KFC there is a KFC on every corner. and anyone who knows me knows that is probably my least favorite fast food out of all the fast food places. Which also they just don't have fast food in variety like we have at all. They have McDonald's obviously because it's everywhere, but they call it Mackers (pronounced Mackuhs) and it's like a cool place to go and hang out with your friends here as well, like how we would have starbucks, they go to McDonalds of all places. SO weird. And they have Burger King which for some reason here is actually named Hungry Jacks but it's burger king though. They have KFC EVERYWHERE. and Subway. But that's basically it. They don't have any chain restaurants either like we have all over. The only one I've seen is Sizzler. They just eat at home more I think. or just eat purely "take-away" like KFC. And then they have a few other chicken places that are just here in Australia like Red Rooster. You get chicken flavored salt to go on your french fries, which they call chips. They really love chicken a lot see. So anyways that was how I spent my Valentines day, at KFC and it was absolutely packed with people, as KFC's here always are. But our investigator Josephine works there and she hooked us up with her employee discount which was nice of her. 

Besides all that our week was great. We went and taught a less active man on Saturday and we brought this other man who just recently came to church for the first time in years last week to come be his friend and then we were so surprised and happy to see them both at church again this week! The one guy hasn't been in 8 years! So that was a little miracle we are excited about. Things are progeressing here we are hoping to set a baptismal date with Josephine tonight for sometime soon like in early March so that is exciting! I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day. 

Love you all!

Sister Rasmussen

6 months in Toowoomba!!

Well I'm staying right here in Toowoomba! Which makes me really happy. Although I'm sure by the end of this transfer I'll be ready for a new adventure. I can just feel that this transfer is going to be a transfer full of miracles because we are seeing some incredible things happen with investigators and members here in Toowoomba. The only sad thing about transfers is my bestie friend sister Tauti got transferred away. She's been here with me since I first got here and we have been through a lot together. But the Lord needed her to go be a sister Training leader and help lots of sisters on the gold coast so that's ok. I still have my wonderful companion and sister Suá who can keep teaching me Samoan haha we got a new sister as well sister Cash-Vea who is also polynesian so I'm still quite outnumbered but I fit right in ;) It's going to be fun.   Also all of the sisters from my MTC group are now up North in northern Queensland. Sister Solomon stole my dream of going to Townsville, but no worries I know the Lord wants me here in Toowoomba to carry on here because there is SO MUCH work to be done. 

Don't underestimate yourselves as member missionaries. One thing we are working on with our ward is teaching all our progressing investigators in members homes. So just do what you can and open your homes up to the missionaries and their investigators, and then you can be a big part in this big miracle that is happening all over the world! Time is really flying by these days, I can't believe that it's already nearly half way through Febuary. I'll work on taking some more pictures with people we are teaching and send them out to you guys so you can put a face to a name. Well I don't have lots of time today but hope your week goes well! My P-day should be back to normal next week and be on Monday but you never know haha.

Love you!

Sister Rasmussen

I am so TIRED!

So I apologize but today has been verrrry long. We got up at 3am and drove to Ipswich (like 1hr and a half drive) and then caught a train to Southbank and then walked to the temple so that we could be changed and ready to go for an 8am session. It was much needed since we haven't gone in so long but I am absolutely exhausted. Especially since I'm the one who drives so I couldn't sleep in the car or anything. Neither could my wonderful co-pilot Sister Tauti whom I love, and we are both a bit loopy at the moment. So rather than try and make up something new I just copied and pasted most of my letter to my mission president. I think it describes what is going on in Toowoomba pretty well at the moment:

Things are going well in Toowoomba still. We had a new investigator come to church on Sunday, and get up and bear her testimony! She talked about how it was an answer to her prayers that we knocked on her door and invited her to church and also that the members of our ward were able to help provide her transport to get there. She is 19 years old and so ready for the gospel in her life. She also told us she is definitely bringing her family along next time(her mom sister and brother)! Our ward really stepped it up on Sunday as well as we had 5 investigators between the two companionships in the ward and it was all five of their first time at church. The ward members did such a great job at helping them feel welcome and comfortable that they all said they want to come back again this Sunday. We are working on teaching more in the members homes because we feel that that is what will really make the difference between just teaching these people and baptizing them.  It was such a great Sunday, even when we found out no one had organized to teach Gospel Principles class or prepared anything and I ended up teaching with 0 time at all to prepare I just said a prayer and followed the spirit as I went through the lesson and it was one of the better ones we have had with the class participating and everything. I know I couldn't have done that on my own and I'm so glad for the spirit especially in situations like that. Just as church was about to finish a family of 5 whom we had met earlier walked into church. They are Chinese and don't really speak much English at all so we offered to take them on a church tour and thankfully Elder Pu from Darling Heights was already at the church and was able to help translate for us. So Sunday was a day of miracles! 

This week has also been a miracle with some of our less actives who live farther out of town. We have been trying to get down to them and get some interest in returning to church from them for the entire time since I opened the area, (3 transfers now) and haven't had much success except with one family. This week so far we have 6 lessons scheduled in that part of the area, 5 with less active families (which most are also part-member families) and one with a new potential we found while following up on a less active family who we found out had moved. So basically the Lord is just blessing us right now with so much work and so many people to teach! It is a bit overwhelming to be honest to think that for whatever reason the Lord entrusts so many of his children to us to help guide into his fold. But I know with his help we can handle it. 

Besides that transfers are happening this week. The ward is having me give a bit of a talk on Sunday. I don't know if it's that they are expecting me to get transferred or what but I hope not. So much great stuff is happening! BUt anything could happen. I will email you on Tuesday and let you know all the details of it. 

Alofa Atu,

Sister Rssmussen

PS I heard the Broncos got smashed by the Seahawks!