First Mission Email! - Elder Rasmussen :)

 こんにちは ("Konnichiwa"- means hello)! I'm officially a missionary! This week has been so great, I've learned so much and can't wait to share it with y'all!

This week I started the HMTC (Home Missionary Training Center)! I zoomed in for all of my classes which helps missionaries adjust to the mission life and schedule from the comfort of our own beds and allows us to share what we learn with our families! On Tuesday this week I fly to Provo to start the MTC in person, I'm so excited to meet my companion and district! I'll be there for 8 weeks learning Japanese, how to be a missionary, and more about the gospel! I'll fly to Japan on March 30th for the remaining 22 months!

First things first my MTC District and companion! My whole district is serving in Japan! I lucked out with Elder Phillips as my companion, he's the best! He is such a light and example to me and to the other missionaries in our district (10 total)! Elder Phillips is from Heber, Utah, he went to a semester of college at UVU, loves Lego's (just like me!), loves mountain-biking (just like me!), and loves the gospel (also like me!)! This Elder is so special and I'm so happy that I get the opportunity to learn and serve with him. We are both going to serve in the Japan, Fukuoka mission so we might be able to be companions later on! 

This week I've had so many spiritual experiences but I just want to highlight a few of them!

My classes have been so great, my districts teachers are Brother Horita and Brother Jones and they are such spiritual dudes! We've learned about our missionary purpose which is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping receive the resorted gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end!" I've learned so much about being a missionary and how to teach/invite people! I've had the opportunity to carry out the challenges I've been given and it's so evident that the Spirit is guiding me! We've done so much 

We've had lots of workshops too with ~400 missionaries all zooming from their homes! Those are amazing too, we've learned about the MTC, how to manage stress, the doctrine of the church, and so much more! The Gathering of Israel is so real!

Finally the Japanese lessons! They've been going great! I've learned how to read and write Hiragana (basic Japanese alphabet) and I'm working on learning Katakana (another basic alphabet)! I've also learned how to pray in Japanese and greet people! I know that my study is being blessed because there's no way I could've learned all this in a week without the Gift of Tongues and the Spirit! I know without a doubt that Japan is where Heavenly Father wants me to go and because of that I know that the language will come in time! After the first two weeks of Japanese language lessons all of our normal classes go 100% Japanese so I'll have so much exposure and time to learn.

I just want to end with bearing my testimony! I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true now more than ever, and that God is our loving Heavenly Father and He knows and loves you! I know that this is the work that Heavenly Father wants me to be doing and that He is sending me to Japan for a reason! There are people there that need to hear the things I have to say and I know that I will be blessed from the things I learn and do as I serve! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

I appreciate you all!

Elder Rasmussen :)  aka  ラスマセン 長老 (Pronounced "Rasumasen Choro")

P.S. Friends if you guys have any questions about what I've said or terms I've used, please email me back! I'll respond on my next preparation day (currently set to be every Saturday)!