A few friends from the MTC

Elder David and Mary Evans. Elder Evans is an Executive Director of the Missionary Department and served in the same mission with Gary in Japan in 1970.

Richard and Janna Zinke will be with us in the North Asia Area for the next three years. They will be presiding over the Kobe, Japan Mission.


Pres. and Sister Boswell is going to the Baltic Mission. He was Rodney Glassman's Scout Master in Fresno, California.

First Morning in the MTC

These two darling Shimais gave us a tour of the MTC and we had to take the famous picture in front of the world map like all good missionaries do. We will have a mission full of great sisters if they are anything like these two.

Dinner with Norie Palmer and her family

The night before we entered the MTC, we were invited by Shimai Palmer, who gave us Japanese language lessons for the past 6 months over Skype from the MTC, to her home for Japanese food with her family and friends. We love the Palmer family and enjoyed getting to know them in person.

Interviews with the Missionaries

You may get tired of our daily e-mails, and at some point I'm sure we won't be sending them, but for now here is another one. We wanted to meet with all of our missionaries as soon as we could so we asked for the President Tateoka's help in determining a schedule. You will see it below. Holy Cow! In our first week in Japan, we will be in our own beds maybe 3 nights!

Dear President Rasmussen,

Transfers are scheduled for Thurday, July 7th.

In order to facilitate the transfer, transfers should be called out on Wednesday, Morning, July 6th . The new missionaries will arrive late on Tuesday evening, July 5th

I would suggest that you leave for Aomori (a 5 hour drive) on Thursday night June 30th.

Hold, a “Meet the President Conference” in Aomori on Friday, July 1, hold interviews, travel to Morioka (2 and 1/2 hour drive)

Hold a “Meet the President Conference” in Morioka on Saturday, July 2, hold interviews, travel home, Attend Church in Nagamachi ( your home ward) travel to Niigata (a 3 hour drive)

Hold a “Meet the President Conference” in Niigata on Monday, July 4, hold interviews, travel home (3 hours)

Hold a “Meet the President Conference” in Sendai (Kamisugi), July 5 hold interviews and give the transfer schedule to the financial secretary so missionaries will have money to transfer.

If you would like, I could reserve hotels for you.

The Mission Home Missionaries have prepared a dramatic presentation on the mountain(hill) behind our home to welcome you and to help you feel the spirit and pray to seek our Heavenly Father help. They would like to do that for you on Wednesday Evening at 8:00 p.m. if that meets with your schedule.

Thanks for all you do. We are praying for you and Sister Rasmussen.

Best personal regards,
President Tateoka

Day 2 at the MTC

We arose at 5:45 and got back to our room at 7:00 p.m. but the day seemed to fly by! First on the docket this morning was an address from our prophet, President Monson. What a thrill as he spoke largely from his experience as a Mission President all those many years ago on how to motivate missionaries. His very practical suggestions ranged from personal interviews to transfers to weekly reports to preparation day to letters home to missionary meetings to building Mission Spirit to building strong relationships with local priesthood leaders. One quote that rang true to me was that the greatest single thing we can do is to ensure that relationships with local ecclesiastical leaders are properly maintained. I can say from personal experience that that is truly the case. As you might expect, when the prophet comes to a meeting, there are many of the Church leaders there. In attendance this morning and for much of the day were the entire First Presidency, nine members of the Quorum of the 12 (only Elders Packer, Perry, and Hales were not there), most of the auxiliary general presidencies, all the presidency of the Seventy, lots of members of the 1st Quorum of the 70. Those who we met were so kind and appreciative and gracious. When I shook hands with Sister Beck (RS Genl Pres) and she learned that we were going to Sendai, she talked about the great experiences she has had in Sendai with the Saints there and how much she loves them. Then she looked me in the eye and said, "Tell the saints in Sendai that I am praying for them." At lunch we sat with Elder Craig Christensen and his wife--he is the Executive Director of the Priesthood Department. At dinner with we dined with Elder and Sister Ringwood (he set Pam apart last Friday and will be in the Asia North Area Presidency) and Elder and Sister Richards (he will be in the Chile Area Presidency). There were many more with whom we spoke and shook hands, and I don't want to make it sound like we are boasting, but the leaders of the Church are really supportive of and loving toward the mission presidents. They are interested in our circumstances and particularly eager that we do well and are supported.

We had three or four sessions this morning and this afternoon that were under the direction of various General Authorities on topics relating to our responsibilities. First, Elder Richard Hinckley who will be emeritus in August and who has been the Executive Director of the Missionary Department for the past several years, led a discussion on the Doctrine of Christ and our Purpose as Missionaries. The Book of Mormon clearly describes the doctrine or gospel of Christ as faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end (2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 11, 3 Nephi 27). When we consider that our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ through these steps, the importance of baptism becomes very clear. It's not just to convert large numbers of people, it's to make His gospel available to every individual who will accept that invitation.

There is a major change in the role of Mission Presidents. We are to be the lead trainer in the mission, even more so than the Assistants, Zone Leaders, or District Leaders. Great push to keep us out of the office and away from administrative activities and to be in front of the missionaries doing all sorts of training in every possible venue. I am happy to have Pam at my side to assist in this aspect of my assignment.

We have made some good friends in the Zinke's who are going to the Kobe Japan Mission. She and Pam are very much alike--not strong Japanese language background, made a quilt for missionaries to sign, lots of discussions about what food to serve the missionaries, a very happy and nice person, etc. I can see in Pam a greater ease and confidence about this assignment just by interacting with Sister Zinke. I am sure they will e-mail ideas back and forth their entire mission. Plus once a year we have an Area Mission Presidents Seminar where we meet together with other mission presidents and their wives along with the Area Presidency and their wives. This November we will be going to Korea. Maybe one year we will be able to host it--who knows?

So much more to say, but it's 9:30 and time to hit the sack. Another full day tomorrow. Thanks for your love and support. We truly feel it. Please know that you are also in our prayers and thoughts. We are eager to hear the news about the birth of (Matt & Amy's) Sydnie next week.

Love to all,
Gary & Pam Rasmussen

June 22 Report from the MTC

Today marked the first official day of our mission! We joined approximately 120 other mission presidents and their wives at the MTC. They are literally from all over the world--Africa, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Australia, North America--every continent except Antarctica! They are some of the nicest people we will ever expect to meet in this life or the next. After a short conversation over lunch we feel like we have made life-long friends. It's hard to explain, but I guess it comes because they have all sacrificed to be here and are happy to do so.

Our day actually began with a cell phone call (thanks Metro Restaurants for letting me use the phone until the day that we depart to Japan!) from a representative of LDS.org who wanted to interview Pam and me for the Church's website. I don't mind saying that it was a bit intimidating as we were escorted into a room with bright lights, cameras, sound techs, and interviewers for about 45 minutes worth of questions and answers. I think it is because we are going to the Sendai Japan Mission and everyone knows the devastation that occurred there just two months ago. In any case, it was nice to be able to tell the cameras about our motivation for going and the support and love we feel from family and friends. They will follow up on Friday with more interviews and still shots when we get to meet and interact with the Sendai-bound missionaries who are currently in the MTC. Interestingly enough, this was the third interview from the media we have had in less than 24 hours. Yesterday morning a reporter from the Arizona Daily Star called us at the prompting of David Hoefferle, the Church Public Affairs Director for Southern Arizona. We visited with her on our cell phone for about an hour as we drove from Soda Springs to Salt Lake City. Then last night as we had a delicious authentic Japanese dinner with our good friend and Japanese language mentor, Norie Takada Palmer, and her family and friends, one of the family friends who is a student at BYU and a reporter for the BYU Daily Universe interviewed us for about 45 minutes about the adventure we are about to embark upon. As a couple who naturally seeks to avoid the media spotlight, this is an interesting position to be in. It is because of our strong feelings about what we are doing that we are willing to step out of our comfort zone and open ourselves up a bit.

We are still reveling in the experience of being set apart as Mission President and full-time missionaries last Friday by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and Elder Michael Ringwood of the Seventy. We were blessed to have our mothers, each of our children, my brother Craig and his wife Savina, and Matt's three oldest children, Drex, Braden, and Sadie, with us. Amazing promises and blessings were pronounced upon us by those who we sustain as God's inspried leaders here on this earth. After that experience, we felt both comfort and greater courage to go forward in this great opportunity. Attached is a picture that we took immediately after the setting apart. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers in our behalf.

Love, Gary & Pam

Arizona Daily Star Article

You may be interested in this article published today in the Tucson's newspaper the Arizona Daily Star. Thanks, Bob McMahon, for the kind thoughts that you expressed to the reporter. The feelings are mutual. Thanks, David Hoefferle, for putting us in this position to talk to the newspaper about what we will be doing for the next three years. It truly is an honor to be able to serve in Japan.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_47e7d4a4-a07a-11e0-abaf-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1QnOdpDZe

Ex-restaurant exec shifts direction to lead Mormon mission in Japan
by Valerie Vinyard

Quit your job as chief financial officer for Metro Restaurants: Check.

Tell your wife you were offered a three-year unpaid stint in Japan as a Mormon mission president: Check.

Lease your house, pack your bags and send 2,000 pounds of stuff to Sendai before starting work on Wednesday: Check.

Gary Rasmussen, 59, and his wife, Pam, leave today for their new adventure.

“My wife loves to sew, so we sent her sewing machine, and clothes, some books, my bicycle — a Trek road bike,” Rasmussen said last week during a telephone interview. The couple were driving toward Salt Lake City to pick up a shuttle for a missionary training center in Provo, Utah.

After a few days in Provo, the Rasmussens will leave this afternoon and arrive in Sendai about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Gary will start work the next morning.

“I didn’t get a vote, but I certainly wanted it,” said Rasmussen of Japan. “In my heart of hearts, I was hoping to return to Japan.”

In order to join her husband, Pam Rasmussen left her job as a campus support specialist at the Institute of Religion on the University of Arizona campus.

The two have been married for 38 years. They met when they lived across the street from each other in Soda Springs, Idaho.

They have six children ranging in age from 30 to 37 — three girls, three boys. The sons and one daughter each have served missions.

The couple also have 23 grandchildren, with two on the way. They said they plan on a lot of Skype time to keep in touch with the family.

As a 19-year-old, Rasmussen served his first Mormon mission in 1970 in the Tokyo area.

Metro Restaurants owner Bob McMahon has known Rasmussen more than 20 years since he hired him in 1992 at City Meat and Provisions Co. McMahon brought him back since 2000 as CFO.

“I was proud of him,” McMahon said. “He’s one of the nicest human beings you’ll ever meet. He is genuine and a true believer. I have a great deal of personal admiration and respect and love for Gary Rasmussen.”

Rasmussen will supervise 70 people — 66 missionaries and two couples. The missionaries will be 19 to 22 years old. Women serve for 18 months; men for two years. About half of the missionaries are Japanese nationals, and the others are from United States, New Zealand and Australia.

Rasmussen will travel around the area and meet one-on-one with each missionary every quarter.

“Eighteen months or two years passes quickly,” he said.

Rasmussen said the seven-day-a-week mission begins at 6:30 a.m. Language is studied for one hour to 90 minutes and then Scripture is studied.

The missionaries are on the street by 10:30 a.m. and back at their apartments at about 8:30 p.m. Mondays are prep days, where missionaries spend a half-day doing laundry, writing letters home and food shopping.

“It’s fairly intense. It’s not a vacation,” said Rasmussen, noting that part of their job is to help clean up from the recent earthquakes and tsunami.

“Especially in the smaller villages,” he said, “everything is gone.”

Rasmussen said about 125,000 Mormons live in Japan. He estimated that 1 percent of Japan’s residents are Christian, with about 10 percent of those being Mormon.

His Japanese, while rusty, came back quickly.

“I’m surprised that it’s coming back so well,” said Rasmussen, who has been working on his language skills for an hour three times a week since November.

“I remembered words and phrases,” he said, “but it will take that immersion.”

And his wife’s reaction to all of this?

“She gulped,” Rasmussen said. “But we’re kind of equally tied in on this. We’re honored that we were invited to do this service to the church and to the Lord.”

Contact reporter Valerie Vinyard at vvinyard@azstarnet.com or at 573-4136.


EDITED 7/3/11 TO ADD:

Not that we are are seeking adulation, but it is nice to see that there are those who would take the time to write a letter to the editor talking about the service which members of the church provide. I wonder if Brad knows her professionally--don't know how big the Marana Unified School District is.
Love to all.
Gary & Pam Rasmussen


Arizona Daily Star
Letter to the editor
Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011

Thanks for inspiring front-page story

Re: the June 27 article "Ex-restaurant exec shifts direction to lead Mormon mission in Japan."

I am inspired to read that Gary and Pam Rasmussen are heading up the LDS missionary work in Sendai, Japan.

While I am not a Mormon, I've admired this type of volunteer commitment in that church and wish others of us would consider doing similar unpaid actions for people. Instead of a comfortable three years enjoying the fruits of their labor in the Southwest, this couple is stepping out on a limb and supporting others in their church. Maybe more of us can consider contributing this way.

I applaud you, Arizona Daily Star, for putting this positive story on the front page. By making this article conspicuous, you've caused more of us to think about goal-setting in our later years and taking the risk of becoming life-long learners.

Deborah Hildreth
Teacher, Marana Unified School District

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_aa9255e5-faff-5d27-9d95-3189f0f84db4.html#ixzz1R4009eqn