Wednesday, June 1, 2011

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

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