Sam is in the Motherland!!!!!

 He's there!!!! Just got this email and pictures....I love Julie Rasmussen already!!!!

Hello there!
We just wanted to let you know that your missionary arrived safely today!  They were quite tired from the long plane ride, but they've been well taken care of.  Here is a picture of them with President Rasmussen and I.  We also have a mission blog that we upload mission pictures to periodically.  Please check it out and you can see what life is like in the EBM. The address is: http://ebmission.blogspot.co.uk/
We appreciate your missionary's sacrifice and dedication to the Lord.

Love,
Sister Rasmussen

And my email back:

Julie---

You MADE my day...as well as alot of other Mommas! Thank you SO much for the effort and energy of this love gift.

I am so thrilled for you ---you have such an amazing 2 years ahead of you with my Sam. He is love and joy embodied. He is the perfect everything.  Just seeing him will make you smile and your heart leap. He is one of God's greatest. I am continually awed that he was sent to us. The hole he has left here is monstrous and painful. I have sent 3 ahead of him and am grateful to know that sometime, hopefully sooner rather than later, peace will come to cover the pain, not remove it. Wrap him in your combined greatness. I know most members have a hard time with breaking "rules"...but you have MY permission as his mother and eternal steward--which I say outranks priesthood manual etiquette-- to HUG this boy every time you sense his need. He has been a hugger his whole life. No hugging will be one of the harder parts of his service.

Enjoy every minute with him.

Natalie Harris

Elder Samuel Joseph Harris' Mother