Dec 26, 2011 Feliz Navidad

Canete Famila, Silvia, Whitney and Hna Jones

Feliz Navidad

"The River Crossing"

I received two pictures of Whitney this week, but not from Whitney. See attached.  The Canete familia and Silvia from Leopardi, Whitney's last area, came to visit her in Nemby for Christmas and looks like a Christmas stocking in her hand.  How sweet was that and then sent me the picture on facebook.  I thanked Silvia for taking such good care of Hna Plummer.  She said We Love Her!!!  Mama Canete loved Whitney as a daughter. The other picture I got from Hna Troesch, on FB, her last companion that has gone home.  Another "River Crossing..."  We were able to skype with Whitney on Christmas Day.  Mom, dad and Mike at the house.  Amy and Raelyn joined us for a few moments but her phone died, then we got Nicole's family connected.  So fun..  When we had 3 people on skype the pictures froze a few times but it was wonderful to see and hear her. Whitney bore her testimony in Spanish at the end, and of course we all cried.  Grateful for the technology of skype.

hola familia, last night was so awesome! I loved seeing your faces and hearing your voices. the skype wasn't perfect but none the less was so great. too bad your call dropped amy. but i was so happy to hear your voice and raelyn too. All the kids are all grown up.  for the rest, i love you too. hope you had a great Christmas! i miss you all. next time we talk will be only a few days before I'm released from my mission. can you believe it? but thank goodness I still have time to learn more and experience more of the mission in Paraguay. Christmas was really different here. mostly because it has been blazing hot. more thank 40 degrees celsius. haku! we were teaching persio with his mom, and seriously, I sweat more just sitting there than i did when i played tennis in the heat in georgia. but then it rained, which brings a bit of a cool off.  Thank goodness. 

Christmas eve we ate with a familia B in the ward (by the way mom she solicited your friendship on facebook but said that you haven't accepted.) it was funny because they all wait until midnight to eat, but we couldn't, so they prepared the food early and just sat and watched us eat. well we talked of course, but it was kinda funny. also, they set off a ton of fireworks. more on Christmas than on new years. I also took pictures of their nativities. they make them out of leaves and put fruit in them. i think I might have already said that last week. oh well. today we had a district activity and talked about Christmas in the mission. we all agreed that being here at this time has caused such an increase in our love and appreciation for the Savior. it is all centered around Him. i remembered the part in the Book of Mormon when samuel the lamanite prophesy's about the coming of Christ and the sign of his birth when there will be no night for 2 days. the sun will go down, but it will still be light. i thought about how this sign of his birth was so perfect because he is the light of the world. He came to bring light and hope to mankind. cool huh. 

we are working with a few really great people right now. they all have different needs, but at the same time so similar. they all need to feel the love heavenly Father has for them. V was going to be baptized this next Saturday, but worked all week and we didn't get to teach him last week. it was a huge bummer. he feels really happy learning about the gospel and wants to feel more of it, but he really needs your prayers. he has a few challenges that make it hard for him to really grasp what it is all about. as missionaries it is so important to teach according to the needs of each person individually. that is why preach my gospel is so inspired. i don't know what we would do without it. but he is so great and has such a pure heart. i can really see that in him. 

each week we have a sweet experience to visit an abuelita (grandma) antonia. she is a member but doesn't come to church because she can't walk and a few other things. we visit her every Wednesday. we took her some food from the end of the year dinner of the ward and read from luke 2 and sang Christmas songs with her on Christmas eve. everytime I visit her i feel the love Heavenly Father has for every one of his children. reminds me of the talk by Pres Uchtdorf from the conference called "You are not Forgotten." she sometimes feels forgotten, but i feel so blessed to be the Lords hands to help His children remember that they are not forgotten, and that He always knows what we need and where we are. that is one of the greatest testimonies that i have gained, that Heavenly Father knows each and every one of his children, because when they thought they were lost from his sight, he sent us to tell them that He is there. time and time again I see that. well, I have to go. I love you all so much! feliz navidad!!!!

love,

hermana plummer

Dec 19, 2011

Whitney gets to skype on Christmas Day from the church!!!  Such a blessing we don't have to talk over the noise of a cyber and we know it will work..  The Lord knows this mamma needs to see her beautiful face.

hola familia, I am so excited!! i can’t believe Christmas is in a week. Mom, we took pictures of the decorations you sent us, set up in the house. i will try and remember to send them. it made me so happy and we are always listening to Christmas music. in the lessons, we almost always sing to start them out. I think we have sung every Christmas song in the hymnal a million times. but I don't even care.  Christmas here is different, but I like how it isn't quite so commercialized like it is in the US. almost everyone has a manger scene somewhere in their house or yard. they are a bit different than in the us. I will have to take a picture to send. they put fruit up too or something. right now is the season of a lot of fruits like mango. thar are mango trees everywhere. and I mean everywhere. it is always funny when someone says, oh I live by a big mango tree. wow. thanks for describing all of the houses in paraguay. there are a lot of different types too. they don't even sell them in the stores because they are so abundant naturally here. 

this week was a learning experience.

on another note. V is doing great. he is going good for his baptism on the 31st. we are trying to be more creative in teaching him because he has a very short attention span. so on Saturday we used an example of repentance, baptism and the holy ghost. we have a dirty cup. and repentance and baptism is how we clean the cup. it is all sparkling clean, but the way to complete it is to fill it up with clean water, which is the holy ghost. the holy ghost is what fills us up after being cleansed, or to say it sanctifies us. I am so grateful for the gift of the holy ghost to be our consolador and to guide us in our lives as we strive to endure to the end. I still have a lot to learn, but I am learning the role of the spirit in all aspects of our lives, and how important it is to follow the spirit. on Tuesday we were walking past a park on the way to an appointment. I felt an impression to contact a house but said no, but we need to visit E.  when we got to E, she wasn't even there. so I said. we have to go back to that house. when we went back to the house, the woman at first said she couldn't because she had to leave, but when I insisted just a little bit more, she suddenly began to tell us how this week was the anniversary of the death of her son and that it wasn't even one month since her husband died and that her brother and sister had both died this year too. she then invited us in. she told us about her son and her husband as tears streamed down her face. we listened and then shared with her about how through the plan of salvation she can be with them again. tears welled up in my eyes as I could see the pain she feels but a relief to hear that she can have a renewed hope. it was a really special experience. I don't know if she will be baptized, i hope so. we will see what happens, but I know heavenly father uses us to answer the prayers of his children, and I have to be obedient to the spirit to be His hands. well, I have to go. I will see you all on Sunday I hope and 1 pm your time. I am sure mom will fill you all in. I love you all so much. and am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ who came into this world to save us. solely for his pure love for Father in Heaven and for us. 

love,

hermana plummer

Dec 12, 2011

hola familia, I missed you all a whole lot this week. hna J has been a bit homesick. when she cried, I suddenly started crying missing my family. but I know it will get better for her. it is a big shock when you get here. for some it sets in a bit after and for others right away. certain things remind her of her family. so I try and do my best to cheer her up. she is trying really hard to stay focused though. i admire her is so many ways. I never knew what a blessing it would be to train. yes it has its challenges, but I am learning a ton. it is awesome. she has such an energy and desire to do the work. so refreshing. I want to keep the energy all the way to the finish. by the way. my truncky papers came today. it was sad. but I wasn’t the only one.
recenly we are teaching a few new people. i almost cried when an investigator who we have been working with for quite a while said she just can’t believe that there could be a living prophet and that she didn’t want to investigate anymore. it was a bummer. we were really close. I know that mas A will accept. But was really hard though. you just get so attached to these people. but we are recently teaching a new investigator V. he is really great and wants to learn more about christ. it is a bit different teaching him because he was born with a bit of a mental impediment and has lived on the street for the past 20 years. I don’t know the whole story,  but has a heart very pure and a desire to learn. his mom is a member super faithful, and he recently moved in with her after a long time. he has 38 years or so. he is such a blessing. just came to church with her and says he wants to be baptized. so he has a date for the 31st. I pray he keeps progressing! his mom is so funny. she is so excited he wants to be baptized. she has been hoping and praying for another member of her family to join the church ever since she got baptized about 8 years ago. she is so humble, is such an example of one that doesn’t have to be super educated to understand the doctrine. some think that you have to have a tons of estudios to undertand and live the gospel. but she is an example of loving the restored gospel and understanding and living the doctrine is something that everyone can do. it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from.
as I said, I am learning a ton from hna J. i love working with her, and we are working really hard. haha. I was worried that my new companion would walk slow, but she walks fast, so it is all good. jk. (just kidding)
the stockings of Christ and Thanks are so great mom. I realize more and more that when we are mindful of these things, Christ like acts, blessings, miracles, things we are gratful for; we are happier. attitude of gratitude as pres monson says and grandpa giles. i testify of that. I am so grateful for my mission and for the opportunity to serve the Lord in Paraguay. I missed you all a lot this week. I think more than usual. but I get to talk on christmas! I love you all so much!!!!
love,
hermana plummer

hi mom and dad, thanks for your letters. mom, I found out that we can't use computers of the members, so we have to use a cyber. since navidad is on a sunday, we can do it on the 24th, the 25th by phone, or the 26th. I will try and find a cyber that has skype. and I guess you all are 4hrs behind us here. oh ya I forgot to say that I did see elder alphin (Jonesboro Ward.) I know his trainer. we said hi, but it was all a bit rushed and I was focused on hna J. yes we have started writing in our stockings. it is great!! helps us always to remember our blessings. I will be sure to tell hna J to tell her mom about missionary moms. she is really missing her family. a lot. it was great to hear about the ward christmas party. I look forward to my notes! I expect lots of pictures of everyone home for christmas. I can’t believe it is Christmas. oh, and thanks for all the christmas stuff. I am saving all the temple holders and stuff to hand out as christmas gifts. they will love it! well, I love you both so much. soooo much. thanks for everything you do.
love,
your daughter

Dec 5, 2011 Christmas has arrived

Trainers and Trainee or Greenies

plus our GA friend Elder Allpin!!!

hola familia, how are y'all? I miss you! in less than a month I get to talk to you all on the phone. I hope I can get skype to work here. woohoo. well, i have a new companion. hermana jones fron ohio and arrived in paraguay on tuesday. I am training her. ahhhh. she is way great. so ready and excited to work and share the gospel. very outgoing. I can tell she misses her family and is a bit overwhelmed not understanding anything, but we are going to have such a good time this change. I am a bit freaked out about the responsibility that entails training a new missionary, but I know that it will be a humbling and a learning experience. it is a bit weird to go from a companion who finished her mission to one that is just beginning, but it is a good change. her first day, it rained, and of course there are rivers in the streets here. I felt so badly, but welcome to paraguay. thankfully is hasn't been that hot this week. every wednesday we visit an abuelita (granny) that lives in not the best living conditions. that was her first appointment. I thought well, if she can survive this, she will be good. haha. I thought back to my first month or so and how I felt. I don't even remember. a whole year ago practically. I just had a permenant confused look for about 2 months.
this week, one or our investigators found out she has throat cancer. we visited her on wednesday and taught about the plan of salvation with her and her marido (husband.) please keep them in your prayers. she really needs it. she has a ton of faith, but it is still really hard. we had such a weird lesson yesterday. we are teaching a joven (youth) that is so awesome. she really wants to know if the church is true. we had a great lesson with her and left her with the commitment to read in the book or mormon and pray to know if it is true. yesterday we went to visit her again. she said that night after reading in the book of mormon and praying, she had a dream......  I sat there thinking. how astute is satan. I thought. nooo. she is so great, and really wants to know the truth. she still says she will pray and come to church. it is very part of the culture here to believe a lot in mary. always interesting experiences. a woman yesterday told us that she had read a book about our church and that she knows we are false. immediately came to my mind the talk by elder callister in the last conference when he told of a story of a joven (youth) in canada whose friend told her that she had researched the church and knew it isn't true. the girl asked, have you read the book or mormon? the other said, no. and she said, then you haven't researched my church because I have read every page of the Book of Mormon, and I know it is true. that came to my mind, but I just said gracia chao. the spirit isn't there if we contend with anyone. I am so gratful for my testimony of the book of mormon. I have read it and prayed asking if it is true, and I know it is true. I would never deny it. I know it and I know it will help anyone through anything in their lives if they read it with real intent. I love you all so much. thanks for being my family!
love,
hermana plummer


hi mom and dad. wow. I remember the east winds when I was really young. was there any damage to our house? how was the blessing? I thought you are doing better? yes? no? I pray for you both every day.
yes I got both of my christmas packages. thanks sooooo much! we are going to decorate today. I am so excited!!! I will for sure take pictures. I think I can fix my brown shoes here. if not, I will see if I need new shoes. I don't think so. Will you please pray and put all those names on the temple prayer roll?   anyways I love you both so much. thanks for being the best parents!
love,
your daughter

Nov 28, 2011

hola familia, this week was good but nerve-racking at the same time. Before I have never known for sure that my companion was leaving, especially to her house. it has been really weird and frustrating because it makes me think about home. oh well, it will be back to normal with another companion who still has time in the mission. I have learned a lot from hna troesch. always just when I am getting settled in, we change. i always freak out when my companion leaves, but hopefully i will be more stable this time. haha. C was baptized on saturday and P baptized her. his first time. he was way nervous. it all went perfectly. we were so scared that he would have to do it more than once and would feel badly, but all was perfect. afterwards, the bishop said, do you realize what is happening? P is progressing so incredibly. he said not many missionaries get to see one of their own converts baptize someone. I felt so priveleged to see the change that has happened in him, from where he was in his life to now. we were teaching his sister D yesterday, and after we shared the first vision of Joseph Smith we asked him what he felt when he heard it for the first time?  he said that he felt the spirit and that the spirit told him, you have to change. it was so awesome.
so C lives like 2 blocks from our house, so she knows where we live. on saturday she said she would pass by our house to walk together to church for her baptism.  we said about 8 would be fine and she thought it was too late, so we settled on 7:45. on sunday morning, at 7:15 we hear a clap outside. no way, already? sure enough, we hadn't eaten or put on our shoes yet and she was all ready to go. it was so funny. so we had to hurry and eat something and go. she is always very punctual. haha. she was so excited for her baptism and confirmation. she says that before she met us, she would always wake up at night and feel an emptiness and a sadness. she didn't know why, but at the same time, it didn' go away. she says that now she feels happy, peaceful, and she doesn't have those feelings anymore. the gospel really works miracles in our lives. that is one of the biggest testimonies I have gained from my mission.
yesterday in gospel principles class, the spirit reminded me of something really important. the lesson was on sacrifice. there are 3 levels of why we sacrifice. 3. fear of God 2. to receive blessings 1. just because we love the Lord. I realized that I needed to be reminded that the only way to be completely happy and to know my savior is to do the work for nothing more than my desire to serve Him because i love Him. that applies to so many parts of our lives. oh no. I am out of time. I love you all so much. I think of you and pray for you every night. I hope you all had a good thanksgiving!!! send me pictures!!
love,
hermana plummer
The ward asked the missionaries, serving from our ward, to write a letter to the ward.  Here is Whitney's letter to the Foothill Ward.

21 de Nov, 2011

Querido Foothill Ward,

How awesome y’all wanted to include the missionaries in your Christmas celebration.  I am excited to share a few of my thoughts about this time of year.  When my mom told me what I was asked to do, the first thing that came to my mind was something my mom sent to me in the MTC, that was called “Ten Reasons Why a Missionary Christmas is Different.”  If any haven’t read it, I’m sure if you ask my mom she will find it.  After my first Christmas in the mission, I don’t think I could ever go back to celebrating it like I did before.  Christmases before were always filled with presents, planning, traveling, parties, and a whole bunch of other fun stuff.  But when I had the best Christmas ever, that didn’t include all these things, I had my eyes opened in a new light.  There is nothing better than being able to focus completely in Christ during this time of year, when the world fills it with other things.  I am so grateful for my testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for the change that has occurred in me.  We have a change of heart when we take out distractions and focus on what is most important.  As we put our focus on Christ and as we learn more about the Atonement, the result is that we begin to become a little more like Him.  We can be instruments in His hands to let the light of Christ touch the lives of others, and not just at Christmas time either.  What a blessing to have the restored gospel in our lives to help us feel the power of the Atonement.  Let us share that knowledge with others.  They need it!!  I know that these two Christmases on my mission are so that I will never forget, and even though in the future I will be back living in the midst of it all, I hope to never forget to consecrate this special time of year.  I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  See y’all next year.

Always,

Hermana Plummer

Nov 21, 2011 Happy, Hot days in Paraguay

hola familia, happy thanksgiving!!! thanks mom for my thanksgiving meal, I am excited to finally eat it - mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey jerkey, pumpkin seeds for my pumpkin pie, craisins for cranberries and more!!!! I am so thankful for my family! If there was one thing I could say that I learned on my mission, it would be how incredibly thankful I am to have the family that I have. I love you all so much. they don't have thanksgiving here of course, but I like to celebrate it in my heart anyways. there are so many things to be thankful for in our lives. the list never ends. I love the thing that I am most thankful for I get to talk about all day everyday. and that is the gift from our Heavenly Father of His Son Jesus Christ. I don't even begin to comprehend the magnitude of His gift to us, but I pray that I can feel it a bit more every day. 

this week was pretty good. we had zone conference. it was so awesome!! as we all know, members members members are the way to do missionary work. we watched a video of a group of teenage boys from florida. it started out that a young man was baptized in the church. he didnt want to be the only one, so he decided to share the gospel with a friend. this friend was baptized. then the friend did the same thing. and the next did the same thing. and it was a chain effect. this ward has 24 or so active young men, now thanks to one joven (young) man being brave enough to open his mouth. you should look it up . It is so cool. I know that things would change drastically if the members would just pray sincerely to know who is ready and then follow the spirit and open their mouths. persio is so eager to have someone in his family be baptized. we taught his sister the other day. she has never had much interest in God or going to church, but she sees a big change in him and wants to learn more and to come to church. the only thing is that she has problems with high blood pressure, and couldn't come yesterday and the heat is rough. by the way, persio blessed the sacrament yesterday for the first time. he was way nervous, but was way excited. he is so eager to learn and participate. we thought about inviting him to baptize C, but we are kind of scared because she is quite big, and it is his first time. we don't know how that would work out. I think someone smaller would be good for his first time. haha. C is excited for her baptism this saturday. she has had some doubts, but has gained a testimony through prayer. she had a really special experience the other night while praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith was a prophet. I knew that with patience and prayer, she would get her answer. I can't even describe how happy I felt. well, I am out of time. I love you all so much. I hope to hear from you all before the year ends. PLEASE!!! I would really love that. thanks for being my family.

love,

hermana plummer

ps. I will send pictures next week. sorry 

hi mom and dad. I dont have much time, but thanks for your letters. I LOVE them. thanks for telling me about Doug and Kris's farewell. i am sad they are leaving while I am gone and I can't say goodbye, but I would love their address in the mission or mtc to write to them. that will be fun. dad, I can't even tell you how grateful I am for your example in paying tithing. I always paid, and was never hard. I know trials will come in the future, but it is always easier to keep a commandment before the trials come.

 I am going to try something that an elder does, and that is write letters by hand, take pictures of them, and then send them by email. so I will try that and write the letter to the ward today. hope it works. it will be more fun if it is in my handwriting. oh by the way, so you had lunch with hna Little's mom and grandma. how fun!!! I know how much she loves her family.  I'm glad you got to meet her mom and grandma.  Her grandma is probably just like Grandma Giles would be. Wanting to share in this mission experience too. I loved having hna Little as my companion, but it was too short. She was kind of my guardian angel as you put it.  Haha.. to answer your questions, hna T isnt sick, she is just tired. please keep her in your prayers so she can have a super last week of her mission. zone conf was AWESOME. I received so many answers to my prayers and felt like I got what I needed from the Lord. I still don't know who elder cleverly is. sorry. yes I have given away a few skirts, but I received a few too. my main brown one I can't use anymore though because I sat in wet paint and it is stained good with green paint. I thought the seat was dry, I touched it and everything. so I dont have a brown skirt any more, but I am making due with my gray, black and purple ones .the bows are soooo cute. they love them. I am so grateful for your concern for the people of paraguay. well, I love you both so much. I am going to write fast to the family. 

love,

your daughter

Nov 14, 2011

6 months from this Thurs, Nov 17, Dave and I will be hugging our darling Whitney on the front steps of the Paraguay Asuncion Mission Office.  Downhill ... WHEEEEEE....

hola familia.  sorry mom and dad, that you are sick. that makes three of us. on Saturday, we finished an awesome lesson. ahh the woman we taught is so humble and said the prayer to finish. she kept saying how good she felt. so elevated, and happy. she didn't know how to describe it. we left feeling so good and with big smiles on our faces. when we are teaching and stuff, I forget if I am hungry or have to go to the bathroom or anything, but afterwards, I started to feel kind of sick. it didn't get that bad until we were at our last appointment and I really started to feel kind of nauseous. when we got to the house we planned fast, and I went to bed. I kept waking up in the night feeling sick and then finally, yuck I threw up and stuff. I am positive that it was what I ate for lunch. never eating at wimpi again. thankfully I didn't throw up much, but the next day was stake conference and C was planning to go. I woke up and felt way awful, but we went anyways to pick up cesi and then to the church. I had the aches and a fever the whole conference, but it was so awesome. pres and sis callan always come, and they bore their testimonies. I wish you could hear him speak. it is so powerful. I wasn't sure if it was because I was sick or what, but I got the chills and felt tears well up as I listened to him speak. the best part was that cesi was listening to it all. she loved it. also, a seventy always comes. elder allioud of the seventy who is an Uruguayo spoke. it was so awesome. I think it helped C a lot because this week she kind of was a bit startled by a few things a woman said about the church. how everything we say is a lie and that Joseph Smith it our god and a whole bunch of stuff. it isnt like she believed all of it because she still came to church and is reading the book of Mormon, but she was a bit taken aback and had a few more doubts. but she loved the conference, and if anyone had any questions about what we believe, after sitting through that conference, there is no way anyone could say the false things they say. after the conference, we went to the house, and I slept and slept. I planned on leaving after the siesta, but I could hardly get up to eat. well, I didn't really have any appetite, but I knew I needed to eat something. I ate a carrot and a piece of bread. I love buying carrots. it was so ridiculous. I am never sick. ugh. we had to stay  in the whole day. there is no way I could have gone out in the rain. I used my handy thermometer that I brought. I had a temp of 101.4. but I am all good this morning! it is all over thank goodness. 

this week is zone conference. I am really excited. I cant believe that 3 months have already gone by since pres Arnold came and spoke. it seems like just yesterday. probably because we are still trying to put into action everything he told us to change. like for example. he promised us that if we have kneeling prayers at the end of every lesson inviting the head of the household to say it, we would see miracles happen. it reminded me mom of how you said that elder holmgren heard the story of a mission who saw miracles by changing the way they prayed. so, after every lesson, we ask them if we could go inside the house to pray, (since we almost always teach outside since it is so hot inside their houses). it brings the spirit a lot more, and then we leave right after to leave the spirit there with them. well, I have to go. I love you all tons and tons and pray for you all every night. until next week.

love,

hermana plummer

hi mom and dad. thanks for your emails. they helped out a lot. I am doing better this week. although in a few ways hna T is struggling with keeping up the energy these last few weeks, she says that I remind her of herself a while back in her mission. that she stressed herself out so much, that she wasn't enjoying it in its fullest. I know she came here for a reason. I am helping her stay focused and she is helping me be more relaxed. can you or dad send that talk by pres uchtdorf about the forget me nots? it would be good to have on hand. sorry I forgot to answer your questions last week. 

1.yes I still have the oils you sent with me. I use them every once in a while, but I will start using them more regularly.

2.I am in zone 3 district 1

3.we live on (it is right off acceso sur if you look at a map). fun fact, we are living next to and renting from la familia lanzoni. they are very rich and are inactive members. hno L is a big name around here for politics. he is running for something important and his name is everywhere.

4.yes I got my thanksgiving package. I totally forgot to tell you last week. it is so great!! thanks so much. I ate the Halloween candy but everything else is waiting until thanksgiving to eat. I think I will get the Christmas package next week since I got the notice that I have a package that I have to pay for. 

Love,

Your daughter

Nov 7, 2011 Another Baptism and pictures of the new pension. Where is a picture of the watch dog and guard?

New Pension - pictures from last week.

  Kitchen

Study Area

Bathroom - looks very nice.  I barely see Whitney's

pink towel hanging in the front of the picture.

Bedroom.. Whitney's pink bedspread and I

see that familiar camera case. Hna Troesch must

be changing her sheets.

hi. sorry , I dont have time to write a second email today. today is a bit rushed. we couldn't leave the house until way late because people came to install air conditioning. it will be way great, but it took a while. I feel like I am kind of in a fluster. this week was a bit hard. isidora was baptized and confirmed. she even bore her testimony at her baptism and then in relief society too. and it was perfect because the topic in relief society and principios del evangelio (Gospel Essentials class) was keeping the sabbath day holy. the hermanas bore their strong testimonies of the blessings of keeping the sabbath day holy. It was so perfect. it is so important to go to church. heavenly father has prepared every week a feast for us. the sister who gave the lesson shared an experience of a time when there was a storm on sunday morning and a lot of people decided not to go. when she and her family were one of the few that went to church the bishop said something like, what if you hadn't come and this was the day that Christ came and you weren't here? I know it isn't tomorrow, but it makes you think.   my testimony and understanding of the sabbath has increased so much. what a blessing. 

cesi is doing great. she came to church on sunday and persio received the aaronic priesthood. he was really excited about that, as well as I. cesi listened to the missionaries actually quite a few times before, but never had any interest. she said she used to tell her nieta (granddaughter) to say that she wasn't home or was sleeping when she was actually just watching TV. haha. but she said it is different now and that she understands and is so much happier learning about the plan of salvation. we got to a lesson the other day and she said, can I say the prayer? I have been practicing. I practiced a ton last night. it was so cute, and I felt so happy for her. I am realizing more and more that the miracles and special experiences don't have to come in big ways to make a difference. ya I hear all sorts of stories about missionaries who baptized a thousand people or had this experience or that experience. I feel badly sometimes that I don't feel that way, but I think it is a lot like that way I think elder bednar described our testimonies - like light filling a room all at once or when the sun begins to rise little by litte until before you know it is full day light. my testimony came a little bit like the sun rising, and my mission is the same way. I try not to think that because I don't have all these incredible experiences or I don't have the spirit or something, but that I need to focus on the little things first. I have so much to learn still. patience. well, I have to wrap it up. oh, funny moment of the week. we were walking to an appointment when we saw a little old lady sitting alone, so we decided to talk to her and see if we could stop by another day. turns out she only speaks guarani and was so excited to have visitors, she wouldnt let go of our hands. I felt badly, but at the same time, she kept talking to us and I had no idea what she was saying. I tried to make conversation with the little guarani that I know, but it lasts for about 5 seconds. ha. but anyways, the funny part was that as I was trying a bit to sneak out my hand, I realized that she was wearing an oakland raiders beanie. it made me laugh. it is funny how they get stuff here fron the US. it reminded me of the time that the brother of the branch president in coronel oviedo was wearing a red atlanta falcons shirt. anyways, I love you all so much. happy birthday lindsay! 

love,

hermana plummer

Oct 31, 2011 HaPPy HaLLoWeeN

We even got pictures!!!

Carefully crossing that Nemby River

Hna Little, Plummer (the matchmakers)with their new

 converts -Gloria and Persio...  

Service project with a machete.

New chuchi (fancy) pension.

Subject: Re: Oct 31, 2011

booo happy halloween!!! hola familia, halloween isn't very big here. casi nada. but isidora gave us halloween suckers. just so you know, I expect muchas photos of all those cute nieces and nephews in Halloween costumes. well, this week was better. I am adjusting to everything. I haven’t gotten us lost or anything, and we have some great hopefuls. Ceci is so great. I love her so much. she is teaching me a lot in how to go at the pace of the investigator. hna troecsh and I are doing good. she is struggling a bit in that her body is really tired. she says it aches. I think, oh no. I hope that doesn't happen to me. saturday we moved into our new house. it is soooo chuchi (fancy.) we aren't paying much more than the other one, but it is way nicer. the family next door fixed it up all nice for us. we even have hot water! in the other place. the water was either cold or burning hot, so I usually ended up showering with cold water. and if someone used the microwave while someone was in the shower, the power would go out. so the one in the shower would have to get out, wait in a towel and watch the other run down the way to the power box  and switch it back on. it really wasnt that bad. I was fine there, but pretty funny. president callan wanted something better for the hermanas.
this week I was studying in Ether 12 in the book of mormon. it is so good. I learned a lot. it is amazing how much we can learn from one chapter. anyways, moroni is worried that people will laugh at his weakness in writing, feeling very humble that God commanded him to write anyways. verse 27 talks about how when we realize our weaknesses and humble ourselves before God, he will make these weaknesses strong for them, it says. but the point is that he died with his weakness still. it didn’t become a strength as some would think the verse means. but as we read the words of Moroni, we don’t see his weakness, but we actually feel the power of his words. that is where the promise is fulfilled. his weakness, although seemingly weak to him, is a strength for us who read it. it sure was for me. that is something hna troecsh shared with me that is so true. I never want to accept my weaknesses. I dont want them, but when I humbly  accept them and do what the Lord has asked of me anyways, He will somehow use it to help others and give them strength. I dont know if that made much sense, but it does in my head. you just have to read the chapter. well, my time is up. please pray mucho for Isidora this week that all will go well for her baptism on saturday! I love you all so much. I can't believe it is noviembre. it is getting cold there as is starts to melt me with heat here. love and miss you all tons.
love,
hermana plummer
hi mom and dad, happy halloween! thanks for your emails. the chill pillow is great. I haven’t had a whole lot of need because we have had air conditioning in all of our pensiones, but it is great.  I am still in the process of giving out the bows. they are way cute. the new pension is great.  I took pictures. way chuchi, which is the word they use here for fancy or something like that. there is so much space. the only down side is that it will take some used to adjusting our schedule because it is a bit farther away from the church and stuff. but not too much. I am so glad you are having fun in st george!! how great mom that you could enjoy yourself and play! woohoo. also, can you ask mike his email address. I sent him an email but it didn’t go. I got one of those error emails. also, I just got a package today. thanks mom. I don’t remember what you said is in it, but I am excited! also, mom can you tell stacey wallace that I sent her a letter last week. I sent her a letter way back on july 1st, but a few months later it came back to me. I guess I didn’t have the address right. so I wrote another letter and sent them both to her house address in texas. tell her it is on the way and that she better write me back. well, I love you both so much. I can’t even tell you how much my love and appreciation for you both has grown this past year. and I thought I loved you then. 
Love,
your daughter

Oct 24, 2011

hola familia, I don't think I have time to write to just mom and dad this week too, sorry mom and dad. I ran out of time reading a few things. thanks for your letters. I am glad you were able to get everything sorted out in the flooded basement. how great you had stake conf! la obra misional is always an important subject and of course connects in every way with putting aside material things and serving.
news of the week. I have a new companion. I was shocked that hna little left me. she went to barrio lambare. you can look on the map. should be able to find it. hna lavaka went to leopardi with hna ramos. I got a letter last tuesday from christian and a picture of his baptism. We heard he received the priesthood!!! also, of course when I left they found another chica that was super prepared and was baptized in 2 weeks. also, hna ramos told me that a family that we had been working with for a while but didn't seem to be progressing much started progressing and are coming to church! also, a family that we found the week before I left were going to be baptized. i was so excited to hear of so many miracles that were happening there.
I am still kind of missing hna little, we got along so great. we both wanted to work hard and put into practice what our leaders told us to do. my new companion is hna trosch from panama. in the pictures, she is the really short, dark one. she is shorter than me if that is possible. this is her last change in the mission, so after her I will get a new companion again. she is really great.  I was reading in preach my gospel this week about praying with faith. i learned a lot. I feel like improving my prayers will be something to help me trust in Heavenly Father more and also know when I can just accept myself for who I am. prayer can be so powerful.
also, just to let you know. hna little and I are match makers. we already knew it, but gloria and persio (who will get the priesthood this sunday by the way woohoo) ¨like each other¨. it is so funny. she just says. I dont know what happened. it just happened. it was so hard not to laugh as she told me so seriously. I will have to come back for their temple wedding in a year. haha.  (The hermanas found Syliva and Persio separately, who both got baptized.. fun story)
isidora is doing good. she is still good with her baptismal date for the 5th of nov. so many elders and hermanas worked with her, but she just wasn't ready. her daughter tati is so excited, as are we. please keep her in your prayers!!
I can't think about you all too much or I get distracted, but a lot of things were reminding me of my great family this week. I just want you all to know how much I love you all. hna trosch said that one of her teachers in the mtc said that a lot of them might have temptations to go home to help their family or something. or many doubt about going on missions because they feel like they need to stay and help their families, but her teachers said, the best help we can do for our families is to serve the Lord. he can do way more for our families than we can. I am here also for you all, because I know He will bless your lives more than I could. maybe the miracles won't come immediately, but they will come.
love,
hermana plummer

Oct 17, 2011 Hna Little the Guardian Angel

Baptism for Percio

Great ward support

Very happy for Percio!!!

Looks like Hna Little comes to Whitney's rescue again.  She must be Whitney’s guardian angel.

hola familia, how are you? this week was pretty good. we found some really golden investigator jovencitas. they are so great. I am excited to meet with them again. also, we ran into susana yesterday after church. remember susana that we were visiting. well, she had told us she wanted to stay with the catholic church for now, but yesterday told us that she wanted us to come back and visit her. when we were visiting her I know she felt the spirit, and during that time also found a good job, a ton of blessing were pouring in. but seems like she doesn't have that job anymore. I don't know. maybe she realized that the spirit she felt when she read in the book of mormon and prayed had left. she is so great, and I love her so much. it broke my heart when she didn't want to meet with us anymore. but I know one day she will be baptized. I hope it is sooner than later! P was baptized and confirmed this weekend. he is such a changed man. he is 43 years old. the day of his bapism, he showed up with his hair cut and a white shirt and tie. he looks like a totally different person. he wanted to be the new person in every way possible. he had a lot of opposition the few days before his baptism. he had the support of his family. his mom came to the baptism. but a lot of friends calling him saying awful things about him and the church and how could he change his religion. but he stood so firm and said, this is my decision and I know it is right. I am so happy for him. Isdora came to church for the third time in a row yesterday. she is so great. I just love these people so much. I can't even explain it. you just love them and want so much that they are happy. so many missionaries have worked with isidora. a ton. but all of a sudden she wants to be baptized. we are working so hard to do our part to help her be ready for her baptism  nov 5.
on another note. remember the stream we crossed? we do it all the time, but this week it rained almost every day. so when we went, it was a bit more difficult. the way over was all good. hna little got her shoes really muddy, but that is just because she doesn't know how to dodge the mud like i do. haha. but on the way back. ha. we started across the stream, which appears to the mid calf, but little did I know if was going to turn into quick sand. all of sudden, when i stepped, my foot sunk up to past my knees. so I tried to step again and that foot sunk too. so hna little turned around to help me and when she did that, her flip flop when running down the stream. so she hurried and pulled me out, which left my flip flop under a foot of sand while she ran down stream for her flip flop. as she ran, it was like all quick sand. so I sat there trying to find my flip flop laughing hysterically as she kept falling  running after her flip flop. there aren't rocks or anything, just trash and sand. it was so funny. then we finally made it to the edge one flip flop less sadly. then as we were putting on our socks and shoes, a group of jovenes  (young boys) came with their sling shots and said, pistola (pistol). so I dropped a sock too that disappeared into thin air. they were joking. actually really nice, and we just all laughed. so the story why we were all wet without any socks is that we almost died in a rushing river that we have to cross when a band of robbers came with pistols. haha. anyways. always an adventure. I love you all so much. I am so blessed to be here and be a part of this amazing work. I hope you all know how much I love you. until next week.
love,
hermana plummer

On Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Whitney Plummer <whitney.plummer@myldsmail.net> wrote:

dad and mom,   dad what a blessing you decided to go back home. I am sorry I am not there to help with the flooded basement. even though things happen, Heavenly Father always answers our prayers that he will protect us and our homes. we talked about the gift of the holy ghost in our gospel principles class yesterday, which was perfect for persio, since he was confirmed in sacrament meeting right after. I have a strong testimony of the gift of the holy ghost and that he guides us and directs us. yesterday the elders were teaching the lesson, and he mentioned about how many are trying to follow God in their lives, but after being baptized and receiving the gift of the holy ghost, Heavenly Father will guide our lives instead of us. what a blessing.  I hope the wedding was great! tell them I said hi, and if mike is climbing any cool mountains that I would love some cool pictures!
thanks for checking on all that mom. I think it is because I am not getting many nutrients. I am not depressed by any means. quite the opposite, but there is a lot of stress without a whole lot of good food. but I am trying to eat veggies when I can. my complexion is fine. I was feeling a bit more tired than usual these past weeks, but I think it was just the change of weather to a lot of heat and my body was trying to get used to the days being a bit more strenuous. no I havent gotten any scripture covers yet. I think there is some one I can ask, I just have to remember to do it. yes I need face wash and bug spray. I dont know elder clark. persio is 43 years old and christian 17 years old. oh and hna little´s mom is going to send you a blog message from the elder in the mission office who found our new house and his experience with that. hna little´s boyfriend found it and sent it to her.
thanks for everything. love you both sooooo much.
love,
your daughter

Oct 10, 2011 And the Mish continues...

Haha... I don't have to send peanut butter any more.  Whitney found a better replacement.  

hola familia, this week was sooooo hot. I got burned one day. but then we had a tormenta. a huge storm one night. our power went out. well that isn't such a surprise where we live. if someone uses the microwave while someone is in the shower, the power goes out and one has to wait at the door in her towel while the other runs down to the power box to switch it back on. it happens a few times a week. anyways, in the middle of the night I woke up way hot because the air of course went out too. and the rain seemed like it was going to break down the ceiling. then I realized that I had to use the bathroom way bad, but the lights were out. we have to go down stairs to go to the bathroom. the apt has two stories. knowing me, of course I was scared, so I made hna little come with me with the cellular for light. she was laughing at me. it was a night with little sleep. haha. 

all in all this was a good week. we progressed in a few areas, and percio is doing so good. he talked with his family, and his mom agreed to come support him at his baptism. at first his dad wasn't very supportive since they are all catholic of course, but he said that his brother who lives with them, who never says anything about anything spoke up and told them to support him in his decision because he is changing so much and so much happier. what a miracle.  it really is a miracle how he has changed his life. he realized that he has lost a lot of opportunities because of his addiction to alcohol, and he is ready to make the changes. actually, he approached hna little and hna quartino a few days before I got here and said that he had a Book of Mormon and wanted to meet with us. when I got here he had this very old Book of Mormon that he had marked a passage that he has read and re read over the years that he found when he really needed help. it was so awesome. 

we are also way excited that a recent convert's mom finally accepted a baptismal date for nov. 5. she always said no because she can't comply with all the commandments, but says she is ready now. the recent convert of almost a year is Tati. she is so awesome. she wants to go on a mission and comes with us in lessons a lot. her mom is Isidora. she is like our mom. I love her so much. she came to church yesterday!!! woohoo. please pray for her and percio this week. oh by the way, I finished my peanut butter that you sent mom, so I bought it here. they have it but I heard it was weird and that it was expensive. but I bought it because I can't live without peanut butter. it is soooo good. it is different because it is sweeter. you don't even need honey or anything. so that is my new thing. I will bring some home with me. along with dulce de leche. oh, it is the best. they eat it with almost everything here. that for sure I will bring back too. it is kind of like caramel, but way better. anyways, I am out of time. I love you all so much!!!!! one thing I learned this week in my studies is that heavenly father answers our prayers way more than we realized and in ways we look over sometimes. He is so mindful of everything in our lives. of every one of us. how incredible. heavenly father answers my prayers for you all everyday- you are safe and sound. love you tons!!!!!!

love,

hermana plummer

yay dad!! I am so glad you had fun playing tennis in the senior games. 

how awesome the sister missionaries bore their testimonies at your St George branch. it is so true. I cant even describe how much one's perspective changes in the mission. I feel like heavenly father blesses us with forgetting things of our past lives to help us focus on preaching the gospel. even if I tried, I don't think I could remember any of the words to music I listened to before. haha. 

I did just hear a car radio playing Selena, you should go listen to it.

Yes, we encounter a lot of pèople who think that we are a cult or something. that we worship Joseph Smith. the other day a woman told us that we worship Joseph Smith and we said that really we actually don't worship him at all, and she said. ha of course you do. 

some think we just want their money. they say all sorts of crazy things. but it is so true, if anyone were to listen to the brethren, they would realize they are very mistaken. how grateful I am to know the truth. well, I love you so much dad. have fun with golf this week!! next year I will be there to cheer you on.
no right now we arent teaching any lessons of some sort - piano or English. we are a lot farther from church in this area, and we haven't organized anything. maybe soon we can try out an english class again. summer will start soon, and people will be more free I think. we have lunch appointments here, but they fall through a lot. they aren't as sure here. there is one sister who we eat with on sundays. familia gomez. she is great. even when they can´t eat with us, they give us food to eat at our place. oh and, can you send me my pin number again? I forgot it again and need to buy something. by the way. you asked me what american banks are in paraguay? we have a western union here in ñemby. so maybe they can use that. oh and ya. I got a letter from kate!! I was so excited. she sent a picture too. she is loving her mission, and I am going to write her back today. love you tons and tons!!
love,
your daughter

Oct 3, 2011 Conference Weekend Full of Miracles

 Hna Little had to carry Whitney across a large puddle..  Now that is a sweet companion.  Maybe she'll carry her across that creek from last week.  Whitney, either catch a ride with Hna Little or the cow...

hola familia, hetere´i guarani for rico or to describe that the food is good or something. mom that is your gurarni phrase for the week since I didn't want to forget. ahhh conference was spectacular!!! I was so sad when it ended. well, this week was pretty good. it is so incredible to listen to the words of a living prophet and apostles of God. missionaries run around like crazy the week before conference to invite all their investigators and plan to get them to the conference because it is so awesome that they can hear the testimonies of the prophets and apostles. so we worked super hard. of course Saturday morning it began to rain and rain and rain. and when it rains here in Paraguay, it rains and floods. last time it rained a lot, hna little carried me across the river in the road because she has boots. it was so funny. I ended up soaking my shoes anyways. it has happened a ton already, what is once more. anyways, so not one of our investigators came on Saturday.  When it rains everyone stays home, including the members. but Sunday was full of miracles. our two investigators geronimo and richard, that we are focusing on, had to work at the last minute, so they couldn't come, but their moms came and percio came to both of the sessions on Sunday and was able to see a baptism between the sessions. he loved it and is doing a lot better this week. I am so happy for him!!   he had such a big smile. we were able to watch the relief society session on Saturday morning. what Pres Uchtdorf said, I needed so much. I was so grateful. I know everyone who prayerfully prepares for conference feels like the speakers are speaking to him or her. it was so incredible. I absolutely loved elder Callister's talk on the Book of Mormon. the Book of Mormon is so incredible. what a blessing to have had it my whole life.  I am about to finish it again. the power the Book of Mormon has is incredible and has changed my life and the life of millions of people. also, I noticed the theme of conference "The Love Heavenly Father has for us."  we are so insignificant compared to Him, but at the same time we are everything to him. no one is insignificant to Him,\. it doesn't matter where you are or who you are.  one of the biggest miracles of the conference was gloria. she went to every single session, even the sociedad de socorro (Relief Society broadcast Sat morning.) she was just soaking it all in. after the session on Sunday morning where the prophet spoke, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said that she knows. she still didn't have a firm testimony that he was a prophet. Couldn't say that she knows. but she said. I know now. she said, I understand now why you stood up for him when she was pointing out his flaws and why she didn't think he was a prophet. then I started crying. she is so incredible, and I love her so much. we take her with us to lessons all the time. her testimony is so powerful. well, I have to go, I love you all so much. you are all in my prayers every day. I know with such certainty that Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ are real. they live. they love each and every one of us. I know it. I know this is the true church of Christ and that the Book of Mormon is true and is what brings real happiness. I hope you all have a great week. 

oh and by the way, I look like a brand new missionary with my new plaque since mine just fell off and disappeared. it is really sad. maybe I will find it on a drunk like some other sister missionary did when she lost her plaque (name tag). haha

love,

hermana plummer

Sep 26, 2011 First Baptism in Nemby

OH MY GOODNESS.  The hermanas have to

cross this creek to get to the other side of their area.

I hope their flip flops have GREAT tread.  Look at all 

that slippery mud.

What a great ward support for these two who were

baptized.

Don't they look great?

Elders, G. and Hna Plummer and Little

hola familia, this week went by so slow. whenever we are excited for something to happen, it never seems to come. we were so excited for friday. G was baptized! it was so awesome. they usually do baptisms on saturdays, but our chapel is the stake center and they were going to have some big event for the youth, so we did it on friday. which turned out to be better since it is the noche de barrio (neighborhood night) and there were a lot of people that could come to support her and then one other that was baptized from the elders that we share the ward with. she was nervous all day long she said, but when she got there, we said a prayer, and when it came time for the baptism, she said she felt so calm and so confident in her decision. she really had a big weight on her shoulders of her past. but has made the mose incredible change in her life. it is like a 360 degree turn. it wasn't easy, but she really has showed a ton of faith. she attended the church before where her daughter was baptized, but never had the desire to be baptized. but this was her time. everyone has their time in which heavenly father prepares their hearts to accept the gospel and make the decision to enter in the covenant of baptism. we call her on the phone, and she is so happy now and has a new perspective on life.
right now we are visiting with a man named P. we just can´t figure him out. he came to church last sunday, is reading in the book of mormon, and reads everything that we leave him. he says he knows that joseph smith was a prophet and that this is the true church and that he wants to find real peace in his life. he really is a great man. the only funny thing is that he kind of drinks a lot. we knew that, so we shared with him the word of wisdom. he was so set on it and wanted to follow what the Lord wants. two days later, we come for our appointment, and he is a little bit tipsy. so we thought we would talk for just a sec and then leave becaue the spirit isn't going to be there. but he starts telling us how he had been reading so much and read and re read the pamphlet on the word of wisdom and how important it is. you had to be there. it is the way he talks. it was almost hard not to laugh as he repeated over and over how important the word of wisdom is while half drunk. always an adventure in the mission. he does want to change, and we are going to keep working with him. it was just a bit ironic. haha
well, I am out of time. hna little and I are working super hard. we are really trying to put into practice what the area president has asked us to do. I lack faith sometimes, but I try to have faith that if we do what he has asked, we will see miracles. but the thing really is that miracles happen every day in our lives. but sometime we expect them to be bigger so we look them over. but I know that if we pay attention to the mini miracles that happen everyday, our faith in Christ will grow so much.
well, I love you all so much. Amy, I love you tons and you can know that your mom and your family are in my prayers. and lindsay, you are so awesome! thanks soooo much for the package. everything is so perfect and just what I needed. take care. oh and woohoo. general conference this weekend!!! and I get to watch it in english!!!!!
love,
hermana plummer

Sep 12, 2011 Saying goodbye to Leopardi - like family. Hello Nemby

Saying goodbye to 2nd mom Hna Canete who loved

and treated Whitney like a daughter.  Also Silvia one

of the young adults who loved her too.

David Canete finally got his BYU t-shirt!!!

New area called Nemby about 20 miles south of Leopardi.

Hna Little from Utah and Hna Plummer

hola, muchas preguntas (many questions) haha. I am going to combine letter to family and you two. well, ya, it was really hard to leave leopardi. I have some pictures that i am going to send. I have felt kind of weird this week. this area is a quite different, and the streets are more difficult. well at least it seems that way right now. we share the ward with our zone leaders who live next door to us. the ward is a lot bigger, but the area is a lot bigger too. I can't lie. I have been missing the members of leopardi. they are really special. I know I will get to know everyone here better with time, but they just aren't the same for now. but I know i will get adjusted and like it more here. my companion is hna Little from utah. she came with hna knapp. she is way great. I really miss hna ramos - we got very close, but hna little is really great. I am already learning a lot from her. she is way different from hna ramos. way different. I am not used to being with someone with such an american accent. haha. mom, I don't know where I live yet, but I will get on that this week. ñemby is a mixture of city and country. there are parts with lots of colectivos (buses) and people, and there are parts with dirt roads and houses like those in coronel oviedo. it is really pretty. I like that part.

yesterday I totally forgot that it was 9/11 until someone asked me about it. I had to think for a second. he asked me about the torres gemelos (twin towers). I cant believe it has been 10 years, back in the 6th grade. a day we will always remember.

this week I tried to do what I could to help hna little. it is kind of hard to help in more than teach because I don't know where anything is or who anyone is. I don't like not knowing. we have a señora that we are teaching, G. she is really depressed. she has been in a depression for a really long time, and it affects her in almost every way. she keeps saying she is waiting to feel the peace and happiness that we say comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It breaks my heart. she feels a huge burden of a bunch of things. she feels really awful about all of the sins she committed in the past. I know the change doesn't come instantaneously, but I know she is beginning to feel the peace that comes from letting Christ lift our burdens and take away our sins. She has repented, but satan is trying to make her feel like she isn't worthy of forgiveness. she asked for a priesthood blessing, so we called the quorum of elders to come and do it. tears streamed down her face as the words from Heavenly Father promised her a blessing of peace. I don't remember exactly, but it was a really special moment. he also shared his testimony of when he was baptized 5 years ago. but had rejected the missionaries who came to his door, but he finally excepted them and felt such guilt in rejecting them so many times. he shared with us how he cried and cried the day of his baptism as he felt all that guilt wash away. The atonement is so incredible. I truly have a testimony that through the atonement of Jesus Christ and through baptism we can be cleansed completely and renew ourselves. G points to the folleto (pamphlet) of the resoration and says that she is restoring herself. so true. she will be baptized the 24th of this month and is really excited and feels and knows the restored gospel is true.

dad, I almost had a few tears yesterday while teaching thinking of you. I don't know why, but we were teaching about the dia de reposo (Sabbath), and what we need to to to santificarlo. we read in the 10 commandments that no one should work on sunday. and the investigator said, you two work on sundays and don't rest. when she said that, a moment came to my head from when I was younger. I said to you one sunday, "why do you have to go back to church and work? isn't this the day of rest?" something like that. I didn't get why we couldn't just rest all day. I didn't understand the doctrine behind it. but you said, "the day of rest is to rest from the things of the world, but sunday we serve the Lord". something like that. I don't know how old I was, but I still remember that important lesson you taught me. one of the many you and mom have taught me by your words and actions. I don't know why, but when I was sharing how my dad taught me that lesson once upon a time, tears started to swell up in my eyes. don't worry, I hid it really well, but felt the spririt and felt such a gratutude for the lessons I learned early on. sharing my testimony, I am learning, is how I strengthen my testimony even more. every time I testify that joseph smith was a prophet of God, I don't just say it, I feel it more and more. I pray that the Spirit can use me to teach and testify of the truthfulness of our message to the world. well, I have to go. I love you all so much. oh and thanks for the birthday wishes. I got a letter from mrs. lugash, sis richter, jillair, sis holmgren, all the postcards, oh and a letter form julie too. mom, please send them my love and thanks.
love,
hermana plummer