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

Sep, 5, 2011

Opening fake box of old shoes...

Now happy with the old things.

Christian in the middle was baptized Sep 10, 2011

His father and brother are soon to be baptized.

hola familia, this week was great!!  one of a kind birthday in paraguay. we eat lunch with the bishop´s wife every tuesday, and she makes the best cakes. so she made a cake for me. ricísima! and then later on that night they had a get together for my birthday with all the young adults at the cañetes. it was so sweet of them to do that. silvia made me a pillow. I will send you a picture. so all in all, it was an awesome birthday that I will always remember. oh, also, elder brown in my district made brownies for my birthday in our district meeting. my package came! the one with the shoes. when I got to the district meeting, elder fernelius (he is my district leader again, the one that knows doug and kris). well he gave me my a package (he knew we were waiting for Hna Ramos shoes in your pkg you sent)and said, you should definitely open it right now to make sure everything is there. We both opened it and it was bread, old shoes, stickers, and a box of hierba mate. haha. he was like, your mom is so great! she sent the best stuff. we took a picture, and I was going to send it as if it was real, but I forgot my camera and i think mom would go crazy if she had to wait another week to know if i got it yet. but thanks mom. it was so great. hna ramos had never tried nutella, and she is addicted now. the shoes and everything were all safe and sound. I will get the other package  tomorrow at district meeting and will find out if we have a transfer.
Christian is all set to be baptized this saturday. his dad has given his consent, he has his invterview, and he is way excited. they are even going to do EFY here for the first time this summer, and he is way excited to go. it is amazing how much christian has changed since we first started teaching him. he and his brother diego came to church yesterday. during the testimony meeting, he commented on how much he is impressed with the way we share our testimonies and share with others our love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. he has been able to feel the spirit testify of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. when we receive a witness of the Spirit, it doesn't matter what anyone says or what happens, we know what we felt, and it doesn't change anything. the scripture in gálatas 5 that talks about the fruits of the spirit. it says, contra esos sentimientos, no hay ley. I dont know how it is in english, but you can look it up. have you ever read our search for happiness? read it. so incredible. well, I dont know if i will be in a different area next time I write, maybe, maybe not, but I have really learned so much in my time here in leopardi. sooooo much. it is incredible. I look back and think of where my testimony was when I started my mission. I don't ever want to go back to who I was before. I have a ways to go, but have learned so much. i love you all so much. got to go.
love,
hermana plummer

hi mom, i am not sure. i know that as for credit cards, only visa works i thinks. as for the service fee. depends on the area. some are more. here  leopardi it is 25 mil guaranies, which is a lot. but I almost never take out money of my own.other areas it is less, like 10 mil no mas. i only did it once. I don't know what he is buying, I will look and see if there are any american banks. but i never need anything, but yes I need scripture covers so bad. ahh. i will have to find some for spanish scriptures. they are a different size. when is it that kameron allphin (from Jonesboros Ward) is coming to paraguay? I think he will get here just in time for summer. haha. I got here in the heat of summer. DEATH.
well, I just reached down to get my camera and send some pictures, but I left it in the pension. sorry. we took some pictures with Christian and his family and my fake package. I will send them next week.
looks like you found the church! we live on atelio galfre 2 blocks from the church. atelio galfre c/ lomas valentinas. maybe you can see where I live!! woohoo.
well, I love you soooo much mom and dad. thanks for you emails. and for the football update. maybe byu will be good by the time I get back. ha. well, I am gonna go and write the familia. love you!!
love,
your daughter 
oh and mom, sent my love to elicia! tell her I am so excited for her and that the mission is the best decision she could ever make.  (Elicia is a friend in our Peachtree City Ward who is going to Halifax Nova Scotia.  Sounds cold to me,)