Feb 27, 2012 Thoughts of Uncle Doug - Atonement and Trio Companionship in Nemby

hi mom dad and family. I sure missed you all this week. I can imagine that is was a rough week for everyone, but I am glad everyone was able to be together. thanks mom and dad for your emails last week. dad I sent you a letter in the mail and had sent mom one the week before, so you should be getting those soon. dad, I took the time to write to you what I was feeling, and what I wanted you to know. i hope you get it soon. it was really hard at first to do what you said and to think about others like Christ would do.  All I wanted to do was read my letters from you and mom over and over again in an attempt to feel close to you. But I realized that just opened the wound again and again. I knew I shouldn't keep reading the letter, but all I wanted was to feel close to you. So on wednesday hna jones, hna arnell, and I sat for about 15 minutes at 2pm here, and for a moment I thought and prayed as I remembered uncle doug and thought of you all. (This was our special time we planned to be with Whitney.  Stop everything at 2pm and think about one another, our family, Uncle Doug and the atonement. We were in the pre-funeral viewing for Whitney's, dad's twin brother Doug.) after, I prayed, and then we went to work. I know that only through the help of heavenly Father was I able to forget what I wanted and focus on what God wants, which is what I'm teaching others, what they so desperately need to know too, that through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we can prepare ourselves to be together as families for eternity. that knowledge doesn't bring someone back to life and doesn't fill the hole that now exists where, for example, uncle doug had filled, but it calms the pain and makes it much more bearable. hna arnell gave me a talk by elder holland called, lessons from liberty jail. I recommend it. he talks about how without the atonement, all of our trials, that in our eyes are sometimes so unbearable, would be so much worse if He had never suffered to be able to succor us. this morning i was reading in Mark the chapter of the crucifiction of Christ. it brings tears to my eyes what He so willingly did for us. the atonement is the center of everything, and it is so true that the more one learns about the Atonement, the more he or she is able to find joy in life and have the desire to follow Him, because the Spirit touches something inside of us and changes us. 

on another note, who is hna arnell you might be thinking? she is our new companion. we are a trio. another blessing form the Lord to give me support right now. she is great. from riverton, utah, has 4 and a half months in Paraguay, and came from Coronel Oviedo. it has been fun asking her how everyone is doing there. we are all really excited. it takes adjusting, and it is kind or weird at first, but so much fun. she is also 6 feet tall and towers over me. 

we are teaching some really great people. I love them so much. N is going through such a rough time, doesn't have a job, then this week her cell phone and her refrigerator broke, which put her super anxious and stressed, but she always reads in her Book of Mormon. she was super stressed about everything, so didn't feel up to going to church, but please pray for her that she will come next week and that she can start to feel her faith grow. she is so special to us. well, I am already out of time. I love you all so so much. oh and mom, I think the valentines package came, because I am going to get one today, but the other is still on the way. thanks so much. 

love,

hermana plummer

Feb, 20 2012

This was a tough week for Whitney and our family.  Whitney's uncle Doug, Dave's twin brother passed away unexpectedly this past week.  Pres and sister Callan were able to go to Whitney's apartment to share the sad news.  We were given permission to skype with Whitney on Sunday.   We needed this time together to mourn and sort of be together, which was a tender mercy.

hi mom and dad and family. I sit here in the cyber wanting to have something to say to be of support to you all, but at the same time I feel just a bit desperate for the same and to just be with you. it was such a tender mercy of the lord to talk to and see you yesterday mom and dad. on saturday, I never expected to get news of this kind. pres callan first read me the email dad had sent him. we talked for a bit and then pres callan gave me a blessing before they left. I told you I would send a few things hna jones and I wrote down to be of comfort in the coming weeks. he blessed me that I will have the strength that I need to be able to stay focused and that I can also be a strength to my family. he blessed me with the understanding and assurance that doug is happily serving beyond the veil having lived a life of service. he blessed me to find strength in the convenants that I have made. he blessed me with a love for the people here and for my family and that i will seek for and receive guidance from my family. and he Blessed me to know that heavenly father loves me. saturday was a bit hard. I hoped to be able to focus, but it started out pretty rough to focus on the people we were teaching. I know heavenly father needs my whole heart to be here, but it is really hard. But I know with time I will be able to keep focused. there are times like these in which we feel such comfort knowing the plan of salvation, knowing that heavenly father´s plan is perfect and that if we keep our covenants, we can be reunited once again. after my blessing, I was reading in alma 12:28-30. it just happened to be what I was reading. it says that God created his plan long before we came to earth and that it all has a purpose. it talks about the angels sent to adam and eve to reveal the plan of salvation and all of these truths to His children. As I thought about it, I thought about all the angels God has sent into each of our lives to teach us about and help us find strength in God and his plan. It doesnt mean it isn't painful, but I can't even imagine the pain not knowing that we would be together again. Doug was like a second dad to all of us. I know we all feel that way. he loved and served us as his own. I know we are all so forever grateful to have had him in our lives. we will miss him so much. our family has been through a lot, but we are strong because we have each other. I long so much to be there with you all, but I know this will be a time in which I will learn even more to rely on the Lord.
this week we were blessed in many ways. we had some really special experiences in finding and teaching people with such a sincere desire to find their faith and turn to Christ. on saturday we taught N, who I may have talked about last week. we couldn't find her all week this past week, but we finally found her on saturday. we taught about the book for mormon, what it is, and how, what is found in it helps us in our lives. it is amazing how the spirit, if we listen, leads us to know what to say or to ask. the right question at the right time can be what gives them the trust to share with us their worries or doubts. when we invited her to baptism, she began to open up to us and to share all the things that she feels have debilitated her faith, but the desire she has to find it again and to help her sons. her husband died 6 years ago, and she feels so alone. we shared with her alma 7:11-12, which describes the atonement of Christ. she felt like it was talking to her. we left feeling so grateful for the Gospel and the opportunity to share it with those who are searching. well, I have to wrap things up. I love and miss you all so much, and I love with all my heart the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in all of its fullness. we are so blessed.
love,
hermana plummer
here are a few pictures of the area,  and la familia correa from the ward.

Feb 13, 2012

hi mom and dad and family. mom, thanks so much for sending the package. I hope the silly string cans don't explode in the airplane. if not, I am sure the kids here will love it. by the way, all the members to whom I gave the temple recommend holders absolutely loved them. they were so excited to show me when they put it in. thank you so much. as for the travel plans. hmm. I think one day in Coronel Oviedo will be good enough. I am not sure they will remember me. all I know is that the member who we tried to buy a Mormon Doctrine in Spanish was really bummed that we couldn't get it. but a family in the ward here has it in Spanish. they said they got it in the distribution center in Argentina because the lady who translated it is from there. maybe there is a way to look for it there. so ya one day or less there and in Nemby and Leopardi. I am not sure where I would want to go to church. that is a hard one. I will ask about the falls too. be prepared to do a lot of walking. the zone conference was so awesome. I learned a lot. as you know hna Jones and I have been going through a bit of a rough patch this change, but we left with a lot of energy to find new people and work hard, and we saw so many miracles this week. we found a lot of new people who are super golden. one day we were walking looking for a contact or something, but as we passed by a street not in the direction of the contact, hna Jones stopped and started into the street. I was a bit confused, but thought, if she wants to go in this street, it has to be because the spirit told her to do it because otherwise there would be no reason to think that street would lead us where we were headed. sure enough, the first house we knocked on, the woman received us very warmly and in fact was a woman we had contacted a few weeks before but we didn't understand how to get to her house. the streets don't have names half the time, and it is more like, turn here and there and a block and a half turn at the house with the mango tree. She was so happy to receive us. it was a really spiritual lesson. she just said how content she felt and really wanted to go to church. unfortunately something urgent came up, but she for sure is going to come next week. ojala! she is a widow with 3 sons and has recently lost her job. is going through a hard time. I know heavenly father sends us to those who are prepared when they will be humble enough to open their hearts to the spirit. she is really great, and we are really excited to teach her again. another story that is super awesome but kind of sad at the same time goes like this: last Monday hna Jones got her hair cut at a tiny place by a woman who was there with her daughter. her daughter is the happiest and nicest person I have ever met. you would not believe. so as I waited we talked and she asked questions about what we are doing here in Paraguay and really wanted a pamphlet or something. we didn't have any. I don't know how that happened, so we promised to pass by another day. so about Thursday we were walking and the thought came to my mind, we can go to their house. we found the house and she was so excited that we came. she started telling us that she is very interested in all religions and really wanted to read about what we believe. so we asked, why is it that you like to learn about all the religions? and she said, ¨it is because we are looking for the true one. we really want to find which church is true¨. we were like, huh? did I just hear that? and then she was asking, where is the church, we want to come this Sunday. so we taught the restoration and invited her to prepare to be baptized. she said, oh and what do you have to do to be baptized? is there a way that I can go in Japan? huh? Don't know how we missed that, but she lives in Japan. the mom lives here, but her daughter got married and moved to Japan with her husband and has been visiting since December. we were super bummed, but she is so set on finding the church in Japan and keeps asking if we are going to be able to get her information as to where to go. maybe her mom will get baptized, here, but for sure she will get baptized in Japan. Doesn't matter where, all that matters is that she finds the truth she is looking for. I know those that are prepared are waiting for us, we just have to be patient and work hard and follow the spirit. our purpose is to help others come unto Christ, but it doesn't matter how hard I try if I'm not doing it by the spirit. never in my life had I depended so much on the Lord. It is such preparation for the future. but when I see the problems and trials that people here have, I am so humbled and reminded of how blessed our family is. yes we have had our our trials, but what i see here puts it all into perspective. well, I have to go. by the way, I have new shoes. well not really. my brown shoes had a big hole, so I took them to a shoefixer, and he put a whole new sole on both. they look a bit weird, but for about 10 dollars, my feet stay dry. that is a blessing. well, I love you all so much. I miss you all tons and tons. it is so crazy how my love for my family has grown being away from you all, but it is true. 

love,

hermana plummer

oh and could you send ideas on how to do that activity about the kingdoms of glory or something? we want to do it for a ward night. could you look it up or find an idea? Thanks

oh and Luz told me how she talked to you on FB and gave me a hug from you. it made me happy. love you tons

Feb 6, 2012

hi mom and dad and family, I couldn't see your videos. I am kind of sad. I will ask if I can watch them. thanks for your emails. well, I haven't read the email from mom yet. I am going to print it. thanks mom for being the first to get our BYU apartment. Don't worry about anything. I know it will all work out just fine. 

happy birthday Mike! I finally remembered a birthday before it is too late. Happy 24th! oh and mom and dad told me that you got accepted to utah state! woohoo. That's so great. 

oh and also, brian and amy, how is the house going? have you started to build yet?  send pictures please! 

as for things in Paraguay, I remember mom that you told me how elder holmgren had been going through a tough time for a bit and that they were walking a lot and reading lots of talks about adversity and stuff. well that is us right now. we have been walking . . . a lot. It has been a rough few weeks. It is definitely a learning experience though. I talked last week about how we have been trying to look for all the blessings every day. that was a challenge for me some days, but we both felt that we needed to keep going at it. that was one of the main focuses of our fast yesterday, help with having an attitude of gratitude. I re-read the talk by pres. Monson the divine gift of gratitude. It was just what I needed. I don't have it with me or I would have written a few quotes, you will just have to read it. it is from the Oct 2010 general conference. He shared an example of during Chirst's ministry, when about 4000 people were traveling with him as he taught. the people were really hungry not having eaten, but the disciples said to Him, how are we going to feed them with so little food. Pres Monson then made a point, are we a bit like them? focusing on what we lack instead of what we have? then Christ gave thanks in prayer, and AFTER is when the miracle we all know happened when they fed the thousands with just a few loaves of bread and fish. I had never thought about it that way before. what a lesson that was for me that of course, we are not going to see miracles if we are not grateful for what we already have been given. also that to feel grateful and not express thanks is like wrapping a present and not giving it. it is important that we give thanks to Father in Heaven, and not routinely, but specifically. I indeed feel very grateful for the important lessons I learn every day, that I know are meant to help me be more like Christ. when I am walking in the hot sun and sweating to death feeling frustrated, I lose sight of the big picture a bit. But if I take a step back and remember the Savior and His perfect example and his perfect sacrifice, it gives me the strength to accept the trial and to learn. After all that happened in the week, or actually what didn't happen, we had a glimpse of light. we had decided to look for an old investigator, and while stopping to ask if they knew the person or the place, the woman said, oh I was baptized in the Mormon church when I was 12. she now is 40 or so. I stopped going when I had about 18 years, but all my family was baptized and my mom still goes. she let us in, and then told us how her husband also had been baptized a long time ago but that they had kind of just fallen away. they have been living in this house for 2 years, and the missionaries had never known. we pass by her house all the time, but had never seen her either. we taught the restoration to her and her 16 year old daughter, who loved it. she said that she wants to come back to church and knows that it is what will fill the emptiness that she often feels, like something is lacking. it was a pure miracle from God. I quickly was sure to pray and give thanks to heavenly father. 

we also had a great lesson with a 19 year old who sincerely wants to follow Christ and to know the truth. nothing brings the spirit more than when one of our investigators, at the end of a lesson, sincerely prays and asks to know if it is true? 

P came to church yesterday, which was a miracle too. he hasn't come in more than a month because of a few problems, but when he walked in, I just felt so happy. well, I love you all soooo much. I know that the trials we have really are meant to help us grow closer and to rely more fully on our Savior, who will always be there to lift us up. 

love,

hermana plummer

I got this from a sweet, college age girl in Paraguay on my FB page, Sunday night.  Melts a mamma's heart.  This is one reason Whitney is in Paraguay.

>> Hi sister, we don't know each other but I know your daugther Hna. Plummer,

>> she is serving at my ward, Nemby.. and I would like to share with you that

>> today your daugther testimony really touched my heart! I felt how the Lord

>> talked to me through her! And bytheway I wanna thank you for preparing her

>> so well to help and love the people here in Paraguay! Muchas gracias

>> hermana!

Jan 30, 2012

Baptism for V

Ward supporting baptism

Recent convert C and her grandchildren

Caught in a rain downpour

hi mom and dad and family, thanks for your emails. I am glad you had a nice sabbath. I wish I could say my sabbath was super great, but this week was challenging. I always feel such a relief after church, but we just really struggled finding anyone to teach this week. we had a few let downs with investigators we were so sure were golden. these past few weeks have been a challenge, but perhaps heavenly father is trying to teach me to be more grateful. we are trying to help each other be more positive and point out the small miracles to not get discouraged. that is an important lesson. we read again the talk from the conference “It is better to look up.”  it is a great reminder to not feel heavy laden, but to look up with hope and faith in God. Dad you asked me if there are things that remind me of my childhood. I actually have a lot of songs I listen to on my ipod that do just that. remind me of the days when you would put church music on the intercom on sunday mornings. like consider the lilies and a few others. they are special songs to me. mom, i was thinking last week, and I feel like it is best to not talk about after the mission. it is better for me to trust that the spirit will lead you to find the right place at byu. kate said it all. she knows alot more than me about that kind of stuff. haha. I can just imagine her saying it all. everything sounds great. thanks also for the package you sent. I am way excited. I still have on my night stand the card you made from last valentines day. but i think i lost a few letters.  i shower every night and every morning. there is no way i could sleep without showering. I think for that reason our water bill was a bit high. oops.
well, like I said, this week was a bit rough, but we managed to have some great lessons. we are teaching a woman who has the cutest little baby. her baby has been really sick. in and out of the hospital for the past 3 months and only has nine months. the little baby is doing alot better, so she is in her house more, so we can teach her more. she always says how she feels such an alivio when we teach her, so relaxed. she has been going through a lot lately, and the restored gospel of jesus christ is like a breath of fresh air when we are feeling burdened. we don’t have a bunch of people right now, but that is only temporary. but yes, mom, it would be so great if you could say some prayers for salvador aquino. he is really discouraged about a few things in his personal life that impede him from being baptized. he is reading a bunch in the book of mormon, but has doubts and difficulites that are hard to find. he is a huge iceberg. the surface is only the beginning.
one thing we have been trying to do this week is even when we are walking back to the house hungry and without many lessons, we each have to say 5 or 10 blessing that we received that day. it really makes a difference in how we finish the day and start the next. being here in paraguay will make any one of us realize just how blessed we are. we meet new people every day, each with a different story. i feel so blessed to be able to bring to them just what will give them the hope they so desperately need. many times they don’t quite realize, because of a few factors, that what we have is what they need, but nonetheless, we have it and have to share it.
I am sending a few pictures. one is of us with cesi and her grandkids, the baptism of vicente, and us after we got caught in the rain. totally soaked. by the way, I am not sure how, but all the members keep saying, oh we were looking at pictures of you on facebook. pictures that I never sent. hna bracho is funny. I lent her my camara for something, and next thing I know, they are all looking at my pictures with the elders of the ward when they ate lunch with them. haha. my mission is an open book now. enjoy. they moved to another barrio, and we miss them a lot. well, I have to go. time up. love you all sooooo much.
love,
hermana plummer

District in Nemby

hola familia, hope you all are doing well. I think I sweated my body weight this week, but other than that things are good. V was baptized and confirmed this weekend! before the baptism hna jones and I were way stressed because they were supposed to be there at 6:30 and didn't get there until 7:30, but it all turned out well and was super spiritual. hna jones and I sang I like to look for rainbows from the primary. V is so funny. you have no idea. he and his mom are so funny together. every time we teach them, we try not to laugh so much. he was really excited, and the hno that baptized him gave him a white shirt and tie too. it was really nice of him. a miracle of this week was S. remember S that was an investigator of hna little and me and then we saw her again, but could never find her in her house. then the other day we saw her again, and she said that she wants to prepare to be baptized. we are pretty excited about her. she is so great. 

we had interviews with pres callan on wednesday. he told me that I can stop worrying so much because I can know that my mission president is happy with what I am doing. that kind of made me feel more tranquila. sometimes I just need to take a breath and remember that heavenly father knows we aren’t perfect and that he doesn’t expect us to be perfect. something that I kind of realized this week is that sometimes it is hard to forgive ourselves because we look at our mistakes through our eyes, through the eyes of someone who isn’t perfect and who doesn’t quite have mastered the pure love of Christ, charity. for that reason, we don’t quite understand how it is that Christ, with his pure love and infinite patience, can forgive us and forget what we did wrong. to be able to apply more fully the atonement in our lives, we need to develop more charity, more of the pure love of Christ for others and also for ourselves. how do we do it? not easily. moroni says that we have to pray with all the energy of our hearts to obtain it. this was something very special that the spirit taught me, but that I feel that others need too. we all are in progress of learning how the atonement works to cleanse us. 

we went to the hogar de niños again this week. a bunch really wanted to come to church, but their leader person said that they can’t come. we were a bit bummed out, but we plan to visit once a week. it is really fun. definitely one of the highlights of my week. the next time I will take some pìctures. I have pictures to send, but we had to use a different cyber this week, and I can’t do it here. we took a picture last night of us soaked from head to toe. sure enough, right as we were walking home at night, it started to rain, harder and harder. we ran home, but still were completely soaked. but it was refreshing. well, I am out of time.  I love you and miss you all so much. mike, I am still waiting for my letter that you started in august. hint. 

love,

hermana plummer

Jan 16, 2012

hola familia, firstly, I have to wish my niece a happy late birthday. Happy Birthday Leilani!!! I always remember birthdays right after leaving the cyber and have to wait until the next week. david and lindsay, please give her a big hug and kiss from aunt whitney. well, I hope you all are doing well, this week we got a bit of a break from the heat because it rained. and I mean it rained. we left the house, and it began to pour. I always have the greatest stories of how fun missions are in paraguay. we were trying to avoid the river in the street by climbing some hill. then the zone leaders called. so I was trying to talk to them and climb this hill, and then I saw a bus coming, so I was trying to back up to avoid the wave of water that would hit me if I didnt get out of the way. but as I tried to back up, I realized that the bus driver was laughing as he pulled closer and closer to where we were. yup to intentionally splash us. but the best part was that because of all this, ya I fell in the mud. I am sure everyone in the collectivo (bus) had a kick out of that. it was pretty funny. I was so muddy, but hna jones used her water to clean off all the mud. I was basically wet all day long. great fun. on another note, we found 3 families this week! I was pretty excited. we are praying every day to find a family that is prepared to be baptized. i know we will find one. or maybe we already found them.
please pray for V this week. he attended a baptismal service of the elders on saturday and is excited for his baptism this saturday. he and his mom have been going through some rough stuff lately, but I know that they can get through it all. we found out that he was married before, but that his wife had died. his mom has talked to him about the temples, and he has a strong desire to be able to go so he can be sealed to her for eternity.
yesterday we had a super awesome experience. a few weeks ago a woman told us about a home for children. it isn't an orphanage, but where they take in children who i guess for whatever reason need a home. so yesterday we went. turns out there are about 15 boys who live there, and there are señoras who take turns managing things. so we came, and they were all really excited to participate. there are a few that are special needs too, and as they were so loving and welcoming to us, I felt how brian must feel so privileged to be around them every day. they have such pure hearts. there was one who doesn't really talk, but just ran up to us and gave us the biggest hug, and i was just so happy. turns out also that 2 of the boys are members. I don't know what happened in their lives to bring them to this home, but they were so excited to get a book of mormon. most of them don't know how to read, but we mostly talked about Christ and his love for them and a bit about the book of mormon. it was the highlight of my week. I feel the love heavenly father has for his children, and I can't even describe what a privilege it is to be in his hands, to dedicate this time to nothing but that. to bring his children to the truth and to his love. well, that is all for today. my two stories for the week. I love and miss you all tons and tons.
love,
hermana plummer