Scriptures

"And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things for myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? 46. Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God... 48. I say unto you, that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name. 49. And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren."
-Alma 5:45-46,48-49
"Come unto Christ and be perfected in him and deny yourselves of all ungodliness."
-Moroni 10:32

My Address: (I LOVE MAIL!)
Sister Zhenya Plumb
California Arcadia Mission
614 W. Foothill Blvd.
Arcadia, CA 91006-2030

Monday, May 23, 2016

Mountains

Hello from California! Sorry I didn't get an email out last week, but
you all know how the missionary life goes, busy 24/7 even on those
preparation days.

I hope you all watched general conference like a month ago (sorry for
the late follow up) the reason I bring that up is because the last
talk given by Elder Holland, has been on my mind a lot, and I have
incorporated it into some lessons even!

 The main point that I took from his talk is that we must go from peak
experience to peak experience by first going through some rough
valleys. Now I know what y'all are thinking... Oh boy we got a rough
valley email here, and that is not true. In fact this week was
probably the week we laughed the most as a companionship. It was so
good! But I want to focus on this valley and peak analogy of life. As
you hike in mountainous areas you can see so many peaks to other
mountains, sometimes you can see the valleys ahead of you too, but all
in all that's what makes the scene so beautiful. The points in our
life when we feel the spirit with us constantly and we feel and see
the love of God so abundantly are those peak experiences. When trials
and hardships and hopelessness come those are the valleys of life.
Thankfully we all have peak and valley experiences. If it were not for
the valleys we could not enjoy the beauty of our lives. If not for the
peaks we wouldn't have the hope for something new and better. The
struggle is knowing how to climb back up the mountain from the valley.
And for me right now, and always it's the savior. This week I learned
not just about the atonement but about the part in the atonement that
we don't always teach as missionaries. What we usually teach as
missionaries is that through the atonement we can be clean from the
mistakes we have made or others have made. What we don't teach often
enough is that through the atonement we have the strength and the
ability to change. Though the valleys will be hard we can not pray to
God to remove them. Instead we must pray for strength to move through
them, to learn and to press on to our next peak.

"No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the
affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never
will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so]. … He will
[always] stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may
pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor
overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties
the better and purer for them.' Now, with that majestic devotion
ringing from heaven as the great constant in our lives, manifested
most purely and perfectly in the life, death, and Atonement of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we can escape the consequences of both sin and
stupidity--our own or that of others--in whatever form they may come
to us in the course of daily living. If we give our heart to God, if
we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the
gospel, then tomorrow--and every other day--is ultimately going to be
magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why?
Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A
rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His
merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth
“that all things work together for good to them that love God.” So
keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing.
Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." Elder Holland
When we taught this to one of our investigators she said that she
would feel selfish asking God for help and strength when she feels she
has done so much wrong. It is easy to feel that you are not good
enough for the love of God, but that is not true at all. His love is
always there "believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we
know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." God
knows us and notices our every effort, and he will strengthen us to
continue onward, especially when we ask.
I'm sorry this email is so long, and if it doesn't make sense. I got
like 10sec. left to email. I love you all very much.

Thank you for your prayers and support and love!


Sister Plumb

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