Baptisms 洗礼

Man on man has it been a week.

How was yalls? Good? Good!

Wow. Where do I even start? Ok I'll start with David's amazing story

of conversion.

I am so grateful to have been apart of his journey in coming to

Christ. I am so happy to see him so clean. When I first met David, I

knew he had desire to draw closer to Christ. I could see in his eyes

that he had been searching and thirsting to know more. He still is!

The search is never over once you are baptized. He is always

discovering deeper knowledge that ensures his testimony and helps him

feel the spirit. I really can't tell you all what he has been through

to get here. His story is personal to him, but it has been an example

to me and to the Glendora first Ward, a commitment of faith and the

healing and cleansing and strengthening power of the atonement.

Here he is about to "meet the water" as he says :)

Some Packages that were sent to Zhenya! Thank you everyone!

To Celebrate Zhenya's year mark, we sent a Vera Bradley bag for her new Missionary bag.  It is the Rio design to also celebrate the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio!  She got it early however.  Her year mark is August 19th.  

 Sister Karen Kopp and the Roxborough Ward Relief Society Presidency (Sis. Layne, Sis. Anderson, and Sis. Rothey) sent care packages to the missionaries as part of a Relief Society mid-week activity. Thank you Roxborough Ward!

Baptisms!

Zhenya asked me to send this for her this week.  Her P-day was on tuesday instead of Monday because they were having interviews with their Mission President on Monday.  Her and Sister Xia are doing well and have 2 baptisms this week!  

We had interviews yesterday with our Mission President yesterday. I

love our Mission President, President Villanueva and his wife so much. Seriously. Some of the

most hardworking, selfless, kindest people you will ever meet. I want

to be them. 

SO this week was kind of crazy but I loved it. First off

we thought we were going to have a baptism for Sister Feng this Sunday

but we were kind of unsure because she was MIA. We

finally met with her Thursday and she said that she was still up for

being baptized. So we scheduled an interview for her on Friday but she

missed it because her work is CRAZY. She works with people in China

and in America so she is literally working 24/7! I love her. If you

all want to pray for her, pray that she will be able to have the faith

and courage to stand for what she believes in because her boss is

really just not nice. That's as kind as I can put him.  But she had

her baptismal interview after church this Sunday everything went well and 

she's going to be baptized this Sunday!!  We went to see 

the temple and walk around the temple grounds, and she loved it!! 

I am really looking forward to her baptism!  

David is doing well. He is a bit grumpy, but ya know giving up tobacco

after taking it for over 40 years is a MAJOR struggle. But he always

says that he is grumpy with a smile. He is probably one of the most

courageous people I've met. But to be honest, everyone I have met with

on my mission and who I have seen make a covenant with God are very

courageous. There are many heartaches and struggles and challenges

that come from making this decision. I admire them because even when

Satan is working hard against them, they stand for what they know to be

true, because they felt something powerful. Something that

the world cannot duplicate in any way, and they did not deny it. They

did not ignore it. They acted on it and now they are seeing the many blessings 

that come from sacrifice and obedience. 

David will be baptized this Saturday! Keep praying that he will have

strength from the atonement to resist the temptations he has.

I know for a fact that prayers work. I have felt them and seen them

work. So thank you for remembering David and Sister Feng in your prayers.

I know that there is a lot.... A LOT to pray for now a days, but in a funny

way I know that there is not too much to worry about. As long as we

keep the faith and always keep Christ as our focus.

I love you!

Love,

Sister Plumb.

How & when are you able to learn Chinese? , What is your most favorite part of your mission so far and least?

Hey Momma -                                                      7/11/16

I can't believe that John is home. I have been trying not to think

about home so much and I know it's going to be even more difficult not

to think about when more people start going home. Maybe it's difficult

cause my companion is going home next month so that makes me think

about it too.

I was thinking last Sunday, because the lesson was about temples, that

the first thing I want to do when I get home (besides hold a baby)

would be to go strait to the temple, because I just want to live

there.

Haha ya my Chinese is... We can say progressing. Sister Xia and I are

starting to only speak mandarin after nightly planning. So that helps.

And I'm focusing mainly on my pronunciation. I can pick up some words

here and there, but I can't really speak it. I just get so nervous!

There's a reason I'm English speaking! Hahaha but I just got to get

out of my comfort zone. I definitely want to go to China later on

though, so hopefully that will happen. Somehow.... People just say

that I'm probably going to marry a Chinese. Who would have thought?

My favorite part of the mission? ...... Man I can't decide. The fact

that I know that I am closer to God because I am in the service of his

children would be my favorite part. So that would also include that I

love the people. It took me a while to instinctively love people that

I meet, but now it is just so easy. I just love people. I want to know

their trials, and their successes, their struggles, and their crowning

moments. I know I can't help them, but I know what can. And I guess I

can help them by sharing it. That's all I do as a missionary. I just

invite people to hear about it. Just share a little of what I know,

and see if they want more. I love it. There is nothing greater in this

world than serving God.

My least favorite....... Honestly like I can't even complain. I was

going to say not having ac, but my mission president served in Mexico

and lived in a cramped trailer with no ac when it would be like 112

degrees out. And I was going to say the food (because I ate some

questionable Chinese food this week), but still. I'm in America. Where

there are McDonald's on every corner. I'm really trying to think. I

can't. My mission is literally a dream come true. Every challenge I

like. So I don't have a least favorite. Sorry!

The stairs sound fun! Oh my goodness. I am so out of shape!! Sister

Xia is a monster. She is so fit. I need to start running again my

endurance is at an all time low right now, but still trying to work

out some!

I am trying to send a special something for you for your birthday! I

don't know when it will get to you. Soooo.... Happy

birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Plumb

Trees 树

Hey y'all -                                                                               7/11/16

Well what an adventurous week this week. Of course every week is an

adventure. Well well well.... This email is entitled trees. Why? I'll

tell you. You know when a storm comes or when winds hit trees try to

take deeper root in the ground so they don't fall? Well. Now you know.

It's the same with all of us and our testimonies. Helaman 5:12 "And

now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our

Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your

foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds,

yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his

mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to

drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the

rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation

whereon if men build they cannot fall."

We shared this scripture with David this week because man oh man did some winds, and storms come in the whirlwinds. But he pulled through! It's amazing to see the progress he is making and has made in his life. So yesterday was the first day in 50 years that he went with out smoking. Ya. That is HUGE. It has been a really big step for him.

I know that all of us in our lives have experiences and events occur

in our lives that help us take deeper root. I know that it is because

of those experiences that we are able to make it through the storms of

life. I know that we would even be able to grow and be where we are

now if it wasn't for a loving Heavenly Father to send us a savior to

help us over come the storms of life. It's amazing how much you can

learn from his gospel everyday.

People have been asking how my Chinese is coming. I'll just say that

of course I am not fluent. Yet! Haha no actually far far from it.  We

are speaking mandarin at night after nightly planning though. So that

gets..... Confusing. But it is definitely helpful!

We spent the day with our recent convert Josie. She is a great

missionary! That's the picture attached. And we also had to move

sister Fengs baptismal date to the 24 because she didn't come to

church! Daaaah. But she can make it. :)

Anyways. Love you all. Remember who you are.

Sister Plumb