Merry Christmas!

Today y'all get a lovely email from my companion sister Zollinger because I was too lazy to write one and I do not have as good of eloquence as she does. So enjoy this week from my companions point of view :)

... also I'm out of time. Merry Christmas 

Sister Plumb

Hello from California, which from what I hear is much warmer then

where y'all are.

This week... lots of biking, but that's not new!

Tuesday we had our Relief Society Christmas party and that was nice. The theme was angels among us and we got an angel ornament at the end. Wednesday we biked our legs off again and burned every calorie we'd ever eaten. I would tell you where

we biked but since y'all aren't here it wouldn't be as impressive. We

biked up all of the hills and then back to the bottom, then back

to the top, then halfway down, then back to the top, then to the

bottom where we live. And we hiked up the Wall again. Why someone

would live up there....well, it has an amazing view but other

than that.... it is a frightening road.

Thursday we helped a slightly crazy former investigator tract for his

phone. Apparently he had accidentally thrown it on the roof, and he

needed our help to figure out which house it was and ask them to get

it down. So we helped! It took us a couple house but we found it. Then

we biked  to the stake center and practiced singing away in a manger

for our zone conference the next day. Then we did some weekly

planning.

Friday was zone conference! And our sort of Christmas party. That was

fun. For the first 2 hours President Villanueva and his wife talked to

us, as well as our stake president. Then we had lunch. Then we read

luke 2 and each district took turns singing Christmas songs between

the verses in the languages of each district. Mine speaks Spanish and

english. There was one who had people who spake Armenian, English,

Korean, and Spanish.

Saturday...we had a lesson with Black, one of Neil's friends, who's

getting baptized on Saturday! He's doing super awesome and his English

is getting a lot better. As is my Chinese. I learned how to say merry

Christmas this week! shèngdàn kuàilè！圣诞快乐！then we met this guy named

José in our parking lot, and we taught him a bit and got his number.

Then we did some more planning. Taught a few lessons. Then we went to

dinner and helped them decorate their tree. Then we went back to the

church and met with José again. He seems super cool! Except he says

he's always really busy on Sunday's. We'll have to work on that.

Sunday was great. We went caroling that night with the youth and

stopped by a lot of less actives. The. Cool things. So, we have been

trying to contact this less active but that hasn't been working, but

we got a hold of a less active member's son and last week he had invited us to come back.

We showed up last night and he was super awesome! We taught the

restoration and he gave us presents! Who does that? They were in gift

bags and there was one for each of us and the member that came with

us. They were selfie sticks:P then he gave us each a pastry. It was a

good day.

And today, I'm talking to y'all, so all in all a good day.

I love y'all and hope you are doing well! I know that this is the

season of miracles and as we open our mouths the Lord will fill them

and we will be able to be his tools in bringing the children of God

closer to His love. This week, we were just going to leave José to his

skateboarding, but we stopped and talked to him instead. Because of

that, we are now teaching him the gospel. We wouldn't have found

Joseph if the name Joseph hadn't been stuck in Sister Plumb's head. We

wouldn't be teaching him if we hadn't shared our message despite the

fact that we had been looking for someone else. I know that in our

lives as we have the faith that God has placed people in our path so

that we can touch their lives, we will find those who are being

prepared to receive the gospel. Every member a missionary!

Sister Zollinger and Sister Plumb

Strive                                                                12/12/16

Hello, hello, hello!

Well this week was amazing! Of course, because how can you not have a

good time when you're on the Lord’s time? Course there's those hard

times that come, they come to everyone in different ways, but there

are always two things we can do about that. And I choose to smile

through :)

So getting to this lovely weekly email......

I'm just super pumped for the next month and a half because

1.Christmas

2. Sister Zollinger and I are staying together

3. I get to be in Rowland Heights

4. Christmas

5. Black is getting baptized on Christmas Eve

6. Christmas

7. Richard lakers is getting more and more pumped for his baptism each day

8. Christmas

9. Oh New Years I guess,

and

10. Christmas, of course.

You just can never be too grateful for such a wonderful time of year.

It was a great week this week. Mainly because we went to two Christmas

parties. Last Monday we went to one that was special for the more

seasoned members of our Ward, and we had a good time hearing Christmas traditions, having laughs, and downing sugar free crystal lite.

We biked. Surprise. Then we had OUR Ward Christmas party! It was, in a

word, legendary. Brother Dushane in our Ward made all the food, and it

was some of the best roast I've ever had. Sorry Dad. And Black, Siv,

Black’s sister, Amanda, Richard, Dukes and Demarcus came! And it was so weird because they all knew each other! I sat by Demarcus and Sister Z

sat by Black, Siv, and Amanda.  Then Richard came over and gave a bro-

hug to Demarcus. Sister Z and I were so confused. And then Dukes walks

in and sits across from us and Demarcus and Richard knew Dukes too! It

was like a get together for them through the church! The gospel unites

people, I'm tellin’ ya.

So with all the hustlin’ and bustlin’ that comes with the season, I just

want to take a few minutes of y'alls time, and share my testimony. A

word that has really stood out to me this past couple of weeks is the

word, Strive. I really like this word because it means more than

trying but yet it's not quite doing. A lot of the times I get

overwhelmed by all the things we have to do and accomplish, and the

people we have to help. I know that I can't do it on my own, and I

know that I can't just hopelessly rely on someone to do it for me. So

instead I have been striving to do my best in all the aspects on my

mission and knowing the parts that I lack in, and my weaknesses are

taken care of through the help of my Savior, Jesus Christ. It's so

fulfilling to be working side by side with Him, though he has carried

me a lot. It's a joy in learning and improving each day. And it's been

a Joy in Striving.

Love y'all :) have a good week.

Sister Plumb

Oh ya! It was President Villanueva’s birthday this week! Here's a

picture of my zone. It's a small zone.

Another Richard!

                                               

Alright I'll just get this thing over with because I really am just not feeling in the emailing mood today. No offense. 

This week was a lot like last week, which means it was good! And we had a ton of success! In fact that Richard (lakers) guy came to church again! And came to Chris and Jake's baptism!...... oh ya! Chris and Jake got baptized! That was fun yesterday :) also their little sister Miriam got her baby blessing and name yesterday. It was so nice to see a family be united like that, making important covenants with God. 

We had a miracle this week! .... another Richard actually. 

We just got a text Thursday night, and he said he had a friend who gave him our number and he wanted to look for a church he would be comfortable with, so we invited him that night to tour our building and he is getting baptized on the 31st now! So excited for him. We might refer him to the Singles ward but because his friend is in our Ward, we think he will stay. 

So back to Richard lakers. It's been a roller coaster with him really but in a good way! He accepted to be baptized on the 7th of January! And then he invited his friend to our next lesson and she said she also wanted to be baptized then! But she is out of our area a bit :/ but still! It was such a cool experience. Fireworks were literally shooting out of my head because he has made such a complete turn around in just one week! Can't wait to see how much more this guy can progress. 

If y'all haven't heard about what is "Lighting the World" this Christmas season, go to https://www.mormon.org/

Or search the hashtag #LIGHTtheWORLD 

There have been so many lights in my life which have led me here, and now I see that light in each person I see.

I love y'all 

Sister Plumb

Nihao Thanksgiving                                                     11/28/16

Man oh man I hope y'all had a full thanksgiving. Gobble till you

wobble am I right?

Thanksgiving was good and all but I am getting sick of left overs. We

literally get left overs after every dinner any way. We don't even

have to shop any more! It's a great thing :) but I have never been

given so much food in my life!

It's been a really interesting week where things that we weren't

planning on happening happened. Like for example Richard. Ok so there

are two Richards. There is this one Richard who always wears a lakers

jersey (that's Richard lakers) and then the other is normal Richard.

So we met normal Richard and he was super awesome, knew about Joseph

Smith and all so we set a time to meet with him Tuesday. Well Tuesday

comes around and we have two Richards saved in our phone and so we are

texting both Richards because we couldn't remember which one it was.

It turned out in the end when we were planning on seeing normal

Richard we ended up at Richard lakers house. Oh man did we have a good

laugh, but Richard lakers came to church! And he wasn't wearing his

lakers jersey! And he said he was going to join our church! But then

we got a call Sunday night that his friend has a church and that he is

going to give it to Richard lakers when he dies so Richard lakers said

he won't come to our church anymore..... it's been a whip lash of a

week you could say.

Speaking of whip lashes. There was also a guy named Jeremy we had a

good chat with because we almost got ran over by a car together. Great

bonding experience. He talked our ear off about some strange things

and while we were looking a ways a way we found our old investigator

dukes! Dukes is the best! He said he will be baptized so that's chill.

Neil, our amazing recent convert who wants to serve a mission, is

already serving a mission. He brought 3 of his friends to church to

hear him talk. HIS TALK WAS SO GOOD. He gave it in Chinese than in

English. And he did very well. We are now going to have English

classes with him and his friends! Yep. I'm starting English classes

where ever I go.

Oh my goodness this is such a long email and I haven't even gotten to

my 6 meal thanksgiving. Yes ok we really only had 4 meals I guess. We

had two full on thanksgiving lunches with two different people, and

then dodged the thanksgiving dinner the Korean Ward was having and then

had steak at Jesamyn’s house with her non-member family. Aw man it

was..... filling. Yes. And so was this email.

For some spiritual nourishment I just want all y'all to know that when

things don't work out the way you planned them it is always for a

reason. There are so many instances were we complain because things

didn't go our way, but instead what I learned this week is to always

appreciate the moments that don't work out because that's where God is

leading you the most, and quite literally showing you were to go. It

can be hard, and very humbling, but that's all it takes to receive the

promised blessings that he gives.

I love you all,

Sister Plumb