Yes, M'am!

This week has been pretty great overall! We got to go to the beach on base last week with a member! It was so fun, yet so cold! We also had dinner that night with the sweetest Southern lady out there. We had your typical Southern meal, topped of with banana cream pudding! Oh goodness! We had zone conference in Wilmington and had the opportunity to learn a lot from our mission president and his assistants. I love being able to learn from those who have been where I am and to be able to set goals to improve. I went on exchanges this week with our sister training leader, and learned a lot about how to be more loving and organized in helping the people here! We met a few new investigators this week. Also, one of the less-active women who has been trying SO hard to be able to overcome her anxiety and come back to church came this Sunday!!!!!!! :) And of course, RG got baptized this Saturday!!!! It was a great service and the Spirit was so strong. I was honored to be able to speak about baptism and the fresh start that he would have. It is a new beginning for him, and I am so excited for him! He loves feeling the Spirit more in his life and is excited to help share that with others. I know that Heavenly Father placed us in his path that fateful day at the library for a very special purpose and that he will change so many lives!
Church yesterday was fantastic! It seemed like it was really focused on the importance of using our agency, or freedom to choose, in the best ways that we can. I know that one of our greatest gifts in life is to be able to make our own decisions. Heavenly Father loves us so much and He would never want us to go without that ability to choose. It makes Him sad to see us use our agency in ways that bind us and bring us trouble, but He is always there to help us if we are willing to accept it. I know that we have the power to choose our attitude and how we will react to life. Hard times are inevitable. Things don't always go as planned. In fact, they rarely ever do. But, we can choose to be happy and to recognize the blessings that we receive each day. A teacher in one of the classes asked us to think back on the worst period of your life...I am grateful to say that it took me a while to pinpoint what that would be. But I know that for many people, it's not like that. Sometimes it just seems like trouble after trouble keeps coming our way and that there is no escape. But, through faith and following the commandments of God, we can find enduring, deep, and real happiness. We can be at peace with the commotion that is going on around us. He will provide that comfort. I know that we all have such great potential to grow and that we just need to be patient with ourselves and with others. As we recognize our human frailty and do our best to rely on God for support, we can truly change. It may be in the most incremental and miniscule ways, but over time we will see how far we all have come. I love this gospel and I don't know what I would do without it. Though times are tough sometimes, I know that God loves me and hasn't forgotten about me. He loves all of us so much and His purpose is to help us learn to be happy.
I love you all!
Sister Dieter

Beach on Base

RG's Baptism