Thursday, January 30, 2014

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

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Why We're Here

Oi, como vai?

It's been a great week here in NC! I was able to finish up all my FBI clearance stuff and get that in. We had some really great lessons and talked to a lot of wonderful people! We are helping RG to prepare for his baptism this Saturday! But he is already so prepared, it's amazing! He's looking forward to making a covenant or promise with Heavenly Father to follow Him and to serve Him. We know that being baptized will help him to find deeper happiness in his life and a sense of purpose. That is one of my favorite things about the gospel, is that it helps us to know why we are here on Earth, where we are going, and how we can get there. Check it out: http://mormon.org/beliefs/plan-of-salvation. I know that through Jesus Christ, we can overcome our sins and weaknesses and find true happiness. He helps us to see the purpose of life, of families, of continuing to try even when life is hard. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to gain eternal happiness with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ after this life, and also while we are here on Earth. As I have come in contact with people who do not open their hearts to God, I see the sadness it brings. I know that even though I am not perfect, He is there to help me and to give reason to my daily life. I know that this is true for all of us. God loves you and wants to help you to succeed!
This week we met a wonderful new investigator and had a fantastic lesson. The Spirit was very strong and she wants her whole family to do this together. We are excited for them to grow and to learn how they can find true and eternal joy in their lives. It is such a blessing to be able to serve others full-time. It is sometimes hard to put off your own selfish desires, but you will always be happier in the service of others than in selfishness. I know it because I have experienced it. Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us, and it is up to us if we want to choose it or not. He will not force us, but He is always there willing and waiting to accept us! :)


Sister Dieter

Monday, January 13, 2014

Chilly chilly!

Hello!
So this week we got some sort of arctic blast and it got down to about 17 degrees one day! That is pretty much unheard of here, so it was pretty exciting! And then two days later, it was in the 70s again. So weird. Anyways, we had a pretty good week! I found out this week that I have to get FBI clearance for my visa, so I had to get fingerprinted, etc. I am definitely learning the value of patience and in trusting in the will of the Lord. I know that He has a purpose for me being here, even if I don't know what that is. I pray that I may be able to do everything that He needs me to do here. 

One very exciting miracle of the week is that an investigator RG committed to be baptized on January 25th! He is very excited about it, and we are glad that we have been able to see him learn and grow so much. I've been thinking a lot lately about how the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us helps us to grow and become better. It's hard to see how much we change when we look at it from a day to day perspective, but if we look back and see our progress, it's amazing! I know that God blesses all of us each and every day and that He is fine tuning our capabilities, if we will only allow him to! I know that Jesus Christ died for our sins, our weaknesses, and all of our sorrows and struggles. He did this so that we could learn and become more like Him. As we focus our energy and efforts on serving others, we will be changed by the Spirit. I know that God knows us individually and loves us a lot. I love you all and hope you are doing well!

Sister Dieter

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Happy 2014!

Happy New Year! This week has been full of adjustments and changes as my new companion, Sister Lewis got here on Tuesday! She's been out for 7 months and is from Idaho originally. I'm excited to work with her and to be able to learn from our experiences together! This week was fun and kind of crazy, but good! We had a wonderful zone meeting on Wednesday, and I learned a lot about the role of the Spirit. Like it says in Moroni 10:5, by the power of the Spirit is how we learn all truth. Anyone can know the truth of the gospel and the Book of Mormon by praying about it and paying attention to the feelings that they receive from the Holy Ghost. I know that Heavenly Father communicates to us through these feelings, and it is so important to act on them! We had a couple of great lessons this week with RG, and he is so excited to be baptized soon! He went to church for the first time yesterday, and LOVED it!! He can't wait to be baptized so that he can start fresh, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and follow Christ's gospel. He even mentioned how excited he is to one day be worthy to hold the priesthood of God. Wow, he is such an amazing soul! I am so blessed to be able to witness his growth. I know that God will help us with all of our challenges as we put forth our faith and show Him that we trust Him. Although things often don't work out how we expected or how we planned them to, if we are being obedient and following God's will for us, they always turn out better! He knows what we need to do, how we need to do it, and where we need to be. If we will show our faith and act on it, great miracles will occur! I know we are all blessed daily and each little thing that we do to follow Christ is an act of faith. Jesus Christ died so that we can be happy. So let yourself be happy! Don't focus on the negative, because there always will be something bad to find if you look hard enough. Allow yourself to see all the tiny miracles each day! I  know as I have been trying to do that, it helps so much! As we let God into our hearts, He helps us to fulfill our full potential.

Love you all!
Sister Dieter


Sisters of the Wilmington Zone

Snowman candy bar :)

Sister Lewis and I!