Tudo Vai Dar Certo

It´s been a good, and very hot, week here in Viamão! I got a nice sneak peek of what summer will be like here. This Sunday, I gave my first talk in church here in Brazil! It went well and afterwards members told me that they were actually able to understand me, which is great! I am trying to get rid of my American accent :) It is amazing to me the things that the Lord is helping me to do. Sometimes I forget how miraculous it is that I am communicating daily with people in another language because it is just something I expect to happen. But seriously, the Lord is amazing and I am so grateful for the miracles He performs every day in my life and the lives of others. 

I learned a lot this week about the importance of charity and sacrifice. We had a member of the church go out with us to help teach for the whole day this week! I am so amazed by the willingness that people have here to help others and to serve without thought of themselves. It was her only day off from work and she could have been at home relaxing with her husband. But, she wanted to come out with us and visit people who are in need of help. I also was reminded this week of something that I learned in the past but have kind of forgetten. I realized again that it is so important to love those around you, even if they don´t love you or show you kindness. Charity is the pure love of Christ, and even though some people are harder to get along with than others, we are still commanded to love and serve them. Christ loves everyone and He didn´t discriminate who He helped while He was here on Earth. Even though it is super hard sometimes, we need to do our best to be kind to others and understand their point of view. It makes everyone´s life easier and happier. Life is good! The gospel of Christ is one of happiness, joy, and love. We don´t need to worry, everything will work out in the end for the best. I am so grateful for the direction of the Lord in my life and I know that He is literally directing my life and the lives of others. As we trust in Him and His will, we will find that everything works out how it needs to be. 

Love, Sister Dieter

Viamão!

Oi tudo mundo! This week has been full of changes! I arrived in my new area, Viamão, on Tuesday this week. My companion, Sister Barros, is great! She is Brazilian and is 27 years old. She is very patient and we are working well together! We are both new to the area, so this week has been a lot of adapting and learning! The map has become our best friend :) But the ward here is great. This week, an older sister in the ward passed away. The bishop decided to leave time during church for people to express their feelings about her, since a lot of people weren´t able to go to her funeral. I was very impressed by the stories that people told about her and the immense influence she had in the lives of so many people. She had 12 children and over 80 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a majority of the members in the church here are related to her in one way or another. Because of her righteous life and her humble desire to nurture and care for everyone she met, over 100 people have learned about the gospel and are firmly planted in their faith in Christ. Our lives really are so much more significant than we can even imagine! We truly never know how much we are affecting those around us through our decisions and example. It is so important to make the most of our lives because of this. The time that we have here on Earth is really quite short and every day matters. That is something that I am working to apply, especially here on my mission. The past is there to learn from, but we can´t dwell on it. The future is full of possibilities and opportunities. But, what matters most is what we are doing with the time we have right now. If we make the most of the present, we will be able to look back on the past with satisfaction and have confidence in a good future. The Lord has a time and a place for everything and as we trust in that plan, we will find that His plans are always better than anything we could dream of ourselves. :)

Sister Dieter

Never a Dull Moment

This has been a good week! Thursday was my one year mark on the mission! We had the opportunity to go to the temple as a zone on Wednesday, which was so great. I love the peace and Spirit there. We had a great stake conference yesterday as well! 4 of our investigators came! We have been teaching the husband of a recent convert recently, and it has been kind of hard for her because although he is reading the Book of Mormon faithfully and believes everything, he doesn´t understand the need to get baptized. She came to conference by herself. But, just before the conference started, we saw her husband Carlos walk in! He had driven the 45 minute drive to Porto Alegre by his own free will to be there! It was great! We also started teaching the friend of a young woman in the ward this week, named Ketllhen. She´s been coming to church, mutual, and seminary for like a year now and for some reason the missionaries just never knew that she wasn´t a member before. But she wants to get baptized and is ready to learn! We also had a wonderful lesson with Fernanda this week, and she finally said the closing prayer. It was beautiful and the Spirit was very strong. She started crying in the middle of it and I could tell that she was beginning to recognize the influence of the Lord in her life. It´s those kind of moments that remind me why I am here and why this work is so important. :)

So today I found out that I am getting transferred! I came into the mission here halfway through a transfer cycle, so I have only been here in Guaíba for 3 weeks. It is weird to be getting transferred right as I am starting to get to know the people, area, and my companions. But it must be for a reason! It just goes to show that you really have to be ready for anything at all times and that the Lord is the one in control, not us. I am learning to expect the unexpected, and to apply the counsel ´´Come what may, and love it.´´ :)

Sister Dieter

Batismo!

This week was great. We found 15 new investigators...which absolutely blows my mind compared to when I was in North Carolina. I am adjusting more to the culture and the language and learning a lot about humility and patience!! The members here are so great and kind and willing to serve. Food highlight of the week: churrasco! It is kind of like barbecue but way better! 

So August 7 marks one year since I have been on the mission!! I can hardly believe it, and looking back to one year ago I am amazed to see how much my life has changed. I feel so much closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and my testimony of the gospel  has really solidified. I have learned so much about trusting in the Lord and allowing Him to mold me into who He needs me to be. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people I have been able to meet so far and the experiences I have had. I am glad I still have 6 months left to serve! 

This past Saturday was the baptism of Kauã. He is the son of a less-active sister in the ward and is absolutely brilliant. He has the strongest testimony and is an amazing example to me, the ward, and his family. I know that he will be able to be an amazing missionary one day and that through his testimony many lives will be changed. 

I am so grateful for the gospel and all the blessings that it brings to my life each day. Love you all!

Sister Dieter