Hello everyone!
This has been a crazy week with a lot of unexpected things! One of which is that I finally was able to finish my visa application this week!! As far as I know, I probably won't get it for another month or two still, but it's getting there! As I look back on the past 6 weeks or so in North Carolina, I know that I needed to come here first. There have been so many experiences and things I have learned here that I know the Lord needed me to learn. I have been able to help teach amazing people and have learned a lot about the importance of this work. It is truly helping people to change their lives and come closer to their Savior, Jesus Christ. No matter where that is done or what language you speak, it is important and necessary. I am so privileged to be a missionary and to share this message with others.
A funny experience we had this week...we tried to contact a less-active man. When we went to the address, a man was taking the trash out. He said that that family had moved a few months ago and he had just moved in. We talked to him a little and set up a time to teach him more. We were so excited, a new investigator! When we get to talking to him later at the appointment, he tells us he had a confession to make. We were a little nervous, but come to find out that he actually was the less-active man! He was scared when he saw us and immediately made up a fake name and story. But, he said he knew there was a reason God put us in his life. We're excited to meet with him again tomorrow. We also taught a lesson at a member's home around the campfire, that was pretty fun!
On Saturday, we had a special mission conference in Fayetteville. Two members of the Seventy (part of the leadership of the Church) came to speak to all the missionaries in our mission. It was great! One of them just came to America from Argentina and so he gave his talk in Spanish, with an elder interpreting to English for him. I understood a lot of it though! Even more importantly, I learned so much from what they said. The biggest take-away message I got is that we often limit ourselves far too much. They told us "don't limit yourself. Instead, allow God to expand your capacities, because He will." I know as we are optimistic, hopeful, and trust in God, He can make our lives much better than we could on our own. Part of this includes ALLOWING yourself to be happy and to enjoy life, even when it is hard. The bad things in life are inevitable, so we might as well enjoy life anyways! An analogy I really like is that we shouldn't be like the people in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, always stressing out about searching for that mysterious golden ticket, which may never even come. Instead, enjoy all the chocolate you get to eat along the way! I know that life has a purpose, and it is to be happy and to learn from our experiences. Never let discouragement last, it eats your faith faster than anything else. Fique firme na fe!
Sister Dieter
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
The Little Things
Hi everyone!
It's been a crazy good/hard week! But a lot has been happening down here in North Carolina! We had zone conference this week, which is where the missionaries in our little region of the mission meet together for training with the mission president. It was fantastic and I learned a lot! We had a lot of great lessons this week as well, and did a ton of biking! That was fun, but hard one day because we came to find out that the back tire on my bike was crooked, so it was rubbing and slowing me down a ton. We got it fixed by someone in the ward though, so it's all good! The ward also had their Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat this week! It was very fun and we had a great turnout. A lot of the people we are working with came, and it was just a great night. A less-active woman who hasn't been to church for a long long time and has been promising us she would come finally came this week! She loved it and was so happy to be back. We've learned a lot this week about patience and understanding that things work in the Lord's time. One of our investigators who really wants to be baptized just found out that her husband won't allow it. That's really hard on her and we are so sad for her. But, it will all work out how and when it is supposed to!! I know that God loves us and He watches over us in our times of hardship and happiness. He wants us to follow Him and do the best we can each day. I love being a missionary and am learning so much! Thank you for all your love and support and I hope you are doing well!
Sister Dieter
It's been a crazy good/hard week! But a lot has been happening down here in North Carolina! We had zone conference this week, which is where the missionaries in our little region of the mission meet together for training with the mission president. It was fantastic and I learned a lot! We had a lot of great lessons this week as well, and did a ton of biking! That was fun, but hard one day because we came to find out that the back tire on my bike was crooked, so it was rubbing and slowing me down a ton. We got it fixed by someone in the ward though, so it's all good! The ward also had their Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat this week! It was very fun and we had a great turnout. A lot of the people we are working with came, and it was just a great night. A less-active woman who hasn't been to church for a long long time and has been promising us she would come finally came this week! She loved it and was so happy to be back. We've learned a lot this week about patience and understanding that things work in the Lord's time. One of our investigators who really wants to be baptized just found out that her husband won't allow it. That's really hard on her and we are so sad for her. But, it will all work out how and when it is supposed to!! I know that God loves us and He watches over us in our times of hardship and happiness. He wants us to follow Him and do the best we can each day. I love being a missionary and am learning so much! Thank you for all your love and support and I hope you are doing well!
Sister Dieter
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| Trunk or Treat! |
Friday, October 18, 2013
Interesting week for sure!
Oi!
This has been a great week, but also a really interesting one! We rode our bikes for the first time this week! If you've never ridden a bicycle in a skirt before, well, you just don't know what fun is! I was a sight to see, that's for sure. We've also had some great meetings this week with less-active members, and seeing them remember the faith that they have and striving to come back is so inspiring. We also met quite a few new people that we are beginning to teach! It's so amazing to me how God always puts us in the right places at the right time. We will go to try and contact one person, and then meet someone completely random and have it be amazing. Our plans almost inevitably change all the time, and it always seems to work out better than we could have hoped for. Today, for example, we went shopping at Walmart. No big deal, right? We're not even trying to teach people or anything, just shopping. As we are bringing our groceries to the car, this man says "Hello Sisters!". What? Turns out he is a less-active member of the Church. We stopped and talked to him for a bit, and he was great! He told us how much he loves the Church and how it has blessed him in his life. Then, he says, "And you know if you ever want to come by and share the gospel with me, I'd love you to!" We were more than happy to plan on that! :) I guess what I'm saying is it is just the little miracles each day that we have to search for. The little things that go right, the plans that get changed, and how they work out for the better. I have seen God's hand in my life so much, and I am grateful that He is watching over me. Though I feel so incredibly inadequate as a missionary sometimes, I know that God makes up the difference for my weaknesses. In 2 Nephi 25:23 it says, "we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do". So, after we have done our very best and tried our hardest to be obedient and follow God, the power of Christ and His Atonement allow miracles to happen. We had a wonderful lesson with one of our investigators, and she is so sweet. She is so excited to be baptized and eager to learn more. Her faith inspires me, and her perseverance through the hardest trials I could ever imagine is amazing. She came to church this week, and loved it! In our lesson, she told us that she had come to know for herself that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith truly is a prophet of God. I love her and love the effects the gospel is having on her life. I'm so grateful to be here and I know that even though it is hard and I'm certainly not a perfect missionary, God will help me as I am obedient. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!
Tchau!
Sister Dieter
This has been a great week, but also a really interesting one! We rode our bikes for the first time this week! If you've never ridden a bicycle in a skirt before, well, you just don't know what fun is! I was a sight to see, that's for sure. We've also had some great meetings this week with less-active members, and seeing them remember the faith that they have and striving to come back is so inspiring. We also met quite a few new people that we are beginning to teach! It's so amazing to me how God always puts us in the right places at the right time. We will go to try and contact one person, and then meet someone completely random and have it be amazing. Our plans almost inevitably change all the time, and it always seems to work out better than we could have hoped for. Today, for example, we went shopping at Walmart. No big deal, right? We're not even trying to teach people or anything, just shopping. As we are bringing our groceries to the car, this man says "Hello Sisters!". What? Turns out he is a less-active member of the Church. We stopped and talked to him for a bit, and he was great! He told us how much he loves the Church and how it has blessed him in his life. Then, he says, "And you know if you ever want to come by and share the gospel with me, I'd love you to!" We were more than happy to plan on that! :) I guess what I'm saying is it is just the little miracles each day that we have to search for. The little things that go right, the plans that get changed, and how they work out for the better. I have seen God's hand in my life so much, and I am grateful that He is watching over me. Though I feel so incredibly inadequate as a missionary sometimes, I know that God makes up the difference for my weaknesses. In 2 Nephi 25:23 it says, "we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do". So, after we have done our very best and tried our hardest to be obedient and follow God, the power of Christ and His Atonement allow miracles to happen. We had a wonderful lesson with one of our investigators, and she is so sweet. She is so excited to be baptized and eager to learn more. Her faith inspires me, and her perseverance through the hardest trials I could ever imagine is amazing. She came to church this week, and loved it! In our lesson, she told us that she had come to know for herself that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith truly is a prophet of God. I love her and love the effects the gospel is having on her life. I'm so grateful to be here and I know that even though it is hard and I'm certainly not a perfect missionary, God will help me as I am obedient. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!
Tchau!
Sister Dieter
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| After a long day of biking! |
Monday, October 7, 2013
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
Tudo bem!
This has been a fantastic week! We got to go to the temple in Raleigh on Friday, which was beautiful! Then, General Conference was all weekend! For those who don't know, General Conference is a semi-annual broadcast for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The prophet, who is the leader of the church and the representative of God on Earth today, speaks, as well as his counselors and other leaders in the church. They give inspired messages from God that teach, guide, and help us. I LOVED it! I would invite all to watch even just a few of the talks from Conference online at lds.org! My favorite one was by Dieter F. Uctdorf, one of the counselors to the prophet. Please watch his talk if you can!
I learned a lot this week about "blooming where you are planted". Basically, make the best out of the situation you are in and do what God would want you to do. I love teaching and helping people to come closer to their Savior, Jesus Christ. I love seeing how the gospel changes their lives and inspires them to become better versions of themselves. My favorite part of the gospel is that God does not want us to be lead astray. If we have questions, we can ask Him through prayer and receive answers. He wants us to know the truth, and He wants to hear from us daily. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach others about the truth and help them to discover it for themselves. I know as I strive to lose my selfishness and serve God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, miracles can be done through me for God. I love Him and I know He loves me. I know He loves you too. We are all His children and He is there for us at all times, even if we are wandering far from Him. I love you all and hope you are doing well!
Sister Dieter
This has been a fantastic week! We got to go to the temple in Raleigh on Friday, which was beautiful! Then, General Conference was all weekend! For those who don't know, General Conference is a semi-annual broadcast for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The prophet, who is the leader of the church and the representative of God on Earth today, speaks, as well as his counselors and other leaders in the church. They give inspired messages from God that teach, guide, and help us. I LOVED it! I would invite all to watch even just a few of the talks from Conference online at lds.org! My favorite one was by Dieter F. Uctdorf, one of the counselors to the prophet. Please watch his talk if you can!
I learned a lot this week about "blooming where you are planted". Basically, make the best out of the situation you are in and do what God would want you to do. I love teaching and helping people to come closer to their Savior, Jesus Christ. I love seeing how the gospel changes their lives and inspires them to become better versions of themselves. My favorite part of the gospel is that God does not want us to be lead astray. If we have questions, we can ask Him through prayer and receive answers. He wants us to know the truth, and He wants to hear from us daily. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach others about the truth and help them to discover it for themselves. I know as I strive to lose my selfishness and serve God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, miracles can be done through me for God. I love Him and I know He loves me. I know He loves you too. We are all His children and He is there for us at all times, even if we are wandering far from Him. I love you all and hope you are doing well!
Sister Dieter
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| Me and the Temple! |
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| My District! |
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| Raleigh Temple! |
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