Change of Plans!

Hey everyone! So MAJOR news of the week...I found out that my visa finally came through!!!!!!!! I will be leaving on July 8th It doesn't feel real. I still don't know if I believe it yet :) I am so excited, but also very mixed feelings! I have loved it here in North Carolina and have met so many amazing people here. I know that God needed me here for all this time and I am so grateful that He made it possible. I really am going to miss everyone here so much. It seems like once you finally accept God's will completely and start to really be happy with it, He changes things up on you again so that you can rely on Him more! It is going to be like leaving home again, but I am excited to see what God has in store for me in Brazil!! I know that He has a plan and that everything will work out how it needs to be. 

So since I am still here for the next 3 weeks, I will still be training a new sister! But, another sister missionary who has been out for a little while will also be helping me train her, so that she can finish the training when I leave. So we will be in a trio for a couple of weeks! Then I think I will be going to the Brazil MTC for a week or so before I go to Porto Alegre. Wow. Life is so crazy, but also so so great. We are seeing so many miracles here with the people we are teaching and I know that the gospel is changing their lives. I love all of you and am so grateful for your love and support! 

Sister Dieter

What a Whirlwind!

This week has been full of surprises and crazy experiences!! I'm happy to say I've finished reading the Book of Mormon in Portuguese :) I know that that book is true, even in another language! It is so powerful and such a great witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This week I also got a blessing and had a very personal and powerful experience. I can't even fully explain it, but I can say for certain that I know that God is real and that my Savior knows who I am and what I am going through. I don't just believe it anymore, I know it. I know that He has a plan for each and every one of us and that as we follow His will, He will lead us to what we need. He knows our potential and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be an instrument in His hands. We found out transfer news this week too! My companion is getting transferred to her second area and I will be staying here in Raleigh. My new companion will be a new missionary coming into the mission this transfer. So in other words, I will be training! I am humbled to know that the Lord trusts me enough to do that, and I am grateful for all the preparation He has given me and the help He will continue to give me.

We had an amazing Sunday at church! Someone we have been teaching for over a month now was finally able to recover from surgery enough to come to church! She loved it and had a really powerful experience. A different sister who got baptized last year and quickly fell away came to church too and bore her testimony of how the gospel has changed her life. Our investigator identified so well with her and they both were able to celebrate together how God has been working in their lives to bring them to the fullness of His truth. I am so grateful to be a witness to these changes in their lives. The gospel is true and it changes people. Change is possible because of Jesus Christ. He enables us to overcome our weaknesses and fulfill our potential. He believes in us. Something I learned this week: We need to not only believe in Christ, but believe Christ. He will help us as we trust in Him.

Sister Dieter

Patterns of Light

Oi, tudo mundo! 
This week was fun! Had a great Memorial Day at the Science Museum of Raleigh. I love the city! Also, a couple of really great miracles happened this week. We were able to get in contact with a woman we had met about a month ago to share more with her! We realized that she's not actually in the area that we cover, but she is still wanting to learn about the gospel so that's great! We were also able to get in contact with one of the less-active members who we haven't seen in a long time and get to know her better! And, the husband of someone we are teaching decided that he wants to learn more too! And they have a friend who wants to come to the next lesson!! :) Also, I realized that my 10 month mark is already coming...this Saturday! Time flies so fast, but it's great to look back on all the things you've been able to experience and all the miracles that have happened.

This week I just wanted to share something that we talked about in church yesterday. We watched 3 videos called "Patterns of Light" ( ). They talk about the influence of the Spirit of God and how to discern that guidance. Watch them, love them! :) It really helped me to realize how God often very subtly guides us and though we may feel like we are alone, He always is leading us. Even if it's only one step at a time. As we trust in His will and takes those steps forward in faith, we will be able to see how much He really is in the details of our lives. 

Love you all!
Sister Dieter

Instruments in the Lord's Hands

Hi everyone! Happy Memorial Day! Neat moment of the week: We knocked on someone's door and it turned out that he only spoke Spanish. We could have easily just said sorry and kept going, but for some reason I felt prompted to attempt to speak to him in Spanish. Though it was really jumbled and probably mixed with lots of Portuguese, we were able to communicate and he accepted to have Spanish-speaking missionaries come by! I know that the Lord blessed me because after the fact I realized that I completely understood what he was saying...wow!

This week, we have seen some pretty miraculous things happen! Things that prove to me that the Lord will guide our path as long as we are willing to take a few steps into the dark. On Tuesday, we noticed a name and address in Sister Slade's planner who we had no idea who she was or how it got there. We decided that we needed to stop by and see if we could get to know her. We went to the address only to find that no one was home. We decided to knock on one of the neighbor's doors before we left. To our surprise, a kind old woman opened up to us, said hello and let us right in. We had no idea who she was, but she seemed to know us. Come to find out, she was actually the woman who we were looking for! She had just moved to the apartment next door. We had a good talk and found out that she had looked into the church previously and even came to church a few times. Though she wasn't interested right then, I know that God wanted us to see her yesterday and He made it possible for us to find her. After that, we headed off to our next appointment. She wasn't home, so we decided to go knock on the neighbor's doors in the apartments upstairs. The very first door we knocked on ended up being someone we had met before! We had talked with her at a bus stop almost 2 months ago but weren't able to meet with her because she was in between housing at that point in time. Apparently, she had just moved into that apartment, which we had absolutely no clue about! It was amazing to see that. I just had this overwhelming feeling that God loves her so much that He was willing to give her multiple opportunities to learn more about His gospel.

Also, for the past 2 months we have been trying and trying to get to know one of our neighbors. We would see her in passing often, but never had the chance to get to know her. For some reason, we really felt like we needed to reach out to her and bring her some cookies. We went over several times, never getting an answer at the door. Finally, one day we saw her sitting in her car when we came home from getting some groceries. Although it felt a bit awkward, we decided to go back outside and talk to her. We told her how we felt like we needed to get to know her better and asked if we could come by in a few days and bring her some cookies. She said, "Of course!" and we set up a time to come over. We weren't sure what she thought of it, but were excited to get to know her. We went over...and she didn't answer the door. A little disheartened, we decided to just leave a note. As we were writing, she drove right up and was so apologetic! Apparently she had been looking forward to it all day, but was running late from work. She welcomed us in and we just sat and got to know one another. I was surprised at how quickly the conversation turned to topics of faith, prayer, and struggles she is having with her faith. We were able to share with her our beliefs and testimonies of God's love and how He is willing and ready to hear and answer our prayers. She told us how it was weird that she felt so comfortable with us and sharing personal experiences, but that she was so grateful we came over to talk with her. I just had this great feeling of love and concern for someone who I had barely known 10 minutes before. This experience showed me how important it is to reach out to those around us and love our neighbors as God does, even if it is out of the way and a bit uncomfortable at first. You never know when someone is in need spiritually or otherwise and how much a little bit of love and concern can really make someone's day better. :)

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve. Though I don't always understand the Lord's will, I know that if I trust in it, He will provide a way. It is so important to just have faith and believe that everything that happens in your life is for your good in the end. Wonderful quote I heard this week: "You haven't failed until you quit trying." - Gordon B. Hinckley. All that God expects of us is that we keep moving forward and keep trying to be a little better each day. I've been thinking about that a lot lately and I'm curious to hear anyone else's experiences with following God's will even when it was challenging! Send me some stories, I'd love to hear!

Love you all, 

Sister Dieter

Happy Moments

So many joyful events this week! We had a great family night at a member's home with a family that we are teaching. It was so fun to see them interact and support one another in trying to live the gospel. We also had a great Relief Society activity. We watched a talk from General Conference about sisterhood (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/sisterhood-oh-how-we-need-each-other?lang=eng) and discussed how important it is that we all love and support one another. Everyone goes through different struggles and challenges in life, and we need the love, understanding, and help of those around us to get us through. God often works through the people around us to bless our lives. A great example of this happened this week. We took a sister who started coming back to church about 4 months ago with us to visit a different sister who is just starting to come back. Neither has really felt like they have friends in the ward to connect with. It was amazing to see how these two women so immediately became friends. They were so excited to have found someone to connect with and it was amazing to see the joy on their faces at church the next day as they spent it together with a new-found sister. I know how powerful the love of a good friend is and how important it is to try and show that kind of love and concern for everyone around us. We can serve others in ways that we might not even recognize just by being kind and sincerely caring about how they are doing.

I also had a few fun experiences this week with Portuguese, which were both such great blessings! We exchanged for a day with the sister leaders, and I was able to go with another sister to teach someone who is originally from Brazil! It was so fun to talk with her and to teach her more about the gospel. The love that I already have for the Brazilian culture and people was just brought out as I was able to pray for her in Portuguese as well. It was amazing! Also, I found out that one of the members in the ward that we had dinner with knows Portuguese, so I was able to talk with him for a bit. I'm so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord and the little ways that He blesses me each and every day. I know that He loves me and has a plan for my life. This knowledge is strengthened every day as I study the words of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I know that whatever the Lord wants for us is ultimately what is best, even if we have to go through some hard times to get there. 

:)
Sister Dieter

Eternal Perspective

I learned a lot this week about the importance of having an eternal perspective and trusting in the Lord. We had so many experiences this week of plans falling through and changing that show to me that our lives are truly directed by God. One amazing experience we had was when we visited one of our investigators who just had a tough hip surgery. We brought by some cookies and shared a quick message about Christ's sacrifice and Atonement for us. We talked about how because of Him, we are not only saved from the effects of sin, but we can find comfort, consolation, and strength. We explained how the Atonement has both a redeeming power, in that it washes away our guilt and sin as we repent and change, and also an enabling power to help us do things we never thought that we could do. We also explained how Christ suffered all of our pains, sorrows, worries, stresses, weaknesses, EVERYTHING when He suffered, died and was resurrected for us. She and her husband were dumbfounded. They never had heard that before and were so grateful to know that. It made me realize how grateful I am to have that knowledge as well. Christ knows exactly how we feel and because He has felt our suffering, He can sympathize with us and help us to overcome it. It makes that relationship so much more meaningful and personal to me. I love Him and am so thankful to know that no matter how many times I may falter and mess up, He is always there to catch me, brush me off, and help me get better. 

So on to a topic y'all may be wondering about...this week I also had some issues arise with my fingerprints for my visa (yes, again). At first, I wanted to just be so upset. My thoughts were something along the lines of "Why me? I haven't done anything wrong, I'm trying my best, why can't I just have this?" etc. I quickly realized that that was not right though, and through the help of a blessing I was reminded of the importance of having an eternal perspective. Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us that is way better than our own. As we do our best to let go of those things in life that we have no power over, we will be able to find so much more happiness. I know that everything happens for a reason, and that God is shaping me to become a better person and to be able to help others more through this experience. I won't lie and say that I have been super excited to be waiting on a visa for the past 9 months. But I will testify for sure that there is a purpose behind everything that God allows to happen in our lives. Heavenly Father knows what I will face in my future and He loves me enough to provide a way to prepare me for it. Of course I still want to go to Brazil and serve the people there. Of course I still get frustrated when visa issues happen. But deep down, I trust that it will all work out for the best. This quote gives me a lot of peace, and I know that it is true: "As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better." I know that as we truly let go and allow God to do His work, we will become the kind of people He needs us to be. Love you all!

Sister Dieter

Crazy Week

Hi everyone! This has been such a crazy week. We had some fun walking around historic Raleigh last preparation day, it is so beautiful here. We also had an amazing meeting with Neil L. Andersen this weekend! He came here to do a special stake conference in Raleigh and he also wanted to meet specifically will the missionaries here! He was so happy and inspiring and his message was all about how Christ is the center of everything that we do. It was so great to see some of my old companions and friends at the conference as well! I am so grateful to have such amazing people to serve alongside and for the hard work and dedication that they have to helping others and serving God. I love seeing them and the joy that the gospel brings to our lives.

Just a random FYI for anyone at home, I have started a different blog that I directly will be working on while I am here. It is gloryinplainness.blogspot.comand is basically just a bunch of real stories of people that I meet on my mission and how they are teaching me principles of the gospel. Check it out! :)

Anyways, we had some really great miracles with finding new investigators this week! We found 5 of them, which is absolutely AMAZING! We got requests from the Gladys Knight fireside from people who went and were interested in learning more about the church. It was so amazing to meet these people and share with them how the gospel can change their lives. I know that although it doesn't make life easy, the gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to enjoy life and to have a fulfilling life because we are doing what God would have us do. He has given us commandments to follow that will help us become better people. I know that obedience to these commandments is not restrictive, but instead allows us to be more free and self-reliant. I love the gospel and am grateful for it in my life.

Love, Sister Dieter