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

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

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

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!

Feliz Ano Novo!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to feel and remember Christ's love for you. We had a great Christmas eve visiting a less-active woman in the ward and then having dinner at a member's house. We were surprised to come home to an infestation of termites in our kitchen, but it's been taken care of! Anyways, it was nice to spend Christmas day at a couple of member's homes and then being able to talk with my family for a little while. Seeing my family reminded me of my purpose of being on a mission. I want to help others learn how to have strong, happy, united families that can be together forever, just like mine. Dinner on Christmas sure was interesting...we went to a member's home and they had a couple other ward members over too. We had a "crab boil" for dinner. The man who was cooking had a big pot and he put crab legs, shrimp, potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob in it and then boiled it. The tables were covered with newspaper and then he just dumped it all out and we ate with our hands! It was fun and actually quite tasty!
This week, one of our investigators Sara got baptized!! She is 11 and her parents are members, but less active. It was such a sweet service. Her older brother baptized her, and the whole family was getting emotional. It is so great to see them growing stronger as a family in the gospel. And now her younger sister, Ashley, wants to take the lessons! I'm so excited for all of them and am grateful for the opportunity I've had to witness them changing their lives and coming closer to Jesus Christ. 
This week I have been focusing a lot on the hope that Jesus Christ gives us. I have been striving to remember that He suffered all things so that we may change, become better, and be happy. Every single thing that happens is for a reason and a purpose, and there is something to learn from all of our experiences. As long as you are following God's will for you, you should not have any concerns or worries. As long as you do as He asks, He can take care of you and pull you through any challenges. A lot of times, we worry too much and try to handle everything on our own. But, Christ came to Earth to help us and give us support. We don't have to do it alone. I am grateful for this opportunity I have to learn how to rely on Jesus Christ for strength and exercise my faith, and I know as we all strive to act on our faith, miracles will occur. 
Best wishes for the new year! 
Love, 
Sister Dieter

Christmas Eve

Termites!

Christmas Morning

Crab boil!

Sara's Baptism

Merry Christmas! (Feliz Natal!)

This has been a wonderful week! It's been a wintry 70 degrees and sunny :) I found out my companion will be getting transferred to a new area in North Carolina on December 31st. I will miss her a lot, but am excited for her to go touch lives somewhere else! We had our Christmas Zone Conference this week with the Bernhisels in Fayetteville. Half of the mission was there and we were taught by President and Sister Bernhisel. Also, we got to hear musical numbers for Christmas and had a delicious ham and turkey meal with all the works for lunch. We also had our ward Christmas party on Saturday night, and a lot of people came! Several of the people we have been working with came and really enjoyed it. It was great to see everyone come together to enjoy this Christmas season and to remember their Savior, Jesus Christ. I love that I have the opportunity to focus on serving others and helping them to understand their purpose in life and the sacrifice that Christ made for them. It gives me hope to see the power of this sacrifice enabling others to change their lives for good. Christmas is about serving others and recognizing the opportunity we have to become better because of Jesus Christ. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon help us to reach our full potential, and if we will read them and apply their teachings into our lives, we will find true happiness.

I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the gospel. I know that life has a purpose and that Heavenly Father provided a Savior for us so that we can grow and become better each day. Everyone, no matter what, has the ability and the choice to change their life around and this is done through faith in Jesus Christ and following His commandments. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the knowledge that I can find answers to my prayers. I know that God loves each of us individually and He has a plan for all of us. He sees our full potential and is always there to help us reach it. Families are central to God's plan for us, and they are very sacred. As we strive to become closer to God, our families are strengthened and enriched. The sorrow and regret of sin can be washed away through repentance and forgiveness can be found through fervent prayer. I invite all to find out for yourself the truth. Whether you are a member of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not, I invite you to read the Book of Mormon with the intent of finding out if it is true. Have an open mind and sincerely ask God to tell you if it is true. When you find it to be true, your life will be changed and you will be able to find even more happiness. There is nothing lost in searching out the truth for yourself. Only knowledge is to be gained, and I promise that God will answer your prayers. I know that Heavenly Father loves us, and He wants to guide us if we will but ask Him for that direction. 

Com muito amor, 
Sister Dieter

Jacksonville District

A Day in the Life of a Missionary :)

Yes, I'm still here!

Hello everyone!
In case anyone is wondering, my visa has not yet come, and I am still here in NC for I don't know how long! But it's great! Everyone is really starting to get into the Christmas spirit and I love it! This week we had our wonderful church tour! It went great! All of the plans went off without a hitch and it was very well organized. The turnout wasn't super huge, but the people that did come were very interested. We gave out 3 copies of the Book of Mormon, and one man on the tour even committed to be baptized! The members that came through the tour loved it, and they said they really felt the Spirit and gained a new appreciation for the church building. They wished they had invited others to come, because it was such a spiritual experience. One thing I found interesting is that every single non-member that came to the tour came with a member friend. We had advertised, passed out fliers, and put signs up. But, the people that came were there because a friend loved them enough to invite them and take them. It truly shows how vital members are to sharing the gospel. When members and missionaries work together, miracles can happen. As we live our lives in a Christlike manner, others will see that light and want to learn more about Him.

This week we also got to attend a baptism! A woman we had been working with, who was less-active for quite some time, had the baptism of her 8 year old daughter! We didn't really teach her, but it was great to see how much they have grown as a family and the good choices they are making to change their lives! I felt the Spirit very strong and I know that God loves that family so much. It gives me hope to feel that and to see the changes that the teachings of Jesus Christ make in others' lives. Something I have been focusing on more lately is keeping my thoughts and actions focused on Jesus Christ and trying to be the kind of person He knows I can be. This Christmas season has helped me to appreciate the sacrifices that He made for all of us, and the things He teaches us. I know that as we do our best to follow Christ, our lives will change and we will find a higher quality of happiness. Life is full of wonderful experiences and some of the best come in service of others and trying to love other people. I hope we can all keep the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts and actions these next couple of weeks. 

Sister Dieter

Church tour decorations

Less active sister in the ward

Juliana's baptism!