"Be ye therefore perfect"

In His teachings to the people during the Sermon on the Mount, Christ admonishes the people to "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). What a daunting task! How are we as human beings supposed to be perfect? Even more, how could we possibly hope to attain the level of perfection of our Father in Heaven? A closer look at the translation of this verse gives some insight and comfort. The word translated to "perfect" in the English translation of the Bible is actually τέλειος (téleios) in the Greek, which means "complete" (www.blueletterbible.org). So, Christ is not telling us that He expects us never to sin, make a mistake, or mess up. What He is saying is that we must be whole and complete in our growth and progression. In this section, Christ also gives us the "beatitudes," which can be thought of as a list of spiritual steps to repentance. We must be humble and teachable, recognize our wrongs and feel sorrow for them, desire to become better, forgive ourselves and others, teach righteousness to other people, and be willing to stand up for what is right no matter what persecution may follow. There are also ordinances (spiritual acts that we do to symbolize a promise with God) that we must receive in order to become whole. Christ showed us the example as He was baptized and given the gift of the Holy Spirit. He was free of sin and did not need to be cleansed, like we are when we are baptized. So, there must be some other reason that baptism is a requirement besides just the cleansing effect it has. The ordinances of the gospel signify promises and commitments we make with God and they allow us to be fully prepared to meet Him someday. This gives me a lot of comfort to know. I am certainly not perfect in the sense of never doing anything wrong. But, that is not what the Lord asks of us anyways. He knows that we make mistakes. He accepts that we have weaknesses and wants to help us improve. What He wants from us is commitment and earnest effort to change. By following His commandments and laws and receiving the proper ordinances of the gospel, we will be able to achieve completeness like God asks.

Look up!

This week, we learned a lot about the beginning of Christ's life and His preparation for His mortal ministry. My instructor shared an interpretation of part of Luke 2 that really clicked with me and I would like to share it with you all. In Luke 2:41-52, we read about when Christ and His family traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover when he was 12 years old. After spending their time there, the family packs up and leaves. Jesus stays behind, unbeknownst to Joseph and Mary. After a day of traveling, they finally realize that Jesus is not present in the group. They first go to their other family members who are with them to see if anyone knows where to find Jesus. Nobody does. Then, they go back to Jerusalem and seek for Him in the city. After three unsuccessful days looking in the streets of Jerusalem, they find Him in the temple of God. When Joseph and Mary ask why He has done this, Jesus responds, "How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).

Joseph and Mary were seeking for Jesus, just as all of us do. Sure, not everyone may claim a belief in Jesus Christ, but we all seek for what He brought to the world. We all seek for peace, love, happiness, acceptance, and a better life. Whether we know it or not, we need what He can bring to our lives. We need to be cleansed, to be forgiven, to be strengthened, and to be saved. But Joseph and Mary didn't find Christ in their search around the city, in the worldly places created by man. They ultimately found Him in the temple, the house of God. This is where we too will find Christ. As we seek out the good things in life -- church, scripture reading, selfless service, love, eternal families -- this is where we find Christ. And as we seek these things, we gradually improve. Just as Christ did, we too will increase "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (v. 52). When we put sacred things at the center of our lives, we become smarter, stronger, and more spiritual. We have better relationships with others, including our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that it is easy to get distracted in this world. But, I testify that as we seek after the good things of God, we will find peace and happiness.

"Remember Who You Are"

So, I haven't posted too much on the blog recently...but I've decided to start it up again! I am taking a New Testament class at BYU and will be posting my thoughts about our reading weekly here! :)

There is one question that all of us has pondered or will eventually confront at some point in our lives. It is the question of our identity, or in other words, "Who am I?" We yearn to know our purpose, our potential, and how to direct our lives. In the scriptures, these questions are answered in powerful ways. In the LDS version of the scriptures, in Moses chapter 1, we read of Moses' interactions with God and with Satan. We learn that God has a body that is glorified and perfected; we learn that He is infinite and almighty (v. 2-3). He tells Moses, "...I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. / Wherefore, no man can behold all my works..." (v. 4-5). The expanse of God's creations are so vast that we are not capable of seeing or comprehending them all. Yet, He is personally and perfectly aware of each and every one of us. He repeatedly refers to Moses as "my son" and tells him "...this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (v. 39). I find it incredible that the almighty, infinitely powerful and glorious God of the universe finds His purpose in helping us -- the weak, imperfect, small creatures He created -- to become better and ultimately to receive eternal life in His presence. As children of God, we have a limitless potential to become like Him. Satan, however, is stuck. Because of the decisions he has made, he cannot progress or reach any higher potential. Therefore, he will do everything in his power to lead us astray and tempt us to choose the same fate. He lies to us about our worth, striving to drag our self-esteem down and demotivate us from reaching our noble dreams and goals. He flashes doubts and fears past us and makes us question our potential, our capabilities, and even our own identity. He wants us to feel like we cannot and will not grow and improve, when in all reality we are infinitely capable of this with God's help. I know that each of us has an individual mission here on this Earth. God has sent us here to learn, grow, make mistakes and improve. He wants us to feel His love and be motivated by it. No matter where we're at or where we've been, it is never too late to get better.

Working Hard

Hi everyone! Hope this week was great. We had a wonderful week with lots of progress. It was also one of the hottest weeks of my life. It reached more than 40 degrees Celsius here, which is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit!! People are super nice though and always willing to offer us water and to come in and sit for a little while. It is providing a lot of great opportunities to meet new people. This week we had some pretty great experiences with a few investigators. One is the friend of some less-active members in the ward. She is reading the Book of Mormon and learning a lot! It is such a miracle for her too because in school she always had a super hard time learning and understanding things. But she reads the Book of Mormon and seriously understands really well! She cried yesterday with joy because the Lord is really working in her life and she is doing things she never thought she could. We also met with another woman and started teaching her daughters and granddaughter too! She told us how she has been really feeling the desire to come to church since she has started learning (which is a miracle because the first time we met with her she told us flat out that she would never want to come to church and be baptized!). It is so wonderful to see the Spirit working on people´s hearts. Also, another family we are teaching is doing super well. The mom has a lot of reservations about getting baptized, not because she doesn´t want to, but because she wants to be active in the church afterwards and is afraid of falling away. But she is basically talking like she is already a member and she recognizes that too. We are helping her to overcome her insecurities and trust in the Lord. He really is the one that knows best for us and when we let Him work in our lives and trust in His will, miracles happen!

Love you all!
Síster Dieter

Families Can Be Together Forever

Hey everyone! Happy Halloween!

This week I really realized how much the gospel is such a blessing to families and how much it changes lives. We are teaching a woman with 6 children and it is absolutely wonderful to see the light in her children´s eyes as they learn more about the gospel. She and a few of her kids came to church yesterday, and it was great! We taught her yesterday about how our families can truly be united for eternity, and she was super excited. I know that the gospel is the most important thing that we can have in our lives. The teachings of Jesus Christ will solve any problem that we may have and we can confront any challenge with faith because of Him. It is so important for families to pray, read the scriptures, go to church, and talk about their faith together. It unifies us and helps us to love each other better. I am so grateful for my family and I know that the Lord loves everyone. He wants us all to enjoy the peace, joy, and hope that the gospel brings. Life is really hard sometimes, and no one wants to face it alone. Heavenly Father has given us the gift of family and friends to help us make it through. :)

Sister Dieter

This week has been full of some crazy thunderstorms and heat! We had a zone conference in Porto Alegre this week and got caught in a downpour on the way back from lunch! But it was a great conference and we learned a lot about the importance of optimism and being happy despite opposition. The Lord has a time and a plan for everything, and we don´t need to worry. Tudo vai dar certo has become my new motto...everything will be alright. I am learning more and more how little of the ´´big picture´´ I can see and how important it is to just trust in God and know that He knows everything and will take care of us. I read a great talk this week by President Monson called ´´Finding Joy in the Journey´´ (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/finding-joy-in-the-journey?lang=eng). I loved how he talked about focusing on the abundance that we have in our lives and not what we still feel that we lack. Having a spirit of gratitude always makes life happier! Something I learned even more this week is the importance of expressing love for those around you. People always say that it´s important to show your love because you never know when the last time you´ll see someone is. This is true, but even more you should always express your love and appreciation because you never know when that person may be absolutely needing to hear it! Most often, we feel the love of God through the words and actions of those around us. He uses others to help us and we can be used by Him too! President Monson spoke in his talk about how you will never regret an expression of love and gratitude. He gave a great quote too that says, ´´They do not love that do not show their love.´´ 

This week we started teaching two great people. They both have amazing questions about their purpose in life and how to change and become better for their families. I love being able to feel the Spirit and really feel like I am helping someone improve their life. It is such a blessing to be a missionary and it is definitely worth all the challenges and hard times. I love the gospel and I love my Savior. He knows me so well and helps me every day. 

Boa semana!

Sister Dieter

Milagres e Paciência

Oi tudo mundo! Overall it was a great week. We had some interesting experiences...including getting stuck in the rain without umbrellas or anything! The weather lately has been crazy -- rain, sun, wind, heat, cold, all in one day!! We had a great conference with our zone and another one. Both zones make up a stake (a region made up of different congregations of the church) and we are working to divide it into 2 stakes! I feel so privileged to be here at this time to help the church grow in this area and to bring families to the knowledge of the gospel! It´s slow going, but the Lord gathered His sheep one by one so I know it will all work out with time. 

We finally got in contact with Cíntia again!! She was really sick and Satan was working hard on her to stop learning about the gospel, but she persevered! We taught her about the Word of Wisdom this week and she is working to quit smoking! She has already gone from 10+ cigarrettes in one day to just 1-2, all in the span of this week!! Que maravilhoso! She is very excited and her boys have decided that they want to learn more too. I love working with families and helping them to come closer to God and each other through the gospel. 

We also had a really interesting experience yesterday. We went to teach a couple who are very active in their church. So active in fact that he is a preacher. But we just testified to them of what we know and invited them to learn more. They aren´t interested right now, but they remarked at how impressed they were by meeting with us and how they appreciated our love and respect for them. I really appreciated the respect they showed towards us as well and that we were able to leave in disagreement, but still with love, respect, and friendship (and cake that she made for us!). If only every disagreement in the world could end that way! :) Things aren´t easy, but I know that every effort to serve the Lord is worth it. 

Sister Dieter

Fotos: Síster Olarte and I eating xis-burgers!