Diamonds in the Rough

I love america.  Sorry, but it is true.  This last week I was thinking about how if there was not freedom of religion that it would have been super hard for the Gospel to be on the Earth right now.  Joseph Smith would have been persecuted even more, and I can't imagine what that would have done to his family.  Anyways, this week has been rough, but there are always diamonds in the rough.  We had an AWESOME lesson with our investigator Candy, and she came to church again! She was telling us about all these dreams that she had, and in them she always had a pool in them. She was telling us, that pools mean Spiritual Renewal.  We told her that joining the church is a sense of Spiritual Renewal.  She has a couple things that we are trying to work though, and it is interesting to see that the lesson that I told my family on Christmas was my favorite to teach, is the thing that she has the biggest problem with.  We are working all that out, and helping her see that as she prays about the Book of Mormon, she will get an answer of the truthfulness of it.  

 We met with a few people this week who we can never get a hold of. It's amazing to see the way the Spirit can touch someone no matter how lost they seem. This gospel is for everyone, and it can bring anyone happiness. One man his name is Kyle, and he is currently homeless, so it is awesome when we can meet with him for a lesson, hasn't been to church in ages; but when we met and asked him to tell us about his baptism, his eyes lit up.  He talked about how there was this sense of feeling clean. There's a reason why that happens, and it is because the Spirit is bringing to their remembrance the truth they have felt before.

   Another man named Brad is a single dad with 3 year old twin daughters named Heather and Nicole. Nicole has a neurological disorder, and our hearts melted the first time I saw her smile.  She was sitting in a high chair kinda by me, and when we were reading from the Book of Mormon, she started playing with my hand, and I have never been more okay with getting the slobber of a child all over my hand.  It was kinda really gross, but looking at her, and hearing her laugh are some of the greatest things that could have accompanied that slobber. We read with Brad in the book of Mormon and talked about all the surgeries and trials his daughter's been through. She is so tough, and she is having an MRI to see how her brain is going.  They are trying to figure out when the next surgery will be, and I am so in love with this little girl.  Her little spirit was one of the sweetest things I've ever experienced. I know she only needed to come here for her body. Other than that, she's just blessing everyone else with her light and happiness.  Her dad was telling us about all the ways that she has blessed him.  I am so amazed at his humility, and all the things that he has gone through.  You can tell that he has had a hard life, but the fact that we got into his house for a lesson, tells me that it will be long and slow, but that there will be spiritual improvement in his life.  I am so excited to see where all this goes.  His other daughter is also so adorable! She came into the Kitchen singing Let it Go.  I was so happy to see her singing that, you could tell she was trying to show off, and when she finished we all clapped and told her how good she was.  The Lord is blessing that family in more ways then they realize.

Speaking of families getting blessed.... ALLIE AND AMBER B ARE GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 14th of Feb! I am so excited! They are the daughters of Joe and Samantha B whom I taught in Hesperia... And guess who was asked to speak at it. ME! I am not sure what my topic is, but I was so excited when I got the news, and I have been floating on cloud 9 ever since.  I also am going to the Baptism of Cheyenne.  I taught her mom, sister, brother, and her when I first got to Upland.  Then they were taught by the Ontario Elders, and now she is getting baptized on Saturday.  I "have" to go, cause I am giving the closing prayer.  It is so great to see families getting blessed by the Gospel.

I know that this church is true.  If it wasn't would I really be out here, spending 18 months of my life serving others... Yeah, no I would not.  But since it is true, I am more than happy to be out here telling everyone about the Gospel! It is TRUE!!!

Next week we won't email on Monday, but we will on Tuesday.  Then you won't hear from me till the 29th, cause we are going to the TEMPLE!!! so I will email that day.

1.Funniest things done: Playing the D family in Ping-Pong.  They get WAY into it, and everytime it kills me how upset Brother D gets when he starts losing.  I love that family.  They do so much for us.  We all went and got our eyebrows threaded, cause there was a special sale going on for them.  It didn't hurt, but the lady told all of us that we had really bad eyebrows.  You gotta love Upland Eyebrow Threaders.  They are a crack-up.  We all agreed to never go again. But my eyebrows look pretty great.

2.Biggest Blessing: Sister T.
3.Latest project: Building up the Ward when hard times come.  There are a lot of needs in the ward, and it is hard not trying to be superwomen 24/7.

4.Most exciting events: Allie, Amber, and Cheyenne's Baptisms!

5. Favorite Game: None.  We don't have time for games.

6.Favorite Foods: Hamburgers.  We had them 3 days in a row, and each time it was different.
7.Most challenging thing: Area book updating.  it is the WORST!
8. Simple Pleasures:Meeting a guy named Peter. He says he is Mormon, cause he spent 25 years in Utah, at the Point of the Mountain. aka, Prision.

9.Goals: Lose Weight.  Obedience with Exactness.  Find new Investigators.
10.Biggest smile: Meeting Nicole.  She is so AWESOME!!!

11.Biggest accomplishment: Getting into 2 houses that have never let missionaries in before.

12: Favorite Quote:"Sisters... my stomach is sticking out from my skirt. I LOOK LIKE BUDDAH!!"

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Sister Rietz

My new ride

I hate the area book, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do!