Octobrer 8, 2012, Hannover

Dear Family.

Wow what an amazing week it has been!! Okay before I start talking about how excited I am about what’s going on at home, I'll tell you a bit about what’s happened during my week. I don't have much time though, so sorry, this will be a quick email again. It’s a busy Monday for us, and I just spent an hour reading everyone’s emails, haha - and loved them!! :)

Last Monday was October Fest. So, Elder H, Elder S, Elder W and I, checked it out during the day, and went on one of the rides, haha. It was a lot of fun, and it was a Monday at 15 Uhr (3:00 PM) so there were, like, barely any people there. It seemed just like the Fair that comes to Trail, minus all the people that are usually there, lol. We stayed for about an hour and then we left. Just “einfach” checked it out, and had fun :)

   On Tuesday we were blessed to meet 2 Africans from Zimbabwe. They were referrals given to us. We taught them the “Message of the Restoration” inside the church. The spirit was really powerful and we could see the desire in their eyes to learn more. We're going to try to teach them more often. One of them looked at me and said, “I smoke, and I really want to quit, will you help me?” I'm really excited to start helping them and I wish they came to watch General Conference. It would have been nice for them to hear those powerful talks about gospel principles.

  Our Chinese investigators are doing awesome. They're keeping their commitments, and they have a Chinese Christian Bible class that they go to throughout the week, so they usually have a question for us before we start teaching, haha. They are a lot of fun, and it’s amazing to see how the Spirit is working with them!

   On Saturday we had our TRANSFER CALLS!! I guess Oma and Opa already spoiled the surprise, haha! But yes, I'll be training starting THURSDAY! I leave for Berlin on Wednesday evening, sleep over night, and then pick up my companion and travel back to Hannover! I'm excited and I’m up for the challenge. President keeps saying that there’s no higher assignment of importance on a mission than to train a new missionary. Elder Strom in Mexico is also training right now. He says he loves it, and I know I’ll love it too. Elder W got transferred to Halla as District leader. He serves his mission until March and hopes to stay there until then. And Elder S got transferred to Freiburg and will be training. He goes home in January so he'll definitely stay there till then. Elder H and I will stay in Hannover! :) woot!

Also there is a member sister in our Ward from Fiji, whose husband is a non-member. We've taught him off and on, and he wants to get baptized now! He and his wife are going to pray together and decide a date! It’s really exciting!

Wow, General Conference was wonderful! Right when the announcement came for the change of the ages for missionary service, I was so excited! All I could think about was Charlene and Jeremy being able to leave earlier!! It was so awesome. All the talks were powerful and I am really amazed that all of these messages were given to us. I love being a missionary! I love gaining council for my life through the messages of choice leaders in the Church. They are amazing and know the Doctrines of the Gospel, and understand God's plan for all of His children! I'm not going to lie; General Conference has meant more to me on my mission than it has at any other time.

I love my mission. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now. I have achieved my goals and have to look back and take note of the difference I feel and see. First, I finished reading the Book of Mormon “auf Deutch”, and second, I also did 30 chin-ups in a row last night, haha! Woot, 2 goals, “geschafft”! Those aren't my only ones ...  don't worry, haha! This transfer I really want to read through the New Testament “auf Deutch”. Elder Holland got me all fired up to read the New Testament because of his talk!

 I am going to see the Prophet, President Monson, this weekend in Hamburg!! And I really hope to see Oma and Opa there!! :) woot, I’m way excited to see them again! It is raining here off and on, and it’s starting to get pretty chilly, lol! But that scarf and the umbrella that you packed for me have definitely helped out!

Our Mission President is amazing. I know him pretty well, and he's gotten to know me pretty well, too. He sends us really powerful e-mails every week. Maybe I’ll start forwarding them to you so you can read them too. I'm proud of Jeremy and Charlene for starting to prepare for missions. That makes me so unbelievably happy; I know it'll mean everything to them. Now I know why your missions meant everything to you, Mom and Dad, and I’m so glad I’m out here. Don't worry Kass, I’m proud of you too, ....  ‘cause you and Scott aren't divorced yet, haha!  Joking!!! You guys are awesome! I love my family, I don't know what I did in Heaven to deserve a family like this one, but I’m forever grateful. I love you all!

   I love Christ's Gospel with all of my heart. I don't think I really understood the importance of it before my mission. Not as much as now anyways, and I know it'll keep growing and my eyes will keep opening as I learn and teach. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm so thankful for the Lord, for pouring His Spirit upon me as I contemplated about whether to go on my mission. I swear I wouldn't be out here right now if it wasn't for Him. Nobody could have made me come out here, nobody, - but I couldn't deny the influence of the Holy Ghost. For that I am forever grateful. It's like King Benjamin said: when we forget our will, and do the will of the Father, we will receive a remission of our sins and he will pour blessings upon us, and then we will still be in His debt. Even if we serve Him all the days of our lives, we will never be able to repay it. That’s love! I know God lives, and He loves every one of us. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and Savior. He ministered to Joseph Smith, and He leads and directs this Church through Thomas S. Monson, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Book of Mormon is true; it contains the fullness of the Gospel! As we give heed to the influence of the Holy Spirit, and bring our lives in tune with its teachings, we will walk the simple way the Lord wants us to go. Alma said to never be slothful because of the easiness of the way, just like with Moses and the brass snake. If we keep our focus on Jesus Christ, we will end up with Him on the right hand of the Father. I know this with all my heart and I hope the people I teach will come to this understanding too! I share my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, (Amen)!

Love, Elder Luening

Vocabulary: “auf Deutsch = in German     “geschafft” = completed      “einfach” = simply

Note: General Conference talks are available to read on the website: lds.org. There are many talks by the apostles and seventies on a variety of gospel topics to strengthen individuals and families.

October 1, 2012, Hannover

Hello Luening Family!

 Wow, Mom that was quite the story, haha. I must say that you write very descriptive, lol. Building that cabin sounded like absolute chaos, and dangerous...but whatever works, haha, right Dad?! I'm glad you guys are all safe and that you've been doing good and keeping busy at home. I love hearing from you guys on Mondays. It’s what I look forward to every week, so thanks for writing me!

   This week seemed like it went by really fast. Elder Wightman and I were quite busy and maybe that’s why the time seemed like it went quick. I honestly love Hannover. I wouldn't mind staying here for my whole mission, as long as I get to go to Hamburg at least once, lol. It's starting to get colder, now that it’s the fall, but today the sun is shining “ohne Wolken”, and the temperature is a high of 18°! Beautiful!

  A couple of our appointments fell through this week, but we managed to find new people to fill up our time. We went to the student apartment buildings and posted our English Class and Ping Pong fliers everywhere. We made them small enough to fit 8 fliers on one page to save money on paper, and the church has a cutting table so we can copy and cut them there!

  On Tuesday we went to post them and put them in people’s mailboxes and there was an African lady there mopping the floors and singing. Elder W told her that he loved her singing. She smiled the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and said thank you, haha. She said it was a worship song and asked us who we were. We told her, and she said that a couple of weeks ago she found a Book of Mormon lying around by the door and she brought it home because it was in English and she wanted to read it. She said just stuck her nose in it a couple of times to read it because it talks about Jesus Christ and she's a Christian. She said she really likes it. Then she said she has 2 daughters (14yrs old and 12yrs old) who want to learn English. So, she's going to bring them by next week! It was so cool, I really hope we'll see her again and meet her. She didn't know her phone number so we have no way to contact her, but the experience was still really cool.

  L is off to Denmark, we took our last pictures together on Tuesday after Institute, and I hope she seeks out the missionaries there. It was a blessing being able to meet someone so prepared as she is. I'm certain she'll gain a testimony soon!

   Talking about hauling and chopping wood...we had a service project at a members house (Schwester G) and we cut logs with chainsaws and chopped and stacked them for her. We spent about 4 hours cutting, chopping, and stacking, before we were done. Elder H and Elder S and the Senior couple (Elder and Sister W) were also there and helped out. It was funny because Elder W and I were the only ones who knew how to use a chainsaw and chop wood with a splitter, haha. It was funny, but we managed just fine. I was a bit sore the next day, guess I'm not used to those kinds of motions anymore. I'm still doing morning exercise, and I think I’ll be setting a new record of how many chin-ups I can do in a row. I was at 25 about a month ago, and I think by the end of this week, I’ll be at 30! That'd be awesome. I'm still at the same weight...160 lbs, lol, haven't gained or lost, but my comp Elder W has lost 20lbs since we've been together which is really good for him. He's got 6 months left before he goes home, so he's set on losing until that time comes.
  We met with the less active member from a couple of weeks ago again. His name is Brother T. He's 30yrs old and lives alone without a job or a girlfriend. We're going to try to meet with him more often. He loves meeting with us and last time we met we taught him the importance of prayer in gaining a testimony. We're going to try to bring a joint teach with us which I think will be way better to help him come back to Church!

We had 2 new people at English class and afterwards we gave them a quick tour of the church. It was really good, and one of them came to church yesterday to check it out!

   On Friday we had a great lesson with a new Chinese man that we met. He's really good friends with X and he wanted a Book of Mormon. We taught him about it and drew out a picture for him of 2 continents and explained where the Bible and the Book of Mormon come from, and their purpose. We then taught him about prayer. He also goes to a Bible class so he's personally prayed before. We asked him if he's ever had an answer to a prayer yet. He said that he had a problem with his visa a little while ago. He applied for a long-term visa for school, but they sent him a 3 month visa. He then went to try to get it fixed, and prayed for everything to go okay and that God would help him. He said he then received his long-term visa a little later! Elder W and I jumped on that and testified that that was a direct answer from God that he was there. He's like, 'You really think that was God?' We looked at each other and were like, "Yeah!!" duuhh!! halloooo!!?!?! hahaha!!! The spirit was really strong in that lesson, and he wants to start meeting with us more often. I'm pretty sure that when China opens up for the Church, that place is going to boom! There are so many young people from there looking for God in their life.

  Oh, talking about Chinese people, that guy from ping pong last week that we took on the Church tour and prayed with, has set a baptismal date with the other missionaries!!! Miracles through church activities! Ping Pong this week was also good. We had 2 new people show up for that, too, but this time we didn't have time for a Church tour. We'll definitely make time next one!

  Thursday I did some MMA with J again. He said that he would have half the Book of Mormon read by then but when we asked him about it, he said he couldn't talk about it because he needed to analyze what he read. He said he read, but he didn't say much about it. Guess we'll see what happens. He came to play soccer in the church gym on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. We played for about an hour with some of the Young Single Adults and youth.

  The G family (Jamaicans) are amazing. The one son R (14yr old) asked me a lot of questions about prayer, church, and the Book of Mormon. He's so interested and wants a testimony so bad. He said he watched the restoration movie and loved it. He thought at first that it was going to be a preacher movie but then loved the fact that it was actually like a movie. He said he liked the message. He started reading the Book of Mormon, but found it hard to understand so he only read 2 pages. But he's going to keep trying and I told him I’d give him a couple good chapters to read so it’s more exciting for him, haha. They are awesome, though, and wish we could meet more with them, but its 25 Euros every time we go out there, and we only really have time on Saturdays, so we can only visit them once a week. We'll see what happens.

   I can't believe it’s the last week in this transfer already! I have a feeling Elder W's going to go, and so is Elder S. I think I’m going to start training and if I do, I hope I’ll be here for 2 transfers so that I'll be here in Hannover for Christmas!! Woot, lol. I love the mission. It's tough, I'm not going to lie, it pulls at you emotionally, spiritually, and physically, but one important thing that we learn is we're never alone!  ISAIAH 40:28-31!   28.  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding.  29.  He giveth power to the faint: and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength.  30.  Even the youths shall faint and the young men shall utterly fall:  31.  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles: and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint.

   I love you guys.  And as to Christie, tell her congratulations from me, and that I'm happy for her!  I love you guys, I hope you have a good week. I'm doing well, and I think about you “oft”!

 “Bis naechste Woche”,

  Elder Lüning

Vocabulary: ohne Wolken = cloudless, clear                              oft = often

September 24, 2012, Hannover

Dear Family!

Thanks for the emails and letting me know what’s been going on. Please tell the Young Men thanks for writing me, and also for the S’s for writing me a letter! Heidi also wrote me a birthday card which was really nice.

Your package that you sent me still hasn't arrived! I hope you sent it to the right place, haha. Hopefully I won't have to wait too much longer for it. It is funny cause everyday I say I’m going to get a package, and I get home and there's no package slip, lol. But I’m sure it’s on its way.

 My week has been a tough week but I’m doing well! Monday we had a big Zone P-day, and played sports for it. We went to a big baseball park and played soccer, football, and kickball. It was a lot of fun!

On Tuesday we taught L for the last time before she goes to Denmark. We'll see her again tomorrow for institute, but she's too busy so we won't be able to teach her beforehand. I hope she continues being taught when she's in Denmark. That would be awesome!

On Wednesday we got “Tschuss'd” by Frau H. She's been getting harassed by her neighbors (both Muslim and Christian) about meeting with us and about a bunch of other stuff. She's trying to move, but said that in the meantime that she doesn't want anything to do with religion. We then prayed, like 3 times, while tracting doors. that we would find someone new to teach. During our last prayer (15mins before we had to go home), we told Heavenly Father that we had the faith to see the miracles and knew that he could provide someone new for us to teach. We then left and the next person we talked to had a lot of interest and we were able to teach him about the Book of Mormon, and he wanted to meet with us again so he gave us his information. It was a big 'BAM' that God does answer prayers.

On Thursday we met with J and he told us that he's going to try to read half the Book of Mormon before he meets with us again. He was dead serious, too. He said that he could do it and he has a huge desire to start learning what the book says. So we're meeting him tomorrow and we'll see how far he got!

We also started an English class, to try to find new investigators, but so far it’s only been members who've been coming. Hopefully this week we'll see some non-members!

On Friday we held a ping pong night for us and university students. We met 2 new Chinese people, and afterwards gave them a tour of our church. We taught one of them about prayer and he was so excited that he wanted us to teach him how to do it. We then prayed with him to show him, and afterwards he said his own. It was so cool! And the spirit was so strong. It was really amazing hearing him tell us what he felt after he prayed. The other missionaries are now teaching him!

On Saturday in Bad Fallingbostal we found a new family of 4. They are from Jamaica and the mom let us in because we had an appointment with her 18 year old son. We went into his room with his little brother (14 years old) and taught them both the first lesson. They were so excited about it and about our message of the Book of Mormon that as we were leaving, they told us that we had to teach her mom the same thing that we just taught them. So their mom made us tea and then we sat in the living room with them and their mom, and taught her what we taught the boys. She loves us and wants us to come back. She's a chef in the British military so she's pretty busy most of the time, but we left “The Restoration” movie with them, and she prayed for us before we left. It was amazing.

On Sunday we were able to participate in 2 blessings; one for Brother M, because he's sick, and the other one for Sister S, also for healing and comfort. I love blessings and being able to use the priesthood power given to me from God.

Our lesson with the Chinese guy X, and his girlfriend J Q S, went awesome again! We watched “Finding Faith in Christ” in Chinese haha. And we ate popcorn (from the package you sent me) while we watched it. After wards they had some really good questions, and we were able to teach them about Faith and the importance of Faith. We also talked about Joy, and the difference between the joy members feel through the gospel and the happiness non-members feel. We had a hard time coming up with an example for it, but something Elder W said made me remember Lehi's dream and the joy he felt from the fruit. We used that example of why we're on a mission, and assigned them to read 1 Nephi 8 for their commitment. They are really awesome, and we're building a really strong relationship with one another. They trust us and it’s been a blessing being able to teach them.

We also needed to find a person again before we went home, and so we prayed and told our Heavenly Father again, that we knew he could bless us with a miracle. Within 5 minutes we found a couple who want us to come back to their home and teach them. The Lord is  pouring down his blessings on us. Even if these people don't follow through with commitments or end up not wanting to meet with us anymore, we've had the chance given to us, and they've had the chance given to them. 

We're working hard, and I know we'll see even more success soon. I love you guys and can't wait to hear from you again next week!

Love,

Elder Luening

Oh, one more amazing experience that happened. Brother P (the man that comes on joint teaches with us, that I fondly refer to as an angel) had to go to the hospital for a checkup because he's recovering from cancer treatments a couple months ago, and one of the procedures was that a surgeon needed to put a camera into his artery leading towards his heart to make sure it was clear from clogs and infections. He said as he was lying on the table, he prayed for the surgeon and for the surgeon’s hands, that everything would be okay, and that the surgeon wouldn't have any trouble. He said he then looked at the surgeon and he saw, standing beside/behind him, the Savior Jesus Christ. He said he didn't see his face, just his outline, but he said it was the most amazing experience he's ever had in his life. I believe him 100 percent. He's 80yrs old and the amount of faith he has is unreal. He's always on the Lords errand and always trying to find ways to serve the Lord. He's fully recovered and has been blessed by the Lord!

September More Pictures

Elder Whiteman & Elder Luening

P-Day trip to "Seringatie Park"

Is this the house?

"We are sent to baptize"

Sent pictures by Elder Luening

Elders in Rugby attire

Elder Luening teaching an Investigator

Elder Luening has an investigator committed

P-day trip to Concentration Camp "Bergen Belsen"

September 17, 2012, Hannover

Dear family,

Hey, Thanks so much for the birthday wishes!! i actually had a pretty good birthday. The K family fed me lunch and gave me a Hannover city book for my birthday! And also Elder H made me cookies, and I ate a lot of icecream, haha.

Church was way good. L came to church again, and we're having a lesson tomorrow with her! She's so cool.

The highlight of my day yesterday was that we had an amazing lesson with X and his girlfriend. He's the Chinese guy that we've been teaching and we've been worried about. But our lesson with them was so good! She doesn't know much about God either but she's way open, and they both love us! We taught them about God, prayer, and the Holy Ghost. The lesson was completely guided by the spirit. I gave them some American chocolate (chocolate bars)because they've never had it before and they loved it, haha. I was so thankful for how well the lesson went, because I was actually really nervous for it. I wasn't sure if X would tell us that he lost interest or not. But he didn’t and they're really excited to see us again. Can't wait.

  Also last week, I did my usual MMA with J. He's starting to open up way more to us. He's open with his concerns and we've actually been able to help him and teach him stuff that he accepts and that he thinks about. It's cool to see that as soon as you build a friendship with someone, they open up more and love being around you. Joseph is a good guy, and that picture is of him tapping, haha.

  I wanted to ask you guys if you could send me a copy of Ur-opa's war history stuff. I remember you showing me a bunch of stuff about him and his history in the war and stuff. I'd love it if you guys photocopied it and sent it to me so that I could read it and learn more about him.

 Also yes I did get the Bishop’s Birthday card!!! Tell him that I’m so thankful for that and that I love him and his wife! It was really, really nice of them to send it to me. Also Jocelynn sent me a card and Heidi too! Please tell Jocelynn thanks for me when you get a chance! That was really nice of them. I haven't received the 2^nd package from you guys yet but know that it'll come this week!  I'm excited! haha. Thanks for everything, you guys. You're awesome!

  I was a bit grumpy the first couple of days this week, haha, just cause I’ve been exhausted but on Wednesday I just got boosted again, and the rest of the week was really good. Frau A “tschuss"ed us and also another lady. But other than that, our other investigators are still making progress. And we're hoping to get at least one of them on Baptismal date.

 I honestly love it here in Hannover and I’m really glad that I get to stay here for a while! I hope I’m here for Christmas. “Ich habe mich in diesen Stadt verliebt!” (I have fallen in love with this city!)

I love you guys and thanks for emails! You all sent me a birthday wish and a letter! Thanks a bunch; it means a lot to me! Hope you guys have a good week; you’re always in my prayers.

Love, Elder Luening