September 23, 2013, Hamburg

Dear Family,

     I feel like I start all emails the same by saying every time, “This week has gone fast”. Well, this week did go pretty fast. We had our Zone Conference on Wednesday and it was a nice spiritual boost! Our mission also has an awesome goal to baptize 150 children of God before the end of the year so Elder Mc. and I will definitely be doing our part to help out! We've been seeing the fruits of talking to everyone lately and have found 5 new investigators this week.

     I've been exhausted the last couple days! I think part of it is because of the cold weather and that it is getting darker now earlier and staying dark longer. Another part might be because I've been out here for so long already. And another part might be that Elder Mc. and I are working hard and keeping busy with taking care of our zone, new converts, less actives, investigators and making sure we follow up with all the member lessons we have!! We've already seen success from the member visits. There are so many awesome members in this ward and I'm getting closer to them every week. I really hope I get to stay here till the end of my mission.

   Our Chinese investigator, S, is doing great. We invited her to baptism again but she said she wasn't sure yet, but she read the chapters that we asked her to read …..twice! We taught the 10 commandments and focused on church attendance, and bore testimony. I'm really grateful that we have Church….. a place where we can always go to feel spiritually uplifted and to renew our covenants. We can show our gratitude to God for our blessings and also be a blessing to others while we're there.

     I also went on an exchange with a missionary who's been out for about 5 transfers. I'm in my 13th transfer! It made me feel really old, ha-ha. We had fun and were able to learn from each other. I noticed how much the Lord has blessed me throughout the time on my mission in becoming a better teacher. He really has kept His promise to me in helping me teach doctrines and principles in a simple, clear and understandable way. I'm so grateful for that!

    Also we visited Oma and Opa for my birthday last week, and as I told Opa about the missionary reading plan (we're reading through the Book of Mormon before Christmas), he said,'Okay, I'll do that! I want to do that!'. He's got a lot of excitement in him and he's keeping the fire burning!

     Anyway, in short I'm doing great! Way tired, ha-ha! It probably sounds like I just rambled off but nah, I'm doing great. We had a District BBQ today to celebrate some more missionary birthdays and oh,….. the Elders sang the German birthday song and lifted me in the chair ha-ha-ha! IT WAS AWESOME! I love you and hope you have a great week!

PS

   Jeremy, congrats on the investigator. He sounds like a great man and keep enjoying the work! Record the miracles you see in your journal! It's a way that you can personally show the Lord that your grateful for them!

   Charlene, thanks for your testimony, and wow, that young man seems so prepared. I'm excited to see how it will continue with him. Keep up the excitement, it only gets better! J

September16, 2013, Hamburg

Dear family,

Thanks for the Birthday wishes it meant a lot to me!

 This was another really fast week. It honestly went by like a blur and I have to look at my planner to remember what we did. Our Chinese investigator, S, is making so much progress. She told us that as she was reading in the Book of Mormon and thinking about the things we taught her, she felt love, peace and warmth in her heart! She's so excited about everything and just wants to learn more and more. She also said her first prayer! It moves me seeing people having their own experiences like this and finding out truths for themselves and being excited about it. I invited her to baptism of course, but found out that she'll be leaving back to China on Oct 15th, and the last sacrament meeting when she could be comfirmed would be Sept 29th...because of Stake and General Conference...yeah...so we're trying to figure that one out!! 

We did a lot of member work this week with a new DVD program that our mission came out with. It's called the Work of Salvation/ “Das Erlösungswerk”.  It is the missionary broadcast from a couple months ago cut up in segments that we can use at member homes. We've used it with 4 families already and invited them to do their own missionary work by starting with names that they pray about. It's so effective because in the clips living day prophets promise blessings of member missionary work and their efforts. It invites the spirit which moves the members to do something. We made sure to have return appointments and so far it is working really well. We also don't take their names. On our next appointment we plan with them and help them set goals with a time frame about what they want to do with the names they prayed about. It's not totally different than what we've done before, but so much more effective with the DVD and a little bit more planning on our part to know exactly what we will do with which members. I love it here in Hamburg. The work is moving forward. I'm not thinking about the time too much, I'm too busy, and Elder Mc. helps me stay busy, lol.

Love you all,

Elder Lüning.

PS 

Hey, thanks for the advice Dad, and for the support Mom. I love you both, and I'll see what I can do with the Elders for my birthday lol. So far we had our studies, cleaned the apartment, went grocery shopping, ate lunch, looked for a new vacuum for the apartment, and for some new missionary appropriate CD's (no luck) and emailed. After emails we'll be heading out to Oma and Opa’s. We'll be BBQ next week because a Sister missionary in our district has her birthday this week and we'll celebrate together. Love you and have a great week! I hear good things about you two every week. The ward and members really appreciate everything you do! 

September 9, 2013, Hamburg

 Dear Family,

     Hey, wow - what a crazy week. These weeks are just blowing by. We were in Berlin on Friday again and had our Leadership Council. There were some exciting things introduced to the mission regarding the Missionary “Uebertragung” (broadcast) from a couple months ago. Our mission made a DVD called “The Work of Salvation” and it is used for member visits. It has the whole session on it, and then extras specifically used for working with members. It's awesome and we've used it already and it works! It gets the members really excited and feeling the spirit that they want to do something. So it's our job to keep the fire burning.

    The Ward is so excited about missionary work. Br. Stephens who was baptized 4 weeks ago has brought a lot of excitement into the Ward. He received the Priesthood yesterday and has already been doing missionary work. His son is now meeting with us, and an African lady friend of his from a different church came to Church yesterday, too. We will now be meeting with her and her German boyfriend on Sunday after church!

     One night last week we had 20 minutes before we needed to be inside and so we did some finding in our area. I had a prompting to go down a street and just stared it down as we walked past it.  Elder Mc. looked at me funny, lol, but we kept walking. Then, I'm like – “nope”, and we turned around and walked the way I felt prompted to. We talked to everyone we saw (like 3 people) but no one was interested. One of them talked to us and said some things that got us pretty upset. Elder McKean was ticked. Then the last person we saw before we had to go inside was just at an intersection. He was a young man from Silvania who had met with missionaries before. He said, “I want to come to institute and FHE! When is it?!”  We got his information and gave him ours. If it would have been any other timing he would have been on the other street already and we would of missed him. The Lord has blessing us and others. Our Chinese investigators are doing great! One of them left yesterday to England but the other one wants to meet at least twice a week with us at the member’s house! So, we are getting fed well!  J

     There's a lot of excitement in Opa for missionary work now. It's amazing how much he's been affected from everything! He passed the sacrament yesterday and participated in ordaining Br. Stephens to the office of a Priest. The Church leaders in this Ward are amazing and are very, very, supportive! Bischof Back is awesome! Chris also was confirmed yesterday and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. His ex-girlfriend and 3 year old daughter were there to see it in Delingsdorf!

     The work is moving forwards! I love you all and thanks for the humorous letters J! I would write more but we have a short P-day today with booked lessons during our P-day time, lol. But hey, it’s a P-day not a free-day!  

Love Elder Luening

September 2, 2013, Hamburg

Dear Family,

   Chris was baptized yesterday! There was a lot of stress this week trying to get his baptism ready, but it was successful! What made it tough was that he belonged to the Delingsdorf Ward because he lived on their side of the boundary, and they had no idea who he was. It was announced in their Ward Council and at the YSA meeting during the week. Then on Friday we made last minute phone calls to inform everyone about the baptism. Yesterday the whole room was full of people and most of them were from the Delingsdorf Ward! It was so awesome to see the amount of support since the baptism also took place at 6:00 PM on Sunday! Chris was so excited for his baptism and it was a great experience. A YSA member, who came on joint teaches with us, baptized him. It was a great meeting. Elder Mc and I are amazed that we reached our goal of 3 baptisms this transfer! The Lord has blessed us and our investigators so much.

   Also we received a text from a less active Chinese member who said her 2 work colleagues would like to learn more about the gospel. So they attended the baptism, and we were able to teach them afterwards. We started from the basics because they didn't know anything about God at all. Good thing I already have some experience with this! J! We introduced the plan of salvation very simply and clearly, and one of them spoke a prayer for the first time in her life! We could see throughout the lesson how the spirit was working with them. It was powerful. We'll be teaching them again this week!

   We had our transfer calls and everyone in the apartment is staying together. I'm happy cause we all love working together. I'm excited for this next transfer and to see how well we will accomplish our goals. It’s weird having only 4 transfers left now, considering I came with 16 into the field...But what I've learned and understand, and experienced, I wouldn't trade for anything! They've changed me, and changed me for the better.

   Pat Sims once said 'I love my mission so much because it's there that I learned to know Jesus Christ.' I've never forgotten that, and now understand what he meant.

    I hope you all have a great week! Keep up the good work!

   Charlene, keep working hard and enjoying the mission. I love your enthusiasm and I always knew you'd be, like dad said, a natural, ha-ha. The good things you learn from your new companion keep them, and apply them also when you have your next companion!

   Jeremy, I'm stoked that you're finally going to Italy. It's been a long rough road but you’re finally there. Your testimony about obedience will only grow more throughout your mission. Never forget it. Tip: always use the Lord in everything that you do. Especially finding! John 15! He's our main source and we can't do the work without him. He will tell us where to go through the Spirit.

    Mom, Dad, thanks for your emails. Things are going great in Hamburg. I love it here, and Oma and Opa are changing quickly. I think Br. Stephen’s baptism really touched them. They are excited to share the gospel with their neighbours. Also, the members here are so loving. They really are excited to have me here in the ward. You've made good impressions on everyone in the Ward, ha-ha!

Love Elder Luening

August 26, 2013, Hamburg

Dear Family

So yesterday Henry and Stephens were confirmed members of the Church and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost! It was wonderful!

 Also, I need to tell you of the miracle we experienced this week. So, on Wednesday we met with C before institute and invited him to be baptized on the 1st of September  instead of the 15th. He agreed and said that he was ready! He said that his friends and parents have noticed a big positive change in him. He asked us if we see that too, and how we would describe it. He's so awesome. He's come a long way and has made a lot of changes to be able to be baptized. The next day he told us that his mom would like to come to the baptism, and because she's going on vacation, he would need to postpone it until the 23rd. We asked him how he felt about it and he said he wasn't sure. Both dates looked good to him. We asked him to pray and read in the scriptures and tell us when his mind was made up. On Friday he called us and said 23rd is the day for his baptism. We said, “Are you sure?”,  and he hesitated and then said yes. Elder M and I were a bit disappointed but thought it might be a good anyways. We still had a feeling that he might change his mind again and were praying for him to be able to follow the spirit. On Sunday we met him at 8:00 AM, right before church, and he said that he has the feeling that next week is actually when he should get baptized, and that his mother wanting him to post pone it was a test from the other side. But he was still unsure. So we read 2 Ne. 31 with him and asked him what he thinks he should do. He said, “I need to get baptized next week! I will get baptized on the 1st instead!”  It is so amazing to see how our investigators are being converted into the gospel of Jesus Christ!  This good news to all the earth: that Christ has made it possible for us to come in by the way, and taste of and dwell in His and the Fathers love for eternities. It is touching to see their faith and commitment.

The time is going fast, but I'm keeping daily logs in my journal because I don't ever want to forget it. Thanks for all the support from all of you and I hope you have a blessed week!

 Love you,
Elder Lüning

August 19,2013, Hamburg

Dear Family,

What an exciting week! Yesterday we had the baptisms of Henry and Br. Stephens! It was really exciting leading up to the baptism. They had their interviews on different days and were both very excited for Sunday. We thought a lot about who would baptize them. We wanted members to baptize them so that they could have a special bond with someone in the Ward.

The man that baptized Henry is his new home teacher, Brother R. We figured that it would be a great way to start the bond they could have to each other.

We thought a lot about who would baptize Br. Stephens. Opa had a lot of contact with him and he really liked Opa, so we told Stephens and he was excited about it. We told the Bishop on Saturday, who then told Opa. He was really surprised! You should have seen his face on Sunday as he came to Church the next day! J He attacked Elder M and I and asked which one of us came up with the idea, and we looked at each other and said, “The Lord did.” He was very grateful! I think this has helped him more than anything, and he'll never forget it. He said to me on the phone on Saturday, “If Br. Stephens would like me to baptize him, then I will fulfill my priesthood responsibilities and do it.”  J He was super nervous and totally filled with the spirit throughout the whole day! It was a wonderful experience for him that he'll never forget. Br. Stephens was so thankful.

   The baptismal meeting was wonderful. The members were very supportive and we had a great attendance. They will be comfirmed members this upcoming Sunday! We were a little disappointed that some investigators didn't show up to the baptism that said they would, so we'll have to check up on them and see what happened.

   Other than that, things are going well here in Hamburg. We're finding new investigators and helping others to progress. Mom, the referrals that you gave me in your letter live outside of our zone. They live in Rahlstedt which is in the Delingsdorf area. But I got permission from Pres. Kosak last week to visit them with an Elder from Delingsdorf , so that they can continue to meet with them if they want to! I'm not too sure when we'll visit but I'm excited to meet them! Do you have any suggestions on how I should contact them?

   Opa bought me 2 suits today for the price of one at C&A. (€80) They are really schick and I am very very thankful. Thanks for the email Mom and Dad, I'm glad you had a wonderful trip! You'll never guess that I hit my “6 month till I'm home” mark yesterday. I'm not allowed to extend, so my return date is Feb. 18th. Love you and have a great week!

August 12,2013, Hamburg

12/08

Hey Family,

So I was happy to hear about everyone’s experiences this week! Mom and Dad I didn't get to read your e-mail because it was way, way, way, too big – ha-ha! So I printed it and will read it later at home this week!

So we have 2 baptisms that will be going through this week. S, from the Bronx in New York, and H from Ghana. The ward is really excited about the baptisms coming up. It's been a little while since they've had one...and you can tell too...there are spider webs and spiders in the baptismal font, ha-ha. I'll send you pictures next week!

               This last week was pretty good. Not too much happened but I'll share some things that I really appreciate. There was a Ward BBQ this week and we invited everyone we talked to, to come to the activity. At around 8:10PM on Wednesday, I was starving and tired and had the thought to just go home by bus and eat dinner. But then I felt like, no, walk home and find people on the way. Well, we talked 2 really cool people. One of them was a 22 year old girl who stopped and talked to us for about 30 minutes straight. She was really interested in what we were doing, and the thing that intrigued her the most, she said, was that we stood so firm behind our testimonies and that we would take 2 years out of our lives to do this. We tried everything we could to get her to meet with us again, but she said she would maybe come to the activity. She didn't end up coming, but I'm glad I listened to the spirit and the prompting to keep going. I think what we said to them was something they needed to hear at that time in their lives. It's good planting some seeds. Those first impressions can last a life time.

               The ward activity was on Saturday and really nice. We gave about 8 church tours all together and from 3 of the tours and visitors we now have teaching appointments. There were probably about 20 visitors including children. The ward was really excited about it. Oh, and during the whole activity it looked like it was going to rain! But we prayed, and even though the clouds were black, it didn't rain on us!! It was so cool  J. We definitely said a prayer of thanks!

We were at Oma and Opa's for lunch and showed them the Restoration DVD and Opa thanked me for bringing the spirit into their home before leaving. Uncle Jan also came spontaneously to church on Sunday! The whole theme was on “Walking Steadfastly in Christ”. That's the Stake theme this year, and it was Ward Conference, so all the talks were tied to it. It was very spiritually uplifting.

I also read Mosiah 4: 4-13 this week and King Benjamin promises us how we can live a joyful life. And his thoughts were focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His love.

 4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.

 5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your  nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—

 6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a  knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the  atonement which has been prepared from the  foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his  trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—

 7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the  fall of Adam, or who are, or whoever shall be, even unto the end of the world.

 8 And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is  none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.

 9 Believe in  God; believe that he is, and that he  created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not  comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

 10 And again, believe 10 And again, believe that ye must  repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in  sincerity of heart that he would  forgive you; and now, if you  believe all these things see that ye  do them.

 11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have  tasted of his love, and have received a  remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own  nothingness, and his  goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of  humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

 12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the  love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

 13 And ye will not have a  mind to injure one another, but to live  peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.

 14 And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.

If we always have him and his love and goodness and patience and etc, in remembrance and repent daily, we will ALWAYS rejoice; “And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the ^alove of God, and always ^bretain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the ^cknowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.”(verse 12)     He's done everything for us. Love is the best 'driving force' there is.

Have a great week! Love you all!

Elder Luening