April 14, 2014 Kearney, Missouri

Dear Family,

Well, this has been quite the email session....let's just say all this news about Chris has got my mind going 100m/hr and I can't focus on anything, haha! Definitely jealous that you are doing a family temple day on May 10th.....just a reminder the family isn't complete because the Golden Child (Moi) is still in bi-polar Missouri, don't worry I'm not perfect yet, I'm still working on humility....its a lifelong pursuit ;)

Anyways, as time goes by I am getting more and more and MORE excited for mine and mom's birthday because we get to Skype, wohoo!! Can't wait!! This week was awesome! On Wednesday we had a zone conference. The focus of it was "Being Anxiously Engaged". A lot of the focus was also on getting Investigators to church and the importance of church attendance. Our mission president told us the statistics for how many investigators in the mission came to church and he said it looked like our mission probably looked somewhat like the Canadian mission statistics because it looked like our Mission was having a heart-attack all month long, because one week we would have 120 at church and then the next day it would go down to 8 for the whole mission. He said it was because of the crazy weather patterns we've had lately. So every other week church was being cancelled in certain areas. I just looked at my companion and said, that's not Canada weather....we put on our chains and go to church, haha! Just so you get an idea, on Saturday it was 80F outside and it was AWESOME! Now, today, two days later, its 40F and it snowed this morning, that's Missouri for ya.

I love Mission conference! Actually, this was the last mission conference we are having with President and Sister Keyes. They go home on July 1st (Canada Day!). But, they told us that in May they will travel around to each zone and do interviews, and then on May 20th and 21st the whole mission is doing a temple day with President and Sister Keyes! I think that is soooo cool!! I'm really excited for that :)

Also, on Tuesday I went to an occupational therapist for my finger. He compared both of my hands and took measurements and all this stuff. He said it could take up to 5 months for my finger to get back to normal. He said I probably have a "button hole" tear on my middle knuckle. So what that means is there are some tendons that lay on top of your knuckle that allow it to bend, but there is a slight slit between them both. He thinks when my finger got jammed the knuckle popped up between the tendons and is now pushing the tendons down, which is why my finger is so swollen and crooked. He made a splint for me to wear at night, and gave me some finger exercises to do. My next appointment is on next Tuesday with him. The exercises right now are just for the tip of my finger and then he said we will work our way down. He hopes that the exercises will help my knuckle and tendons to slowly readjust themselves back into place without surgery. So, we'll see how it goes :) While I was with the doctor, Sister Jarman was a champ and tried to teach three other patients about the gospel, lol! They weren't interested, but it was worth a try.

The Lord definitely blessed Sister Jarman and I this week. This week was our no car week, and we were blessed with wonderfully sunny weather :) On Saturday, the S. family invited Sister Jarman and I over for dinner with a family they have become really close friends with over the last couple of years. The S. family were worried that if we tried to push a lesson or church on them that they would lose their relationship with that family, because that's whats happened in the past with other missionaries and families they had over. We reassured the S. family that this would be a good opportunity for us to build a better relationship with the family in a casual setting and that we would follow the Spirit in a message we could share with them. Things went really well and on sunday the S. family told us that the T. family love us! We stuck to the safe side and told them what we as missionaries do and the blessings we've seen come into our lives and other, so they wouldn't feel like we are just trying to convert them, haha! They are the sweetest family though and we thought it was so sweet how much B. loves A. . We thought they were married, but it turns out they are engaged and want to get married, but if they get married A. will lose all of her school grants because she got them because she is a single mom.....I hate how much the world doesn't support good morals anymore :/ The T. family is planning on coming to another ward activity next week, so we're excited to see how they progress...slowly but surely we know they will be drawn to the church and eventually be baptized :)

I'm so excited that its Easter time! There is a really cool new Mormon message that you should check out online. Its on Mormon.org It should pop up on the home page and its called "Because of Him". It is pretty powerful! Br. LeNeave was talking to us the other night and mentioned how so much of the world doesn't even acknowledge Thursday night, which is where one of the greatest acts of love was performed by Jesus Christ; His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. I'm so grateful that through modern revelation and prophets we as Christ's church know Christ's personal account and feelings of what he did for us (D&C 19:16-19;23).

Also, as I think of  how incredible it is that Christ paid for my sins and overcame death, it fills me with amazement and in awe in our Heavenly Father's eternal plan of happiness for us. Christ literally overcame death that we also may live again eternally. I feel as Ammon felt in Alma 26:8. "Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever".

Here is something for us to ponder on. Obviously what Christ has done for us we can never give back. We will never be able to pay back the debt, and will always be in debt to him. But in Omni 1:26 it gives us a pretty good idea of what we can do to truly show our Saviour Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven our appreciation and love for all that they do for us.

"And, now my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

I love how it says in there "...come unto him, and offer your whole souls...". I just want to leave that phrase with you guys and allow you to ponder this question, how do you offer your whole soul unto Christ?

I love you all, thanks for keeping me updated on everything back home. I hope you get all the house projects done before Madi arrives, lol! I love being a missionary and I am so grateful to have Christ's name on my chest, and remember so do you :) Christ Lives! HAPPY EASTER!

Love,

Sister Luening

P.S watch the video I mentioned mormon.org/becauseofhim