Grüße aus Linz

We spent all day Tuesday at zone conference in Salzburg. 

President Miles teaching us.

Our favorite Linz Sisters.

Today I spent the whole day visiting teaching.  It took so long because of the distances between the ladies my companion and I teach.  It took us 45 minutes to drive to the first appointment and from there we had to drive to the other end of town and then even farther.

I have a sweet young sister as my companion.  She always brings her darling 18 month daughter.  She speaks perfect English and is the youngest of 8 adult children.  Her parents had just finished serving a mission and were immediately called to serve in the temple presidency of the Freiberg Temple.  Actually, they were called while still on their mission in Brixton, Italy.   A very fun and wonderful family that is totally committed to the gospel---all living in the Linz Ward.

We were just asked Sunday to serve in the ward as the single adult advisors for the 30-50 year old age group.  Our calling with the YSA  group is a stake calling and part of our mission calling.  I thought we already were busy, but obviously not enough.  We both feel like we are working a full time  job with overtime.  But it's been amazing how well my health has held up and how much we are able to do without feeling really overloaded.  The Lord does help us more than we ever thought possible.

Tomorrow is another busy day for us.  We even had to turn down a request to teach with the elders because we had a previous commitment with the YSA group.

Back to our zone conference....at the end our district leader bore his testimony.  His mission is ending in two weeks.  I have never seen a more dedicated missionary.  His companion said it's like trying to go an Olympic race with him.  He makes walking look like a sprint and he keeps his schedule full from morning till night.  Anyway, he shared a story with us when he was a five day old baby:  His grandmother was holding him when she noticed he was turning blue.  An ambulance was called immediately.  Then his grandfather gave him a blessing.  He was promised that he would grow to receive the Melchezidek Priesthood and to serve on a mission.

While at the hospital, the doctors told the family he would not live out the day because he had lungs that were not able to function.  Well, here he is years later our super missionary. He is an inspiration to us all!

We are excited that this elder will have two baptisms this Sunday...a young mother and her 12 year old daughter. We have had the privilege of assisting in teaching them.  I was asked to speak at the baptism.  That reminds me I still have to prepare that talk.

We love this great Work of The Lord!  It's exhausting, crazy busy, joyful, all consuming, and worth every minute.
Be safe, healthy, and happy. 

 Love, Elder and Sister Didenhover

WE LOVE SERVING THE LORD

We have been so very busy lately!  It is such a joy to work with the missionaries when they teach.  It is humbling and exciting to feel the Spirit as we share our thoughts and testimonies.

Working with the members of Linz Ward has been rewarding for us as well.

We just got back from our weekly district meeting in which President and Sister Miles attended in order to interview all the missionaries.  They have a grueling schedule traveling all over our huge mission area of South Germany, Switzerland, and all of Austria.  There are monthly zone meetings (about 8), interviews on a regular basis, new missionary orientations, stake conferences at which to speak, and meetings with General Authorities.  We are so impressed by their amazing dedication and just plain hard work. That they can do this for three years is a testament to their great faith and commitment to The Lord.

A SPECIAL REQUEST FROM PRESIDENT MILES:

"We need more senior couples ASAP!  There are openings in Vienna, Stuttgart, and Basel Switzerland coming up right away and no couples to fill those cities.  He is a true believer in the great work that senior couples do. 

More senior couples are needed.

 So, dear friends, if any of you are thinking about a mission, you can choose to fill these openings.

There are many blessings to be had as senior couples.  Just recently, we experienced one of those blessings in a huge way.  We had just dropped off the elders from our appointment and were heading back to our apartment, when we had a very close call.  We were in an unfamiliar place and looking for the on ramp (slip road) to the freeway.  We were trying to follow the GPS, but sometimes the instructions are a bit vague and we started to turn left when it said left.  At the same time a car honked at us long and hard.  John stopped immediately and then noticed we were turning left into a super fast tram and would have wound up on the freeway off ramp and smashed to pieces.

This car parked just ahead of us and stopped.  We expected to get a tongue lashing about how stupid we were, instead this person opened the drivers door and held up his hand pointing the way we should go. We followed this car to the on ramp.  We never saw the person, but they definitely were inspired and made us realized the Lord is watching out for us. We thought about how unusual it was for an Austrian driver in Linz to be so watchful and helpful.  It truly was our little miracle for the week.

We just had our first snow for the winter.  Fortunately,  the roads cleared up quickly.  Since we do a lot of driving to other cities, it was a relief for us.  The Linz Ward boundaries are really spread out--- clear up north to the Czech Republic and south to the Austrian Alps.  Our mission zone includes Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Linz along with Wels and Haag up to Passau (in Germany) but not including.   We are supposed to visit three wards on a regular basis.

Now that most of our adjustment period is over, we are able to truly enjoy our work.  We love serving The Lord!  We love the people we meet.  We are amazed at how much we keep learning each and every day.  It's great to be here!

Bis Später, unser lieben Freunde und Familie.
Elder and Sister Didenhover

ps.

Actually,there is a need for a missionary couple for Singen, Germany and Brixten, Italy and the München Office as well as a mission nurse for München. Husbands are expected to learn medical terms to help.   In November there will be a need for a couple in Ravensburg, Germany (my lovely medieval hometown).  Here German skills would be needed.  Have fun imagining yourselves serving in any of these places.  President Miles would be happy to request you to come to our mission: the Alpen German Speaking Mission.

pss.

More information can be seen at https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/senior

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ELDER AND SISTER DIDENHOVER

From Elder D:

Christmas is 3 days here in Austria: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and 2nd Christmas (26th).

Christmas Eve is generally the biggest event of the season with that evening being usually spent with immediate family members. Christmas Day is spent with extended family and 2nd Christmas (26th) is spent with friends. We were fortunate to be invited to families for all three events. It was very fun and very spiritual at times as well.

The members here treat us very well and have accepted us as part of the ward. I even gave the opening prayer in sacrament meeting last Sunday.

New Years Eve (Silvester) is  a very big deal here in Austria. Everyone buys lots of fireworks and shoots them off that evening. In our neighborhood, we had a fantastic show most of the evening with a very large and loud display for about 25 minutes just before and after midnight. Very cool!

We have a very international mission with missionaries from 24 U S states and 24 countries other than the USA. These "foreign" missionaries speak their own native language, English and German. They are all very dedicated and devoted missionaries. We are constantly amazed by  their energy and faithfulness. They truly inspire us to be better missionaries and better people.

We wish you all the very best in the new year.

From Sister D:

Hope you had a wonderful New Year celebration.   We really enjoyed our first New Year in Linz.

"Guter Rutsch" means a good slide into the new year.  Here they celebrate in style.  Linz was ablaze with fireworks for hours before the strike of midnight.  There are no orchestrated fireworks. Everyone buys an unlimited supply of fireworks.  This is the "ooh and aaaah" kind that shoots into the sky and bursts into blossoms of colors.  Just before midnight, the whole city is a cacophony of noise and lights.  We had some of the missionaries on our balcony on the top floor  to enjoy the view.  They were delighted like little children.  It was hard to know where to look next.  Our heads were pivoting back and forth to soak it all in. 

One sister brought her family's New Year tradition along to share.  We were supposed to stuff as many grapes into our mouths the 30 seconds before midnight (12 total for each month) and the number we could stuff without chewing, is the number of good luck months ahead.

It feels like we have been in Linz forever.  I noticed that my English is starting to sound like German sentence structure...backwards.  We both have a much better handle on the dialect now and even think in Austrian dialect!  We don't get lost as often, except when we have to make visits to Haag (60 miles away) and get turned around on the windy country roads.

We love working with the missionaries every chance we get.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to go visit a referral with our little Hungarian sister.  The lady we visited was a hard nut to crack.  She praised the church in one breath and insulted us in another.  She was convinced that we were all brainwashed.  We spent two hours with her and at the end, my companion got out her planner and asked "when can we come again?".  Now that is diligence!

We have finally been able to find a more suitable apartment for the sisters in Wels (30 miles away).  They have been living in a dark little apartment and we had heard reports that there was gang activity in their housing area.  The Church is very concerned that our missionaries are as safe as possible.  We were thrilled to find an apartment that has a window in each room and in a well lit, safe complex nearer the church building and the train station.  We now have to assess what needs to be done to fix up the place. Here in Europe, the landlord has no responsibility and often you have to install your own appliances and cabinets, light fixtures,and better flooring.You have to sign a contract for a minimum of three years.  We will have to paint, install lights, curtains, and get more furniture.

We are in the process of trying to build up the YSA group in our area.  Most are on missions, married within the last year, or in Vienna studying.  We are trying to find the less active and struggling with incomplete records.  Elder Didenhover's experience as a ward membership clerk is coming in very handy now.

Every day we thank Heavenly Father for being able to be here.  We miss our children and grandchildren very much and even have shed a few tears, but there is something about this Work that propels us forward and compels us to strive harder each day. We love the members, we love the missionaries, and we love The Lord.  We pray each day to be able to make a difference and follow the Spirit.   There is power in this great Cause.  The words from our leaders about missionary work is much more poignant to us now.

We love you all!  We think of you and hope you are well.

          Love, Elder and Sister. Didenhover

CHRISTMAS GREETING

May you all have a Holy and Peaceful Christmas!

This Christmas in the Year of our Lord, 2013, we feel especially blessed to celebrate this sacred season with new friends.  John and I have made a conscious choice not to decorate our apartment or worry about presents for each other.  In past years, we have loved having a shining Christmas tree and our small displays of Nativity scenes throughout our house.  We loved the shopping, baking, and all the "Drum und Dran" (outer signs of Christmas) of the season.

This year we can honestly say that we have Christmas in our hearts and the joy we feel is so much greater than ever before.  Being called as Disciples of Christ has touched us in many unexpected ways.  We have learned to love more deeply, sacrifice more fully, and feel such a fullness of gratitude for our beloved Savior.  We would sing with the choirs in heaven "Wonderful! Counselor!  The Mighty God!  The Prince of Peace".  

Our love for family and friends at home is peacefully contained within the knowledge that our Father in Heaven will look over you and keep you in the next months to come.

May your joy be full.  May you take a minute to reflect on the greatest Gift of all...the babe in Bethlehem that made it possible for us to return to our heavenly home.   

Frohliche Weihnacten!  Alles Gute zum Neuen Jahr!

Elder and Sister Didenhover

First Presidency Christmas Card 2013

SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT

Merry Christmas!

The long traditional carol from Austria "Silent Night, Holy Night" is by custom never sung before midnight, Christmas Eve in Austria. 

Sing it by your tree for us.  We are keeping Christmas in our hearts this year and forgoing any holiday decorations. We will think of you, dear friends.


 May your New Year be bright !  


Love, Elder and Sister Didenhover

LINZ NATIVITIES 2013

We found out there are 200 displays throughout Linz this Christmas season.  CHRISTMAS is such a big event all during Advent in Austria. 

The Linz Ward has about 205 displayed this year.  Some years they have had much more.  Most of the the creches are hand made (not the lanterns).  For some this is  a year long project making their own creches and even figures.  

  Right now I am listening to the brass quartet.  I wish I could video tape it.  The sound is so typical Austria and you can almost imagine being in a chalet in the mountains with tons of snow outside and a roaring fire inside. 

The sets were amazing and varied.

Brother Didenhover acted as a guide.

Sister Mayer (center, next to me) is the wonderful lady in charge. She is standing
next to one of the several creches that she made.

She also gives classes on how to create one of these detailed nativity scenes.

Today is the last day and most of the visitors seem to be here today.

Each is offered cake or cookies (bakery quality) and a drink of something hot or room temperature.  They even have little cafe tables set up.   We love the Linz Ward.  The people are warm and friendly and welcoming.  They serve one another so eagerly.  

OBEDIENCE

It always amazes me how thoughtful and insightful our young missionaries are.  

Sister Wunderli and Sister Peterson

We had a district meeting yesterday in which Sister Peterson and Sister Wunderli gave a short, but powerful presentation on "Obedience".  Sister Peterson quoted Elder Uchtdorf:

"Isn't it true that we often get so busy?  And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a
badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.  Is it?  I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem.  I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.  I can't see it.  Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day.  When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved.  He knew the infinite value of the people He met." (Ensign Nov.2012)

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

One of my heroes in life is Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965).  One of his famous quotes is:

"The most good we can do is the good God would have us do".

Albert Schweitzer

 His life was a firm example of that.  He had a doctorate in philosophy and a doctorate in theology. He was a published author, a renowned concert organist, and advanced in music theory.  In 1905 he began medical studies.  He had come to realize that God wanted him to do "His good", which was as a doctor in the Congo.  He spent the rest of his life mostly in Lamberene Congo helping the poor and needy as a physician.
He used all the proceeds from royalties to pay for the building of a hospital there.  When he received the Nobel Peace Prize, he used that money to start a hospital for lepers.  He obeyed God's desire for him to serve in a remote, and dangerous place.

As I think of the multiple examples of great obedience throughout the scriptures, I realize that each day I need to pray to know Heavenly Father's will for me.  What must I do this day?

Only as I study the scriptures, pray earnestly, and avail myself of the Holy Ghost's promptings can I be truly obedient.  Rules are easy to follow.  But to know God's will and do it each day is the greater challenge for missionaries and all covenant people.  This I learned from two sweet missionaries from Texas and Hungary.

Blessings come as we seek to know and do God's will.

Have a good, purposeful day today!