Elder Jörg Klebingat has lived life with persistence. He believes in being obedient and following the promptings of the Spirit.
Born December 19, 1967, to Klaus-Peter and Doris Elke Klebingat, he grew up in Zweibrücken, Germany, without the influence of the gospel. As a teenager, he met a member of the Church, Jeff Abbott, at a music concert, and the two became friends.
“When I visited my new friend, I was impressed by his family,” he recalls. "I felt the Spirit in his home and wanted to attend Church."
Even after not being picked up for Church twice, he was persistent and kept asking to go. He was impressed with the friendliness of the members who welcomed him with open arms. It was at that first Church meeting that he heard of the Book of Mormon. His friend gave him a copy with his testimony that it was true and Elder Klebingat left that day determined to find out for himself.
“I was somewhere in first Nephi when I got my witness that the book was true," Elder Klebingat said. "Gaining a witness of the prophet Joseph Smith was also a defining moment for me. On my mission, I always asked my companions if I could tell that part of the story."
Prior to serving full-time in the Colorado Denver Mission, Elder Klebingat served in the German army for 18 months. He was sealed to Julia Poltorak in the Salt Lake Temple on Dec. 21, 1992. Elder Klebingat earned a degree in Russian language studies from Brigham Young University which included a one year study abroad experience at Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia. Later, he received a master's degree in organizational behavior from the BYU Marriott School of Management. He worked as a business management consultant for Price Waterhouse and Arthur Andersen and a variety of capacities for the Church.
The father of three children, Elder Klebingat served as an elders quorum president, Young Men president, high councilor, branch president and bishop. He will finish serving as president of the Ukraine Kyiv Mission in June 2014. He was sustained as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 5, 2014.
