"hey you were the ketchup to Sister Devries burger"

I sat down to post today's email and discovered I hadn't posted last week's! Here is Elder Hintze's email from Monday, September 23rd. Enjoy!

FAMILY! Hey how is everybody! Great good to hear! This week has been a weird one... But regardless of what happens, I love being a missionary. I can't even remember the last time I felt another feeling besides Happiness! Remember the new missionary Bradley... ew I hated him! But things are great here in Dothan! I got my new companion and am starting to impart on him ALL of my knowledge. Description of Elder Smith to follow!

Monday - So Bummer Elder Stubbs is leaving, told ya about that. That really was pretty sad. So we did our district activity today and we went to the Dothan Rescue Mission (thrift store) and we bought our companions and outfit hahaha, and then they had to wear it out to dinner. It was really awesome, I got Stubbs some sweet bell bottoms and I was wearing some light blue shorts, real classy. Like I was boating. The Sisters were all very rude to each other, they looked really bad! So we were apart of Cameron getting set apart. can't wait to hear how that went???? With him visiting! But it was really cool to be apart of his blessing as a missionary, just a whole new perspective to it. So then we went with Luke and we saw Barbra and broke the news to her that Stubbs was leaving, and she started cussing at him. So that was funny, but bad? Hahaha. Then I helped him pack up a bunch of stuff and that was sad.

Tuesday - We had District Meeting in the morning Stubbs imparted his last wisdom on us! Then Luke Thompson took us out to eat to Chili's really great guy. Then we went to Barbra's again, and Stubbs set a goal for her that one year from now, he would come back and go to the temple with her. So we talked to her a lot about temples, and it was really cool and powerful with him leaving and all. Then we went and met with Teresa which was really cool, talked about how regardless of what happens at church it falls back on our testimony of the Book of Mormon. But she hasn't read yet or prayed, and it has kind of gone real down hill. So needless to say right now her Baptismal date of October 19th is off for now. Then we went and saw Linda for the last time, when Stubbs told her he was leaving she was balling. So that was a hard one. Then we went and taught Gloria, Linda's neighbor and we taught her the restoration lesson again, to clarify her questions from church and she is embracing all of it, and loving all of her experiences at church. We got her, but she just doesn't know yet! :) Then we had dinner at the Depew's house with the Hansens as well, two of my favorite people as well. A lot of good people down here, I love em all!! Then we went to the church and played some ball!

Wednesday - So Elder Stubbs shipped off, GONE. Oh... and he took our car with him. So we no longer have a car here in Dothan, we are sharing with the 1st Ward Elders, which is kind of hard, it is much easier to be effective with a car, but nonetheless! Transfers are so necessary and I am ecstatic for this new one. I feel like I have become Batman and I now have a Robin. :) So I went with Davidson all day and we worked both of the areas, visiting less active members and what not. One guy said this to us when I waved at him, "Merry Christmas. Can I interest you in some blood transfusions?" And I thought about it...... And I was like oh he thought we were J Dubs, and then it became super funny! Hahahahahaha. So we worked both areas, and we went and talked to some people at the local park. So then we got back in the afternoon, because the new guy was coming. So they got here, and Davidson got a new companion Elder Simmons super cool guy, been out about a year. And I got my fresh guy Elder Smith. So I took him to ward correlation meeting, which was awesome, he got to meet the ward leaders. Then we went and visited Barbra and we read from the Book of Mormon with her, she was hilarious for Elder Smith's first visit. So Elder Garrett Smith he is from Gilbert, Arizona. He is the oldest in his family, 3 younger brothers, hunter/fisher/wrestler/shot put thrower, he is a big ol boy, like 6' 2". He is 18 years old.. just graduated high school. Doesn't have a girlfriend. :) I love the guy, and am excited to serve with him!

Thursday - My bike helmet is gone. So bad timing since we no longer have a car. But I borrowed first wards, but it was a long day in the house of weekly planning and all that jazz, also we are doing the 12 week training program which is an extra hour of study a day! So I am going to try and train him on it. So we went to Linda's and helped her carry some boards and when she found out he is from Arizona she said, "Oh that's my homeboy" and shook his hand, she is from Arizona. So we went to teach Teresa, but she was busy she was painting her shop and she didn't have time. So we went to the Marturello's for dinner and they let us put our bikes in the back. So we biked home and saw or tried to see some less actives. I am really trying hard to find some less actives that we can actually get some kind of progress with!!! But with the bikes, we had to bike home about a half hour, so I am still trying to figure out how to plan and manage without a car. It is a whole different ballgame. So I am trying to figure out a master plan to be able to manage it!

Friday - So we had to bike to the Hospital in the morning, which took us just under an hour to get too. So we did that and nothing happened at the hospital big, very slow day. But then we had to bike home, so by this time it was like 6 in the evening. And then the Evans picked us up and took us to Hunt's for dinner. Evans is a doctor of some sorts, so he goes all out for us. I told them that I was getting chicken tenders and they said to me, "What the heck? we will take you to burger king on the way home, what is wrong with you?" me: "Forget I even mention it. So they are awesome but sadly it took up our whole night, because they took us for ice cream too.

Saturday - The Sister Missionaries, bless their hearts gave us a free meal ticket at the hospital. So they drove us there we ate and then we were biking to the library to meet with Anita and right as we got there, she canceled on us, and at this point it was starting to rain, so we biked home in the pouring rain. I went through 3 white shirts on Saturday. Then we met with Barbra again and talked to her about missionary work and read from the book of Mormon with her, she is writing her kids about the Gospel! Awesome! Then we met with Teresa and helped her arrange the thrift shop and she kept having me try on clothes hahahaha, so I have gotten a bunch of way awesome shirts. But we talked to her about the Gospel of Christ and the Book of Mormon. but she told us that she is going to Harvest Church now..... THE GREAT AND SPACIOUS BUILDING!!!!!! Right next to our apartments, they have rock n roll music and they have a 100 foot long coffee bar at their services, so people are making coffee all throughout the meetings. Oh boy..... You would think somebody would say, "Hey I don't think that this is the way that Christ set up his church??!" Ya know am I the only one!!!!! So then we ate dinner at the Lint's house. Basically since Elder Smith got here, everything that could have gone wrong has. We haven't had any success at all. But I still love it all!

Sunday - We had to sing "I Am a Child of God" in sacrament meeting. The 4 missionaries. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Elder Smith didn't sing, Sister Thompson didn't at all!! Sister Devries basically soloed it. but gosh dang it I gave it my all! Everybody was laughing at us! So awesome! Somebody said to me, hey you were the ketchup to Sister Devries burger. Oh boy rough stuff. After church we went to a youth baptism in the ward and we then went to Brother Willie's church again. Southside Baptist. and I am totally getting in with the preachers, I haven't exactly figured out what I am going to do with it yet. But a young guy who is a very new preacher got our number and is going to give us a call, and wants to meet. It is going to be a great opportunity to share our Faith with him, not shove it down his throat or bash. But were gonna make something of it!

So another week in paradise! I really have grown so much in the past week, and I am praying harder and studying harder and just relying on the Spirit and the Lord so much more than I have. Just little changes, which are awesome, I feel a lot more like missionary despite the lull! I just love it all!!!

LOVE YOU ALLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Elder Hintze