"Dothan and I just can't quite seem to part ways at all!!!"

Here is Elder Hintze's email sent on Monday, January 20th. 

Hello Family,

So as I mentioned, Dothan and I just can't quite seem to part ways at all!!! In my interview with President he talked about how Pres. Monson told him to keep missionaries in the area for 8 months. And he made it sound pretty clear that I was heading out.. but I guess I am needed here for a reason, somebody that I can still reach! I am trusting in President Smith and the Lord, so it is all good in the hood!! A fairly good week for us, finally got the new apartment settled and now we are moving again, so the new address is going to be 200 Sweetwater Drive Apt. D-55 Dothan, AL 36305. Do taking the sister's pad and making it our tiny little home. :(


Monday - We moved ourselves out of the apartment basically all day! We ate dinner with the Davis's in the evening, and then went right back and kept moving ourselves. Our apartment was a mess until Thursday, didn't do wash until Thursday, it was pretty stressful, but now we gotta do it again, the APs called me and told me we were moving, and I just started laughing and I told him that we just barely got settled. hahahaha.


Tuesday - We had Zone Training, so it wasn't with President, but the Zone Leaders instructed us, they talked a lot about giving Church Tours, and the importance of getting people to come to church, we all struggle greatly with getting people to come to church with us, so trying to improve that. And our mission is a testing mission for doing Family History, so we are stressing that a lot. We were also able to set a new yearly mission baptism goal, of 373 and a stretch goal of 324. Our last years goal was 450, and we only got 324. After that we were able to teach Manice, and he is really confused as to the whole message, so we had to do a lot of clarifying as to the message of the Restoration, he is confused about the Book of Mormon, and was trying to find Lehi in the Bible. He has a lot of fears of jumping back into church, because of his really poor experiences in the Jehovah Witness. He said he would come to church, but we could never reach him again, tried to pick him up in the morning. 


Wednesday - We traded off Tuesday night, so I went to 1st ward with Elder Sanders and Smith took Elder Carlile to 2nd ward. We went on a 15 mile bike ride to see this man in the morning, and we did, he is an odd fellow, but hope they can start working with him. A lot of our lessons for the day feel through, but we were able to teach another new couple for them, Amanda and Kirt, who live in their apartment complex. A member did take us to Cold Stone, ya! We taught Brother Filkins in the evening, a guy that has been coming to church for ever, but hasn't been baptized.. Pres. Smith has been with them twice and taught him. He still doesn't think that he has received an answer, he hasn't felt the Spirit testify to him that it is true.. but the Spirit was even so strong in the lesson, he has felt it, he just doesn't understand what he's feeling!


Thursday - Back in the own area. We spent all of Thursday morning getting our apartment in order, finally got to do wash and get everything in order!!! We also had to do Weekly Planning and we were able to teach Theresa. And she said she has been reluctant to tell us about the church she has been going to, the Pastor of the church was doing some super sinful things.. so needless to say the church is basically shut down. Heavenly Father basically tore down her church in order to tell her to listen to us. So she was going on about the programs, and how good it is, how they help people. And I was like alright enough of this, she said, "Your church is too slow for me." So I was like Theresa, "Christ's Church isn't about upbeat. God is a God of order. It is about truth, conversion, testimony, priesthood, ordinances, plan of salvation, and making it back to Heavenly Father. This is Christ's church once again established on the earth, there are way too many circumstances for it not to be. What would it mean to you if it was Christ's church?" then she says, "oh I think that it is. I am 99.9% sure." So then I said, "Well what should you do then?" And she said "come every Sunday and endure it." Then I started laughing a lot! :) So we committed her to be baptized, but she said she isn't ready for that.. she says that may take years.. but it was a great lesson with her. And she loves both of us, she said the fact that we don't irk her at all, is a sign from God. Hahaha. We also saw the Hughey's in the evening.


Friday - We had our Hospital shift in the morning. We got a ton a ton of solid potentials on the way there from talking to everyone that we see! So we are going to get back with them this week! Nothing big at Hospital Shift, some man in the ER felt the need to start telling us how wrong we are, he was cussing at us, telling us Joseph Smith was a fraud. After he finished I said, "So it's safe to say your not on the same page as us?" Then the security guards rescued us! :) 


Saturday - We saw Barbra in the morning with Brother Prigmore, we also went with him and we saw Linda in the morning! Some things fell through with appointments and we were with Bro Thomley, and so we saw Brother Nunez with him, and Yovanny the son was there! And get this, all three of them came to church Brother, Sister Nunez and the son!!!!!!!!!! It was pretty darn cool to see them there!!!! And then we went with him and we taught Marcus. And we taught him the Restoration lesson, and it didn't click with him, so we are probably going to have to cover it again. But the Spirit was in the lesson, and he is dealing with a lot right now. All of the recent lost family and his ex wife is having to have her toes cut off. So he is really struggling and seeking after the truth, but he is excited to read the Book of Mormon. And his prayer is the most powerful prayer that I have heard from an investigator, besides Gloria. It was powerful, he prayed that we would touch hundreds even thousands with our ministry. So we will start with him as the first one of a thousand! :)


Sunday - We had church it was a great meeting! Didn't get any investigators out, sadly, hoping for next week! We took the sacrement to a lady in the hospital. And we went with Tony Hansen and tried to see a lot of potentals, and people that we had set up with, but couldn't get in with any of them.
So not too shabby. I still feel like there is so much more to be done, I often feel that we are living way under our potential, and I hate it that a whole lot never seems to improve. But I have grown in my confidence a little recently, so that helps. I just have to try and stay positive, I hate not achieving things. So I hope this next transfer and the future being great successes for us!! Love ya'll all a whole lot!!!


Love,Elder Bradley Hintze