"My Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!! Heyo!!!!!!!!!!"

Monday, May 25, 2014

Hope everyone is doing well today! Happy Memorial Day, I am reporting to you live from the Anderson's home... the library is closed today. We received Transfer news this morning and we are both staying here for another one!! Only Sis Bennion who has been here for a year is leaving! This week was a pretty good one for us, a really good one for us, we had a lot of neat things happen!! Here we are:

Monday - Last monday we were down in Crestview playing basketball at the gym there, completely free for anyone to use, and let me tell you baby....  they had some real ball players there playing! The starting point guard for Louisville University was there playing and it was intense. Needless to say we were on the other court! The Thomas's took us out to dinner and then we did some planning for our week!

Tuesday - Another District Meeting down the drain, it was a good one, not my best effort, but a good one! We did a little bit about how to help people keep our commitments! We came back and we did our correlation meeting and then we taught John Reyes after doing a little bit of Fam History! John went well, he is still struggling a lot. We ready 2 Nephi 29 with him, which talks about the Bible! We went and we saw Will Wilkinson, a lessactive guy his wife has been interested a little bit in the church, and we talked with him and he said to come back on Saturday to talk to his wife and so we were super pumped talked to him.

Wednesday -  We went in the morning and we Helped Mark Lassen and Simone in the yard, we helped them move some plants and water stuff. And then they fed us lunch and then we had a lesson with Mark! Super awesome with him this week... he is coming back! He is going to be rebaptized, or he wants to! We just had a lesson with him and we read out of the scriptures and talked about the Spirit, we found his old baptismal certificate and his priesthood certificate, so it brought back some memories, he has had his Book of Mormon out and he has been reading everyday and has been wanting us to come over! We then taught JR Strange out by Elliott's, Elliott declined to come with us, but we taught him the Restoration.. he believed every single thing! He knew there was more books out there and it didn't make any sense to him why it would have stopped with the apostles as far as revelation goes. But we don't know if he is beliveing everything just because he does that, or if he actually is growing and feeling the spirit, but he is one of the most perfect people that I have ever taught, everything clicked with him! 

Thursday - We went in the morning to John Reyes trial again.. and it was a waste, nothing happend, just got postponed again! Came home did our weekly planning and then we went and we gave Sandy Jack Brown a blessing and then we came back and we OYMEd around the lake and we met these 2 guys named Spencer and Derrick and we talked to them for close to two hours, we covered the plan of salvation and the restoration and the Book of Mormon it was awesome! Spencer didn't believe anything and thought we were of the devil, because we didn't believe in a triunion god... he believes that they are 2 seperate entities but one being, they can't even explain it, but by saying we don't know everything because god is omniscient?? He tries to explain it and I just say, what? But Derrick was more quiet and we got their info and he was interested, but because of Spencer he wasn't, but he texted us right after that and texted us again, so we are going to meet with him this week! We then did home teaching with Elder Habel. While we were talking to Derrick this dude named Mark came up we have ran into him at least 7 times, we got his info the first time and we really need to meet with him, Heavenly Father is working on him, his dad is a member and his GF married into a mormon family and spent a lot of time in Utah.... like it is crazy the correlations. He is a super spiritual dude, and preaches a lot of places.

Friday - My Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!! Heyo!!!!!!!!!! We worked at the Thrift shop in the morning, we were trying to see Savannah, but she is just gone, she will not respond and we don't know where she is at. It is really reallly sad. We ate lunch at Ed's for my BDAY and the sisters and Bro Stripling showed. So then we did some OYMINg around the lake and we got super awesome couple named DeSean and Amber Bell, he is turning his life around, they were super excited about our message, so meeting with them this week! Then we did some chasing around, some things canceled... and then we finally saw Rosslyn, she has been dealing with some family problems. So we gave her a priesthood blessing and during the middle of it, she just burst into tears and broke down and then opened up a lot about what has been going on. We ate dinner in the evening with the Habels and Mark Lassen and wife were there. he had his guitar and he played tons of tunes for us and we shared a lesson on the Atonement and that is where he officially announced that he was coming back! And then my birthday ended, thank you all so much for the packages!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday - Hectic day we were running around a lot, we tried to see the Cobbs we have not been able to teach Maddie yet.. We taught Alewesha Jackson!!! And we got him with a Baptismal date for June 28th.. he hadn't read our full chapter assignment so we started reading 2 Nephi 2 with him and he brought it up about baptism and what is required for us to be saved! And so we talked all about it and talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ he is always gungo ho and the spirit is always present when we teach him! He always feel it and he is super excited for the 28th, he is going to pray each day he can make it. Our only thing is he didn't come to church, so we need to begin to lay down some expectations for him! Then we ate dinner at the Bishop's house.

Sunday - We didn't get anybody to church so that was a bummer! But the meetings were good... we had ward council and I got to give another baptismal interview after church to Ryan Pennington he is 10 and the Habels have been working with him baptism is this saturday. He is pretty special, I was worried about how it would go with him being so young, but he understands a lot and I was really impressed with him! After church the baptismal font since last week has not been draining, so the water is getting murky, so us and Bro Stripling got changed up and we grabbed Anderson's pump and we pumped out all of the water and we pulled the old one up and we got it fixed well figured out what the problem was. Then we visited the Wyman's a less active couple. he is a non member, so we are starting work with them. And then the Farris's, active family, they are absolutely hilarious. We are going to start teaching their son who just go out of prison. Then we saw Mark Lassen with Bro Anderson, it was awesome to have him there. He paved it all for him and what he has to do to come back. We are going by on Tuesday with Bro. Anderson and going to teach him and Simone the plan of salvation and going to give both of them priesthood blessings!

Good week this week family!!! We experienced a lot of blessings! I sure do love ya'll so much, so grateful for all of the packages and what not!!! Thank you so much!! love you !!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Hintze  

"So I was like NO, NO , this is garbage."

Monday, May 19, 2014

Hello Family!!!

How is everyone doing today? I am reporting to you from the Crestview library, we finally got ourselves a ride down here and are going to spend P-Day down here, playing some basketball! I don't have a whole lot to report or big things that happened this week, but lets get to it and then we can talk about it at the end!

Monday - I felt that we needed to go and see Mark Lassen... and we did, wife is quite sick. Anyway we had an awesome visit with him, it took our evening, he played some guitar for us. But the end our goal was to get his membership records here.. so we asked him about it.. and it opened up a whole hour of conversation. All of his kids are active and have been through the temple, we talked to him about what he needs to do, to come back, and we offered to come by and give both of them a priesthood blessing and to begin to teach them (her) about  the Plan of Salvation. But it was powerful to be with him, he closed us with a prayer and it was one of the most humble/sincere prayers I have ever heard! So we got the go ahead from Bishop, he said that we can begin to teach them!

Tuesday - District Meeting in the morning, .. we just had no time.. we always run out of time, so I tried to smoosh it all in and didn't get to cover all that I would have liked. But we talked about working with less actives and how to improve. After that we bounced out to Reeves and got bread, after the Habels bought us Taco Bell. :) Then Rodney didn't show up for Fam History, so we did some of our own and helped there. Then we ran with Sandy Jack Brown and we gave a blessing to the Brickner's a older couple in the ward, that is very sickly in health! We didn't have much to do.. so we did a lot of finding, and found one dude named Ronnie Wilson? But we got to share the restoration with him and read out of the Book of Mormon with him and he was super interested, and we set up for Thurs @5.
 

Wednesday - Huge service day.  When meet a man named JR Strange.. But anyway, he got to asking us some questions, and Elliott suggests that we give him a Book of Mormon, which was super awesome, and then Elliott began to tell him all about it and it was super cool. So we had the chance to do a lot of the restoration lesson, and he was super interested in Pres. Monson, so I had my PRECIOUS only one we can get Conference Ensign and I showed him and then I gave it to him and a Book of Mormon! So I am Ensign less now... :( But regardless, it was awesome! I got Elliott to be on board to go and teach him with us, which would be so cool. We are excited! So we went to the Family History center and finally Rodney was there... and it didn't turn out to be much, because he is like the master of the fam history.. so I didn't get to help him much.

Thursday - We went out in the morning with Elder Habel and we helped Brother Reeves. Fed us delicious breakfast! Then we taught John Reyes. After we worked the lake yard again, we own that place for real though, nobody escapes us. Didn't have much success again, and then Ronnie Wilson did not show up. So we went out for Home Teaching I went with Elder Habel and with Chris Jones. We went and saw Sis Miller and then saw Rodney and gave him a blessing, he had fallen.

Friday - We were supposed to see Al Jackson in the evening, but he canceled on us, right before, so we went and Bro Pollard had us come and help him. We were supposed to go down to Freeport and teach David Royce and Bob and Pam Niedermeyer, Gary and all of them down there and then all of them canceled on us... so it was like really!?!?!? Really !?!?!?!!? Then we went and we worked the lakeyard again... and didn't have much success. We ate dinner at the Andersen's and then we helped them to fix their kitchen sink.
 

Saturday - Crazy day we had... absolutely crazy...! We got to the church bright and early in the morning and we filled up the baptismal font and rearranged all of the seating and the rooms for the baptism and at 10:30 Dallin Thomas an 8 year old got baptized and so we were there for that. Elder Habel met some guy on his way in and brought him to us and said here Elders give him a church tour, and so we missed the baptism, but we took him into the chapel and talked to him, he was an old fellow down the street and he wasn't interested at all, he was just interested in telling us we didn't need the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith is not a prophet. So we just testified and he was one of those ones that you couldn't tell anything too.  After that we jetted down to Freeport to see Bob and Pam again.. and right as we get there.... they call and tell us they can't make it... So I was like NO, NO , this is garbage. We are going by! So we just go there early and were able to see them and had a good visit with them, things are good with them lately, Bob especially he has got a job, and is working on getting his life in order. But we just talked to them in the short time that we had about reading and praying. Then we got through Niceville the roundabout way to get to Crestview, out of our area to give a baptismal interview and we are halfway there and they tell us it got canceled.. so now it is just comical right? Frustrating. So we go anyway, because that is closer to get home. We did get to see Pres. and Sister Smith there though. We picked up the Zone Leaders and then we headed back to DeFuniak and we saw James Griffiths get baptized, it was super awesome! It has been a long time coming for him and we all know him super well, so it is good! Then we had some refreshments!

Sunday - Church was a good one! We didn't have a single person come this week... Bob said he would be ready, and he wasn't home.... Elder Habel drove all the way down there and then he wasn't there. Ahhhh. So we finally got to see Al Jackson after church I woke him up. :) He has been reading a bit and he feels that he has got an answer that the Book of Mormon is true!! SO that is awesome.. we don't know if he fully understands yet.. but he is so sincere we just covered the read, pray, come to church, over and over again, so he could get it down! Then we did our weekly Planning, after some more OYMIng we found a super awesome dude named Cory that we are going to start seeing, he invited us over to eat with him sometime next week!

I don't know what has been going on lately... I am so happy and enjoying my mission, I am not down in the dumps. But sometimes I just don't get it at all, I am trying to do my best to be the best that I can, and things just never work out at all. I don't know what guidance anybody gives except, well endure through trials, keep pushing. So that is what I am going to do. But it just doesn't make sense all the time. I want to progress I want to help people! But for now.. I will just keep on doing ma thang. Sure do love you all a whole lot!

Love,

Elder HIntze