Monday, November 24, 2014
Family, Family, Family!!
Hello, hope that everyone is doing well! I am doing really well, it is pouring rain here and has been for quite some time now! Lets get to it:
Tuesday - Zone Training day! Also a day where we had zero proselyting time at all. So we got to the church bright and early and we go everything set up, we got the projetor all hooked up and got the computer ready to go. Also while we we're doing that, Bro Davis from the Dothan 2nd Ward was there doing maintenance on the building, it was so fun to see him! So we talked for a good while!! So we got all of our equipment set up and then we started our zone training! The program went as follows, we opened it up with same old introductions and announcements, everybody is pumped for Family History week again, that was one of the announcements, so after that we talked to them about some of our goals that we have set, just a little zone accounting, our zone goal this year for baptisms is 48 and we are currently at 36.. but we baptized 10 people in the last transfer.. so it has been crazy lately, so we are really, really trying hard to reach this goal, we commited everyone to pray each time they pray for 12 more baptisms for the Tally 1 Zone!! Then the Sister Trainer Leaders took over and they did an awesome job, they talked about Our Purpose as missionaries.. they started out doing a cooking show and they we're cooking cookies, they put the recipe up on the board, and then did not follow it at all just didn't measure and threw in random stuff... and then they talked about the categories of finding, teaching, studying, and planning. All aspects of missionary work, should fall under these things... it was really, really good! The cooking really highlighted the principle a lot! Then the other Sister Trainer Leaders took there turn, they talked about Commitments. Then we taught the things that Elder Soares taught us in MLC, about Goals, Plans, & Attitude! We hope they were able to get something out of it, because it really was important, and the way that Elder Soares taught it was so powerful! Afterwards, we watched the Pres. Uchtdorf video that was given to the Mission Presidents, and it was awesome, I think that it was most people's highlight of Zone Training, it was really really good! We ran over to the office and we took back all of the computer supplies and what not, then we ran by President's house to give him his USB flash drive back, and we had some questions for him, we are supposed to set the new 2015 zone goal for baptisms for our zone and how we are going to reach that, so we asked him about that, and we we're with him for a bit, he showed us a bunch of graphs and stuff the church has and printed them out for us! Then we ran back and we went to our Stake President's meeting with Pres. Campbell. Then we ate dinner at the Knudsen's home, they are still awesome! Then we had our correlation meeting in the evening.
Wednesday - We taught Bonnie in the morning... and it was a awesome lesson! We talked to her about he Doctrine of Family History and Temples, because she was going to Orlando for the weekend, and going to visit the temple! It was so a good lesson, the Spirit was there.. I really feel and they do as well that they have some definite work to do on the other side, for their ancestors that have passed away! Bonnie is so awesome, she is really committed to do whatever she needs to do, and know everything that she can! We did have kind of a cool experience, there was a referral that came to the mission office for this man, named Kreg Mecham, who needed a blessing, so we were there and we took it.. so we go there, he is in the ICU, and we give him a blessing, we talked with him or tried, he was pleasantly confused, so it was hard! But the nurse was talking to his family, and they wanted to talk to us.. so I took it, his family is all in Utah.. in Provo, and get this they have not seen him in 20 years.. he just up and left his family and the church, and has been in Tallahassee for 20 years, was apparently homeless and brought in here, so I talked to his family, the first time they have made contact with him... and so they were so thankful, they are all members! Talked to his mother, just the sweetest woman, so they gave me their phone number and we have been checking up on him, and then calling them to report, because they have no other way to find out.. And they are a long way away from coming to see him! It was crazy.. absolutely humbling, what some people go through! And as well the nurse grew up in DeFuniak Springs, so I got to talk to her about it! Then we taught Gonzalo in the evening, we talked to him about Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel, how he can better understand the Spirit, Gonzalo is still the man!!
Thursday - We taught Bonnie again in the morning... SO GOOD! So her assignment was 2 Nephi 2 to read, and she did it right after we left on Wednesday, so we talked about that, and the Plan of Salvation, in just review, and talked about the Spirit World with them. And then Cristina talked about how she talked to you Dad, which just added to the lesson, and she said, oh ya he was here in this lesson with us! Pretty cool, and again the sweetest spirit came into the room as we talked about the Plan of Salvation... and then the door slowly opened up..... and we all looked at it, and the wind had just blown it open, but I said, "Hey guys, come on in!" And it was funny, right as we talked about all of that... so cool! Then we shared a lesson on the Follow the Prophet, as a commandment, and she had some good questions about that.
Saturday - We helped a member's neighbor move, she is in prison, so she is getting evicted, so had to move all of her stuff.. it was sad to see, all of her kids there, and you can't even understand them how they talk, you see how little they have, but they trash what they do have.. all of their stuff was hammered.. it was sad, take care of your stuff, and life a healthy life, clean your house! Then we visited Bro Barber, we talked to him really heavily about church. We tried to see a bunch of our potentials.. and then we went and we saw Kreg in the hospital again, he remembered us and had been moved from the ICU, so that was a good sign, so we talked with him and then said a prayer with him... then we called his family, and they called us back and we gave them the update... they are so thankful! Then we saw Gonzalo in the evening, and we talked with him about tithing.
Sunday - Good old Sunday. We had T.R. LeBrun there, and he loved it, he was dressed in a suit this time, really hit it off with some of the youth, and he was really at home this time! We got to bless the sacrament with Gonzalo... Elder Peterson and I, and him in the middle... it was really special! My first time getting to do that in this ward! After church we taught this dude named Jake at the institute building, he is 20 and he is a student at FSU, we ran into him on the street on Saturday, and he met us there, so we will be passing him over to the FSU elders... but we taught him the restoration.. and he is the man!!! It was such a powerful lesson, and he really was into it, he is really looking for something in his life.. it is always cool to talk to people the same age as us, he is the same age as me! So cool, he is from Orlando, and we are going to meet up when he returns, he said he needs to talk to his family/friends about this.. he committed to find out for himself! Then our day was just spent chasing all kinds of people down, we got to teach this lady named Sondra. Then we ate dinner with Bishop and Sister Hargrett, they are super awesome! Then we visited with Sis Daniels, and had a lesson with her.
This week I learned a lot of lessons.. we really don't have a single reason to complain or be down about.. we've been blessed with so much, I think often of the Savior and what he went through, and take a good look at my life, and say ya know, I'm doing pretty good! I miss you and love you all like crazy!!!! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! Thankful for all of you.. LOVE ELDER HINTZE
PS - I just got a email from the missionary department, they are having us track our numbers in the next couple of weeks.. for the "He is the Gift Initiative" I guess it is a thing for Christmas, and a video comes along with it, in 2 days or so, look for that!!
No comments:
Post a Comment