Sister and Elder Hintze: 2/14/23

 

Monday, February 13

Hi Y’all and Happy Valentine’s Week!

This week was our first day working at the soup kitchen at the Silverton Baptist church. We
were so warmly welcomed. We really enjoyed working with Tammy, and by the end of the shift,
we felt like we were long-time friends. Tammy’s husband wasn’t there this time, and they have
only two other regular volunteers; Lawrence, who does everything from cooking to maintenance,
and Mama Kat, who cuts the veggies for the salads. I offered to help her, only to find out that
she has a very exact way she wants the lettuce and cucumbers cut! Instead, Tammy gave me and
Jerry a ton, and I mean a ton, of cooked pork to shred for pork sandwiches. We filled a tengallon bucket with shredded pork! We kept the Taco Soup stirred, filled the Styrofoam bowls
with soup, and finished our shift by cleaning out three freezers. The freezers are located in a
storage room filled with donated cans and boxes of food that is in total disarray. I shared with
Tammy that one of my favorite things to do when I’m stressed or bored is to clean out a drawer
or a closet. She lamented over the fact that she just doesn’t have time to organize the room and
jumped at the chance to have me volunteer for the project. I know I might be weird, but I look
forward to creating order out of chaosѮѯѰѱ

Another first for this week was our first attendance at a transfer day. Every six weeks is what is
called “transfers”. Some Elders will stay where they are assigned for several transfers, and some
get moved to a new place to work with a new companion. So, sadly, Elder Hepler left us and
Elder Dunn remained here and was joined by a new companion, Elder Cosme. Attending
transfer day is not something we are required to do on a regular basis, but the Mission President
invited us to come and see what it’s all about. It was definitely worth the one-hour drive. There
were probably about 150 Sisters and Elders gathered in a large room, sitting with their current
companions. After singing some rousing verses of a few hymns, the announcements began. As
each name was called, the Sister or Elder stood and their new companion was announced. Since
these young people have been serving in this mission together for anywhere up to 18 months to
two years, it’s possible that many already knew each other as they are transferred from area to
area. So, when some of them heard the name of their new companion, thumbs up, high fives,
and shouts of joy echoed through the room. One sister even jumped out of her chair and ran all
the way across the room to give her new sister companion a hug! Five brand new missionaries
were introduced and were assigned to seasoned missionaries who would be their “trainers.”
Once a month the sisters of the ward gather for lunch. I attended the lunch, which was held at a
local deli. There was only one woman there whom I had not previously met, and I enjoyed
visiting with the women who are beginning to feel like friends. The woman that I did not know
had served here as a missionary several years ago and was visiting Thomaston with her husband
from their home in Idaho. I can definitely see why they would want to come back here to spend
time with the many good friends they made while serving here.

So, I’m sure you remember my story about Tony (the man with the tattooed forehead). Well, we
found out that Tony and Tori (the man whose wife is struggling to enter the chapel after her
father’s funeral) were good friends in their teen years. We also found out that Tori was a stellar
seminary student during high school. So, we invited Tony to go with us to visit Tori. It was a
powerful visit in which Tony shared with Tori his testimony of the effect the gospel has had on
his life and Tori shared with us that the spirit has touched him and he has the desire to return to
church. Tori was in church on Sunday with his two youngest children. His wife, Tosha, and two
oldest children were not. But we shared with Tori that if he has the desire to return to church and
invites the spirit into his home, Tasha will be blessed and comforted.

We also finally fulfilled our goal to have a Mexican meal with Mike and Mary. We had a
wonderful time with them. Mike is not a member of the church, and Mary attends frequently.
She confided in us that she thinks Mike has an interest in the church but just needs to take baby
steps. At this time, we are just enjoying their company. We discovered that we all enjoy playing
games, so we are going to have a game night with them and another couple from the ward.
We’re finding that games are a great way to connect with people. Vicky is a stalwart member of
the ward, and although her husband Walt has been coming with her every Sunday for a year, he
is not a baptized member of the church. He and Vicky are even attending the temple preparation
class. The first time we visited them we told their two daughters, who said they love to play
games, that we would return to teach them a new game. So, Friday night we went to teach Vicky
and her family our favorite game, Fast Track. Unfortunately, Walt never came out to join us. In
a previous meeting, Vicky shared with us that he is uncomfortable with white people. We shook
his hand at church, and we will continue to do all that we can to get him to feel more comfortable
with us.

Our Come Follow Me reading for this week is Matthew 5 and Luke 6.
In Matthew 5:13, we are told that we are the salt of the earth. Salt has always been used to
preserve and purify. It also has meaning for the ancient Israelites, as it was used in the practice
of animal sacrifice under the law of Moses. When salt becomes old or loses its savor, it is no
longer effective to preserve or purify. This can happen when it’s contaminated by being mixed
with other elements.

How can you parallel this scripture to us keeping ourselves purified as disciples of Jesus Christ?
Happy Valentine’s Week! Elder Hintze and I are off to take our first day off as we celebrate our
ninth anniversary today. We are going to visit Warm Springs, Georgia, where President Franklin D Roosevelt had a home and bathed in the purifying spring water to strengthen his polio stricken legs.

Much love,
Elder and Sister Hintze