Sister and Elder Hintze: 4/17/23

Howdy ya’ll!! It’s been a great week in Georgia. Spring has definitely sprung and it is beautiful
and very green here. It’s so pretty outside that at our District Council this past week we decided
to take our chairs outside and have our meeting in the church parking lot in the sun! If you know
me, you know that the sun makes me happyѡѢѣѤ

This past week we had two very special events that we had the privilege of attending. The first
was our amazing Zone Conference. This was a special Zone Conference that included a temple
visit. What an amazing thing it was to fill an endowment room with all of the full-time
missionaries in our zone! Our session began at 10:00 a.m. and we were asked to arrive by 9:15.
In order to travel through the rush-hour traffic in Atlanta, we left the house at 7:00 a.m. with our
two Thomaston Elders. We were in our seats shortly after 9:15 with plenty of time to sit and take
in the beautiful surroundings and contemplate the purpose of our magnificent temples and the
blessings that we receive there. While we were sitting in the chapel waiting for our session to
begin, a couple from the temple presidency came in to talk to us and told us to feel free to walk
around the temple to see all of the rooms and look at all of the beautiful artwork. Two Sisters
that I have become friends with, Sister Moon (far left, front row on photo below) and Sister
Caldwell (next to Sister Moon) told me that they had never seen a sealing room. When our
session was over and we were sitting in the celestial room, I went over to Sister Moon and
whispered to her an invitation to walk around the temple with me and Elder Hintze. Her eyes lit
up so big. As we walked toward the sealing rooms a brother asked if he could help us. I told
him these sisters wanted to see a sealing room. He took us to the sealing office and a sister came
to escort us. We got to see three beautiful, empty sealing rooms. Just as we thanked this sister
and were turning to leave, she told us that that was a room where the sisters could slip in and
watch some sealings actually taking place. Now the sisters were really excited! We quietly
entered the back of the room and took a seat. The brother that was conducting the sealings was so
kind and amazing. He stopped to offer some explanation to these young sisters and then he
invited them to participate. This opportunity for these darling sisters to get to briefly participate
in a sealing ordinance was very exhilarating for them and for me and Elder Hintze.

The second wonderful event that we got to attend this week was the presentation of the Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize that was awarded to President Russell M. Nelson, Prophet and
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The award was presented via live
stream from Salt Lake City at Morehouse College, a private historically black men’s liberal arts
college. The prize is awarded to “a person who promotes positive social transformation through
nonviolent means and uses their global leadership to affirm peace, justice, diversity, and
pluralism.” It was such an incredible evening! There were so many amazing things said about
the tireless efforts of our prophet to build bridges of understanding between races. We had the
honor of taking Walt and Vicky, a black couple from our ward with us. I have gotten to know
Vicky quite well. She is a wonderful woman. She is a very talented landscape architect. She
does the designing and her husband does the physical labor. Their yard is magnificent. The
presentation of the award was very moving for her, especially the singing of the Negro National
Anthem, which I had never heard before. What a powerful song! We also got to hear the
Tabernacle Choir sing also via live stream and the Glee Clubs from both Morehouse College and
their sister school, Spelman College. What amazing music we enjoyed! But the most exciting
thing is that they announced a future collaboration between the Tabernacle Choir and both of the
Glee Clubs. Won’t that be amazing?!

There was a part of our Come Follow Me lesson this week that really spoke to me. It’s the story
of Martha and Mary that covers just a few short verses in Luke 10:38-42. Martha invited Jesus
into the house while she was busying herself with the preparations of tidying up and preparing a
meal for his visit. She was concerned about being hospitable and providing material service.
But she complained to the Savior that her sister was not helping and had left her alone with these
chores. She complained to Jesus and told Him to tell Mary to help her. Jesus then told Mary that
she is “careful and troubled about many things”. While there’s nothing wrong with the fact that
Martha was tending to the details of making the house look nice and preparing a meal for their
guest, Mary was focused on what Jesus called “the good part” or listening to the Savior’s
message. I definitely see myself in Martha. I would have been all about making everything
perfect, unfortunately at the risk of missing the most important part. This lesson was a reminder
to me to remember to focus on “the good part” and to think about how I can do better to make
the things that matter most come first.

Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hintze