Hola

Sorry I couldn't email yesterday! I've been transferred to Santa Maria! I'll be staying in a ward here for the next 3 weeks and I'll be traveling around the mission training missionaries in the mean time. I had to come to Santa Maria for a going-away training with President! It was awesome! I love my president! I'll be online for the next 30 minutes or so;

Oompa Loompa from the Heavens

ALRIGHT!

So this week was crazy! 

First off, some crazy things went down and our 2 baptisms fell through. One of them is gonna be this coming week and we have to figure out some other stuff so that Guilherme can be baptized before I go home.

So cool story. I was walking in the middle of nowhere after an appointment fell through and I had the crazy desire to eat chocolate. I then had a feeling to look behind me and guess what I saw? Yes. I saw A CHOCOLATE FACTORY. So I went in and we made friends with the people that work there. We bought some chocolate and they explained to me how they make it. And then they invited us back and they said they would give us a secret tour and show us around back. So we went back and they showed us how they make their chocolate. It was sweet....like chocolate. It's not everyday that you desire chocolate and a chocolate factory appears behind you.

We worked super hard this week, knocking on doors and talking with every. It was a crazy busy week, running after these baptisms and trying to find new people to teach. But it's crazy how the adversary works so hard to make sure people are miserable like he is. It just means that we have to work 10x harder to come out on top.

I love you all and I'll see ya'll in less than 4 weeks!!!!

LOVE YOU

Elder Hintze

Richi, the Nephite Battleman

 Wow. Less than 5 weeks and you guys will be here in São Gabriel with me!!!! That's crazy!

So my companion arrived! Elder Richi Monahan from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was waiting for his visa for 3 months in Boise Idaho, and just go to the mission!

We've been working hard to knock on a lot of doors and talk to everyone on the road. The lord has blessed us with so many families! Since I was with Elder Miller and Elder Barros, we had spent more time working in their area and we didn't have a lot of time spent in my area. Now that I have time to work in my area, Elder Monahan and I have been searching for a lot of new investigators. The other Elders had left only a few investigators, and we're going to baptized them this week, so we've been in the process of searching for new ones. We ended up knocking on a lot of doors, and 70% of the doors we knocked on, let us in! What a miracle! And they were mostly families, too! I'm so grateful that the Lord is giving us so many opportunities to teach so many families! The gospel really is for families and I'm grateful that I get to be the one that teaches it to them. So get ready for some miracle stories in these up coming weeks.

Also, last P-Day, we had to leave the Lan House really fast because President Parrela arrived in the city, and called us to do interviews. I talked with him about a lot of things, including school, marriage, work, my family, and all that stuff. It was AWESOME! I love my mission president! But he also told me that, since I'm here in São Gabriel on the 24th, when ya'll get here, you're going to have to come here instead of Santa Maria, and that I won't be able to leave São Gabriel until Sunday. So it'll be awesome here!

Anyways, I love you all and hope you all have an awesome week!.

ELDER HINTZE

"ELE BOTOU AÇÚCAR NA MANTEIGA!"

HELLO PEOPLE!

First off, I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST MOTHER WHO I ABSOLUTELY ADORE. You are the best mom in the whole wide world (and there are approximately 2,300,000,000 moms in the world). So way to be the best mom ever! Happy birthday!!!!!!!

This week was fun, hard working, and colder than a gang of polar bears in Ray Bans. And yes, my new companion will arrive this Wednesday!

On Monday, we ate xis (which is like a Brazilian hamburger) and went back home and had a p-day full of rest and fun. At night, we went to teach Maria and Natalia. Maria is a women and Natalia is her daughter, and we're teaching them and preparing them for baptism on the 6th of June. They're kind of iffy but we're working hard so that they can realize the importance of the gospel. They said that they prayed and received an answer to their prayer, but it seems like there is something else holding them back that we're working hard to figure out.

On Tuesday, we had district meeting. I gave a training about the visions and goals that we need to have to reach our mission potential. It was fun and afterwards, we ate chocolate.

Wednesday, we worked hard. We visited Guilherme, who is the brother of Gabi. Gabi is a recent-convert of about 3 years, and recently received her mission call to serve in the Juiz de Fora Mission (which is where Jake Hamm is serving!). She's the only member in her family, and we're teaching her little brother who also will be baptized on the 27th of June. This week, we plan on trying to teach her mom and step dad who we haven't met yet.

On Thursday, it was super cold and we worked hard and visited a bunch of recent converts asking referrals, and we were also able to teach Felipe, our recent convert.

Friday and Saturday we did some awesome family nights, and made pancakes! We also passed at almost all of our investigators' houses to confirm going to church on Sunday. 

Sunday, we visited recent-converts and some of our investigators and got a bunch of referrals!

The week was simple, but fun, and golly goodness, I am so grateful to be a missionary! This calling is amazing and I'm so grateful that I can be here to learn so many things. It seems like at the end of the mission, your learning rate increased 10x, and you learn so many things.

Well, I hope you all have an amazing week!

Love,

Elder Hintze

Tigre Floresta

HELLO MY GOOD AMERICAN FRIENDS!

We had a little miracle this week! In our powerful trio of Elder Barros, Elder Miller, and Elder Hintze, we baptized a young man this week named Felipe. We had been planning his baptism ever since we got here, and it was all good, but in the last moment he ask he his friend's dad could baptism him. We said yes and he got excited. But when we asked his friend's dad if he could baptise him, he said that he would have to work and wouldn't be able to. When we told Felipe, he freaked out a little bit and that that the members didn't like him and that they didn't want him to be baptized so he said that he never wanted to baptized but that he still wanted us to visit him. This was 2 hours before the baptism. After a lot of prayer and running, we got a call from his friend's dad, and he said that he would be able to baptism him! The problem was that there was 1 hour until the baptism. So we grabbed a taxi and ran to his house and told him that he would be able to be baptized by his friend's dad! He freaked out (of happiness of course) and we took him to the baptism and it all worked out. We could have stressed out or freaked out, but I was relatively calm. It just goes to show that if you put it all in the Lord's hands and do all you can, everything works out the way it needs to.

So my companion's name is Elder Monahan from Pennsylvania, but he still hasn't arrived yet. He only gets here on the 17th. So I'll only be with him for a little bit of time before I return home. But I'm excited to begin the training with him and pass along some of the wisdom about the mission that I've learned while I've been here.

I love you all so much and I'm excited to see ya'll soon!!!!!

Oh and PARABENS FRANCESCA!!!! You're getting married! (WOOT WOOT)

Okay. well that it. Love ya'll.

Elder Hintze

Os Tres Nefitas

WELL HELLOOOOO!

So right now, I'm in a trio with Elder Miller and Elder Barros. This week was intense. So here in São Gabriel, there are 2 branches. In the last transfer there were 2 companionships in each branch, and the area of the branch was split, giving each companionship an area to work in. But in one of the branches, the sisters were transferred out, and now there are only elders. So along with working in the area of Elder Miller and Elder Barros, we have to open the sisters area, AND my area. So basically, we're working in 3/4ths of the city...and it's not too small.  But it's way fun. 

So I arrived here on Tuesday night, but Elder Miller and Elder Barros were in Santa Maria for the mission counsel, so when I arrived, I was the only Elder in São Gabriel. The Sisters took the keys to the house and my cell phone to the bus station, and gave them to me, and then I took a taxi to our house and I was there all alone for 5 hours waiting for the other Elders to arrive. It was weird being alone, holy moly. I cleaned the house, reorganized everything, unpacked my bags, and stuff like that. Then they arrived. 

It's getting quite cold here, and we're all using sweaters and jackets. It's pretty scary when 3 guys in black jackets knock on your door to talk to you. But beyond this, we're working a whole lot. This whole week, we were just getting to know the city, and opening a bunch of the areas here. It's tiring but it's fun. We walk a lot. But it's all good. I'm just grateful to be here on a mission and be learning so many things. Every day, I learn so much. I wish I could send emails about everything that I learn and about all the experiences that I have, but the time is super limited. But just know that I love you all and I'm so grateful to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ! 

I love ya'll!

Elder Hintze

BIANCA e KITKAT

Wellllllllllllll I'dVE GOT NEWS.

So I'm being transferred! It's hard to believe that it's my last transfer, holy cows. I'll be the District Leader in São Gabriel and I'll be training a new missionary and opening the area (The 8th area that I will have opened on my mission). São Gabriel is a small city. For example, you can normally tell how big the city is by the amount of missionaries there are. Here in Uruguaiana, there are 20 missionaries. In Santa Maria, there are about 46 missionaries. In São Gabriel there are only 6. I'll be serving in a branch there. But good news, I'll be living with Elder Miller and Elder Barros! Elder Miller is from Washington DC too, and he goes home with me, and Elder Barros is the ex-assistant and is the coolest guy ever (and Katie's future husband). I'll be in a trio with them for 2 weeks while I wait for me new "son" to get to the mission. So this is a secret, but I'll be the first American missionary to train another American missionary in the Brazil Santa Maria Mission during the reign of President Parrela. My new companion has been serving in the US and has to pass through the MTC in São Paulo for 2 weeks before entering the mission. This is new for all the visa waiters who come to Brazil. I didn't have to do it. But I'll be waiting for him, and while I wait, I'll be in a trio with the champions of the mission! Woot woot!

So this week was pretty simple. We planned some family nights with a lot of families. I had a feeling that I would leave (because I've been here forever) and so I planned these family nights strategically. After hearing the news, we passed in the houses of a lot of families and said goodbye. It was sad and I will really miss Uruguaiana. The first time I passed here, I didn't like it. But I'm so glad that I came back so that I could learn to love this place. I love Uruguaiana so much! In total, I've been in Uruguaiana for 10 months, and I've passed in 3 wards in this stake. Holy guacamole. They've practically transferred my membership record here. But here in Uruguaiana, I was able to see the hand of God acting in so many people's lives. I was able to feel the Spirit of the Lord so strong, testifying of the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon, the Restoration of the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the truthfulness of the Lord's Restored Church that is today on the earth. I'm grateful for the things I've learned out here in the middle-of-nowhere-Brazil. I now know why when I looked at my mission map for the first time, I was so curious about that random city on the border of Argentina, "Uruguaiana". But man how I love this place. 

I'm grateful to be here on a mission. I know the Lord loves me and wants me to succeed, as he loves each one of you and wants you all to succeed. He's given me this chance to show him that I'm willing to work and serve him. I've been giving one the hardest callings in the mission....a District Leader, opening an area, and training someone who doesn't speak the language. Por favor, pray for me. I'll need it. 

I love you all so much! You all rock socks. Have a wonderful week, and don't forget to keep your thoughts full of good things, so that your words are clean and charitable, so that your actions are good and are in service to the lord. Keep your thoughts like this by your scripture study and daily prayers. 

I love you all so much and I hope your week is better than a lobster in Maine that didn't get eaten. 

ABRAÇO MUITO FORTE PARA TODOS VOCÊS, 

ELDER HINTZE

May 18, 2015

So this is gonna be super short but I just wanted to leave you with a cool story that I heard this week at Stake Conference. So the temple president and his wife of the Porto Alegre Temple came to Uruguaiana. They're Americans, and his wife doesn't speak Portuguese super well, but she talked and she told a really cool story that I want to tell you. She told us about her little grandson who went to Disney Land for the first time with his family. When he got there, he grabbed the map and started studying it and sat down. He studied the map for a good 30 minutes while his family waited in line. After a while, he looked up at his mom and said "Mom, if Disney Land is the happiest place on earth, then where is the temple?"

I loved this story a whole lot, because it's so true! Disney Land is just another worldly attraction full of temporary happiness. But the temple is the place where we can really be sealed with our families forever and that's where the true happiness is. We all need to make the temple our goal because, we may be experiencing temporary happiness right now in our lives, but in eternity, the real happiness will come as we have our eternal families. I love the temple, and I love my eternal family!!!!

But this week was super simple. Nothing out of the normal happened. We worked hard, taught a lot, felt the spirit, and had some fun. I did go on a division with Elder Marin, from Paraguay. He speaks Guarani, the language of the Indians there, and I got to practice my Guarani. I was his District Leader in Santa Maria and now he's here in Uruguaiana with me, so it's cool to be able to serve with him again. 

But this was my week! I love this chance that I have to be serving a mission for the Lord! It is really a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm grateful that the Lord gives his children such a great privilege to be able to serve a mission. 

I love you all so much, and I hope you all have an amazing week!!!

I love you all!

ELDER HINTZE

Vocês são Profetas!

So this week was pretty great. I don't have much time so here's a highlight of my week. 

Monday. We did a family night, and everyone had to dress up funny and try to find the differences in the other people. It was super fun. 

Tuesday, we worked and it was fun. 

Wednesday, one of the assistants, Elder Dale, came and went on division with us. It was awesome and here's the commentary that I sent to President Parrela about the division:

"Nosso trabalhar aqui está indo bem. Elder Dale veio aqui para fazer uma divisão conosco esta semana. Com a ajuda dele, achamos uma família muita boa. Eu sonhei esta semana passada que eu e Elder Carlos de Souza batizamos uma família incompleto. O pai não era membro e a mulher dele era uma menos ativa e eles tinham uma filha. Quando Elder Dale chegou aqui, ele sentiu que deveríamos bater numa porta. Batemos e eles convidaram-nós a entrar. Entramos, conversamos, e descobrimos que a mulher era menos ativa e que eles tinha uma filha! Era exatamente o que eu tinha sonhado. Ensinamos e eles estavam um pouco resistente mas gostaram da mensagem. Convidaram-nós para voltar. O único problema é que a mãe dele é uma pastora da igreja quadrangular. Fizemos amizade com ela e ela nós respeita, e vai ser muito interessante ensinar eles. Vamos levar o bispo para ensinar conosco."

Google Translation  "Our work here is going well. Elder Dale came here to do a split with us this week. With his help , we find a lot of good family. I dreamed this last week I and Elder Carlos de Souza baptized one incomplete family. Her father was not a member and his wife was a less active and they had a daughter. When Elder Dale came here , he felt he should knock on a door . we knocked and they invited us in. we walked , talked , and found that the woman was less active and they had a daughter ! it was exactly what I had dreamed . we teach and they were a little tough but liked the message. they invited us to come back . the only problem is that his mother is a pastor of the foursquare church. we made friends with her and she respects us and will be very interesting to teach them. we will take the bishop to teach us. "

 

On Thursday, Elder Dale went back to Santa Maria, and we worked the rest of the afternoon. 

On Friday, we also worked. 

On Saturday, there was the Mother's Day Party at the Church. We stayed and help set up everything. It was awesome, and we stayed there, serving hot dogs and appetizers to everyone, occasionally secretly eating them in the kitchen. 

On Sunday, I talked to THE WORLDS GREATEST MOM EVER. I love you so much mom! I'm so grateful that the Lord let me be born into your family so that I could learn from you and be taught all of your wisely wise wisdom. You're amazing, beautiful, fantastically great, and there is no one in the world like you. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

Well, that was my week! Next week, I'll have more time!

Love ya'll!!!!

Elder Hintze

Yo Soy Loco por El Frio

ÓLA PESSOAL

So my week was super awesome. The baptism of Thalia was great. Her mom was crying of joy and it was such a spiritual experience. Now were going to work really close with her mom who's already been attending church for weeks, but just needs to go to Peru and get some documents to be able to get married and then be baptized! 

Baptism of Thalia

So at the baptism, we had a really interesting experience. Winter is arriving and so it's getting pretty cold. We went to turn on the water heater in the church, and it was out of gas, so the water wasn't going to be hot. So we started filling up the baptismal font, and then we got a big pot and started boiling water in the kitchen to pour into the font. Well, it ended up not heating up the water, and the water was freezing cold. My companion, Elder Carlos de Souza, baptized Thalia. He said when they got into the water, it was so cold that neither of them could move, but when he started saying the baptismal prayer, the water suddenly got warm. Neither him or Thalia were shivering or feeling cold. It was such a tender mercy of the Lord. Instead of just giving up when the water heater didn't work, we did all the we could to heat up the water. But when it didn't work, we continued with faith, and the Lord did his part. If we do all we can and show the Lord that we're willing to make miracles happen, he will make the miracle happen. 

Best Family EVER!!!

This week, we also had the chance to run into Mariana. She had a baptismal date here a couple months ago, but she fought with her niece (who was also going to be baptised) and neither of them ended up getting baptised. Well, Mariana said that she was trying to say sorry to her niece and that she wanted to go to church and get baptised! She said she gave up the first time because, after fighting with her niece, she thought that nobody would support her in going to church, and she would become inactive. But we talked to her and she's inviting us to teach her and her friends! So it will be great. 

This week, on Thursday, we did an activity called "A Noite do Acampamento Americano" (American Camping Night). We had a competition to see who could put up the tents faster. We made a huge fire and we made s´mores (and yes, I magically found marshmallows in the middle-of-nowhere-Brazil). And we cooked hot dogs. And now every single member of my ward is obsessed with s´mores. It was fun and it was a great experience. 

Churrasco

This week was awesome, and I'm pumped for the cold. I'm also grateful for my amazing mother who I absolutely adore. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!! LOVE YOU!!!

I hope your week is better than the happiness of a child making the first jump on a new trampoline. 

I love you all!

Elder Hintze

Words cannot express

Well, I cannot express how happy I am to have been able to participate in the baptism of the amazing Batista Family. There were all baptized this week, and golly goodness, it was marvelous. They were so prepared before hand, and through all the opposition that came before their baptism, I'm certain that they are an amazing family that will do so much good here in Uruguaiana, and wherever they go. I love them so much!

THE BAPTISM OF TIAGO AND PATRICIA

Alex, who I baptized last transfer, asked me to bless his baby at church, so I gave the baby his name, Lucas Freitas de Aquino. It was a cool experience!

SO this week, was the bomb.

Wednesday we traveled to Alegrete for a Zone Conference, and it was sweet. We had a training by the assistants and then we listened to Sister Parrela talk about the importance of Olive Trees and what they mean and represent. It was super cool. Then we ate lunch as we watched "Meet the Mormons", (which is a great video that explains so much about what we believe) and then we listened to the words of our inspired mission president, President Parrela. It was awesome and I learned a whole lot about how I can be a better missionary and better prepare myself for the future.

Eu e Elder Matoso. CONFERÊNCIA DE ZONA

Almost everyone from my District in Santa Maria was at the Zone Conference! 

On Thursday, we did a service project and put up a fence for a recent convert. It was fun. Then we spent the day planning the baptism and organizing it all, visiting and inviting as much people as possible.

On Friday, we visited some people and were able to contact an investigator that we hadn't seen in a while. It was good to talk to her. The last time we had seen her, she was smoking 20 or so cigarettes a day,,,when we saw her again, she had been smoking only 1 a day! What a miracle! We've been working hard with her. She has a testimony. She's stopped smoking. She just needs to go to church, It seems like theres something always in the way and she hasn't gone to church in a while. But we'll keep working hard!

 Making CHURRASCO

CHURRASO WITH TIAGO AND PATRICIA

On Saturday, the amazing baptism of the best family ever happened. It was a miracle, and the baptismal meeting was celestial! I have no words, I'm just so grateful for them!!!

On Sunday, we had a huge churrasco (barbeque) and we were able to start teaching Patricia´s mom and brother....and it looks like Patricia´s brother wants to serve a mission...and he's not even a member yet! What a miracle!

Another family that I love a whole lot. 

I'm so grateful to say that I'm a representative of Jesus Christ here in the Brasil Santa Maria Mission! I love my mission! I love my Savior! and I love this gospel!!!!!!!

The church is true, people.

Have a rockin' week.

Elder Hintze

Twin Wedding

Conference....I have no words....it was amazing. I have such a strong testimony that Thomas S. Monson is a true Prophet of God. I loved the talks about the importance of the family. If there's anything of most importance here on this earth, it's the family. In all your thoughts, actions, activities, and doings, always seek to strengthen your family.

Speaking of family, TIAGO AND PATRICIA GOT MARRIED THIS WEEK!!!!
The wedding was amazing, and we planned a little surprise....Patricia's twin Sister came from far away and they did a double wedding! It was pretty funny and pretty awesome. It was amazing to see the new couple be married and be so happy. It was so great. I'll send the photos soon. Also, my companion and I played a special musical presentation for them, and it was probably the coolest thing Uruguaiana has ever experienced. It was awesome,

This week was pretty slow, as we were planning and organizing the wedding and then conference. This coming week, on Wednesday, we'll be traveling to Alegrete for my last Zone Conference. Then on Saturday, Tiago, Patricia, and their son Igor will be baptized. It will be a really special week for me! Please pray for them that everything will work out right!

I love this Gospel. I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the guidance and inspiration it gives us as we read it daily. I'm grateful for the orientation God gives us through his holy prophets. And I'm grateful for the perfect organization of Christ's church, restored today on the earth, and the ordinances of salvation that we can do through the proper priesthood authority. I love my Savior and I'm so grateful for the love He has for each one of us.

I hope your week is better than nutella on banana pancakes.

Love,

Elder Hintze

Miracle on Padre Anchieta

Wow...this week was a miracle...

We've cut a lot of our investigators and we've been searching for more families this past week. We've been having a lot of success, and we've marked a lot of appointments with families for this upcoming week. But I want to share with ya'll a miracle that happened with Thiago and Patricia:

We were preparing to go to their house to make Hawaiian Haystacks and do a family night. We ran home to get the pineapples and other stuff, and while we were at home, I started having thoughts about what we needed to teach them. I thought a lot about the iron rod and that they need to be prepared to hold on to the iron rod as they begin this new journey in the gospel. I found an article in a church magazine about the iron rod, and I wrote down a few situations on some paper that could possibly be oppositions for them after their baptism...for example. "Wow. Today I'm tired and I don't feel like going to church. There's always church next week." or "Your friend talks bad about the church". Or other situations like that. We were going to talk about how they need to hold on to the iron rod, and that, especially now as they are preparing to start their journey, they need to hold on as tight as possible and avoid the opposition and temptations that will come their way. We were running a little late at home and I was having all these ideas of what we needed to teach them. I ran around gathering all the materials I could to have an effective lesson, and then we started heading to Thiago and Patricia's house. We got there and it felt weird in their house, and they were acting a little different. We talked a bit and then Thiago told us "So we have some new. I lost my job. And we think this is a sign that we shouldn't get married."....Well, imagine how I felt at that moment...my heart was broken! But I thought in my head "they are getting married if I have anything to do about it" and then I realized...this was the 1st big opposition that was trying to take them off of the iron rod. They were a little sad, so I decided to make the food first, do a fun activity to cheer them up, and when they were a little more animated, we would leave the message. And we did just that. We made Hawaiian Haystacks and they loved it. We did an activity with them blind folded, following a string which represented the iron rod, and they all laughed and like it. Then we left this powerful message and it was so perfect! I know that the Spirit was inspiring me before hand to leave that message. We were able to explain about opposition and how the adversary always tempts us when something good is about to happen. We explained that Thiago losing his job was just one opposition to keep them from getting married. We told them, boldly, and powerfully, that they need to get married and that Satan knows their potential and wants them to be miserable and he doesn't desire their eternal happiness and that he'll do anything to take them off the iron rod. I told them that they needed to hang on to the iron rod by getting married and by being baptized, and by making the goal of getting sealed in the temple. The Spirit was so strong and they agreed to getting married. It was such an amazing miracle and I'm so grateful that the Lord cares so much about a little family in Uruguaiana. I love the Lord so much and I love this work. This week, after General Conference, Thiago and Patricia are going to be married. Please pray for them. I love them so much and want them to experience the blessings of an eternal family.

I love this work so much, and I love the opportunities that the Lord gives me to be his servant here in Brazil.

I LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK

LOVE

Elder Hintze

Die on Monday, if you die on Friday, you'll ruin everyone's weekend!

HELLLLLOOOOOOO!!!!! I am just the happiest camper today! This last week was busy but we are doing a crazy awesome work here in Uruguaiana. It's cooled off...the beginning of this week was hoootttttt but now, the weathers cooled down and I had to put a sweater on when I woke up! Winter is coming people!!!

In an elevator on our way to teach

Elder Carlos de Souza and I are working hard, talking to everyone we see. We have a goal to talk to every family that passes us on the road, or every family that we see in their house, and to follow the Spirit to know which houses have families so that we can knock on those doors. When we talk to these families, we carry one of the churches special magazines that talks about the temple. We show them pictures of the temple and explain that the temple is the House of the Lord, and that it is a very sacred place. We explain that is the only place that is authorized to seal families for eternity.It's been very effective and I've been able to learn so much about the importance of the temple. I see families on the street and in their homes and I just can't imagine them without the amazing blessings of the temple. I am so grateful to bee sealed to my family for all eternity! i know with assurance that God loves his children, and because of this love, he gave us families, the source of our happiness. And when we have an eternal family through temple ordinances, we can have that happiness for all eternity. I love the Lord and I'm so grateful for the Temple!

. 

Speaking of eternal families, we've been working with an amazing family, Thiago and Patricia. They're a young, amazing couple with 2 beautiful children. We've been working with them since I got here, and we've also been emphasizing the importance of the temple and eternal families. They've been going to church every week, praying as a family, reading the scriptures together, and everything! Last Sunday, we went to their house with the Bishop. We had left the pamphlet "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" with them. With had written the day 28th of April at the bottom of the pamphlet, and we told them to pray, read the pamphlet, and then, if they felt the Spirit when the read the Date at the end, that they would be married and baptized that day. When we got there with the Bishop, they looked at us and told us "Well, we thought about it, and we think we're gonna get married in the middle of the year" I freaked out, because I knew they hadn't understood that marriage for them is not just a way to be more happy, but a way to repent of what they had been doing wrong and to obey the commandments of the Lord. Luckily, the Bishop jumped in and bore his testimony of the importance of obeying the commandments, and that marriage is a commandment to be fulfilled. We all bore our testimonies of the family, and the temple and told them to kneel, and pray as a couple if they needed to be married and baptized on the 28th. We were going to go back on Tuesday, but Thiago called us and told us that he had to work. So we remarked for Wednesday...and then the same thing happened and we remarked for Thursday...and then Friday...we got really worried that they were just trying to avoid us. So when he remarked for Saturday, we prayed that it would all go well. When we arrived on Saturday that looked at us and told us "Well...we received an answer....it doesn't look like the 28th will work out"....My heart dropped...but then they continued..."so we'll just get married that week after, on the 4th of April"....WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I was so happy! We've been working with them so much and I've soon the changes that they've made...so new we're working to marry them in the chapel after the last session of General Conference and then on the 11th, them and their children will be baptized!!! And they're already planning their sealing, too. (They told me that they want to get sealed in the Washington DC temple!). Patricia is an English Teacher, and Thiago works in the office of an agricultural engineering place. They are pretty well off, and such a happy family. I'm so excited for them to be able to experience the happiness of an eternal family in a little over a year!!!!!

My week was great, and I just wanted to share these experiences that I had. I love the Gospel and the perfect plan of Salvation that God has prepared for all his children. The church is true!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL

ELDER HINTZE

Kit Kat and H2OHHHH

Hello People!

So this week was pretty simple. Last P-day I traveled to Santa Maria for the Mission Counsel. It was great at the Zone Leaders were able to discuss what we can do better as a mission. Afterwards, I had the rest of the day to just wait. And my bus would leave after lunch on the next day, so I just spend the afternoon visiting members in the city that I love. I went with another Elder from Washington, DC and we ate the best flippin' cake ever at a members house. It was pretty darn sweet. It was so great to see all the great members and recent-converts that were there.

We got back to Uruguaiana on Wednesday night. We went to the store and bought some stuff to make dinner. And then we slept!

We had a really cool experience this week with the Area Book. We found the name of a couple that were being taught a couple years ago but weren't baptized because they weren't married. We decided to visit them. We got there and started to talk to him. His name is Rodrigo and he said that he's known the church since 2006 but it's been 3 years since the missionaries hadn't passed at their house. He explained that the only reason that he wasn't baptized was because he wasn't married, but in the past 3 years, him and his wife had gotten married. We challenged them that night to baptized on the 11th of April. He accepted!. The next day, we went and started to explain about the Restoration of the Church, and he already knew everything! We watched the Restoration Film with him and we testified that God has called a prophet again. We left him with a talk from Thomas S. Monson, and left the challenge for him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true. It was a great experience and now the Ward will have one more family!

We've been working a lot with another family, Tiago and Patricia. They go to church, read the scriptures, and pray together! They're great! They're going to get married on the 28th and their baptism will be a little bit after. Pray for them that everything will go right!

I love being here on a mission! I love the opportunity to serve the Lord, and show my love for him through this great service. I love you all, and just want you to know that I know that the Church is true, and that the Book of Mormon is a proof of the truthfulness of this Church. Please read from the Book of Mormon daily and gain a testimony of it, so that you can also feel the same joy that I feel from knowing that this book is true.

I love y'all!

Elder Hintze