Vidalia - Week 2

Dear Family,  

I have been doing great this week! We had a Zone Training meeting this week. Since we needed someone other than ourselves to do the baptismal interview for our investigator, we went on a 24 hour exchange with the zone leaders. I went to Savannah with Elder Ostler. The zone leaders are amazing missionaries and I learned so much from Elder Ostler. Also Savannah is absolutely beautiful! There are trees that overhang the road everywhere and it is overall a pretty nice place. After we exchanged back, it turns out that Elder Young and Elder Ostler couldn't find or contact our investigator to get the interview, and we still haven't found out why she wasn't there. So I don't have anyone on a baptismal date, and we also had to drop some investigators this week. We have mostly been tracting since we don't get any referrals from the ward. I have met plenty of Baptists, and very few nice people willing to hear our message. We try our best and that is all we can do. I am doing great and loving every day!

Love y'all lots! 

Elder Hinrichs

The following are pictures Elder Hinrichs sent home from his time in the MTC:

Vidalia - Week 1

Dear Family,  

My companion’s name is Elder Matthew Young he is from Bountiful Utah and has been on his mission for 15 months now, and he has been in Vidalia for three months now. My companion is a pretty good cook so I am eating well. We get 130 dollars a month so I think I should be fine, plus we already have plenty of food in our apartment. I am learning to live a different lifestyle on my mission and how to sacrifice my wants for my needs.  The apartment is pretty nice and in a safe area. The ward is alright. Only 70 out of 300 people show up, and they don't really feed us or help us with missionary work, so we are working on them. We have taught new investigators.  We do have one young lady named Shilyen set up to be baptized on the 25th of this month. Being in the field is different because everyone is different and individual with individual problems in their life. Our area is just Vidalia and Lyons and there are two other sets of missionaries in our district. Vidalia is interesting, just a small town and very different lifestyles here. Most of it is really new to me, but I am adjusting. Every day I learn something new and learn how I can better myself as a missionary. This is hard work but I am loving it! We do have a car but I am still buying a bike because it is much easier than walking.

The MTC really helped me by preparing me for the field. So, I am doing great and working hard!  I have an excellent companion!  President Cottle is really awesome and very caring.  

I am loving Georgia!

Love,

Elder Hinrichs

Elder Hinrichs & Elder Young

Vidalia, Georgia

MTC Companions

Macon, Georgia

We received a letter today from Bridger's Mission President, Pres. Cottle. Bridger was assigned to serve with his companion in Vidalia, Georgia for his first area.  It is the size of Park City!

Here is a quote from the letter:

"Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others.  We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote from President Lorenzo Snow. “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children”.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done to prepare Elder Hinrichs to faithfully serve a mission.  We look forward to getting to know him as we serve our Heavenly Father here in the Georgia Macon Mission.  We are extremely pleased to have your son here serving with us."

President & Sister Cottle with Elder Hinrichs

Made it to Macon

Bridger arrived in the Georgia Macon Mission safely.  The mission home said "Everyone was in good spirits and  anxious for dinner since they had been up since about 3 am already.  Tomorrow they will find out where they are assigned and who their first companion in the field will be."

Week 3 - MTC

Happy New Year!!! 

This week went really well and I am really learning how to teach by the Spirit. One of the sisters in our district went home because she has extreme homesickness anxiety, so it was kind of sad to see her go. Also all the people from the other district left yesterday and today for their mission fields. New years was awesome though!! We played with the glow sticks you sent us, and we basically ended up throwing them at each other down the hall ways, and that was super fun. I am getting pretty excited for the mission field! Although I have to be on a bus to the airport at 4:30 am (on Monday, Jan 6th). This is because they want us at the airport 2-3 hours ahead of our flight, so I think I will be sleeping on the plane. Thank you so much for keeping me in your prayers because you have definitely been in mine. 

Love,

Elder Hinrichs