Bishop Hintze 8.20.25

Hermana Olsen!

The real deal is here! I LOVED your first email. So cool that you're having such an amazing experience so far. It's no accident that they chose Hermana Olsen as the devotional/ dorm leader. Yakima isn't just getting anybody...They're getting Hermana Olsen who has been anxiously preparing for this day her entire life! I pray for you and hope that your missionary experience is as life changing as was mine.

I’ve been a BYU football fan for many years. We've had season tickets since I was a kid. Back in the ‘80s to the early 2,000s BYU had a legendary and highly successful coach named Lavell Edwards. The stadium is named after him. He was a great coach who focused on football but, more importantly, focused on building young men of high character. Once he was asked what he looked for in a potential candidate when he was out on the recruiting trail looking for players to join the team. His answer was inspiring. He said “I look for a young man with the will to prepare, not the will to win.” Everyone has the will to win. We all want to be successful but not so many have the will to prepare or do what it takes to eventually win.

There is a scripture that I’ve often overlooked in the Pearl of Great Price. 

“And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.” (Moses 3:5)

If you think back to the endowment in the Temple, while teaching of the creation of the earth, the video of what Elohim describes to Jehovah and Micheal each period of creation is a sketch. As they then followed his command the sketch turned to natural, real life creation. It’s an illustration of this very scripture. All things were created spiritually before they were naturally upon the earth.

You should follow this pattern in your missionary service and keep it for the rest of your life. Spiritually create your day, each morning, before it naturally unfolds. This way you will accomplish all of your worthy goals and will become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Each night in your planning, each morning in your study and prayer, each meeting you attentively attend you will spiritually create your day before it naturally unfolds. If you make the spiritual creation a priority you will become a missionary rather than just simply go on a mission.

President Holland has taught: “I frequently say to missionaries in the field, ‘You make or break your mission every morning of your life. You tell me how those morning hours go from 6:30 a.m. until you are on the street in your mission, whatever time it is; you tell me how those hours go, and I will tell you how your day will go, I will tell you how your month will go, I will tell you how your year will go and how your mission and your life will go.'"

Give everyday your all Hermana Olsen and you will feel these words in your heart in the end; “well done, good and faithful servant…” (Matt 25:23)

Bishop Hintze