Sunday, December 5, 2010

Christmas Letter 2010

"Mine," Sandra whispered as she headed toward the child size piano and stool. Without even noticing the other gifts around the tree, she sat down and started hitting the keys with one finger. The year was 1968. Sandra was 21 months old. Don and I both had tears in our eyes as we watched the excitement of our first born.

Don was pastor of a little church in Packwood, WA. Our meager salary did not include extras for purchasing Christmas presents. A couple of ladies from the church invited me to go with them on a shopping trip into the city. It was a fun day looking, talking, and laughing as they bought gifts, marking off the names on their lists. My one purchase of the day was a small toy for Sandra that cost $1.50.

Don enjoyed going into the woods with the men from church to cut our Christmas tree but I could tell it made him feel bad to have only one wrapped gift under the tree. On Christmas Eve, one by one, families from the church stopped by with a present to put under the tree for Sandra June. The Sunday before, the board had presented our family with a pole lamp for our Christmas gift so we were really surprised by all of these gifts for our little one. Our tree was bursting with wrapped gifts of all sizes when about 10:00 pm another knock came to our front door. Don opened the door and there sat the little black piano and stool with a note, "To Sandra from Santa Clause". Don looked at me and with a broken voice he said, "God is so good."

Friends, forty two years years later I still say, "God is so good." That doesn't mean everything has been perfect with no sacrifice or pain. It means no matter what I go through, I can trust God to be with me "and I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

I am so thankful for my family and the joy they all are in my life. I'll share a few things going on with them this year:

1. Danielle and Darren are expecting a son to be born around January 12th. I am looking forward to welcoming my great grandson, Daniel Thomas to the family. Also Danielle and Darren will be graduating from Southwestern University of the Assemblies of God this month. They are in the process of getting ministerial credentials and looking forward to God's next step in their lives.

2. Clayton, Valerie's oldest son, received a scholarship to Northwest University through the Acts Six Program. He is enjoying his first year of college life in Kirkland, WA.

3. Dominique and Sandra are now the proud owners of "The German Bakery and Coffee Shop" in Lakewood, WA. If you are ever in the area, stop by for lunch or for coffee and one of his yummy German pastries. Be sure and say hi to Dominique who will be in the kitchen.

4. Michael, Sandra's son who attends college in California, was hurt during wrestling and ended up having extensive knee surgery. He's struggling with not being able to wrestle for awhile.

5. I'm happy to have Elaine move back in our area after working in Alaska the last two years. She is an Escrow Officer with Old Republic Title in Puyallup.

6. Kirsten, Elaine's daughter, is having a new experience this year. She is teaching a combined classroom of first and second graders. Her students at Mt. View Elementary School in Puyallup keep her on her toes.

7. The youth band and choir from our church recently made a professional CD. All of the songs were written by members of the band. Quinton, Meghan, Danielle and Darren were a part of this exciting experience. I'm look forward to the CD coming out on December 12th.

8. Valerie has been working hard at her photography business while home schooling Quinton and Preston. Her son, Dalton, a sophomore this year, is very busy with ROTC, band, and wrestling.

9. Shirley keeps busy with her job at Intel and her four grandchildren. She and Neal bought a small RV so they can "play" with the grandchildren in comfort.

My sister, June and her husband drove out from North Carolina to see me in July. We had a wonderful week and it was hard to say goodby. Seems the older I get the more I miss her. She is not just a sister...she is my friend, my prayer partner, my cheering fan, and I love the hours we spend on the phone sharing every event in our lives.

My season of life has changed since that first Christmas we spent in Packwood. Instead of meeting the needs of my children, they watch over me and take care of chores I can no longer do. Instead of writing church bulletins and directing Christmas plays I now enjoy hosting a Bible Study table, doing devotions for my widow's group, playing the piano for a couple of Senior groups, being a part of the wonderful changes in Teen Challenge Women, and most of all being a prayer partner and support of my grandchildren and their activities.

It doesn't matter what season of life you are in right now, the most important thing to remember is "Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." (Matthew 6:32 NLT) Jesus is not only the "reason for the season"....He is the reason "We can have life, and have it in all its fullness." (John 10:10 NLT)

Wishing my family and friends a joyful "Jesus" celebration.



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Our Chelan Experience

Today I was praying for a friend of mine that is staying in Chelan. After my prayer time I began to reminisce about the years that Don pastored in that pretty resort town. I was humbled as I thought about the lives that God changed at the altar in that little church.

During the summer Don took a part time job working in an apple orchard. He was assigned to work along side a young man in his middle twenties. As they pruned trees, Eugene passed the time by sharing with Don all the reasons it was silly to believe in God. Every night during prayer time, Don would pray for Eugene and ask God to let him see this young man through God's eyes. After several months and much prayer, Eugene came to church and gave his heart to the Lord.

A revival broke out as Eugene gathered up his friends and brought them to church. In one month over 12 young man had given their hearts to God. They were hungry to learn all they could about God, so they not only attended every service but were often at the parsonage asking questions of Don and going through Scripture with him. I did my best to keep cookies, brownies, and simple meals made for these young people.

One Sunday evening after church our living room and dining room were filled with young people. I felt so bad because there were no treats made and all I could find to feed this hungry group was a couple packages of hot dogs and a large can of pork and beans. One young man walked over to the cookie jar and took off the lid. I apologized, sharing that I didn't have the ingredients to make cookies. The young man said, "Hey, guys, the Hintz's need some food. Let's pray." They grabbed hands and begin to pray that God would send us the food we needed.

The next morning at 6:00 am the phone rang. It was one of the men in our church. "I was just working in my orchard and the Lord laid it on my heart that you need food,"Bro. Stoker began. "I'll be in town in an hour and I'll take you over to Safeway to get what you need."

Don and I woke the girls and started getting ready for a trip to the store. "I'm nervous about this," I confided to Don. "We are out of so many things and I'm embarrassed to share our needs with Bro. Stoker." "God has answered our prayer so we're just going to have to trust Him, " Don responded.

When Bro . Stoker came to the door he apologized for not having time to go with us to the store. He gave us $60.00 and made us promise we would use it for food and supplies, not for any bills. We both were praising God while we walked through the aisles of the store getting flour, sugar, oil, shampoo, laundry soap and every thing else we needed. $60.00 in 1971 went as far as $200.00 or more today.

Just as we were putting the last of our groceries in their proper place, there was a knock on the door. It was a woman from our church. "I was in the grocery store picking up a few items last night, and the Lord laid it on my heart that your pantry needed refilling. I have a few things in the car if you would please help me bring them in," she said. To our surpise she had brought us 25 lbs of flour, 25 lbs of sugar, a gallon of vegetable oil, 2 lb block of butter, 20 lbs of potatoes, 5 lb bag of rice, 6 lbs of hamburger, 2 whole chickens, a family pack of pork chops, a box of apples, and some candy for the girls. I stood looking at all that food and couldn't do anything but cry. God knew our small packages of "basics" wouldn't go very far with all the young people we fed and He made sure we had plenty to last for awhile. Our pantry was packed and so was our back porch.

Don called up Eugene's home and left a message on his answer machine, sharing how God had answered their prayers. That evening a whole group of young men saw for themselves that,"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry." (Psalm 34:15)

As I pray for my friend in Chelan I know a miracle from God is needed. "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago." (Psalm 77:11) and remembering God's provision thirty years ago will build my faith for the present situation with my dear friend.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

God's Special Gift

Recently a friend gave birth to a pre-mature daughter. She weighed in at 2 lbs and 1 oz. She is so tiny but we are reminded how God made all the delicate, inner parts of her little body. She is fearfully and wonderfully made by her creator. (Psalm 139:13,14)

Thinking about little Olivia Faith brings back memories of my firstborn. Don and I had been married almost 5 years when we got the news we had been longing for. We were going to have a baby and the due date was June 1st, her daddy's birthday.

Don and I loved children. We had met at a children's church camp. We had worked at the Assemblies of God National Children's Home where we were dorm parents to 15 boys and girls, ages 6-9. At the time of our good news, we were foster parents to two little brothers from Germany that we loved like our own sons. Alfred and Peter, ages 5 and 3 were excited for the coming baby.

On Easter Sunday, April 9th, I had a hard day. I had so much back pain that I could hardly sit in church. I cooked dinner for several of Don's family members and at one point I went outside, leaned against the house and cried out to God to help me with the intense pain. The pain kept me up most of the night and so Don drove me to the doctor on Monday morning. To our surprise, I was completely dilated and our baby was coming 7 weeks early.

Sandra June (named after my two sisters) weighed in at 4 lbs. They rushed her away after she was born and I didn't get to see her for two days. (They did things much different in l967.) Don would look at Sandra through the nursery window and try to describe her to me. "She has dark hair....she has eyebrows....she even has fingernails on her tiny fingers," he relayed to me with excitement. He was so fascinated with how perfectly she was made.

After a few days, the doctor told us Sandra had a 50/50 chance to make it. She wouldn't suck and they were having trouble with all the tubes she was hooked up to . We lived 25 miles from the hospital but every day we would go to look at her through the nursery window. She looked so small and pitiful.

On the third week after Sandra's birth, I received a call from our doctor. He informed me that Sandra was not doing well and her chances of survival had gone down. Don was at his swing shift job and I had no one to talk to but the Lord. I looked at the crib set up in our room, and fell across the bed crying with groans from my deepest being. At first I begged God to heal my baby but before the night was over I had to give her back to God and ask His will to be done. The next morning I could tell by Don's eyes that he too had done battle in his heart for a big part of the night.

After breakfast we headed to the hospital. I was leaning against the nursery window with tears streaming down my cheeks when our Pastor walked up. He asked us to join hands. He took Don's hand and laid his other hand on the nursery window and began to pray in Jesus' name for our little angel. The presence of the Lord was so strong and I knew God had touched our daughter.

Later that day I had an urgent feeling that I had to get back to the hospital. Don said, "Honey, there isn't anything you can do but stand there. We'll go again in the morning." I couldn't get it out of my heart that I had to get back to the hospital. Don made arrangements for a neighbor to pick up Alfred from school and we headed back to the hospital in Moses Lake.

As soon as we walked up to the nursery window, a nurse came out and told us a wonderful thing had happened. Right after we left that morning, Sandra's feeding tube had clogged. When the nurse took it out, Sandra started a sucking motion. They tried giving her a bottle and she drank some formula. She looked so peaceful sleeping in her bassinet without her tube.

From that day forth, Sandra started to gain weight and when she was 26 days old, the doctor let us take her home weighing 4 lbs 15 oz. For the first time since her birth, Don and I held our little girl in our arms. No words were said, but we both knew in our hearts that this little one was God's gift, given to us to raise.

The Bible says, "Children are a gift from the Lord: they are a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3 (NLT) Sandra has definitely been a special reward to me and I am eternally grateful for God's healing power that made it possible for me to have her these 43 years.

My heart goes out to little Olivia Faith and her sweet family. Every day I call her name in prayer because I know "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Power of Love

Today is Valentine's Day. I was thinking about LOVE and what it has meant in my life...the love of a great God, of a loving mate, of wonderful family members and delightful friends. My life has been saturated with LOVE. I began to think of a Valentine's Day over 30 years ago when I learned about a young girl in her early 20's that had never experienced unconditional love. That Valentine's Day will always have a special place in my heart.

The story of this young lady began a week before Valentine's Day. It was a typical Sunday afternoon. Don and I were taking a little Sunday afternoon quiet time and Sandra and Valerie were riding their bikes in the church parking lot which separated our parsonage from the church. A car pulled into the parking lot and a young lady asked the girls if the church was unlocked. "No," Sandra answered, "but I can go get my dad and he will open it for you." The lady didn't say anymore but just drove away. The girls continued to ride their bikes.

"Hintz's Residence," Don answered the phone after the rings interrupted his reading. "Is your church unlocked?" a very distressed sounding voice asked, catching Don by surprise. "It's locked but I'm available to unlock it," Don responded. "Could you tell me why you need to get into the church?" "I just want to sit in there," the sad voice quietly answered. As Don continued the conversation on the phone I stopped writing my letter and sat listening. "Where are you calling from?" Don asked. She said she didn't know for sure, but she was somewhere in Seattle by a Safeway store.

All of a sudden, Don blurted out, "You are one of the Smith (name changed) girls, aren't you?" The caller gasped. She was caught off guard because Don had not seen her since she was a young pre-teen attending our church. After she finally admitted that she was Jean, Don told her that I would be very disappointed not to get to talk to her. He handed me the phone and whispered for me to keep her on while he went to look for her.

Jean had been in my Sunday School class in the little church we pastored at the foot of Mt. Rainier. I loved that little "tom boy" that tried to be tough but was really very sensitive and loving. I kept her talking on the phone until I heard Don's voice and the phone hit the side of the booth. God had laid it on Don's heart that she wasn't in Seattle but was at the corner Safeway store by our house in Des Moines. He approached her in the phone booth and convinced her to come back and sit in the quiet church. We left her alone to cry, scream, pray, or whatever she needed to do to bring peace to her troubled soul.

When she was finally ready to tell us her story, we realized the miracle God had performed to get her to our home where we could support and help her. She was in trouble with the law and headed to jail in a week. The court had given her this week to take her two month old baby to her folks and then report back to the jail. After dropping off the baby she headed up I-5 towards Seattle, planning to keep going on to Canada and skipping out on jail. She was very distraught. As she drove, she began to think about the only place she ever felt peace was in church. She pulled off the freeway at the next exit and came up the side road looking for a church. She passed several churches, getting out and trying the doors, but they were all locked and empty. She then came to our church where she talked to the girls. Suddenly she remembered that the Hintz's (the only pastor she had known) was supposed to be in the Seattle area so she headed to a phone booth to look for our phone number. God was watching over her because we were not listed in the Seattle phone book, only the Des Moines one. She found our number, thinking all the time she was somewhere in Seattle.

With love and God's help, we convinced Jean to go to jail and do her time. We spent most of that week with her getting to know her better, assuring her of God's love and forgiveness, as well as our love and commitment to be there for her. All four of our family member fell deeply in love with Jean and hated to see her go.

February 14th was the day Jean was required to check herself into jail. Don and I drove her the hour and half to her destination. We gave her a Valentine Card assuring her of our love and commitment to visit and be there for her anyway we could. I gave her my "Living Translation" Bible which was well marked. We left Jean and a part of our hearts at that jail. I remember how the weather changed and we had to drive home in a treacherous snow storm and it just went along with the turmoil we were feeling in our hearts. I Peter 1:22 tells us "...to love one another deeply, from the heart." Don and I found it easy to love Jean deeply. She had definitely won our hearts.

When we arrived home, we noticed an envelope on the back seat. It was a card from Jean thinking us for showing her what unconditional love is all about. She said she had never experienced it before. "Lord, help us to show her that unconditional love begins with You," Don prayed out loud as we headed into the house.

David tells us in Psalm 103:8-10 "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." I am so thankful for this promise. I vast in His abounding love and often need His forgiveness.

Jean paid the penalty for her poor choices, put her life together, and has been a model citizen every since. She is no longer just a friend but a vital part of our family. I think it is time for me to give her a call and wish her a happy "love" day.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Facing the Unknowns

Sandra jerked the cord and the bus pulled over to the curve to let us off. We crossed Fourth Ave. and started walking down the dark road by the old Kingdome. "I'm scared," Valerie whined as she grabbed on to my arm and snuggled in close. Sandra took hold of my other arm and we headed down the pitch black four blocks to First Ave. "Just hang on and walk fast," I told the girls, trying to be braver than I really was. "We will be at Denny's soon and we can wait inside until Dad's bus comes."

It was Christmas Eve of 1976. Sandra was 10 and Valerie 8. Don was working, driving the evening shift of his Metro Bus. We wanted to be with him so we road a bus from our home in Des Moines and now were walking over to catch him on his route.

The lights around Denny's were a welcome sight but as we drew closer to our destination, to our surprise, Denny's was closed. A sign on the door read, "for the first time in the history of Denny's we are closing early on Christmas Eve and being closed on Christmas Day." I looked up and down So. First Ave and let up a silent, "Help, Lord." We still had 40 minutes before Don's bus was due and this was the scariest place I had ever been at 11:00 p.m. There was not a place anywhere within sight that we could go if we needed help...no phone booth....and no place to hide. We were all alone at a dark bus stop.

"Mom, I'm cold, Valerie shared as she snuggled close to me. I unbuttoned my coat and pulled it around a girl on each side of me, hoping to shield them some from the wind that was sending a chill right through us. "I'm so sorry, girls, Dad and I thought we'd have a warm place to wait for his bus," I confessed through shivering teeth.

The time went by slowly as we waited in the cold dark night. I would hold my breath every time a car went by, hoping they wouldn't notice us and stop. A few times it looked like the car was slowing down but God had heard this mamma's prayer and protected us.

All three of us became excited when we could see the lights of a bus in the distance. The girls left the warmth of my coat and began to jump up and down in excitement. All fear was gone....the night didn't seem as cold....the one we loved and were waiting for was pulling his bus over to the curb. My heart skipped a beat when the bus door opened and Don unbuckled his seat belt and stood to welcome us into the safety of his arms.

Today is New Year's Day....a new year....a new decade. It's so easy to get caught up with the scary things that face us this year. My mind goes to a friend facing her first year as a widow after being married 56 years, another friend facing the unknowns of her husband's recently diagnosed cancer, and a young couple that 's renting out their home they love and moving back with mom and dad to try and ride out the financial crisis of their business. Sometimes in the dark, scary night it's difficult to remember we have one who promises to be there for us.

I've often wondered how Mary, as a teenage girl, faced the unknowns of being impregnated by the Holy Spirit and given the responsibility of raising the "Son of God". The Scripture says, "Blessed is she who has believed what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished." (Luke 2:45)

Is facing the uncertainties of a New Year as simple as believing what we have been told? Psalms 91:14,15 (The Msg.) says, "If you'll hold on to me for dear life, says God, I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, and then throw you a party."

Don, the girls, and I had a great Christmas Eve. The bus was empty so the four of us sang Christmas carols to the tops of our voices. We chatted and played games and enjoyed the "gift" of being together. Soon Don's route was finished and we headed to an all-night cafe for an early morning breakfast. It was almost 4 a.m. when we arrived home. Don turned on the Christmas tree lights and laid down four sleeping bags by the tree. We all crawled in and let the blinking lights of the tree and soft classical music lure us into dreamland. We were safe....we were warm...we were loved...and thoughts of the scary evening was gone from our minds.

The unknowns of this New Year are not so scary when we stand on the promises of God's Word and believe that, "The eternal GOD is our refuge, and underneath us are HIS everlasting arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27 personalized)