Elder Hintze’s Success in Aintab through Prayer and Labor

In the late 1880s, Elder Ferdinand F. Hintze, a Danish missionary from Utah, served as the president of the Turkish Mission. While initial proselytizing in Constantinople yielded few converts, Elder Hintze found significant success after baptizing Dekran Shahabian in 1887. Following this, he expanded his missionary efforts into southern Turkey. Establishing branches in cities such as Zara, Aintab, Aleppo, and Alexandretta, Hintze found the social climate in Aintab particularly receptive due to Protestant influence, which had begun to undermine the traditional dominance of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In this environment, Hintze observed a great spiritual hunger, noting that people flocked around him by scores, asking questions concerning the Gospel from early morning until late in the evening. Due to the marked growth and receptivity of the population in that region, Hintze relocated the headquarters of the Turkish Mission from Constantinople to Aintab in 1889. This labor frequently involved strenuous travel, and the work was characterized by deep spiritual labor as the missionaries sought to provide the Gospel to those outside the established majority religious communities.