Weekly Update~ "Wo Unto Those Who Ease in Zion"

Dear Family and Friends,

This weekend, I was pondering about what progression means to me. On a mission conference call yesterday evening, an elder shared a thought that put my thoughts into words precisely. When you think of progression, the concept of acceleration also comes to mind. One of the synonyms to the word acceleration is advancement. The gospel of Jesus Christ requires progression from his disciples. It is how we become like our Father in Heaven which is one of the purposes of the plan of salvation. Progression is necessary to becoming a successful missionary, but, obviously progression is something that continues even after being a full-time missionary. As I've observed other missionaries before me go home, a lot of them develop a "All is well in Zion" mindset and become idle and let the time pass meaninglessly by. The way I see it, if we put into context with cars, it's almost as if they're stalling before the "finish line" when in reality, the "finish line" is just another mile marker on a bigger road trip. I want to be the missionary to accelerate at the end so I can keep the habits and skills I've developed as a missionary that will bless me for the rest of my life. 

Every transfer, I put a quote in my planner to remind me of my purpose. The quote this transfer was from Elder Gary B Sabin: "If we are not able to be “all in” the way we are presently walking, then maybe we need to run; maybe we need to recalculate our route. We might even need to make a U-turn. We might need to study more intently, pray more earnestly, or just let some things go so we can hang on to those things that really matter. We may need to let go of the world so we can hang on to eternity." 

My Mission has been the experience of a lifetime. The way I am going to accelerate at the end is simple. I am going to do what I've been called to do for two years until, President Carpenter tells me it's time to take off my name tag. I'm going to study every day for one hour. I'm going to take reports from our district leaders. I'm going to use time wisely. I'm going to increase people's faith in Jesus Christ. I love you all, and I'll see you soon!

Love, 

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Whom the Lord Loves He Rebukes and Chastens"

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm not going to sugar-coat it, this week was difficult for me. The Lord saw if fit to put Elder Hazen through some divine chastening and decided to do it by stretching me physically and spiritually. Last Sunday after lunch, I began to feel body aches that are a common sign of the flu. It gradually got worse and by the end of the night, I was drained. Monday was better after I got on a cycle of ibuprofen and Tylenol prescribed by Sis. Collings. Tuesday, the same feelings came back, and not wanting to miss time in the short time I have left in the field, I tried to push through and work. My family knows first hand that I can be a baby when I'm sick. At around 7, I decided in my mind I had enough of missionary work for the day, but Elder Moyes suggested we go finding. That was literally the last thing I wanted to do, but I decided to grudgingly go along. I did not have the right attitude. I felt like I was demonstrating faith to precede a miracle or faith building experience, but the charity element was lacking. Elder S. Mark Palmer said,"No true teaching or learning will ever occur when done in frustration or anger, and hearts will not change where love is not present."  That is one lesson I was reminded of. The flu left by Wednesday in time for us to attend Zone Conference in peace. The Spirit was felt and we were all edified. 

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Andriatsoherina, an elder from Madagascar. (If you can't pronounce that, don't worry, neither could any of our investigators) We had an extremely busy day which flew by and topped off the day visiting an RM with the intent of sharing the Restoration and asking for a referral. There was no need as he already had someone there waiting for us to teach...tender mercy for sure. 

On Friday morning, I woke up with the body aches and a headache and had to drive Elder Andria home and pick up Elder Moyes. I had him drive home and as I was in the car, the most negative thoughts were passing through my mind which is very unlike me and it made me even more frustrated that I was thinking that way. When we got home, I offered a prayer to Heavenly Father that went something like this: "Heavenly Father, right now, I'm not feeling great and you know I haven't been feeling great this whole week. In the scriptures, it talks about how the Savior bears up burdens and makes them light and succors according to people's needs. I need that right now." Honestly, the headaches haven't gone away, but this week I gained greater understanding for the love our Heavenly Father has for his children by chastening them and putting them through trials. I need to be patient with myself when I fall short because, after all, we are dwelling in an imperfect tabernacle of clay. I think as I draw to the close of my mission, it's easy to think that there's nothing more for me to learn but the Lord humbled me and reminded me this mortal life is about progression and constant growing. I'm thankful for his love and the Holy Ghost that is a gift from God and is an indicator when we need to change and what we need to change. 

Love, 

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ 'I Can Make Chapatis!"

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was the long awaited Stake Missionary Fireside we coordinated with the Stake leaders of the Kampala South Stake. It was wonderful to see missionaries' efforts with the Stake leaders and it turned out to be a wonderful success. Leading up to the fireside, we had a combined zone finding activity near the stake center. 

A little background information for the experience I'm about to share...The first mission president in the Uganda Kampala Mission was President Duke. Halfway through his mission, he died in a car accident on the main road from the airport to Kampala but, his wife survived. Wednesday evening, at the end of the activity, as we were about to get into a taxi to meet up with everyone again, we heard someone behind us call, "Hey Mormons!". That's not a common thing to hear around these parts so I turned around to find a YSA guy walking behind us. I asked him, "Surely you've been to the states, where are you coming from?" He told us he had just gotten back to Uganda two days ago from Idaho. He told us he knows all about the Book of Joseph Smith and stuff like that and that his neighbor would talk to him about it all the time. He said we probably knew her and that her last name was Duke. I asked him if they lived in Uganda and he said that her husband died somewhere in Africa. We took the time to bear testimony that the things which that sister shared were true and that the misconceptions he heard about us aren't and invited him to get properly informed by coming to the fireside on Friday. Unfortunately he didn't come to the fireside or church but I know we didn't just meet the man by chance.

P-Day was great! We did something different for a chage and spent our day with our family who will be baptized next week.  The mom taught us how to make chapatis (soft layered flat bread similar to Tortillas and Naan) and we taught them how to make pancakes.  Then we took all our food and watched Meet the Mormons!

As I've shared in the past, we are focusing on teaching repentance and baptism as a Mission. Yesterday evening, we taught a sister who is a neighbor of a member in the elders' quorum presidency. It was the first time in a long time that I actually felt I was "preaching repentance".  As we shared with her how she can become clean from the poor habits she has developed and be free from the feelings of guilt she feels as a result. The re-occurring thought I'm having is how the basics of the gospel are so necessary to pass through this life unscathed by the whirlwinds and storms Satan brings. As we drove home from this lesson, Elder Moyes and I talked about how the things we teach tend to influence us as well. I have noticed personally that I am more mindful about renewing my covenants with the sacrament and my desire to continue to improve on the little things. I love this Gospel and the way it has helped me progress on my mission. I know it is true.

I love you all, 

See you in 3 weeks,

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Spiritual Cataracts"

Dear Family and Friends,

This week we spent time attending Distric Development Meetings for everyone in the zone. It was a good experience as we went over the things we learned in Mission Leadership Conference and demonstrated role-plays on how to teach repentance and baptism in every lesson.

 Alpha, Estella, Sarah, and Albert are all preparing for baptism next week. We are grateful for their commitment and the desire they all have to repent and follow the Savior. Yesterday in church, during Gospel Principles, we were having a discussion about the difference between gifts of the Spirit and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. One sister asked, "how do we get the Spirit to be with us again if we have done something wrong to drive it away?" Albert rose his hand and simply answered, "Repent of your sins and come to church to take of the sacrament to renew your covenants." The simplicity of the gospel blows me away.

This week, I read a BYU Speech talk "Spiritual Cataracts". In this talk, cataracts are likened to living the gospel and how our vision is sometimes blurred on what matters most with pollutants. These pollutants include envy, contention, dishonesty, and lasciviousness. When these pollutants or distractions creep into our lives, we lose focus on the Savior and the gospel, but it is still there. Like with cataracts, it is possible to receive corrective eye surgery that restores our vision perfectly. Repentance is always possible no matter how far we drift from the path. I love the simplicity of the preventative "spiritual antioxidants" as well. Prayer, studying the word of God, and Service. Funny enough, it's the same simple practices recommended to me by President Collings in my interview with him Thursday morning. I know that these simple practices are enough to keep one stabilized in this increasingly unstable world we live in as we show faith in the "Rock of Salvation".

I love you all,

Elder Hazen