Monday, June 5, 2017

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

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