Mission Accomplished!

Dear Family and Friends,

I don't have any regrets whatsoever with how I concluded the last week of my mission. I accomplished everything that I wanted too and feel comfortable with the final moments of this chapter in my life. However, like I stated last week, this isn't the end of being a missionary. This has been the most incredible experience of my life and words in an email can't describe how I'm feeling right now. I look forward to sharing these experiences with you all in person upon my return home.

I'd just like to leave you with my simple testimony that I know that God lives and Jesus Christ is his son, the Redeemer of the world. I have worked as an instrument in his hands with the Spirit as my guide as I have strived to remain worthy of it's companionship. I know that God has a plan for all of his children and that progression to become like him is a necessary part of that plan. I know coming to serve the people of Uganda and Rwanda was an essential part of my personal progression. I testify that no greater happiness comes than from living a life focused on the Gospel and it's principles and ordinances. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's original church restored to the Earth by his hand through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know this because I have read and prayed about the Book of Mormon numerous times and I know it to be the word of God. I know that Jesus' Atonement is central to that plan and through it, I have become a changed man.

I'd just like to leave you with my simple testimony that I know that God lives and Jesus Christ is his son, the Redeemer of the world. I have worked as an instrument in his hands with the Spirit as my guide as I have strived to remain worthy of it's companionship. I know that God has a plan for all of his children and that progression to become like him is a necessary part of that plan. I know coming to serve the people of Uganda and Rwanda was an essential part of my personal progression. I testify that no greater happiness comes than from living a life focused on the Gospel and it's principles and ordinances. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's original church restored to the Earth by his hand through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know this because I have read and prayed about the Book of Mormon numerous times and I know it to be the word of God. I know that Jesus' Atonement is central to that plan and through it, I have become a changed man.

Love, 

Elder Hazen

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

Weekly Update~ "The First of Many Lasts On My Mission"

Dear Family and Friends,

Last week, during a conference call, President Collings shared an experience from the life of Brother David Whitmer. The account goes something like this:

In efforts to increase the faith of the missionaries and to draw down the powers of heaven more abundantly, President Collings christened this transfer the "David Whitmer Transfer". For the whole transfer, President challenged us to apply all the things we've been learning in the transfers previous to teach repentance and baptism in EVERY single teaching situation. We have also been asked to get back to reading Preach My Gospel every day and to role-play every companionship study. Every week, we will be having a conference call to spend about a half hour or so sharing experiences and miracles as we see the Lord magnify our efforts in doing the best we can. In the past, I've seen that whenever President counsels us to do something, no matter what, do it, because inevitably blessings do come. 

This week was week 1 of the "David Whitmer Transfer" here in the UKM and the Kampala Central Zone kicked it off with a bang. Early in the week, Elder Moyes received a clear prompting about the sisters coming into our zone. In speaking with Elder Grant in the week previous, he shared with me some concerns all the sisters in the whole mission were having about struggling to find new investigators to teach. We decided to share this with the district leaders in Mengo and Makindye where the sisters will be going and encouraged them to begin doing some finding for both themselves and the sisters so they'd at least have a few people to teach when they got there. When we received a report from them yesterday, both companionships of sisters had at least one investigator at church which was a real tender mercy. 

Also, with it being transfer week, as a zone leader and district leader where there are new missionaries coming, sacrificing time in your area is expected. But, as we took time to drive missionaries to their new areas and running errands to transport forgotten belongings we knew the Lord would bless us. He blessed not only us, but Elder Khoriyo and Elder Dlamini in Mengo by helping us accomplish standards of excellence. On Thursday morning, Elder Moyes and I taught a referral from Bishop Omuya to a lady who works at a mobile money stand across the street from a church named Prossy. She is a sweet lady with a 5 year old daughter named Michelle who cracks us up whenever we walk by. While teaching the restoration to her, we noticed mid-way through the lesson another woman seated close-by to Prossy who was also listening while acting occupied with a magazine on her lap. When we talked about how Christ established his church on the Earth, she couldn't contain her curiosity and closed the magazine. We felt prompted to invite her to participate in the rest of the lesson and the Spirit was present. The Spirit was powerful at the climax of the lesson, as we talked about the first vision. Both were glued, and we extended a baptism date to both. We came to find out that the other woman, Sylvia, obviously one of God's elect, has been visited by missionaries a few times before but, has the most motivation to learn about the Book of Mormon than ever before. Super cool. 

The Gym RJ Works Out In

On Friday, I attended my last MLC of my mission and bore my first of many departing testimonies. The reality of going home finally threw it's first punch. The meeting was extremely uplifting and I wanted to share something I got out of it. Elder Farnsworth talked about how Repentance and Baptism are tightly knit as is the rest of the gospel of Jesus Christ but, he then took time what it means to have a remission of sins. When you put the word remission in the context of cancer, it means the cancer is still in your body, but it is dormant and the effects of the cancer can't be felt temporarily. Same with our spirits when we go through the repentance process. Sin is the cancer of our spirits and when remitted, like cancer, has a chance of coming back. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the cure to spiritual cancer. In this church, the full and everlasting gospel is taught with all the necessary ordinances. No one else can cure this cancer. This is simply because no one has the Priesthood authority. I testify that through the restored gospel, we can be clean and fully healed of the cancer of the soul and return to live with our father in heaven. I'm thankful for the time I have left to share this cure with as many as possible. 

RJ's Favorite Meal

I love you all,

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Last Transfer of My Mission"

Dear Family and Friends,

Transfer news has arrived and I will be finishing my Mission in Nsambya with Elder Moyes. Did I ever imagine I'd be finishing in this wonderful place when I got on a plane to Uganda from Rwanda 6 months ago? Not a chance. But am I satisfied? Extremely.

As a Mission, we continue to focus on coordinating our missionary efforts with the ward and stake leadership. This week, President Collings, President Kamya, the Assistants, Elder Beck and Anderson from Kampala South Zone and Elder Moyes and myself from Kampala Central Zone, had another wonderful coordination meeting. Once again, revelation flowed and we set some ambitious goals and created strong plans with the upcoming Stake Missionary Fireside. We did a live announcement via Facebook and got a lot of positive feedback. We are all looking forward to the activity. 

We had a baptism this Sunday for brother Francis Oringa, Brother Joshua for the Nsambya DL side, then brother S. I had the opportunity to interview him for baptism and he brought such a strong spirit into the room as he testified of things he knew to be true as he answered baptism questions. After his baptism and confirmation, he hugged everyone in sight, including the brethren of the priesthood who had just assisted in his confirmation ordinance. I looked at him a few rows back and at that moment, he got up from his chair, went a few seats down the row, and gave sister R big hug. As I witnessed that precious scene, with tears in my eyes, I remembered how amazing it is when people make the changes and steps in their lives to bring themselves more in line with God's will. I am so blessed to be apart of this wonderful work.

I love you all,

Elder Hazen

RJ's Apartment