Weekly Update~ "Thrust In Your Sickle WHILE the Day Lasts"

Dear Family and Friends,

   The work in the Kigali 1st Branch is definitely picking up. Elder Namable and I find ourselves running from appointment to appointment in attempt to keep time and meet with all the families we have lessons planned with. We come every evening extremely tired but, I wouldn't have it any other way. This week, President Chatfield and the AP's were in town for the Rwanda Zone Conference as well as exchanges.

Elder Afrifa, Ruell and Wilson with Elder Hazen

   On Wednesday morning, Elder Afrifa, Elder Ruell, and Elder Wilson got into town in time for DDM. After enjoying a nice lunch at one of my new favorite buffets, Elder Afrifa went on exchanges with Elder Nambale and I.  Every time I've been on exchanges with Zone Leaders or AP's, we've always had bad luck with getting bounced by our investigators we had planned to teach for the day, but this time we were able to meet every person we had planned! It was a great experience because I was able to ask a lot of questions that had been on my mind concerning investigators and getting them to come to church.  I was also able to learn from the way Elder Afrifa taught. It was a joy being around him because he has a contagious laugh and smile and loves the work so much. 

   On Thursday morning, we had Zone Conference. Even though I think I say it every time, this was probably my favorite of my mission. Everything I learned was exactly what I needed at this point in time. I'm grateful for the inspiration President receives on behalf of the missionaries in each of the respective areas they work in. Elder Ruell was telling me that he has been to 7 different conferences this transfer and President has had different counsel for each zone. Sister Chatfield began the conference by talking about tender mercies and how big of a role they play especially in missionary work. My whole mission I've always tried to be mindful of tender mercies no matter how big or small. I consider every opportunity I have to share a bit of this Gospel and bear testimony as a tender mercy. If I've learned one thing on my mission, it's that we need to plant as many seeds in the hearts of people as possible, even though we may not be the ones reaping the harvest. President then gave his opening remarks and told us a story about when he was in college and was rushing to finish school and made an agreement with his professors to give him pass fail tests so, he could graduate in as little time as possible. He told us about an English paper he delayed to write until about a week before the deadline. In a time of desperate measures, he asked his older sister to give him one of her papers from her time in college, having graduated with an English major. She gave him her BEST paper she had written throughout her college career, one that she turned in as her final college thesis. It received an A+ and her professor told her it was the best paper he had ever read. After making a few adjustments, President took it and turned it in to his professor. When he received the  paper, his professor told him it was the WORST paper she had ever read and that she was giving him a D+ so she didn't ever have to deal with him again. He told us that while he was elated that he had passed, he told us that if he had just begun the paper and worked on it little by little, he wouldn't have ever had to turn in a paper titled "Why Shakespeare wasn't Shakespeare." He compared this to our missions and that we should be doing exactly what we are supposed to with the little time we have to serve so, we don't have to turn in a paper to the Lord that isn't our best at the end of our two years. As always, President also talked about increasing our faith. He told us that if we want to teach more and find more families, then we need to increase our faith, ask for the Lord to be apart of the work, live worthily, forget yourself, and trust that our Heavenly Father knows exactly where the elite and educated people who will build the branch are and trust him to guide us to them. This had a huge impact on me. I felt the Spirit so strongly and I felt at that moment that I couldn't go wrong in this work because I felt of the power of our Heavenly Father. He already has all the answers and keys to success. It's just as simple as asking him and having the faith to follow the Spirit. He also gave us a Mission President promise and told us that if we ALWAYS follow our priesthood leaders for the rest of our lives, we will never fall away because they truly receive revelation from God on our behalf. The moment we stray from our priesthood leaders, is the moment we stray from God's will for us. He concluded with a quote I really enjoyed. 

"Pray, then work like everything depended on you, then pray like everything depended on God."

   Since Zone Conference I have felt like I have lost myself in the work even more. I am always constantly thinking about these people and praying in their behalf and every time I study or read something, I often find my mind wandering to my investigators and think about how the things I learn can benefit them.

RJ Drinking Kivuguto

On another note,  Elder Nambale and I have a new obsession. Nearly every night, before we go home, we stop at a little cafe and drink a mug of "kivuguto". Haha it is fermented milk so it tastes like yogurt without sugar but when you put brown sugar in it, it's unreal. 

Birthday Party

   Last night, the whole zone was invited over to Jimmy's home for his daughter's birthday party. We got destroyed with food, laughed, exchanged kind words, and just had a great time. Rwandese know how to throw a good birthday party. 

I love you all,

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "The Promised Land"

Dear Family and Friends,

   Greetings from Rwanda! Let me first testify that this place truly is the Promised Land spoken of by missionaries around the Uganda Kampala Mission. It is a whole different world than Uganda. It is a lot cleaner, it has a more mild climate, it is easier to get around town because they have a cheap, quick, bus system that runs through our area, the food is amazing, the people are as kind and humble as they are in Uganda, and the list goes on and on. I got into town Friday but, there is a lot happened before I landed here as well. Let me summarize for you the rest of my week.

Flying to Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda

Monday- I forgot to mention it last week, but on Monday morning, we took a taxi to Jinja and met Elders Robinson, Dlamini, Langford, and Dabb from Mukono at The Keep for lunch. From there, we drove down to the Nile River to take some cute pics and because it'll be Elder Robinson's and my last time seeing it for awhile. We had a great time. 

Nile River

Tuesday- Elder Ward and I spent the day saying our last goodbyes to a few people in our areas. I went and saw Eron, Sunday Toko, Christine, Resty, David Hadson and Reegan, and we had one last dinner with our friends from Help International which was as good as ever. I spent the rest of the night packing. During that process, I found that a rat had climbed into my small carry-on suitcase and died because of the rat poison it had probably consumed. It had probably been dead for about two weeks because when I opened it to begin putting a few things inside, it absolutely reeked, and it was rotting and being eaten by maggots and things. But, I had Steven deep clean it with soap and water on Wednesday so everything was good to go.

Friends from Help International

David, Hadson and Reegan

Wednesday- Wednesday morning, Elders Robinson and Dlamini picked us up at around 9:30. We said good-bye to Andrew, Steven, Bro. Ochitti, Elder Ray and Elder Tesch. I'm going to miss those guys a lot there's not much more I can say. When we got to the Ntinda apartment, Elder Ward and I hopped in the truck with Elder Dlamini and Robinson and met a bunch of ZL's from the mission at Little Donkey in Nsambya. Little Donkey is probably the best Mexican food place in Uganda. I got a fat plate of nachos and a quesadilla. I was a happy little Mexican boy. :) After that, we drove back to Ntinda and people started to leave. I spent the rest of the night hanging out with Elder Owen and Chifamba because they spent the night at Ntinda as well. We had a nice game of Scum going with about 12 missionaries in the AP flat at the end of the night. It reminded me of the glory days of the Cedar Hills 14th ward playing scum Sunday nights. Also... When I woke up that morning, I felt like my neck was sun burnt or something. Thinking it was a spider-bite or something, I asked Elder Ray if he saw anything but, he didn't. As I went through the rest of the day, it started hurting worse. It was super irritating because my shirt collar kept rubbing against it. That night, Elder Chabra took a look at it and by that time, a rash had begun to form. Elder Chabra told me I had shingles and put me on medicine to cut down the cycle of the virus. So, instead of suffering 10-14 days, I would only have to deal with it for 7-10. Haha I've had to take 2 pills 5 times a day and it hasn't been fun at all. But, all trials are from God and they bring us closer to him as we rely on him:) I should be on the down-hill for this by now, I'm crossing my fingers!

Andrew the Compound Guard and Close Friend

Elders Ray, Ward and Tesch

Hard to Say Goodbye

Start of the Shingles Virus

Thursday- We began the morning by doing personal study and a 10 person companion study in the Ntinda flat. The rest of the day, Elders Hatch, Carter, Shumway, Mugwagwa and I all went out into the DL side of Ntinda and worked. It was a fun time because this is both Elder Carter and Shumway's first week on mission so, it was cool to be able to experience that first full day with them. We spent most of the day tracting, but in the evening, while Carter, Shumway, and Hatch went to teach a scheduled appointment, Elder Mugwagwa and I split off to go follow up with a Mom we tracted into that day. On our way there, we saw a few guys with a basketball walking up the hill past us. When we got to the home, we got bounced so in order to pass the time until we had to meet up again, we decided to go find those guys with the basketball and see if they wanted to play a pick-up game with some missionaries. We found them a few minutes later and asked if they wanted to play and they reluctantly accepted...Little did they know, they were beginning a game with a member from the Zimbabwe national basketball team.  They weren't prepared for what happened next. Elder Mugwagwa and I went on an 18-0 run against them and Mugwagwa humbled a few kids by absolutely posterized them on a few dunks. One of the funnest days I've had on my mission. I spent the rest of the night hanging out with Elder Mugwagwa talking basketball and packing. He left the next day with us for Ethiopia. I hope I get the opportunity to serve with him soon.

Elder Mugwagwa

Friday- We left for the airport early in the morning. We were a bit late so, Brother Godfrey hauled butt haha, it was an impressive feat of driving. We landed in Rwanda earlier than we departed because there is an hour difference. We got picked up by Elder Brogan, got dropped off at the apartment, and went finding allll day. Haha it was a good first day in Rwanda.

Airplane that flew to Rwanda

Saturday/Sunday-In the morning we had ZDM then went to a restaurant after. Had lunch at an unreal restaurant and had a cheeseburger that tasted like home. Went to a primary activity after then taught a lesson in the evening. On Sunday, I was impressed with how organized the branch is. We had a great testimony meeting. In the evening, we taught a family and it was a great lesson!

I just wanted to leave a last thought from my study this week. In Mosiah 2:20-22, King Benjamin talks about how if we work our entire lives dedicated to God, and don't make a single mistake or anything, we would still be unprofitable servants to God. I'm just grateful for the power and strength God gives me each week to work as hard as I can because I know I would be nothing as a missionary if I didn't have his assistance.

I hope you all enjoyed conference. I may get to watch it this week! I'll share some thoughts next week. Also, keep the Rwandan people in mind this next week. It is Genocide remembrance week.

 I love you all,

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Rwanda Bound!"

Dear Family and Friends,

    It's crazy how within one week, how many things can change when you're on a mission. I went to bed last Monday night thinking I'd probably spend another transfer here in Lugazi and finish Tesch's training. However, when I woke up Tuesday morning with 5 missed calls from the AP's, I figured something was up. Elder Ruell notified me I needed to be in Kampala the next morning before 10 so I could go get a police report done. When that happens, it means two things-either you're going to Ethiopia, or you're going to Rwanda. I spent the rest of the day with the thought I was leaving the country, in the back of my mind and I felt mixed emotions all day.

Taking in every last bit of Uganda

    On Wednesday, when I went in for the report, and I found out I'd be spending the next few months of my mission in Rwanda. I am so excited for this next chapter of my mission.  I am excited for the experiences I will have that will contribute to my growth even more. I feel sad to be leaving Lugazi which has become another home to me and the people who have added to my Ugandan family. I'm also going to miss the people in my district during the time I've served in Lugazi- Elder Ray, Elder Ward, Elder Tesch, and Elder Dowdle included. They've become some of my very best friends but, I know as we continue to do what we're supposed too in our new areas, we'll receive many blessings. I will miss Uganda but I know I'll be back soon and I'll build many more relationships with the people in Kigali, Rwanda.  Kigali is the capital and largest city in Rwanda.  Rwanda is very close to becoming a first world country.  It is by far the nicest area in the Mission.  It will be a 45 minute plane ride to Rwanda.  I heard nothing but good thing about it, I will be one of 8 Missionaries in Rwanda!  

Elder Ray, Ward and Tesch

    This week, aside from that curveball (yes, I still love baseball) we had some really neat experiences with a few investigators. We have been teaching a guy named Edward for about 3 weeks now and he has come to church twice in a row. Last week, he was complaining of some stomach issues he's been having and we decided to give him a Priesthood blessing. We followed up with him a few days later and he was feeling tons better. Elder Tesch will begin working on the full family when I leave but, the foundation being built with Edward is becoming very strong. We also had a good experience with Priesthood blessings with Rema. She was supposed to be baptized yesterday but, was unable to come to church because of an emergency with her sister in the hospital. We visited her Wednesday evening and we found her in bad shape with sickness. She was worried she wouldn't be okay for her interview so she asked for a blessing as well. She ended up being okay for the interview. Miracles don't build faith but, it's always neat to see when faith produces blessings in people's lives.

    This week we began teaching a man named Khasada that we found while tracting. When we went and greeted him while he was sitting in a lawn chair outside his home, he just looked at us and looked puzzled. A few seconds after us talking to him and him not really responding, his brother came outside and he told us about how he was in an accident when he was working with the police force up north in Gulu. Apparently, a mortar shell exploded near him and messed up his ear drum so, he is unable to hear very well but, can read lips and can speak clearly. So after we found that out, he pulled out a notebook and he made us write to him and he would answer the questions we were asking. After we got to know him, we gave him a short version of the Restoration and gave him a pamphlet and bore testimony on it. We went back 2 days later and he gave us a list of about 20 questions about the church, it's origins, us, etc. We took a picture of them and answered them that night and gave him the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and bore testimony on it as well in writing. When we came back the next morning, he told us about all the people he had been talking about the pamphlets with and how he was answering their questions. He also asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon and we gave it to him. These lessons were some of the coolest lessons I've been able to teach. I am thankful that the Spirit doesn't necessarily have to be heard but, it can be felt by everyone no matter what difficulty you have in life. I took a few pictures of the notebook from our lessons and here they are if you want to see them. We meet with him again tomorrow.

    This week was a difficult week for food and water. Hahaha, we didn't have water in the apartment for days so, we utilized our outdoor shower and used buckets filled by our backup water supply, pooped in holes, and all kinds of fun stuff (sorry tmi).  Also, with it being the end of the month, we were a bit low on our budget for food so here's Elder Ray and I enjoying a humble meal of posho and beans.

    Last night I began saying good-bye to some people in the branch. Here's me with Sharifah, the family of Dennis, Bruno, Gertrude, Everline, and Sharon, and the family of Winnie, Sheila, and Margaret. 

    My P-Day today we went to Jinja and went sight seeing at the Nile River!

I'm grateful for my mission thus far and for all the things I've learned. I love this gospel and I love being one of the Lord's missionaries. 

I love you all!

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Time Flies When You're Having Fun!"

  

Fenne Fruit- Grown only in Africa, most similar to an apple in taste

On a Mission, that statement couldn't be more true… In these first 6 months in Uganda, I have had some of the most amazing experiences in my life and I couldn't be loving it more. Thank you all for supporting me so far as I've been out, and I look forward to continuing to share my experiences each week!

  Another transfer has come and gone. I'm so thankful for my companion, Elder Dowdle. These last 3 months have been unreal and it has been so cool to see him mature as a missionary. Of course, I've been able to learn a ton from him as well. His love for missionary work is contagious and I'm extremely thankful for him always pushing me to not only be a better missionary, but a better person. We found out that he is being transferred to Busia, in Eastern Uganda today, but I know he is someone that I will remain friends with for the rest of my life. 

  I found out today that I am going to be training a new missionary for the next few weeks. His name is Elder Tesch from St. George, Utah. I am a little nervous, because I feel like I was where he is just a few weeks ago, but I know with the help of the Lord, the teachings of my mission leaders and president, and Preach My Gospel, I'll be able to help him develop the skills necessary to become a good missionary. I'm excited for the new opportunity I have to learn from him as well.

   With this being transfers week, these last few days, the members of the branch have been having us over for lunch and dinner and it has been amazing. Haha it's never a bad thing being fed as a missionary. I'm thankful for the friendships I've been able to develop with the people here…I know I say things like that a lot, but the people in the wards and branches I've been able to serve in have become my families away from my family and I love them. 

   Today for Pday, we went to Protea Hotel for their buffet breakfast. I know this just looks like a mediocre plate of food, but this is honestly the best thing I've had in 6 months and I honestly shed a tear when I saw the buffet line haha.

Elder Dowdle have continued to focus on families, and I wanted to share a few cool experiences from this week.

• I don't remember if I mentioned them last week, but we were referred to a family by one of our recent converts, Everline, and we have been teaching them about twice a week now. One of the daughters, Winnie, has really grasped onto the Gospel and is absorbing everything we have been teaching her. She has kept all of her commitments, and has been to church twice now. She has even been bringing one of her younger sisters, Sheila, who isn't as interested, but she is still listening. We have been working on her parents, but her father travels to Mukono every day to teach, and her mother still has a lot of questions, but has listened to the first 3 lessons. In an effort to begin to help her increase her testimony, we committed her to pray about everything we have taught her and ask specific questions in her prayer like if Joseph Smith is a true prophet and if he truly did restore Christ's church to the earth. She accepted, and we invited Winnie to close the lesson with a prayer afterwards. She offered a beautiful, humble prayer full of faith asking Heavenly Father to help her mother understand. I have been praying for her as well and hope she has a positive experience because I know how much the Gospel is going to bless that family if they decide to accept it. 
• Hadson, one of David's sons was baptized this Sunday and the service was great. I was able to give a talk on baptism and bare testimony on the importance of baptism and making covenants with God. He was baptized by Elder Dowdle and he bore a great testimony after! I think that hearing our investigators bear their testimonies is my favorite part about baptisms. Also, Reegan has only been a member for 1 complete week, and he is already paying tithing. He came up to Elder Dowdle and I and asked for help filling out the slip. That kid is unreal and I love him to death. 
  
• We have begun making an emphasis on Family History with our Recent Converts to help with their retention. So far, we have gotten a great response. 3 people came to church with their "My Family" books partially filled out and we are going to begin filling out their information and putting it on FamilySearch.org next week. I'm excited to see the excitement for Family History continue to build up!

This week I finished up 1 Nephi. Haha it has taken me a long time because I'm only studying a chapter a day in the Book of Mormon, but because I have been taking my time and reading every little detail, I have been getting so much out of it! This week, I studied 1 Nephi 20 and 21 where Nephi quotes the words of the prophet Isaiah for one of the first times. I have never been good at understanding Isaiah, but as I begin my studies with a prayer, it's been a lot easier! I'd like to focus on 1 Nephi 20:10 and tell you what I learned from it this week. It was my "Ponderizing" scripture for the week. It says: "For behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction". I love the comparison of us going through trials in this life to a furnace refining the impurities of metal. Our life on Earth is a process during which we learn and gain experience as we prepare to return to live back with God. Trials are a CRUCIAL part of our time on Earth. Personally, I learn the most from the trials I experience, especially on my mission. I know that as I look at these times of trial with an eternal perspective, or from the "big picture", then we can see that our trials come from a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to grow and become better. I read a quote this week that goes like "It is following the lines of least resistance that makes rivers and men crooked". If any of you are going through struggles or hard times, I promise that if you get on your knees and pray for strength, it will be given to you. God is eager and ready to bless those who ask for it, and he will never give you anything more than you can handle. I wanted to share one more quote from "The Continuous Atonement" By Brad Wilcox. He says, "I remember as a young schoolteacher (with a large and active class" asking my wife, Debi, "When does life even out? Why does it always feel like a roller coaster with so many highs and lows all in the same day? I wish life would just level out." Being a nurse, Debi replied, "Brad, when you get hooked up to the heart monitor, you don't want to see a straight line. That's bad news. It's the up and down lines that let you know you're alive." 

I can't express it enough how grateful I am to have this time to be put in the Refiner's Fire for these two years and to work out some of my impurities. 

I love you guys all! I hope all you going through afflictions or hard times get through it!

Love,

 Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Zone Conference, Starting From Scratch and Running Around in the Rain!"

Baptisms

Future Missionaries

Public Service Announcement

Baptism

Dear Friends and Family,

  This week was another great week in the UKM! We were able to have Zone conference as well as Zone development meeting.  It was great to be able to hear from so many of our mission leaders and get our minds refocused. In both Zone conference and ZDM, President, the AP's, and the zone leaders emphasized improving our unity within the mission among companionships, districts, etc. (No issues in Lugazi because my district has become some of my best friends). We were able to talk about teaching simply and refocusing our efforts on teaching families because of the need to build the foundation for the church in Uganda. We were able to set new goals as a mission and as zones and everyone is ready to improve upon next year and help these countries progress by receiving the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

  We are finally getting some moisture again after a a few dry weeks.   Elder Ward and I took advantage of it last week after it began pouring in what became one of the gnarliest storms I've seen since i've been in Uganda. It didn't phase us, as we ran around the compound while Andrew yelled at us to get inside. Do missionaries still have fun? Yes, Yes they do.

  As promised, I wanted to update briefly about our teaching pool and what has been going on around here with our investigators and recent converts. Elder Dowdle have been baptizing our solid investigators lately, which has been good, however we have been having difficulty finding new families. We have been starting from scratch and have focused our efforts on that. Since we've done that, we definitely have been seeing the Lord's hand as we have seen new referrals trickle in. Right now, we are teaching Reegan, one of David's sons. I don't know if I've told you about David, but he is one of the most powerful people I have ever met and he never ceases to amaze me. He is blind but still makes an effort to come to church every week. Visiting with him every week makes my day because he has such a positive outlook on life. Elder Dowdle and I are hoping that teaching David's children will motivate his wife to begin letting us teach her so we can progress their family all together. Reegan will be baptized Sunday. We are also teaching Julius Caesar, who is a college student who is the oldest in his family. He found Elder Dowdle a few weeks ago and asked us if we could come to his home and teach him and his family because he's been looking for a church for him and his family to join. We've been teaching him, and he has been accepting all of our commitments and contributes to all lessons on Sunday. He is awesome. So far his family hasn't been too interested, but hopefully it'll change in the future. Also, Isaiah, who has become one of my best friends here, went back to the village for a family emergency. I miss him a lot, and know I may not be able to see him any time soon, but I know he will help the church grow wherever he is. 

  Yesterday, in our branch, we had  the Primary Program. It was honestly one of the most spiritual experiences I've had on my mission.  Being able to see how much these children have learned and see them bare their simple yet powerful testimonies. The gospel is simple and is meant to be simple, it was cool to be able to feel of the sweet spirit children bring to the church. It reminded me of home and of my days in Primary and made me so grateful to have been taught the very same things growing up. I love you all so much. 

Also, for all you who want to know, my mailing address is:

Uganda Kampala Mission

Nakawa House Ground Floor

Plot 7 Port Bell Road

P.O Box 8989

Nakawa, Kampala, Uganda

In case you wanted to drop a written note:) 

Love,
 Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Happy New Year!"

RJ found Santa in Uganda!

Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning Breakfast

Elder RJ Talking with His Family, Just Look at that Smile!

Area Christmas Party

The Way They Roll

Some of Elder Hazen's Christmas Gifts

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families and I hope all you with Missionaries out were able to enjoy your time communicating with them! I was lucky enough to talk to my family for a good chunk of time and hearing their voice was the cherry on top of a perfect Christmas in Uganda. 

In the morning, after spending the night in our living room with my district and telling stories all night, we woke up at 6:30 and opened our packages. 

I wanted to let everyone who took the time to write a letter or share a few uplifting words with me this past week to know how much I appreciated it. The letters and pictures I was able to receive from my family and friends made Christmas away from home all worthwhile. I was so overwhelmed with the gratitude I have for you all back home supporting me while I am here. I may not be able to reply to them all, but I thought I'd take the time to answer a few questions that I received in the letters. 

• Biggest Adjustment?- I'd say my biggest adjustment was learning to adapt to the culture here and sticking out like a sore thumb. The people here definitely don't mind reminding us that we are different by yelling out to us on the side of the streets, but at the same time, most people are very kind here.
• What is President Chatfield like?- I'm thankful that this mission is being led by President Chatfield. He is a great leader and is very uplifting and encouraging to us Missionaries. He reminds us to stay focused on our purpose, have faith, and to be obedient. 
• How is the church here?- In Lugazi in particular, the Branch is still fairly new. However, it is growing stronger week by week. I'm so excited to see what this next year has in store for this branch because the work is really beginning to pick up. 
• Favorite part of Africa?- My favorite part of Africa right now is how ready these people are to receive the Gospel in their lives. Many people are beginning to see the blessings the Gospel brings and are eager to share the happiness they've been able to feel.
• Are you having fun?- OF COURSE. I love my mission so much and it's brought blessings to my life I can't begin to describe

This week, aside from talking to my family, I think the biggest highlight was being able to extend baptism dates to a family of 7. We are very excited to see what the future has in store with them. This week, Elder Dowdle and I have 4 baptisms planned. I'll talk more about the people next week.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Years. Take the opportunity to start the New Year right by making goals to improve habits with scripture study, prayer, keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, and temple attendance. 

I love you all!

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "First Time Being Sick on My Mission"

African Delicacy~ Crickets 

Baptism

Baptism

Studying with James 

Dear Friends and Family,

So this week, my luck finally ran out and I got sick for the first

time on mission. It kept me from going out and proselyting on

Friday.  It which was awful because Elder Dowdle and I had a lot of people to

visit.  It ended up working out because we arranged for the

Elder's Quorum president, Andrew, to go on a split with Elder

Dowdle all day.  One of our members, James, was able to stay with me

while I laid on the couch. Let me tell you a bit about James.  He's such an awesome kid. I showed him pics of the family and he thinks maddie is cute…he has started calling me "Muko" which means, Brother-In-Law! He was baptized a few months ago, and this last week, while he was working with us, he expressed to me his desire of wanting to serve a mission.  The next day, I decided to bring him an old Preach my Gospel manual laying around the house.  Elder Dowdle and I shared with him chapter 3 and encouraged him to study that chapter to get familiar with the lessons and how to teach them. When he came over to stay with me while I was sick, he brought his Preach my Gospel so we spent most of the day reading out of it and the Book of Mormon. It was one of the neatest experiences I've had on my mission.  I was so sick and felt awful and this made me feel good to be able to share my testimony with him on missionary work and the impact it's had on me these last few months.  I've expressed to him the great blessings it's brought to me and my life and that it can do the same for him. He has been on fire working with us and it's been neat to see his testimony grow.

This Sunday, we were able to baptize Andrew's brother Isaiah. Isaiah

is one of my best friends here and he makes me so happy whenever I'm

with him. He's seriously one of the funnest kids ever and has such a

powerful testimony. He was more than ready for baptism. The other guys

were also able to have a baptism as well. The work is definitely

progressing in Lugazi and the branch is growing. It's exciting to be

apart of! 

  Today, I was able to have pizza and ice cream from a

resturaunt in Jinja, I know it seems like I say it every week, but it

was probably one of the best meals I've had in Uganda. 

Lastly, my Grandparents have been talking to me about the emphasis

they've put on Family History work.  I definitely agree that its

very important. I'd urge all of you to get to know your ancestors and

get involved in the work by doing your work for those beyond the veil.  There's always something to be done! I promise that as you do

so, and find more time in the temple, you'll receive even more

blessings.

          Love,

         Elder Hazen 

Weekly Update~ "Lugazi Bound!"

Halloween

Bill for Wedding

Last Sunday in the Ward

Friends from the Ward

Elder Hazen with his second Companion Elder Mair

Hey Everyone!

I guess I'll start by saying how thankful I am that I've had the opportunity to serve with Elder Mair and learn the things I've been able to learn from him. I'm happy because I was able to take a picture with all my friends outside the church yesterday because it was Mair's last Sunday. I also gave a talk yesterday by the way. It got sprung on us right before the meeting, but I guess that's a hidden missionary blessing because I was able to speak with Elder Mair with no preparation. This transfer will probably go down as one of my favorites of my mission. I'm thankful for the memories and also for a new friend. I'm also thankful for the time I was able to spend serving the people of Kololo. They'll always hold a special place in my heart being my first area. I'm so blessed to have been able to start here and to have been welcomed to Uganda the way I was by them. I found out I'm getting transferred to a small town called Lugazi and will be serving with Elder Dowdle. He just got here last transfer so, I'm finishing his training! I'm excited, but also nervous because I'm still new and I've never been in a new area, and I'm the senior companion. Though I'm sad to leave Kololo, I'm excited to get out of Kampala and see more of Uganda.
This week, nothing too exciting happened. I'll share a few experiences I had during the week and also something I learned during personal study.
 
Elder Schweitzer and I have taken rolex eating to a whole new level. Once he found out about my conquest with the 7x7, he took it upon himself to one-up me and eat an 8x8. I found out about this and wasn't very happy so I decided to send him a message, skip a 9x9, and go for a 10x10. After 1 hour and 32 grueling minutes, thanks to the support from my companion and members of my district, I conquered the beast and will probably never eat another rolex of that size again because that wasn't what God created us for. As I was suffering, Elder Ndlovu ever so lovingly told me that "You are not as Job yet. Job didn't have any friends but we are still here for you".
 
Elder Mair and I got to receive a package from my family for Halloween as well. Included were some nice decorations and food, but the thing we found most intriguing were the masks. There was one for each of us, so us being the kids we are, we took them to our area and decided to have some fun. It probably isn't the greatest thing for a Ugandan kid to be chased by two white guys with masks on, but we enjoyed it.
 
Earlier this transfer, we received a referral from Mama Mafabi for a guy she knew in a neighboring district. He held a significant position in the local government. He was a nice guy and listened to us, but we never sent a return appointment. Anyway, I guess he got the impression that we were loaded or something so he went to Mama Mafabi's home this week with a bill for his 50 million shilling plus wedding he's having this next month in hopes that we'd pay for it. When Mama Mafabi told us about this, we laughed but felt the need to contribute so we looked at the bill, saw that he needed plastic cups, and scrapped together 300 shillings for .6 of a bag of plastic cups. I'm sure he'll appreciate our donation. 

This week I was studying in the Book of Ether and was able to study about the Brother of Jared. The Book of Ether is kinda like a guideline on how to rely on the Lord for things. We remember that in this story, the Brother of Jared goes to the Lord three different times asking that the language of the family and friends be spared and also, if they are to be driven out of the land, where they should go. After the Brother of Jared's third request, the Lord tells him that he will meet him in a valley and will lead them to a land of promise. The Lord then leads them to an ocean where they stay for 4 years. The Brother of Jared is then visited by the Lord and is chastened for 3 hours because he call upon his name. We then remember that he is directed on how to build the barges but when it comes to lighting the boats, the Lord basically tells him, "I gave you your agency, go figure this one out on your own." From this story we learn that if we rely on the Lord, all things are possible, but he isn't going to spoon-feed us. We need to do all we can to make ourselves worthy of the blessings we desire and to take action in search of the things we are after. Though sometimes we have to figure things out for ourselves in life, if we rely on the Savior and his Atonement, he will guide our paths.

I love you all have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Hazen