Weekly Update~ "Enduring to the End"

Dear Family and Friends, 

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day and talking to their missionaries. After a few visits to Africell, a few calls to Customer Service, and much unnecessary stress, I was finally able to speak to my own mother and it was worth the wait. I love her and my family so much and it's ludicrous I'll be seeing them in the flesh in a few weeks. 

Talking to Each Other on Mother's Day!

This week I went on an exchange with Elder Grant. It was the first time proselyting together since Rwanda. Truly he's a friend for the eternities. The Spirit was present in all lessons, but it was expected working with a powerhouse like him. 

The work continues to progress and we are continuing to see the blessings working with members. The Alpha Stella and Sarah family as well as the Brother Jeff continue to progress nicely and we're looking forward to their baptisms next transfer. 

As my thoughts continue to wander to the Savior, one thing Elder Grant and I discussed was about how difficult it is to endure to the end, but one thing that helps greatly in that process is understanding one's purpose. The Savior was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be our Savior. He has been prepared for his role for eternities. He came to the world, and descended below all, and though blinded by a veil, understood his purpose from a very young age. The Savior knew the whole picture, and it influenced his every action because he knew the salvation of all of God's children depended on it. It gave him the perspective he needed, though bleeding from every pore and pleading that the cup would pass, to suffer an infinite Atonement. I testify with gratitude, that because of the Savior understanding his purpose, he endured to the end so we may have a chance to endure to our end of mortal life and one day be exalted in God's kingdom with our families. 

Love, 
Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~ "Truly Good Without Guile"

Dear Family and Friends,

Mission Leader Conference

There is nothing I respect more than when people are "truly good without guile" as President Uchtdorf put it in one of his recent conference addresses. I've had the opportunity to serve around many such people. There is so much power in someone that has a quiet confidence, that shies from center stage, that doesn't need to make their presence known, that pushes recognition to someone else. The Savior was one of such people. In Moses 3:1-2, the difference in motives between the Savior and Satan is apparent in the "I"s and "Thy"s. I've come to realize these motives for serving are what set apart a good missionary from an incredible missionary. A few transfers ago, I had a quote written in my planner that goes like this: "If heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, if they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night, then what did motivate their climb? What did companions never feel? Was it fear or prized sublime? Did obligation feed their zeal? Each heights by great men reached above is motivated out of love." In MLC last week, Elder Grant mentioned that humility comes from understanding that as a child of God, you are no greater nor lesser than another of God's children. I struggle mightily at this. I sometimes unrighteously place myself above another because of certain gifts or talents I possess that others lack, but then to balance it out, I look at the great examples all around me and beat myself up, wishing I was more like them. It is these thoughts of self-righteousness that cause me to forget that mission or other forms of service are not about me. It's interesting to look back and see how the Lord has slowly walked me through and picked out my weaknesses one by one and given me the opportunities, people, and experiences to make them stronger. My goal these next few months is to strengthen as many peoples' faith in Christ as possible, and as a result, receive additional ordinances of salvation. Whether that be partaking of the sacrament, receive an advancement in the Priesthood, or making preparations in receiving temple blessings. As I focus more on the individual, I hope to truly lose myself in taking up my cross.

Interview with Pres. Collings

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Because sometimes birthdays make you the center of attention, I made an effort not to tell anyone. It was the best birthday ever in the full time service of my God.

RJ's Birthday

I love you all,

Elder Hazen

Weekly Update~"Happy Easter!"

Dear Family and Friends,

    First of all, I'd like to say Happy Easter. This Easter season is one of my favorite times of the whole year because we get the opportunity to reflect on the greatest acts of love in the history of all the Earth. I express my gratitude each week for the Savior's atoning sacrifice but I'm especially grateful this week. I was reading conference talks from April 2015 and I came across these words from President Uchtdorf that I really enjoyed about the suffering in Gethsemane and the resurrection and I shared them with Winnie, our recent convert last night. I thought I'd include it at the end of this email as well. I bear my brief testimony that I know the Atonement was suffered for each and every one of us personally and that as we use the enabling power of it in our lives on a daily basis we all can live with our Heavenly Father again. I'm also grateful for the doctrine that families can be together forever. I am always quick to bare testimony of that to my investigators and let them know how much I love my own family back at home and that through covenants made with God, they don't ever have to separated from them.

    This week, our friends from Help International went home and we had one last dinner appointment and one last friendship photo shoot so enjoy these in all their high quality glory.

    Thursday, we had a zone-wide...yes, zone-wide exchange. Elder Tesch and Ray traveled to Mukono early in the morning where everyone met up and then went their separate ways. Ray proceeded onto Seeta with Elder Bemis, Tesch stayed in Mukono with Elder Dlamini, and I spent the day with Elder Robinson in Lugazi. I always enjoy working with Elder Robinson because I learn so much from him. We made sure to spend an hour of the day finding new investigators which proved to be successful because we set return appointments with 2 new families. Later in the day, we visited a guy named Edward, Elder Tesch and I found while contacting a few days previous and taught him the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a neat experience being able to teach with Elder Robinson because I haven't taught with someone older than me on mission since my second transfer. The spirit was definitely present in the lesson and when Elder Tesch and I followed up with him on Saturday, we got to give him a priesthood blessing because he was feeling sick and he was at church the next day! I'm thankful for the opportunities I have to learn from my leaders!

    We also contacted a guy named James this week. He was sitting outside his home and is the next door neighbor to a former investigator.  As we were walking by I told Elder Tesch, "We'll contact him someday". As we passed, the Spirit basically kicked me in the butt and we turned back and taught him the first lesson. He really enjoyed it and we followed up with him last night and taught him about the Book of Mormon and we set a baptism date in April. 

    Yesterday, Elder Tesch and I were contacting after church and we met another Father of a family named Julius. We taught him the Restoration as well and after we finished and extended commitments to read and pray.  He expressed to us how he and his family had been praying for a change that will bless them.  We basically let him know that if he put serious effort into praying and asking if the message we taught him is true, this Gospel could be the change he has been seeking.

    This week, I also had a first on my mission. When teaching one of our investigators, Charles, we were sharing about the Book of Mormon and he began to bash with us a little bit. The Spirit was leaving so I bore testimony and began to leave and he told us to take the Book of Mormon with us that we left with him two lessons ago. It reminded me that not everyone is going to accept our message and everyone has their own agency. I couldn't help but feel sad for him. However, because I now the blessings the Gospel could've brought to their young family and I wanted them to experience it more than anything.  These experiences I've had has shown me that the principle "Line Upon Line, Precept Upon Precept" is applicable to all things. As a new missionary, I never dreamed that I would be training another new missionary and extending baptism dates to people I found on my own efforts through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. As I've learned new skills and my testimony has grown, I know the Lord is giving me more responsibility as I continue to progress on my mission. 

I love you guys so much. 

Love, 
Elder Hazen

"The Gift Of Grace"

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most long-awaited and glorious event in the history of the world.

It is the day that changed everything.

On that day, my life changed.

Your life changed.

The destiny of all God’s children changed.

On that blessed day, the Savior of mankind, who had taken upon Himself the chains of sin and death that held us captive, burst those chains and set us free.

Because of the sacrifice of our beloved Redeemer, death has no sting, the grave has no victory, Satan has no lasting power, and we are “begotten … again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Truly, the Apostle Paul was correct when he said we can “comfort one another with these words.”

Weekly Update~ "I am One With the World and The World is One With Me"

Dear Family and Friends,

   If you're wondering what my email subject is about, here is a disclaimer. It has nothing to do with what I'm about to write, it's just a direct quote from dear Elder Alexander Ray that I thought I'd like to share. When you get locked down in your apartment for 4 days straight, you get a bit stir-crazy and it messes with your head…but before I get to that, I'll tell you about what happened in the week before the presidential election festivities.

   On Tuesday, we had surprise Zone Leader exchanges. Elder Tesch and I were able to work with Elder Robinson and we had a great day. We went out and taught a few lessons and had dinner with our friends here in Lugazi who are here helping out with Musana Jewlery International and are here on humanitarian trips! At the end of the day, when we closed, he gave us a few things we could improve on. My biggest takeaway was that I can always improve on patience throughout the day when people give us a hard time, and he urged us to continue improving each and every day on our missions so our growth is upward for the rest of the time we are here. 

   On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to go to Mukono for interviews with President Chatfield. I love the time I'm able to talk to him about my questions and concerns and am grateful for the insight he shares with me. We also were able to finally view the worldwide missionary broadcast which was unreal. The biggest things I took away from that is that Jesus Christ's should always be on our lips. We always need to be ready to powerfully testify of him. I also wanted to share something that President Chatfield shared in his closing remarks. It is called the Fellowship of the Unashamed and it really impacted me. It is hanging in my study room above my study desk (at the end of my letter). 

So…now the fun stuff during our lock down, the Lugazi district participated in a variety of activities including-

• Playing catch in the front yard with Elder Ward
• Playing rounds and rounds and rounds of cards, 
• Sleeping
• Studying
• Jumping off our balcony onto mattresses (which my mother doesn't approve of)
  
• Having a bonfire in our front yard
  
• Taco Night
  
• Learned Guitar
  
• Elder Tesch lit his hands on fire with hand sanitizer

And many more things. Needless to say, we probably had the most fun out of anyone in the mission. 

   I wanted to share one last thought. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about taking counsel from the Lord. I have been looking for ways to improve myself week by week and I constantly reflect and ask those around me for ways that I can better myself. Obviously, there is no better person to ask, than our Heavenly Father. As Elder Lawrence taught in his talk last October, "What Lack I Yet"? He talks about how the Holy Ghost can inspire us in ways to improve. The principle is the same in 2 Nephi 9: 28-29 and Jacob 4:10. Lately, I've been working on building the faith to act on the things that the Spirit inspires me to change so I can continue the process of steady progression on my mission. As Elder Lawrence counsels, the best time we can do that is on Sunday when taking the sacrament. I would challenge all of you to review Elder Lawrence's talk, read the scriptures I suggested from the Book of Mormon, and get on your knees and sincerely ask something you can improve on so you can feel the influence of the Spirit more in your lives. I testify that as you do that and you act on the promptings you receive, you will receive many blessings.

I love you all very much. Thank you for your continuous support,

Elder Hazen

Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,
or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.

I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed
up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

Weekly Update~ "Listening to the Spirit"

His New Ride

New Shirt for RJ

Keeping up his Baseball Skills

Dear Friends and Family,

This week we were able to baptize Winnie. She is the first in her
family that we've been teaching to be baptized. I'm so grateful I've
gotten to meet with them over this past month because visiting them
always proves to be a highlight of my day. The service was wonderful,
as nearly all of our members stayed behind to support her. The
reverence in the service was noticeable as all the children stopped
crying and fussing and there were no campaign trucks that drove by
blasting music. I was able to perform the ordinance, and after, she
bore a wonderful testimony. I know that without a doubt she was ready
to make this step in her life and she is going to make a strong
contribution to this branch and will continue to be a wonderful
example to the rest of her family.

RJ, Winnie and Elder Tesch

Elder Tesch continues to improve each and every day. I wanted to share
an experience we had this week. Last week, I was talking about how
spiritually sensitive Elder Tesch is and how he pushes me be better at
paying attention to the whisperings of the Spirit throughout the day.
On Wednesday, we got bounced from one of the appointments we made with
a family we have been teaching, so we sat down and began to make some
phone calls to see if we could visit someone else instead. Andrew was
working with us as well. As I began to punch in someone's phone number
into our phone, Elder Tesch and Andrew both pointed to a lady about 50
feet away standing outside her house cooking dinner and both suggested
we talk to her and try and teach her. I looked up, and immediately got
the same feeling they must have been feeling and decided that'd be a
good idea. Long story short, we taught with power and authority and
found out she had a few concerns with the churches she saw around and
we invited her to pray about our message and invited her to be
baptized March 6th which she accepted. Again, I'm thankful for how
much assistance we receive from the Lord and the Spirit as we go about
doing his work.

I was able to give a talk this week on Repentance and it was nice to
share the things I've been learning from the Book of Mormon with the
branch. Elder Tesch gave a wonderful talk on Heavenly Father. This
week, I continued my studies from 2 Nephi and I wanted to share what I
learned from chapter 2. In this chapter, Lehi talks about the fall,
the atonement, and gaining salvation and I realized how connected all
3 of these events are and how essential they are to the Plan of
Salvation. It also explains why agency was necessary to the plan as
well. I am grateful for Heavenly Father's plan of redemption and for
the ability we have to make our own choices in this life. I'm thankful
for Adam's choice to partake of the fruit because though it made it
possible for us to experience pain, suffering, and death, it's through
the experiences we are able to have on Earth that make us better. I'm
eternally grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his Atonement
for us. In Brad Wilcox's Continuous Atonement, he describes an
experience he had while having an interview with one of his
missionaries as a Mission President. The missionary was feeling
discouraged with some past mistakes he made before his mission and was
wondering why the thoughts of his mistakes had to remain in his
memory. Brother Wilcox took a marble egg off his shelf and showed the
missionary and told him that the dark lines, representing sin, in this
case, were the reason why the egg had beauty. It's the sins in our
lives and mistakes we make and the weaknesses, that when overcome
through the power of the Atonement, make us more beautiful to our
Heavenly Father. I have a lot of lines, but I'm thankful to keep
working to overcome them.

Enjoy this photo of me sporting Noah, the drunk man's
jacket he so kindly gifted to us.

I love you all
Elder Hazen

"Merry Christmas from Africa!"

Dear Family,

Merry Christmas, first of all. Again, I have to continue on with the tradition of writing a small letter for the holidays with all of you gathered together. I just wanted to express my love for each and every one of you and I want to thank you all for making positive impacts on me throughout my life and playing a role in getting me to where I am today. As I reflect on where I've come from a year ago today, I realize I've grown up so much and have begun to realize what's truly important in life. It's not about the Instagram likes, or the High School drama, or how many runs I gave up in a game, or other things like that. It's about seeking to improve each and every day to become more like our Savior, strengthening our families to combat the evils we find in the world today, maintaining our temple worthiness and striving to keep the covenants we've made, and the list can go on and on. I'm so grateful for what I've learned on my mission so far. It's brought so many blessings to my life, more than I can describe. 

As we celebrate the birth of the Savior this Christmas season, I want to encourage you to turn outward. In the MTC, I was able to hear a talk by Elder Bednar on the Characters of Christ. In the talk, Elder Bednar described a few key events in the Savior's life where instead of falling victim to the natural man, and focusing on himself, he turned outward and was more concerned for the welfare of others. I'm not going to lie, I am nowhere near perfect in trying to follow the Savior's example in this aspect, but I know that as we rely on the Savior and the merit's of his sacrifice, we can become better.

I love you all so much and want nothing more than to be with you all today, but I know that I am where I'm supposed to be. Have a wonderful Christmas, enjoy the food and the gifts, but remember to say a prayer of gratitude thanking your Father in Heaven for the gift of His Only Begotten.

Love, 
Elder Hazen