June 30, 2014

This week was super cold, super long, and I was super sick and still am sick...but we were extremely blessed because of it. We tried our best to go out and work even when it didn`t seem possible. We finished this month with an incredible month. The stake that our zone covers is "Aldo Bonzi" and it is the best Stake/Zone in all of argentina (mostly because we have the blessing of having the temple in our zone). Anyway, this month we had more challenges and problems that we had to fix and endure than just about any other month, but the missionaries of our Zone were able to baptize 25 people which is almost double of what the previous amount was (13). We have been fighting sickness and all sorts of other things, but we have put our faith in the lord and he has helped us to accomplish what we had been working so hard for.

We also got a new mission president today. For now, I still haven`t met him..but I am hoping to meet him in the next few days. HE is very excited and I am also excited to keep working. 

As much as I would love to be in aspen grove right now withya`ll, I am loving it here way to much. I know that the blessings are distributed all around the world for the work that is done in the misison. I am proud to be able to give my part to this great work. 

If this e-mail doesn`t make a lot of sense...it is because I have a super sinus infection and that same winter sickness that I always get except worse because it is super humid! Ilovbe you and look forward to talking next week! Have a great week!! :)

And read alma 26. it is super good.

Love,

Elder Hazlett

A service project we did with our district cleaning up garbage.

Our last baptism this weekend. She is 22 and she was the last of her family to get beaptized because she was super hard to teach. She asked lot of questions when finally she said that she had nothing else to ask.

and this morning we went to walmart and it was SUPER cold! and humid :/

June 23, 2014

Our mission president leaves this saturday and it is SUPER SAD! We had a transfer meeting that I will never forget.

I don`t have a lot of time because I wrote a long letter to president because it is his last letter but I took out a part to share with you about the miracles that we have seen.

We have been extremely blessed this month in Aldo Bonzi with a lot of success and I know that is how it always should be! This zone is AWESOME and it has GREAT missionaries in it. They have all seen miracles in their misisons and have had success at one point in time, but they are quick to lose that Faith. We had a few miracles that happened yesterday that helped me to know that what I am doing here isn`t just inviting people to church but really Saving Souls! As we were going to find people in the morning to go to church, I was praying in my Heart the WHOLE time that we could have people because no one answered their phones...as we were walking, we passed by a man that was knocking on a door and we thought he looked familiar. We turned around and saw that it was Henry, one of the most Capo investigators that I have ever met. We had met him one time and he came to church walking like 15 blocks by himself. Then this week, he worked all saturday night and came straight from work, to a friends house to invite him to church, and then he went to all 3 hours of church without sleeping at all the night before. He made it to church and is incredibly excited to keep going, and this week he is going to brign his wife. Later that morning, we had the opportunity to confirm a family members of the church and they were able to receive the Holy Ghost. That night, Elder Flores and I were on divisions and we knocked on doors and talked to everyone to be able to find some new people. WE working until the last minute and we knocked on a door looking for a man named Luis who was a name that we had received from a random neighbor who wanted us to leave. We were able to sit down and talk with him and his wife and 2 of the sons that were there. We were so happy to have found a family. But it gets better! WE taught the the Gospel of Jesus Christ and when we got to baptism, we invited them all to be baptized. They all accepted and said that they would do it, but Luis said that he was already baptized. That 40 years ago he was baptized in Bolivia by the Elders and then he moved here and never went ever again. They have 5 kids and are excited to go to church and be baptized. I don`t think I have ever been a lot happier than I was as we left that lesson. I am pretty sure that I told the family that I jsut felt like dancing because I was so happy to have found their family. 

I lvoe you and look forward to hearing from you next week! 

Oh!!!! And Elder Berrett went home for an operation and is coming back in a little bit and you can send some stuff with him :) (Fanny Pack) that would be awesome!!

the first one is one I took today so you remember what I look like. 

The second is our Zone Logo. We are the Zone ALDO BONZI and we have the only temple in argentina in our zone!

And the last one is of our baptism :) it was a great sunday!

June 16, 2014

Time is flying by. I have been in the mission for 71 weeks now and it seems like just yesterday that I started. I remember everything from that day of conference when everyone sent me messages saying that I needed to leave on my misison and that I didn´t have to wiat until I was 19, and the moment I got my misison call. The time inbetween the day that I opened my misison call until the day I left on ym misison was probably the longest, but since that day until now it has been a rollercoaster of the best 16 months of my life!

Right now in my mission I am at a point where I am recognizing the big changes that I have made and fine tuning the things that I am lacking. I still am a LOOOOOONNNGGG ways away from where I need to be, but I am getting better everyday. I have such a priveledge of being able to go the the areas of the other misisonaries on divisions and learn from how they teach and work and then later apply it in my misison. IT has really helped me to get better and make the changes that i need to.

WE had a few miracles this week and we were able to have 10 of our investigators in church. OF those 10, 7 will be baptized in the next few weeks! Our ward is very small (50 each week) and they all come in and then move quickly because they are working, but we have a tone of recent converts that help us to find those that want to change and not the ones that need to change. I feel blessed for having this area and my companion as well. He is from guatemala and is a super great kid. We get along really well and he teaches really well so I am learning a lot. 

We have transfers this week and it is the last one that President Carter is going to have before he leaves on the 28th. IT is going to be super awesome and I hope we stay together. I have been talking to Ben Child a little bit and boy has he changes as well. I lvoe his advice and knowing that the mission is the best thing that a Young man or woman can do!

I know this church is true and that the experiences that we have are priceless and we need to learn from them all!

Have a great week and tell everyone that doesn´t have a call to get on it, and those that have it, that they get studying  NOW! But everyday from preach my gospel. 

Love you!!

Elder Hazlett

June 9, 2014

The weeks seem to go by faster an faster. Super overused Statement, but it is true. I don`t even remember what happens during the days now. Luckily I have been writing in my Journal a little better so I will be able to remember more. 

This week we had the priveledge of having our Stake Conference. A member of the 70 came from Chile to talk to us. He spoke a lot about the importance of the Sabbath Day, Punctuality, The sacrament and the sacrament meeting, and how the Gospel is the most important thing that we have! IT was a very powerful meeting and we were blessed to have 12 investigators in the meeting with us. There are 5 families that we are working with that are progressing towrds their baptisms and they are all super excited! WE have been so blessed to see the changes as they have taken place in their lives.

I learned a lesson this week that I would like to share. First about Faith and the power that faith really has, and second about Agency, and the importance of EACH decision that we make.

Sunday night at about 630, we had recently gotten back from another area because we were doing interviews for a baptism. We had set goals to find 1 more family before we ended the day. We had been thinking about a couple of people that we could have visited, but no one was super solid. As we left the apartment, we said a prayer to be able to find that family. We passed by a couple of houses but didn`t feel good about going to visit them. We thought of a referal that a member had given us a few days earlier. Her name was Rosa and we had no idea what her stroy was but we had the FAITH that we would be able to help her family. We went to her door and a little kid named Alan opened it. He said that rosa was busy. We could have easily walked away in that moment and left to look for someone else, but we had the FAITH that they were going to accept us and let us in. Rosa came to the door after insisting and she allowed us to enter into her Patio. In that moment, her 3 kids came down the stares and joined us. We got to know them and had a lesson about Faith, Rpentance, and Baptism. We were able to help them set a goal to be baptized and to start repenting as of now!

I know that it sounds like a typical mission story. Or a typical misison miracle...but the miracles are as big as the faith that is takes to find them. We have a slogan in our Zone that says "We are missionaries that Fight for Miracles"

In order to fight for a miracle, you must first have the Faith and second make the choices necesary. IF we would have chosen to just stop by one of the other houses thinking that we just need to find 1 person, then we would have never found that family. IF we would have chosen to just end the day and go back to the apartment because we were tired...we wouldn`t have found that family. There are so many choices that we make that make a big difference. 

The hardest thing about making choices is that sometimes that choice doesn`t seem like the most "Fun" thing to do. You ask any teenage kid if he would rather come home at 11 PM or stay out all night with his friends and they will without fail say that All Night is the better choice. But the consequences of the choices we make almost always come late and when there is nothing that we can do about it. We have to have the FAITH that our Parents, Leaders, Bishops, and Teachers are trying to help us when they give us advice. I encourage anyone and everyone to study more carefully the teachings of the modern day prophets (For the Strength of Youth, The Family: a proclamtion to the world, etc...) Everyone of those teachings have an importance and Every Single One has its blessings. IF anyone is having problems with living by the standards that the church has placed, I would encourage them to study and apply the teachings, and then later SEE the results. Your life will change.

Elder Valentin Nuñez the 70 that spoke to us talked about that and it was very powerful. I was able to recognize a lot of things that I could have been better at and that would have helped me. I have also seen in my mission that Every Decision that I make is important. There is always someone watching us and we really are examples of Christ. Also, everyone that has been baptized has made a covenant with Christ that they are going to be an example. So, if you are struggling to feel the spirit or follow the commandments. Go back to the basics and remember what promise you made with God when you were baptized. 

I love my misison and I know that It has helped me to recognize my weaknesses and to be able to become stronger! 

I lvoe you and hope you have a great week!!

Elder Hazlett 

This morning I had an interview with president and I got a ittle bit of a lecture....I spent a little while at the beginning of my mission just kind of floating and waiting until I was called as a leader. Now, I am a leader...and a few dumb little things that were "mistakes" that I commited without really knowing the consequences have come out and he wanted it to be clear how important it is to fix those things.

"This letter is gonna be a little different. Mostly because you helped me to open my eyes about a few things. First, that it is true...I really won`t get anywhere, and noone gets anywhere in life by sucking up. IT was just hard because that is basically how I got through a lot of things in my life up until now. Ever since the beggining of the mission, I knew that it was gonna be harder to just "Float my way" through the mission. In fact, I knew that it wasn`t possible, but accepting that was the hard part. I feel very greatful to have had experiences in my mission that have helped me make the changes that I need in my life and in my mission. I know that I still have a long way to go, but I have a clearer vision of what I need to do to achieve that.
Today, my mom sent me a letter that talked a little bit about Repentance and how important it is to use repentance EVERY DAY. She said that she was reading a talk by Elder Oaks that talked about the difference of a "Sin" and a "Mistake". I feel as if I am not a sinner, because I did not have the intention of disobeying or hurting others, but I am a man that makes mistakes... Now, from what I know about the Doctrine of Repentance is that it doesn`t matter whether it was a Sin or a Mistake, it needs to be changed and it needs the repentance process. I have passed through the first couple steps and I am in the last couple right now and I am looking forward to receiving the promise that is given at the end of repentance. I know it isn`t easy and I need to make things right, but I know that if I expect my investigators or the misisonaries in this zone to make changes, I have to be the FIRST to change. 

My companion has been a very great help to me. He is a great Elder and has a good understanding of what he is doing here. Also he has a good application. I know that we are seeing success because of our unity and our mutual desire to help. We spent this week doing divisions and trainings and it was a very succesful week. I went with Elder Jarvis and was able to help him regain the desire. It is hard because I am not perfect and I myself need to get better in a lot of things, but I know that the spirit was with us to help us be succesful.

We had a fairly succesfull weekend with the stake conference, but we had a few companionships that struggled. I am trying hard to be faithful and rely in the lord to help me know how to help them but it is very hard. I have comitted myself and am making a list of the things that I want to do in my last 7 months of my mission. My Vision of what I need to learnd and change and what I want to become. I know that there are a lot of things that I have yet to learn and I know that I need to have more faith so that I can achieve that. We are doing divisions this week with the companionships that are struggling and we are going to help them. I DO have faith that they can do it and that God will help us.

I wanted to apologize for not being as humble as I could have been in my interview this morning. I was afraid of loosing your respect and trust. I hope that you accept my apology and forgive me for my shortcomings and errors. Thank you so much for opening my eyes and helping me realize what I need to change. I won`t ever forget what you taught me this morning."
Love you President,
Elder Hazlett

June 2, 2014

This week we have been having "High Water" here in the zone. Even though we weren`t expecting a very "high Water" month, we have been blessed for our diligence. All of the missionaries in the zone have experience and are really great, there are just a few that are still struggling to Apply Themselves. Something that I struggled with a little bit when I was younger. Our main focus has been reaching our potential in the mission as missionaries and as children of God.

This mprning as I was getting ready, I listened to the farewell talks that we gave in the singles ward (Nate, Libby, and I). I was able to both hear and feel a huge difference in everyone of us and it is incredible. I know that the mission has helped us all a ton to be able to make the changes that we need in our lives.

It is crazy to hear about all the people that have big changes in their lives (weddings, babies, first year with the S-Rig (andrew)) but I know that everyone is going to learn a lot from those experiences. The most important thing is that they keep living their lives in a way that they can learn the most from these opportunities. When Elder Holland came and talked to us, he said that this life isn`t like burger king...there is no "Have it your way". That we will have experiences and we have to face them and learn from them by being humble. These last few weeks every single message from our president has been about being self sufficient and humble so that we can be able to apply the teachings of the gospel. I know that the application of thew gospel is the ONLY way to be obedient, and obedience is the ONLY way to receive the blessings!

O lpve all of you and I hope you are doing well! Keep`applying the principles of the gospel in your lives and I promise that you will see the blessings!

This is more for mom than everyone else, so if you don`t understand it all than no worries. But it has some good points. Thanks marshall for the good advice. I am going to apply it.

The following is my letter to president

Hey president, how have you been?

This week has been a great week in Aldo Bonzi! It was a little bit of a struggle because we didn`t get a lot of people to church, but every area has made progress in both their areas and in themselves and that is the most important thing. They have been finding better people and families that are willing to progress. We still have our problems with the sickness but we are trying to do everything we can to overcome that. The sickness that I am afraid of now is the lack of diligence. There were a couple areas that fell short (some only 1 new investigator) of their goals. 

I know that your message in the Sol today was inspired and it was exactly what they needed to hear! I really loved the emphasis that you put on working hard to not only know and understand our purpose but to APPLY it. The application in life is the key to everything. I remember being lectured a few times when I was younger about applying myself. It didn`t matter what the goal was if I didn`t apply myself. In school if I didn`t do the homework, i never learned. In Golf if I didn`t practice what I had been told, if I didn`t hit the range for hours a day (Diligence), or disciplined myself enough to spend time on the short game (details/meticulous obedience)...I never would have been able to acheive my potential. The mission is the same but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT because it has to do with our salvation and the salvation of others. If I have learned one thing in my time in the mission it is that our purpose is not just something that we memorize that sounds succesful when we say it, but looks succesfull when we do it! Nike was never more on target than when they said "Just do it". There really is no other way to look at missionary work.

My uncle sent me this in his email today about his advice in the mission. "If you can only do one thing, get the Spirit and keep it.  If you can do two things, get the Spirit and work hard, harder than you've ever worked before.  If you can do three things, get the Spirit, work hard, and then be smart and work effectively so that every minute of your mission is furthering the work of the Lord and none of your precious time or talents are wasted." 

I know that I have been given talents and the opportunity to use those talents to both help myself, investigators, and the missionaries in this Zone. 

Tomorrow in our Zone meeting we have planned our meeting to be about the "Application of our Purpose as Missionaries" We have a couple activities and examples planned that should be great. Next week I will let you know how they go. 

My companion and I are doing great! Thank you so much for giving me him as my companion. I have learned a lot from him and his desire to fulfill his purpose and his way of teaching. We have been finding miracles and literally people have called us from the street to talk to them. The miracles come from diligence. And the diligence comes from the application of each aspect of missionary work.

Thanks for everything you have done for me. You are an example to everyone.

Love you all!!

~Elder Hazlett

Our Baptism!

the little girls on the liahona look like holly and violet.

Subway!