August 25, 2014

I sent a voice recording, so that has the majority. But I wanted to at least write something for tçeveryone else to read. I am doing great. Just keepin on keepin on and finding more people to help. We have abaptism this next weekend for my friend Gonzalo. he is 22 and we are best friends. He left all his other friends because they were bad iunfluences. He is a champ. 

I was also able to teach the Gospel Principals class about misison work. IT was an awesome class and we had 15 people that were all eaither investigators or recent converts. The spirit was so strong and the best part is that everyone left the class, not so much with a great knowledge of missionary work, but a grand testimony of the importance of it. 

WE were able to see a couple of miracles this week that really helped us to keep the faith alive. There was a baptism and the man who baptized the investigator was a recent convert that I was able to interview for his baptism. AS everyone was waiting for us to get the baptismal font door open, they were inside already in the water. The key we had was a copy and didn`t work very well...we were trying for about 3 minutes straight to get the door open and we didn`t really see a lot of progress. WE were afraid that it wasn`t goping to open. Fianlly we were able to open it and Matias then continued with the ordinance and as he left the font his eyes were full of tears. I asked him what happened and he told me what they were doing to get the door open on the other side. That whole time on the other side of the door Matias (the one baptizing) and Pablo (an Investigator) were saying a prayer. As they finished their prayer and said AMEN, there was a click....the door opened. He said that it was one of the most amazing miracles that he had ever witnessed. It was the first person he had ever baptized and I know it will be something that he will remember forever. I gave him a big hug and he just hugged me and thanked me for being a part of the biggest change he has made in his life.

I love the mission! IT is so dang hard sometimes, and sometimes I feel like I am not able to do a whole lot, but when I think back on the things that I have been able to do and the change I have been able to make...that is when I rememebr that it is all worth it."The Church is True, The sky is Blue, and Complaiining...we ain`t got no time for that!! Go forward with faith and leave the complaining to those who don`t beleive in the Atonement.

I lvoe you and hope you have an amazing week! KEep me updated with more pics. They are almsot even better than words :)

~Elder Hazlett

Our Zone Activity and the giant pan of Arroz Chaufa that we made. (fried Rice)

August 18, 2014

This week was exhausting and auxhilerating at the same time. We had changes nad got a bunch of new misisonaries in the Zone, and I got  new Companion. His name is Elder Conrad and he is from Logan, UT. He is a stud and is really similar to Marshall (my uncle) so it is fun. We both love to cook, sing, and smile...so we are using those talents to help the people here. it has been really fun and I am looking forward to the time we have together.

It has been exhusting because it got SUPER hot this week and it hs drained our energy. However, we have had a ton of awesome things  happen that have helped us to be super excited about the new changesw as well. We have 4 new missionaries straight from the MTC in our zone, and changes in almost all the companionships which means a LOT of energy and excitement, and a lot of opportunities to learn.

We had  couple of miracles happen this week. One of them being a visit that we did with the young mens president and 3 of the deacons. We went to vsit a couple familes and we ended up finding a few new investigators. We were able to teach a great lesson and use the deacons to do examples and have them help us to teach. it was great because we were planning on just visiting less actives but we ended up ahving the  opportunity to teach a lesson to new investigtors from the beginning to the end nad the deacons got to see a little bit what missionary work is. IT was great.

Another miracle was that we werewalking in the street heading to our next lesson was that we had set a goal to talk to everyone! We headed towards a lady with a stroller to contact her and as we were about to open our mouths...she said"Hola Elder!" WE were so surprised and we got to talking. she said that she was goig to the church in Bolivia and she just moved here but she was never baptized. IT was a miracle because we were looking for new people to teach that had a desire to learn, not just to talk to two americans.

And the miracle that helped me to stay strong the most is when Gonzalo (22 years olds) who gets baptized on the 30th, called me last night just to see how our day went and to let me know that he isn`t gonna let his friends get him down anymore and that he considers us his best friends. He isn`t even a member yet and he already goes out on visits with us and is bringing his friends to church. I know that people chagne their lives when they come to know and feel the truth of what we have. I know that I am not wasting my time, no matter what anyone says. And i Know that this is the best thing and the only thing that I should be doing right now.

I hope that everyone is doing great and that you are all accepting the changes in your lives and taking advantage of them to help change you. I lvoe you and hope you have a good week! 

Elder Hazlett

P.s...if anyone wants to send pictures, they are just as good as words if not better (time is short) haha

Our Zone, MY new companion, and us at the Mtc in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A nice pic of the temple, Ausberto our 22 year old stud who is getting baptized in a couple weeks, and a crazy wolf looking thaçing that was dancing in the street saturday night! They ahve the best dances!

We made pork chops with veggies and mashed potatoes and gravy. IT was soo good and the first time that they had eaten anything like that.

August 11,2014

This week was pretty crazy!

It was the last week before transfers. We are receiving a ton of new misisonaries in the mission this wednesday and it is gonna be awesome. 

Miracle of the Week.

We were looking for a guy named "jesus" which is a typical spanish name and we ended up finding a lady near his house and we asked her if she knew him. She said no...but that she knew someone that was looking for us. She said she just moved here from Peru and her daighters were baptized there and were looking for the church. We talked to them and arranged plans so that they could get there. 

As we left, another older lady called our name and asked if we knew someone who was looking to rent an apartment. we said no, but that we would be looking. We then started talking and figured out that she was baptized almost 40 years ago in Paraguay. WE are going to visit her this nect week. 

We were able to find a bunch of less actives and help them come back to church after a long time!

Crazy thing.

Yesterday after church, we went out to visit people and literally 90 percent of the people were drunk and falling over....it was super sad. One guy that was in the church 2 weeks ago was in the street with a giant cut on his head....he didn`t even recopgnice us because he was so drunk. I think it was some kind of party or something but even the women were all drunk. (it is hard to understand or imagine that happening where we livem but here in this part of argentina they are all bolivians and it is tradition to drink)

Amazing Experience

The Temple!!!!!!! We took a family and 4 recent converts to the temple, saw a family that got baptized a year ago get sealed in the temple, and I got to see Eva and some of the other converts that i had in General Rodriguez (my last area). IT was so awesome and such a blessing.

What I learned;

That revelation and Discernment are very interesting study topics and neccesary in personal conversion! I suggest that everyone studies then both in true to the faith and applies the steps given. Personal Revelation is necessary for conversion and vital for salvation. 

I am loving it here even though it is the Hardest thing I have ever done. I love helping people and seeing them change their lives. I love seeing miracles and knowing that I was in the right place at the right time to be able to witness them. I know this church is true!

--

~Elder Hazlett

  Don`t know if you recognize them but they are some of my converts from my last area that I ran into in the temple!!!! Such a great feeling! :D

 The family that got baptized a little while ago, and elvis, and silvia.

A pretty picture of the temple

 I was able to jump on the bus and take a picture of eva, malena, and dalia (converts) from my lasty area as they left the temple.

us 4 elders celebrating the end of a good week saturday after a baptism

August 4, 2014

This week was pretty crazy...My letter to president basically summed it up, but to tell you a little bit about what is new here:

We eat every day with members and it is a ton. I am not losing weight...but not gaining either because luckily I can run with elder lindquist in the morning. My ward is 100 bolivians and they eat a ton so we aren`t lacking in that area. 

We had an open church activity last night and we had about 300 people who came and visited in the space of 3 hours. The people who came from the office of the church said it was one of the best turnouts that they had seen. We had some new families that came and we were able to teach them about what we do in the church. 

I printed off your recipe for coklkies today because everyone wants to try them haha. It has been a while since I made them last.

My comp is still elder santizo from guatemala. I think we are going to have transfers this next week but if not than I am fine with that because he is great.

WE go to the temple a couple times a week because it is closer to me than back home haha. who would have thought right?? It is a blessing. We donpt get to go in, but we get to visit at least.

Look up Cochabamba Bolivia on google maps and that is what it looks like where I am at. They build giant buildings and there they live 20 families. But each family only has a room and they share a couple kitchens and bathrooms. it is realyl hard...and sad...but it is culture.

We are teaching right now a few families but mostly a lot of YSA. They are all YSA age here and a lot of them come to work from bolivia because bolivia has no work right now. Elvis and Omar were two that got baptized this last month and they both blessed the sacrament alone yesterday. it was the first time for omar and second for Elvis. IT was a great sacrament meeting. 

Luckily the weather is a little warmer now. My clothes actually dry in a day. We have the choice to send the clothes in to get washed but it costs money and I prefer washing it and eating something more delicious haha. We have a little fridge and a stove but that is it in our apartment. no microwaves or washing machines. those are luxuries.

We travel by bus EVERYWHERE and it is pretty fun. Sometimes there are a billion people and we are all smashed together.

Anyway, If you have more questions, let me know! I hope you are all doing well and if you get the chance to read: The best is yet to come by Elder Holland. It is a great talk.

Love you!!

baby of a family in our ward and our friends that we found from colombia

 At the Temple :)

 Lunch with a recent convert family.

Another Temple pic

Presidents letter

I hope you are having a good week and are feeling more and more comfortable here. I know that you are used to living in other countries so that is a plus. This last week was a little bit hard for my companion and I. We had set goals that we thought were achievable and we worked hard to achieve them...but we came up really short. As we reflected back on what happened and what we can change, we came to the conclusion that it wasn`t necessarily the goals that were off track, but our spiritual discernment in working to achieve those goals. All of the things we did were with good intentions, but we didn`t allow the spirit to help us discern whether it is what we should have done or not. 
In the SOL this week you hit the nail on the head (for me at least). WE need to focues mentally, spiritually, and physically to be able to be in tune with the spirit. As far as the obedience and diligence, I don`t have a problem...but letting the spirit guide my every action has been the hardest part for me. A lot of times I am quicker to act than I am to observe...and my actions result in something ineffective. We had a lot of great lessons this week with a lot of great people, and we found a lot of new investigators that don`t live in our area, but at the end of the week I felt as if my decisions had been taken without meditating and consulting it with the man upstairs. 
I am now putting my focus in getting in tune with the spirit because I know that I cannot be an effective leader without letting the spirit lead me. 
I think the hardest thing for me so far has been that I have had to fall to learn and that is what happened in our area. We had 3 families that were all progressing and we focused on them with pure excitement that they wanted to be baptized and we got to the end of the week and they didn`t come to church and we were at a complete loss...we have a few people that still made it, but we hadn`t even visited them the whole week to help teach them because our vision was focused on the other families that didn`t really have a lot of interest. IT was hard for me to knwo that, yes we did work hard, but, no we didn`t work with the spirit. 
We were analyzing a few of the companionships and the difference of how they are doing now and we decided that they as well have the same struggle with accepting and working WITH the spirit in everything they do.
I know that we are going to move forward and that this is just a moment of learning. My focus and purpose has not changed and I will continue to help everyone receive the ordinance of Baptism and Confirmation. Thanks for everything you do and always being an example in having and working with the spirit.
Elder Hazlett