November 24, 2014

This was a week of Faith. I have never seen more Faith in action in my whole life than what I saw this last week.

We got out of our stake conference and Matias and Jessica had their interviews. They are super excited for their wedding and baptism and the whole Ward is getting excited. Anyway, Elder Paredes (the elder that did the interview for Matias) came out and talked to me and said that of all the interviews he had done in his life, he never had felt the spirit like that one. HE said, "that kid is gonna be a general authority one day" 

I lvoe that family so much and I know that they are going to be examples in the church.

Jessica has been struggling a little bit however with the small things. Sometimes she felt tired and had no desire to read. The whole morning as we traveled to conference we talked about how faith is Acting even when you don`t see the "Why" as clearly as you would like. She said that it was just hard because she wanted to have a direct pay off. She wanted to see the chagne and blessings immediately. Basically her Faith was a little bit weaker than she wanted it to be and she went to stake conference with the question of, "how can I strengthen my Faith?"

During the conference they didn`t talk a whole lot about faith but they did talk about Missionary work and how each family and each missionary were pre-destined to find eachother and to succeed together. That helped strengthen her faith a little more. 

Then the miracle happened. We got on the train to head back to our city and as we were getting on, a blind man got on the train. I looked at her and said just imagine if you were blind...she said it is true. But then, the blind mans wife and kids got on the train as well. She was also blind. They had a 12 year old son who was literally their eyes. I told her. That, is Faith. She started to tear up when she saw the youngest kid smile and see that netiher the mother or father were able to see the precious smile of their children. 

I know that the things in life are hard, but we need to sometimes take a step back and look at how blessed we really are and let THAT be what strengthens our faith. 

I love you all and hope you are always looking for the good in life because that is what will make us stronger. 

Elder Hazlett

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~Elder Hazlett

November 10, 2014

Elder Collins Left me this week as we had transfers. IT was probably the best 6 weeks I have had so far on my misison and I know that he helped me and taught me a ton! We didn`t ahve a single day that ended with a frown. OR a single day without Miracles. He was called to be Assistent to the president so I am still able to talk to him sometimes, and he will be doing divisions with the Zone leaders, so he`ll be coming back for a day or two :)

Howver, my new companion is Elder Dahl from Dallas Texas. HE is also a champ and has a great spirit of service. We are just getting down to work and he is helping me a lot with my disabilities. He is a great planner, which is my weekness, so he is helping me a ton. I am super good as soon as we go out in the street to work, but the planning is where I strugglee. He said, " Elder, you just gotta find a wife that is a better planner than you and you will be Set for life." haha I am not a terrible planner, I would just rather be with the people and let someone else plan.

Anyway, we had 6 new investigators in Church yesterday!!! WOOT WOOT! Lets just say that God is SOOO MErciful. We have been praying and working so hard with a few families and Finally we are seeing the fruits of our labors. Jessica and Matias are doing great. in a few weeks they get married and then they will be baptized and they already have their goal on the Temple :) 

Betty is a mother of 4 that is struggling with her rebbelious kids but has one that is 13 still who is awesome. Her husband just works non-stop so they don`t have a olot of help in the house. She LOVES church and wants to be baptized with Thiago her son so that he doesn`t follow the same path as the others. 

PAblo and Ezekiel are brothers from a family that we are working with that are progressing as well. They are studs and we are tryingour best to help them to be baptized. 

This weekend we will be having a conference with ElderChristofferson andall the misisoneries and weare super excited. IT will be great to get more advice for the Missionary work for this exact Day and age. They always bring a message of urgency and power to help remind us of what our purpose is! 

This week in Church, they gave us time to talk. I used an example of when we went on the road trip in the motorhome and how if we werent paying attention to the map, we would miss the exit and not arrive. And when we lost the map completely, our pride and personal knowledge made us think that we knew the correct way. I compared it to a living prophet and the time without a map as the Apostasy. We always had the vision of were we wanted to go in mind, but without haveing the constant guide of a prophet to lead us, the people hardened their hearts and started to follow thier own wisdom and ideas. IT was one of the talks that I felt like I was able to express myself exactly how I wanted and I know it is because the spirit was there speaking through me to testify to the hearts of those that were in church. 

I know that we HAVE to follow the prophet and apostles or else we are literally like a car without direction.

I hope you all have a great week and that you do the best you canto help others to find their "map" and follow the prophet!

Elder Hazlett 

November 3, 2014

This week was pretty great. I faith tester as well as a testimony builder. 

The rain couldn`t stop us. Even though for like 5 days straight it was raining, we kept on going! As I got to talking to my companion about it, we started to think about what we are doing and what the world sees in us...We leave our houses and families, work, studies, and everything that we love...to go to a foreign country where we can`t even communicate with the people. We wake up at 6:30 (sometimes earlier) every morning. We follow with exactness a morning schedule that amost no other 18 or 19 year old in the world would ever think of following, we exercise, study the scriptures, we plan and practice teaching lessons, all without having anyone watching over us, telling us what to do other than God through his Prophets and Apostles.  We leave at 10:30 and walk the streets of that foreign land talking to people that we have never ever met before, under the rain; snow; sun; hail;and wind. We get rejected by some, ridiculed by others, accepted by few, but we do it all with a smile on our faces and a testimony in our hearts. We teach simple truths to blinded eyes, hoping and praying with all our heart that God just softens their hearts and opens their eyes just enough to see what we have seen and feel what we have felt. We gain no temporal reward. We have no salary, nor do we get any kind of points for what we do, but we gain the blessings of eternal life and exaltation. We feel the love of Christ more strongly than ever before as we help those who don`t know him...come unto him.

Last night at 8 P.M. as we were completely soaked and walking to our next appointment, I couldn`t help but to crack a smile and laugh a little bit as I saw people inside their warm houses looking out their windows at us and thinking everything possible about how crazy we are, when really, I consider myself one of the happiest people on this planet. Some people might find it hard to believe how being soking wet, freezing, away from home, talking to strangers can bring so much joy, but there is a promise that is taught in Preach My Gospel pg 75 that says, " God wants all His children to know the truth. Therefore, He reveals the truths necessary for salvation through prophets and apostles." To have the truth brings a certain amount of Joy, but to have the truth and live it brings more joy than can be found anywhere else or in any other way.

If I have learned one thing on my mission, it is that Obedience to the Truths and commandments that have been revealed in this dispensation is the ONLY way to find true Joy. And it is also the only way to assure that in the future we will gain even more Joy! 

Like I said in the beginning, it was a faith testing week because a lot of things didn`t work out as we had planned or wanted, but my testimony was strengthened so much as those trials made me reflect and think about many different things. All of them being directed to the fact that we have a Prophet today that guides us and Apostles aswell. That with them we have a sacred promise, "Those who listen to and follow the counsel of living prophets and apostles will not go astray." PMG pg 75.

We have families that are still struggling to soften their hearts and their eyes are not quite opened yet, but that are following the steps that we are giving them and are putting forth their efforts to get to where we are.  

One family said, " Elders, Why are you all so happy?" I would die if I did what you do. We couldn`t help but smile and say. One day when you go through the temple with your family, you will understand :) They just smiled and said that they aren`t stopping til they make it there! We said that we are like their team. A team works together and when one is doing well, the others do better. When one isn`t doing well, the others slow down. But the best part about the team that we are on is that no matter how down we are, we can go forward with Faith knowing that our team Never is going to lose :)

Baby blessing of one of our counselors. I just thought that it was perfect. That is the attitude necesary! Gotta have the Vision.

Family that is getting married and baptized this month :) They are awesome! 

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~Elder Hazlett