One More Time...

"Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time..." - Jacob 5:71

Hey everybody! The time is coming soon to call it a wrap and to start packing up. This past month has been a wild one as I have considered that my mission is ending. I have had days where I feel it and I am ready to move forward in life. I have had others, however, where I struggle to say goodbye. I am truly grateful to have come to Rwanda and Uganda and to have gotten to know the people and the cultures I found in both places. Granted, it did take a lot of getting used to (I still am getting used to some things here), but in the end I have come to love the people whom I have served.

Before I continue, here are some fun facts about my mission that I have whipped up as I have reflected on these past two years:

• 1- I have served in 5 areas with 11 companions. Each companionship lasted about one or two transfers.
• 2- I have learned the basic greetings and some other words in 10 languages: French, Arabic, Luganda, Lusoga, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Pigeon English, E.S.L (European Sign Language), T'wi, and Swahili.
• 3- 18 months of my mission were spent walking, and 6 I had a truck.
• 4- I learned how to drive stick for the first time in my life and how to drive on the left side of the road at the same time. 
• 5- At the end of 2018 I made a comment in my journal that 2019 would be a year of testing my faith and building a "firmer foundation". Throughout this year I was hit by one vehicle, bed-ridden 6-7 times by sickness, and sent to the hospital once at midnight. Oh how I jinxed myself on that 🙂
• 6- Last one! My name has been said in 100s of different ways including, but not limited to: O-hi-gen, Aogan, Hogan, Hagan, O, O'Hangwey, and O-agan.

Each day I have learned from the challenges placed in our path in doing the work and I have enjoyed feeling the Spirit of the Lord guide the companionships I have been in to overcome each individual trial. I know without a doubt in my heart that this work is divine. I know this from my experience, all of it. I know that there is a God in Heaven, and that He is our Father. He loves us and knows us. He reaches out to us more than we can ever fully comprehend. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He is the Son of God. He lived a life for us to pattern as He did all that the Father asked; He invites us to do the same each day, and He has given us the means to overcome our weaknesses and the whirlwinds of the world through His Infinite Atonement. I know that this is indeed the only true Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth, and that the Prophet Joseph Smith was indeed called of God and inspired of Him to reveal lost gospel truths. One source for this knowledge is the Book of Mormon, a book that I have come to love as I have read it again and again. It testifies of Christ and gives us a greater hope in Christ and His redemption. Alongside the Holy Bible, it puts down the 1,000s of false beliefs in the world as both books together provide a more focused view on what will bring us true consolation and joy. As a result of each of these things I have come to know I also know that each of us is good enough for the blessings of a loving God to be poured into our lives. You do not have to be perfect right now to receive the blessings He has in store for you, but you have got to be believing and willing to give Him a shot. He is ever there for us, and again, He is real!

I cannot say that this knowledge has come from my own thinking alone. There is no possible way for me to have known these things I do know by my own mind. I have felt it, read it, and proven the truthfulness of each of these things day after day for the past two years. It has only been through my personal experiences and the influence of the Holy Ghost that I have come to know that these things are true. Now, my knowledge of these things is still growing, and I have so many questions that I am still praying for answers to, but I have no doubts about any of it. My mission has been the greatest gift ever given to me by God in my life, seconded only by my ability to even be alive to experience such a time. I am grateful to each of you who have supported me in this. I love you and hope that you may feel such support from those around during the various phases of your lives.

I do not know completely what lies ahead in life. I am excited to be reunited with each of you in a week or so, and to continue serving the Lord in whatever way He sees fit.

Best wishes to you all, and may this next week be a great one for each of you.

Much love,
Elder O'Hagan

"Midnight" Runs and lots of Sun...

Hello Everybody! It's been a hot minute!

The past few weeks have been full of joy and hard work along with a fair share of challenges, but all is well! We have seen two baptisms in our area within the last couple of weeks. One for Tenywa Keneth and Lugonda Paul (see image). Sadly the photo for Keneth's baptism is lost, but not forgotten! 

They were going to be baptized together a while back, but due to technical issues they happened when they happened. Which is better than them not happening I might add. This leads into the subject line. Saturday night we realized that the font was not getting filled and all the members who had keys to the chapel were seemingly busy. Until we called the 1st counselor of the Bishopric. He was more than willing to help, but his motorcycle was broken and he couldn't drive to the chapel. He lives 45 minutes away at a brisk pace. So we walked to his house, it being 9:30-10 pm at this point I might add. Once the key was in hand, Elder Maw turned to me and said, "We're gonna run it." Now, I have not ran seriously for about two years, and this was probably not good for my body, but we booked it from the village into town to get that font filled! I cannot say that the run home was equally as powerful, but I felt good afterward. 

I wish I could say more, but time is short. Next week I'm going to give a recap of my mission, so that should be pretty long.

I love you all and thank you for your support as always.

Much love,Elder O'Hagan

Photo Bomb...

All, 

Here are some pictures from Iganga! They are in no particular order. Some should be Of me and my companion, the missionary "posterity", pink chickens, and photos from our area/ a hike we did last week. 

Sorry for lack of emails, we don't have much time usually. There should be a big recap one in a couple weeks though!

Have a phenomenal week!

Elder O'Hagan

He knows the end from the beginning...

Hey there everybody!

Here's a quick update about life in Iganga. We have had quite a few ups and downs, but things are ultimately working out. We have a handful of people that have been referred to us and that were taught before by the Elders before us. All are preparing for baptism and we hope and pray that all will be well with them.

If there is anything this last week has taught me, its that He knows the end from the beginning and He knows who we are and what we are capable of. We just gotta believe in His promises and in ourselves.

Much love fam!
-Elder O'Hagan

A Long Time Coming

Hello Everyone!

It has been quite some time since I emailed all of you. Sorry about that. So much has happened in the last month and a half! I have been transferred to another village called Iganga and I am training again!. My companions name is Elder Maw from Dayton, Idaho. He is a really cool guy! I realize that I say that about all of my comps, but he is truly amazing and knows what he is doing and why he came here. He has been a source of strength to me these past two weeks. 

This is my second time white wash reopening and training, and it has been and will continue to be a lot of work. However, the Lord has blessed us with three prepared people that have really accepted what we are teaching them! The first one we met, Nina, was taught once before missionaries were taken out a while ago, and she still came to church despite the distance and not being taught! We have met her once officially, and she told us that she really wants to be baptized! So now she is preparing for that in three weeks time.

There is much more to say and little time. I'll send more updates as the time draws closer. I love you all and hope that you have a great week!!

-Elder O'Hagan

[photos below are from the internet]

Map of Iganga, Uganda

Photo of main road from Kampala to Iganga

Photo of typical huts in Iganga

April showers bring May flowers. (And occasionally power outages)

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you all are well and that life is moving along in the best way for you. This past month has been filled with many uplifting experiences that have ultimately proved the reality of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. As many of you may know I became very ill within the last month, and just as I mentioned in my last email I know that the light of the Savior truly is in and through all things. No matter where we are or how low we may become, He will always stoop lower to lift us higher as we faithfully and humbly look to Him for help.

I also want to testify that this gospel and this work are truly divine. I have seen it mend broken hearts here in Uganda as well as those which are at home as well. The Lord knows each of us and He wants to heal us. Recently we met a sister who had refused for missionaries to visit her husband because she understood at the time that we were a cult and had weird beliefs. As we met her one day she agreed to hear what we share, and she not only realized that we are not a cult, but that there have been truths restored to the earth through a prophet of God. As we shared with her about the loss of the Church of Christ on the earth she felt that the promptings she was having about the churches in Lugazi were true. She agreed for us to return this coming week and she even told us that she wanted us to bless her daughter who is one year and a half and is not able to walk on her own. Two days later we returned to visit and she told us that her daughter is now able to move around the house and gets strength each day. These things are true! Blessings like this can come to us as we have faith and as we do all we can to be reconciled with God.

It is never too late, and we are never too far gone, to become who we are intended to be.

I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Love,

-Elder O'Hagan

Nsambya to Lugazi with Elder Monzembu

Elder O'Hagan sent photos from the last month or so. "Nsambya first then Lugazi [his new area]". His new companion is Elder Monzembu from the D.R. Congo. Connor didn't send an email today, but he shared with me that he's doing very well. He is happy to be back in a rural area again. He loves being in the country with fresh air and amazing views. 

He appreciates receiving your emails, letters and prayers. I appreciate those of you who continue to encourage and lift up his spirit. It truly takes a village!

It's not about what you get. It's not about what you give. It's about how you live!

Hello friends and family. Actually, hello family!

I hope that February was a good month for you. It was very short, but it has also been full of many lessons and blessings for us here in Nsambya. Elder Abeka and I have been doing a lot of work, and while some people stay and some go away we are happy to be here.

For this month, I want to talk about the greatest principle that I have learned from my companion and the experiences that we have had together in the work.

Elder Abeka has taught me the importance of applying the scriptures into my life and allowing them to be part of the driving force behind my thoughts and actions. Through this, I have found myself guided to learn more about how we can all be better disciples of Christ. In the New Testament we learn that we must do things from our heart. (Matthew 6:1-7, James 1:5-8, 2 Corinthians 9:7). The first great commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind... And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:37,39).

What I have been able to understand from these few verses, as well as many others in the standard works, is that we must do things for the right reasons. We shouldn't be kind to someone hoping that in turn they will be kind back to us. We should not buy someone a gift hoping for a gift in return. On the other side of the issue, we should not withhold what we have (talents, gifts, you name it) because we are afraid that someone else won't accept them or us.

As Elder Uchtdorf advised during a devotional earlier this year, "don’t let discouraging voices dissuade you from your journey of faith. Remember, you don't answer to your critics. You answer to your Father in Heaven. His values count." Those voices may be those you work with, those you learn with, and they most definitely come from the adversary. However, we are more than able to overcome the overwhelming opposition that is around and within us through a very simple way. We must choose to love those who may not like us at all. We must start the change in our hearts to do things for God and for others without the incentive of getting something in return. We must go about doing good continually, because that which is good comes from God.

He has given each of us spiritual gifts, talents, unique personalities and perspectives to accomplish good in the world. The type of person I am is not the same type of person you are, and vice versa. We all bring good into this world and we have much to offer throughout our lives.

I know that God is not a being without form or affection. He is in every way our Father, and He is happy when we are happy as we elect to follow His way, as it will be the one that is best for us. He knows our thoughts and our desires better than we do, and if we let Him, He can do wonders among us each and every day to accomplish the things we didn't think we could do. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that His suffering in Gethsemane has enabled us to repent of our mistakes, and that no matter who we have been or what we have done, we can overcome the past to say "twas I, but tis not I". We have hope in this and through Him. There is no other name or means whereby salvation can come unto the world. I know this because I have seen it in my life and in the lives of those I have had the privilege of serving for the past year and a half. Light and a higher sense of belonging come to those who follow Lehi's counsel in 2 Nephi 2:28. God first loved us, and He shows that love back to those who truly love Him enough to do His will.

I love you all and I hope that you have a great week and a better month!

Sincerely,
Elder O'Hagan

January Recap...

Hello family and friends!

It has been a great start to the year as we have been able to have at least one baptism and I have been able to learn many great lessons through trial and spiritual experiences.

I had the privilege to go back to be in Makindye for some time at the beginning of the month. It was a really cool experience to serve that ward again and to see some good progress come out of our efforts. The elders there are really cool and they have become really good friends of mine. After that I came back to Nsambya to be with Elder Abeka. I think I talked about him a bit in my last email. He is a very dedicated missionary and he has taught me a lot about having love for people and seeing them as the Savior sees them. We have had many ups and downs in the work, but we have been able to strengthen each other and we are continuing to do our best. I have a lot of respect for him. As I mentioned, he and I were able to see someone get baptized. His name is Allan. We have been teaching him since early December, and he has been super dedicated to learning more about the Church and living the gospel. He doesn't have parents or anyone that really support him, so when we taught about how we are all a part of a Heavenly Family he really wanted to see it in his life. He has been one of my favorite people to teach and to really get to know in my mission. I wish I could say more, but time is limited. I'll add a picture of him at his baptism. He is the one standing next to me in the photo.

I thank you all for your prayers and your support. I really love each of you and hope that you have a great week and that February will be a great month!

Love,
Elder O'Hagan

A New Year To See. A Better Person To Be

Hello Everyone!!

First of all I want to thank all of you who have wished me a happy birthday! It is weird to think that I am no longer a teenager. Then again, I still think I'm 18 and new on mission with each new experience that comes. 

This past year has been phenomenal in regards to how much has happened and the lessons that I have learned from it. In the last month we have seen many blessings, some miracles, and an abundance of divine guidance in our lives as well as in our work. I personally have seen hearts softened towards the Church as two new missionaries spoke a common language with someone we met. Previously, he would not let his wife come to the Church due to not knowing anything about it in addition to not wanting to change beliefs. However, as these new elders bore powerful testimony in French and Swahili, this man's countenance changes to gladness as they told him how our beliefs would not take away from what he knew but would actually add to it! We now are teaching them and they are excited about learning what we have to offer. 

In my own life I have seen the hand of the Lord as my companions, Elder Abeka and Elder Corbridge, and I counsel together in how we can effectively do the will of the Lord. Just yesterday we had a companionship planning session and Elder Abeka was prompted to tell us what we could each do to improve our work and our lives. I was surprised as to how accurate it was and how it even confirmed my own feelings about what I needed to improve. This lead me to pinpoint my greatest weakness and to begin strengthening it. I'd like to share with you what that is. 

In my own life I have allowed a subtle fear to guide decision making and action taking that has hindered me to some degree. That fear is that of being alone. I feel that this is a pretty common one that we all have. For myself I have always wanted to be like others and to be accepted by them. Sometimes it has meant holding back my opinion or it has withheld talents that I could have grown. At other points in my life it has come in the form of wanting to avoid alienation or contention through the topic of beliefs, whether they be religious or not. In Elder Abeka's counsel, he encouraged me to not fear and to do what my heart tells me to do. After all, that is how the Spirit speaks to us; through our hearts.

With this experience I want to invite you to take a look into your lives and see what is keeping you from being the best person you can be. If you are religious, turn to Christ and seek divine teaching through the Holy Spirit. As Christ teaches in the Book of Mormon, "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humbles themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27) I do not yet know what will come this year, but I am excited to see what will come as I turn to Christ to make my weakness my strength. I hope and pray that each of you will be able to do the same. 

I love you all and I hope you have a great month and an even better year!

-Elder O'Hagan

Photos courtesy of Elder Corbridge