I made it!

      Hello everyone!  We left for Tokyo a week ago - and before I boarded the plane, I had to get one more Cafe Rio burrito!  I know it will be awhile before I get another one so I couldn't pass it up!

My first companion - Elder Higashi

     The flight to Tokyo was very long - but once we landed - I fell in love with it.  This is the best place on earth!  I have loved every single second. Seriously!
     I woke up for my first full day in Japan at the mission home to get my training and meet my companion. As you saw he is a Nihonjin. That means Japanese person. It is so rare to happen. I am in a tri-panionship because the third elder leaves in a week and me and my companion got whitewashed into an area.  So he'll be helping us get to know the area for a week before he leaves.  
     I got called to the furthest northeast area of my mission and the mission home is in the furthest southwest part.  It is about a 5 hour ride by bus and then a 2 hour train ride and then a 20 minute walk.  We had to leave immediately just to make it to our place in time to have dinner get settled and go to sleep on time so I missed my Facebook training which is why I haven't gotten it yet.
     So I woke up on my first day in my area and my companion, Elder Higashi, does not really do any work outs in the morning except for that handheld hand workout where you squeeze it.  But my other companion on the other hand... asked me if I wanted to get really fit with his workout. He is a Polynesian linebacker that is going to BYU but he broke his wrist and if he injures it again it has to be fused so he is not going to play for them. Anyway the first day was 200 diamond push ups. It took me soooo long and my triceps literally ripped in half - or at least felt that way.  
     The food is pretty good.  We rarely if ever will be fed. For breakfast I just have eggs or granola with yogurt. I miss fruit so much though. One peach down here is 4 dollars. Fruit and meat are outrageously expensive you would not believe. But to my main problem of Japan. They do not kill spiders because they believe it is bad luck to do so... NO LIE!!!!!!  And I am not kidding when I say they are everywhere and they are huge! Because they literally never kill them so they go anywhere they want.  We went to dinner the other night and came out and there was a spider that was about 2 inches around with its legs extended just chillin like it was casual.  I threw a rapper up there and it just flew to it and spun its web around it and had it rapped up in no lie about 20 seconds and I flew to my bike and just hit the road!       
     Now to my companion and my area!  First I have the cool opportunity on the 2nd, 3rd and the 4th of August here in Nagaoka - it's the biggest firework show in Japan.  People keep telling me it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see. It is celebrated because of peace between Japan and the U.S. after WWII. Super cool.  Our area is Nagaoka and has 250 members. But only 25 active members sadly. It is a group.  But these members are amazing. We have been teaching this 17 year old named Koki and he wants to be baptized so badly but his parents will not let him.  So I challenged him to go home that night and bear his testimony to his parents of what he believes and to testify by the spirit and pray that the spirit could not be held back from that room. I told him to just keep believing. He texted me later that night and said "Elder Aiken I did it but my parents are hard to change their mind but I felt so good when I did it and I know it was the Holy Ghost. I believe!"  I have prayed every day for his parents to let him join. He wants to join and serve a mission as soon as possible and he is seriously so powerful. He is studying English a lot and is actually pretty good which is so rare. Especially in this area because we are so far from Tokyo and these people do not speak English. But he wants to go on a mission English speaking in America. 
     My companion is hilarious! He only knows a little English but he is awesome. I was about to step on the scale the other day and my companion says in broken English, "Today you see miracle. But only after you have a trialof your faith. You can do it. Step on" Then I stepped off and he says, "Its ok, God still loves you. And we have faith and ipad." I was laughing so hard. I am learning the language a lot because of it. And I will a ton more when the other Elder leaves and I have to lean on him which will make me learn it more quickly. 

     I learned how to fully explain the structure of prayer with an analogy and how to pray without any English.  It was so cool.  I have to make it very simple to them. I used the analogy of a sandwich. You need the two pieces of bread but you can put anything in the middle. Just as you need to open by addressing Heavenly Father and closing in Jesus' name but anything can go in the middle. But that we should start by giving thanks then ask a specific question that we want answered. I was so excited when I learned that. This Church is so true. These people are so ready for the gospel but Satan has such a grip on their hearts. Pornography plus drugs and alcohol are huge here too in a lot of areas so that is so sad.  
     I love this area. I love Japan!!!  I found some scriptures that I loved for Japan that I thought applied directly:

2nd Nephi 10:21-22

21 But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the
isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more
than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.

22 For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the
house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold,
the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he
remembereth us also.

     The church is true no matter where you go. These people just need to see that light.  Have a great week!

Love you all!
Elder Trevor Aiken