First transfer...

     This week was so amazing! I love this work holy cow!!! We focused this whole transfer on the Book of Mormon in finding. So we have had so many opportunities with that and handed out a lot. Speaking of which, it blows my mind that the first transfer is already over. (I'm staying where I am which I'm so happy about!)  It is funny, in the mission, to me there are no such thing as weekends, months, seasons, etc. Just transfers. Time is so different on the mission.  But I am treasuring every bit of that time.  I love D&C 28:15:

15 And it shall be given thee from the time thou shalt go, until the
time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do.

16 And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with
the sound of rejoicing. Amen.

So I will open my mouth at all times. I love those verses. I have
truly been given a mantle to more fully feel of the spirits guidance
since I was set apart, and will carry that with me until I get
released. I cannot waste the opportunity to serve these people. It
connects well with D&C 33:9

9 Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with
sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you.

     I love that verse!! That is such a powerful promise. There are few more powerful to me as a missionary. I have no right to waste this time and not open my mouth. I accepted this call, so this is officially God's time. I most definitely have shared this before, but I love this. If we work like it all depends us, and pray like it all depends on him, we shall always have the strength to face our trials and tribulations. But we need to be willing to act upon the answers we receive in those prayers!  Matthew - 10:27:

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye
hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

     But anyway the two things I really loved in my personal study that connected with me this week were what i wanted to focus on for my blog this week!  Elder Bednar says in the Character of Christ video in the MTC, how the Savior was perfect because in every moment when the natural man would have turned in, he always turned out. He shared the example in Matthew 4. (I have been reading the New Testament this past week so that really connected with me again) He says how the Savior had just fasted for 40 days and that it is safe to say that he must have been drained spiritually and physically from the effort. So it must have been such a joy and a strength when angels came to minister unto him after the 40 days and lift him up and give him strength. But that is not what happened. In verse 11, if you read the footnote a, he did not have the angels minister unto him. In the JST, we can read that Jesus found out that John was in prison, so he sent the angels to minister unto him in prison. I did not ever know that. I never read that footnote before then. The Savior never took a moment to look in unto himself after times of weakness and hardship. He always turned out. That is something we can work on every day of this life.

  The other thing I loved that I never realized was the foil in this painting. I never focused on the foil between the temple on the left and the great and spacious building on the right. That really hit me. I do notnot know why I never made a direct comparison between the two. We
chose God's plan to follow the Savior in the pre-existence. Now in this life we have to make that choice again. Will we call to our friends from the temple grounds, or mock them from the great and spacious building? Please brothers and sisters, choose the house of God over the house of man. Get to the temple. It is so important. I am in the only area in my mission that does not get to go to the temple p-day because we are so far and it is so hard for me because of the power of the temple. Please get to the temple. I testify that the temple truly is the Lord's house and attendance is essential for everyone in this and life and for those that have passed on. In my mission we set two baptismal dates. One for the investigator, and one
a month later for their ancestors, because they are both just as important.
     I hope you can find something for your life in these words this week as I did for mine. This church is the truth!  This is the work!  Christ is the Savior!  Keep your eyes on Christ!
I love you all!

Love,
Elder Trevor Aiken