Time to get "refreshed"!

Finally got to play some basketball!

     This week was so good, so much better than last week! I have learned so much, including the fact me and my companion are complete opposites. He is native Japanese so our food tastes are very different.  The food he eats every meal so far as a missionary, not kidding, has been rice or noodles.  For the three meals, curry, ramen, then rice for dinner. Next day. Curry, udon with cabbage, rice with fermented beans. Then, udon with cabbage again, curry then ramen.  Then the other thing was, I asked if he wanted to work out with me and get strong.  He responded in Japanese but I did not understand one word. He told it in English and then I knew his meaning. He told me he would rather be soft. He likes it better that way! I had never heard that in my life! He is the best! It is pretty quiet in the apartment but I love him so much! I have determined he is so quiet because he gets all of the noise out when he sleeps. It is like a straight full grown Kodiak bear.  Like a male Kodiak bear in hibernation in a thunder storm just to give you an image!  It was the first time I have ever used ear plugs in my life but I am thinking it might be a permanent adjustment. I love my companion truly and I am learning in every way! 

     Anyway, on to my spiritual thought. This past week I had the blessed opportunity to be interviewed by President Nagano and his wife separately. I conveyed to them my thoughts about working to find the line between being promised a baptism every month and trusting in the Lord's timing and being patient. I am being obedient and working hard and giving my all. I did not know what I was doing wrong. Sister Nagano just sat there silently nodding her head, but did not say anything to comfort my worried mind. She just looked down at her paper and said, Elder Aiken I saw your transcript, I know your GPA in high school. You are have a smart mind. Why are you wasting it?? You could become a tutor and offer to teach English and math! You are wasting the gifts God has given you! You are serving with all of your heart, might, and strength. You need to serve with all of your heart, might, MIND, and strength. I was stunned. Her words pierced my core. It was so obvious. So many ideas came to my mind of how I could help serve using the gifts God has given me. I was not using my mind. How are we using our minds in serving the Lord? Are we simplifying things in our homes rather than making them more complicated?  Are we paying heed to God's rules rather than creating our own? Are we truly sending up our sincere thoughts and desires to the Lord in our prayers at night? Are we pondering our scriptures? 

     Also, during Sacrament meeting are we giving our thoughts to the Savior? That is 1 hour a week out of 168. I think we we can give one hour to the Lord. He gave His life for us. Take that hour to renew your covenants with your Savior each week and start that week refreshed. You do not need to "refresh" your Facebook page to see a new post or Intragram to see a new photo. You do not need to "refresh" your thoughts on work on Monday or that long awaited afternoon nap. You do not need to refresh thoughts of anger or sadness for things that happened that last week. That is what the Sacrament is for. To take those away. Refresh your thoughts of the Savior's atonement and all that He did for us. Use your minds to simplify the over-complicated. Use your minds to find new ways to serve the Lord in your callings. Especially if it is youth oriented. If we serve with all of our heart, might, MIND, and strength, we will have no time to have thoughts of doubt, discouragement, and displacement. Which is also why it was brought up in conference to start "ponderizing." I have started ponderizing for the first time this week with Genesis 18:11-14. Because if our mind is set on the Lord, resembling actions and deeds always follow. So walk into that Sacrament meeting every Sunday resembling the Savior. Meaning we spent our week in his service and we are worthily and willingly ready to partake of that sacred bread and water. I am working on using my mind to be an example of the believers and to strive to find the youth here in Japan that are ready to hear about this gospel even if they do not know it yet. Sometimes there are situations where we cannot put our gifts and talents into use. But I have realized that a mission is meant to not only use them all but it calls upon a higher purpose. This is God's time so I need to use God's gifts He has given me. I ask you all to do the same! Please direct your mind to the Lord! Please Ponderize a scripture every week to come closer to the Lord and to His word. Keep your feet on the path, your hands on the rod, and keep your eyes on Christ! I love you all so much! 

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken

He is the Gardner!

My new companion!

My new companion, and President and Sister Nagano

     Another week down! Tuesday I hit my 5 month mark! So crazy! But this week was not an easy one! This week was honestly probably the hardest week of my mission.  I was pushed and tested and was cut down and molded in the way the Lord wants me to be. For those who know me they know that I hate being alone. I hate the feeling of being alone. I just do not like it.  I hit that feeling pretty hard this past week. 

     So this last week I found out I was training! I was so nervous about it but so excited. But then the next morning I found out that the sisters in my zone were receiving letters by an unknown person who was apparently following them home to their apartment.  So because of the situation the sisters were white washed out. I heard this and that was so hard for me to think that I was losing my companion and both of the sisters I had come to know and training. I lost my support group. I then found out that because of this the Elders would be switching to the sister's apartment. It was a lot to take in right before my 5 hour bus ride to Tokyo. It was the first time I have felt anxiety on my mission. 

     The last part was that a sister that was in my district in the MTC, but went to a different mission, wrote me back when I told her I was training. She told me that there was a Japanese elder in her district in her mission now who had a little brother coming to my mission and I could train him. Brothers and sisters I kid you not when I say I received a spiritual confirmation that he would be my companion. I went to the mission home and found out there was only one new Japanese missionary and it was this elder... I am training that elder! I love him to death and he has such faith. But I have never been closer to feeling complete loneliness in my life. My trainer was Japanese but he was in his 9th transfer so he knew a decent amount of English. This new missionary knows literally no English accept hello, goodbye, and the basics. Our apartment is dead quite every day. Not being able to call home and talk to my family, speak English to my companion about what I was feeling, or being able to go out and even just speak to these people was so hard for me.  But I realized that I could call my mission president. He was not mad at me when I called but he told me, "Elder Aiken, you can call me any time! I wish you would have called me right away! You do not have to do this alone!" 

     Though this is so miner to things I know you are facing at home in a world of growing darkness, I tell you this. You are never alone. You never have to do this alone! You have family, friends, church leaders, and peers who are there for you. The Lord will always be there for you. Never think you are alone! But brothers and sisters I plead with you from the bottom of my heart!! Never let anyone else feel alone. In D&C 61:3 we are told, "But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful... to be moving swiftly... whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." We might feel swallowed up in the world's business and in the problems of our own lives. Ask yourselves this. Did the savior EVER turn in when His live was swallowed up in the sins and struggles of the world??  No! The Savior was never swallowed up in the world, but rather "the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father." Please let us work to have our will be swallowed up in the will of the Father, not of the world. We might go through this life busily trying to get from point A to point B, but God has children perishing in unbelief all around us. Please reach out to them!! Please do not forget them! Save the one! There are so many especially youth crying unto the Lord for his help and parents crying to the Lord for their children and feel that He is not opening his mouth and speaking to them because He is waiting to send you to be his mouthpiece and help them yourselves! D&C 1: 38. "whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." Don't let them perish brothers and sisters please. Please let us work to save as many as we can. There will be more joy in heaven just for the one who is saved than for the 99 who do not need it! Do not let any feel alone. 

     I learned so much this week and was truly cut down to a lowly place, but no one and descend lower than the Savior did for us. The Lord is the gardener here. He is my life and my light. I love Him. I will follow Him forever. I will not turn from Him for as long as I live. I plead with you to work with me to do the same and to keep your feet on the path, your hands on the rod, and to keep your eyes on Christ. But first, do as Elder Robert D. Hales asked of us and " We need to tighten our grip on the rod," and as you do so on that straight and narrow, do not forget those perishing beside you in disbelieve in the mists of darkness. Reach out to them! Call to them! I am so thankful for my mission president and the Elders here for reaching out to me. The Lord needs faithful servants. These are His children and our brothers and sisters. See them first as a parent would, and reach out them in a likewise manner. This is my heartfelt plea that I give, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Love,

Elder Aiken

Called to train!

Just 'hangin' out!

     Hello everyone!  So first, I am training!! I am so scared but so excited to see what the Lord has in store for this area and for me in this responsibility. I am ready for the Lord to shape me!

     This week was awesome. It was my last week as a trainee missionary! That reminds me how much time I still have in my mission and I cherish every day I can say I still have so much time. But it also reminds me how fast this work is going! 

     We had a funny experience last week where we went and visited one last less active for the night and as he opened the door and saw us he slammed it in our face. I was on splits with my District Leader and as we walked back to our bikes a little discouraged, he told me he felt we should try one last house. We knocked and no one came but we heard noise so we waited. He opened the door and saw us and knew who we were. He just apologizes for taking so long. He tells us he drinks A LOT and he was basically passed out on the floor undressed so it took him a while to find clothes and then he just says, but I am not interested thank you and closes the door. We did not even say a word.  It was so fast.  My District Leader looks at me and says, "Elder.. I think I felt prompted to knock on that door because God wanted us to have a good laugh tonight." I died! 

     Then this week we had a primetime awkward moment. We saw a teenager walking our way so we stopped and talked to him and he actually spoke very good English. We told him who we were and that our only desire was to help people. In English he responds, "Oh no thank you I am ok. I receive plenty of help from the devil." Haha I literally did not know what to say so I just said Sugoi! Douyatte? Which just means awesome! What? I choked ok I was under pressure.  I shared with him Moroni 7:13-14 because I thought it was pretty fitting. Anyway that was a good one. 

     We then visited a less active and her dog would not leave my side and I was missing my dog Sassy pretty bad right then. I showed her, sister Sato, Sassy and she just died she was so excited. In here broken English she says "She is a Maltese??" I was just so excited I understood her! I love this work. Truly it is hard not to be happy when you are serving the people you love. Which leads me to what I wanted to talk about this week. 

     My focus of my blog this week came to me after I was looking back on my farewell talk after my personal study the other day. In my talk I said how sisters in this church should not be pressured into serving missions and elders should not be pressured to leave at the age of 18 because there are so many ways to be righteous and it is your decision. I stand 100 percent with what I said that day, but when I read that I realized I did not clarify so I need you also to know this.

This mission is the best decision I have ever made and easily the best time of my life!!! I would plead with everyone that is of age to sincerely seek to know if this is your path and when you should go. Anyone who says that they are putting their lives on hold to serve a mission... I stand stronger and taller than ever with Ammon in Alma 26 when I say that, "this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation!" The exclamation point is my insertion because there is no other way to say that than to say wholeheartedly bearing my witness before God that this is my life and there is no other place that I would rather be. From endless witnesses from my peers and testimonies from past missionaries, I still could have never grasped the fullness of the blessings I would receive if I had not come out here and served myself. For me and my fellow missionaries serving around the world I would ask them, "for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla (Our homes) that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?" (Alma 36:1) "Behold I will answer for you... This is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work!" (Alma36:3) Brothers and sisters I LOVE THIS WORK!! If anyone is thinking of serving, please find that witness for yourself IF you should go and then go! And as members of this church we should be praying every day in every way to be an instrument in the Lord's hands! The endless blessings I have received in doing so will forever change my life. I am His humble servant and I will not turn from my Lord ever again. I can hardly imagine where I would be right now if I had not served. President Uchtdorf talks about being off by a few degrees, but the change and blessings I have received would put me at roughly 180 degrees in the other direction I am pretty sure haha. I often ask myself this question and find this answer when I think of my life without this mission. I am truly humbled to my knees. "For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla (my home) these our dearly beloved brethren... would also have been strangers to God." (Verse 9) The thought of not coming to these people who are as strangers to their Father, sickens me truly. How could that thought even cross someone's mind who has received the witness that they must serve? IF you have the witness... go!! That witness though is so crucial. Do not go out for the wrong reasons. You turn over your time to God when you accept that calling so do not waste it. If and when you receive that witness you need to accept it and trust in God's will. I promised the Lord long before this life to serve him and serve this mission. Who does that make me if I break an eternal promise such as that?  I hold close attention to that verse nine to the "would ALSO have been strangers to God." I would have been just as much a stranger to my Father as these people. I am just starting to truly humble myself to the depths where I can see my Father and my Savior's endless love for me and for all of us. It is just like filling a measuring cup with water. You can closely guess from your high point of view the amount, but you will never truly see the exact until you lower yourself down to eye level. The Lord is filling our lives with untold blessings, but until you lose yourself in humility, "and lower yourself to eye level," you will not be able to truly see how much. 

     If we are desperate to serve and become closer to the Lord, we will drop our excuses and we will give our all and we will see progress.  So please ask yourself as in conference this week, "What lack I yet?" Then ask yourself how desperate are you to actually make the change? I think of these latter days and I find myself getting more and more desperate as I love my Father in Heaven more and more. My joy is full and my heart is "brim with joy." He loves us endlessly. I will praise Him forever because he has saved my life. I am the best version of myself because of this work. I ask you all to please come unto our Father and glorify in Him more than you are now no matter what point you are at, because "Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord?" (Verse 16) Please join in me in trying to do as the people of Ammon did in burying our weapons of war. Let us bury our pride every day one.. weapon.. at a time. I love this work. I love my Savior. I love all of you and pray for your safety every night. This I write to you as my humble witness of the Father and our Savior and I close again, standing with Ammon's testimony. "Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen" 

     Keep your hands on the rod, your feet on the path, and keep your eyes on Christ.

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken

Delight in life!

Finally got my cereal!  Thanks Mom!

What an awesome week this has been!! We did not get to watch 

Conference here because of the time difference but we will watch it next Sunday, but we did see the new Apostles. How amazing is that! I am so excited to hear from them. They are going to lead this church in righteousness and I know the Lord called them to lead this church. I saw some people on Facebook commenting on their callings and how there is no diversity and that they are frustrated. I will not start about that because it will get me all angry. But one comment I did like was that spirituality is color blind. I loved that so much. 

     But this week I wanted to focus on what our district has been doing together each week that I have loved so much. Every week we choose an attribute of Christ and we strive that week to apply it in our lives and try to make it our own attribute.  Now, these will take our whole lives to work on every day, but I have seen such a dramatic change in my life as I have consciously sought to rid myself of my natural man and become like my Savior. This week I have been focusing on diligence. I love this attribute. Two things really hit me that I learned about this attribute this week. In the PMG, it states that "Diligence is steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic effort." I loooved that so much. We know the steady and consistent but are we truly being earnest with energetic effort in our lives? This life is a race and we need to hold earnest and energetic effort from beginning to end. You need to have energy and love what you do. My brother Tanner just ran a marathon last weekend!! I am so proud of him. He is such an amazing example to me of having an energetic effort. He worked so hard to train for that race and he does so every day spiritually to train and work to be able to endure to the end with his personal study and constant example. Going along with those qualities comes the most important in my opinion. 

     My zone leader was on splits with me and he told me how the previous mission president for this mission, President Budge, told the missionaries something close to this. "I have looked into it, and the base of diligent is delight. You need to truly delight in this work to be diligent missionaries." Have you ever thought of that? Have you ever stepped back and looked at the things you put all your time into, and asked yourself if you truly delight in them? You might be very dedicated to your job or studies or some aspect of your life, but if you do not enjoy it and delight in the process then you are not being diligent and we need to be diligent brothers and sisters. Heavenly Father did not send us here to be miserable. This life is meant to be a joy and a delight. It is meant to be amazing!! I think it is pretty amazing. I delight in this work. There is no place I would rather be! Spend time with your families! Delight in their successes and be a diligent father, mother, brother, sister, son, or daughter to those you love. Delight in the Lord and delight in your life. Cherish every moment and love what you do. If you do not you will be miserable truly, and the things of the world, when they beat down upon you, will go for your attitude first because that is where you will be lacking. If we are not happy day by day, then the adversary's temptations can be overbearing and you start to wonder why you do what you do. You might be "dedicated" to your job but do you delight in it. Many marriages I have seen in Japan get ruined because the father gets so caught up in his job to support his family that he loses himself in it and in turn them. He did not delight in his job. He would return from work without the desire to spend every second he could with his family. But set his thoughts on another day of work. Please do not do so. As I strive to delight in the work, that is where I find miracles and joy. I love you all so much. Have an awesome week! Delight in your week!! Keep your feet on the path, your hands on the rod, and keep your eyes on Christ!

Love, 

Elder Trevor Aiken