Blog 38

     Hello everyone!  I am loving my area and I am loving this mission! I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I love this gospel.

     This week was so awesome! We got to go to a Japanese King's tomb from 300 AD which never hurts to see! So cool. The week finished off perfect when we got a text at 10:28 Saturday night from the assistants saying that because of a legal issue with the company making our name tags we are not allowed to wear those name tags anymore because they are illegal. So we can only wear our MTC name tags until we get new ones. Sooo weird. We even had to change our profile pictures on Facebook because we had illegal name tags in them. But that is ok. It is things like that that make you grateful for all of the things you have legally you know? 

     So this week I thought about all I have been given and all of the responsibility I have to live up to what I have been given. I have been given so much and I know God expects me to give all I've got because of all He has given me. But how can we really determine how much we need to give compared to how much we have been given? Well I read and Philippians 3:16 because it says the same thing. I pondered on it and I thought I got a pretty good idea.  Verse 16: Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

     Basically it tells us live up to all that we have attained and we have literally obtained everything through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of the Church! Everything! We have been given the chance to obtain everything that the kingdom of God has to offer! How can go about in our lives and given anything less than 100%, our all, everything, when we have been given all?  I have no right to go out everyday of this mission and give anything less than all that I have. I know all that I have is nothing close to enough, but the Lord has promised that if I have everything he will give the rest. We have been given every single thing we could ever need to return to our Father and Heaven and overcome every single trial until the day comes that we get there. We need to remember who we are and live up to our name. Sons and daughters of God. Our Heavenly Father. We need to go out and give it all we have and He will repay us a million fold. Just hold on press forward and lean into the storm. He will bless us with the spiritual strength to continue. Increased spiritual strength is a gift from God which He can give when we push in His service to our limits. Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it. He will be with us all the way and He will never leave us. 

     Hold strong to the faith! I love each and every one of you and I know you can overcome anything. You are my brothers and sisters and I know you can. I hope you have the best week ever and never forget who you really are and what you have been given. Then.. Give it back. 

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken