Week 56!

With Elder Judd - a former classmate at Brighton High School!

     I cannot believe how fast time is going! We had a good week this week. Last week we went to the biggest mall in Asia and I was intense!! Holy cow it was huge! Blew my mind. There was even a Cold Stone...but I held strong.  Then we had Temple P-day! So that is why I am emailing today! I truthfully cannot describe the peace and joy I feel at the temple! I just cannot stop smiling. Everyone looks at me so weird. I am just so happy!! Through thick and thin I have found my Savior. Now on to the spiritual side!

The Adachi Trio!

     Today I wanted to talk about trials! A word, when looked at in a certain light, is viewed as a deterrent in our lives. It is viewed as something that weighs us down and something we all wish we did not have to face all the time. But, if we look at trials in a different light, the Light of Christ, we can see that trials are God's way of letting us access the Atonement. He will never send a trial we cannot face or a battle we cannot win. Absolutely they can hurt and humble us in every way, but that is the refiner's fire. It is a test of our faith. Many times in our life, in our hearts, seeds of faith are planted, but sometimes they are planted in deep soil and they do not receive the water they need to grow until a storm comes. Those storms give those seeds a chance to receive the growth that can turn into a certain knowledge where our faith can go dormant. I truly thank God every day for the storms he sends in my life, because my faith in our Savior, even Jesus the Christ, has grown into a sound knowledge. He suffered everything that we have and will suffer. He knows us. But sometimes, maybe we need to experience trials in order to know Him. Perhaps we need to experience the depths of mortality in order to understand Him. He could have known how to succor us simply by revelation, but He chose to learn by His own personal experience. He chose to experience what we felt, because he has an undoubting love for us. He felt our pain. He knows our pain. Pain. Another word with a negative connotation, but "pain is a gauge of the healing process. It often teaches us patience. Perhaps that is why we use the term patient in referring to the sick." 

     In times of pain and trial, sometimes the only way we can make it is to endure. Empower our faith and patiently endure. Face the storm with our Savior and have the faith that He will calm it. Yes it hurts sometimes, but pain lowers you down to a level of humility that allows you to ponder. It brings us closer to the Father. I wanted to write a message of hope today. Never give up, never give in, and never give out. Hold strong! I know life can have hardship sometimes, sometimes all the time, but we can make it! Let these storms of life allow your seeds of faith to grow and set a foundation for our conversion on the Savior. Through these storms, let us stand on that Rock of a foundation and endure. Everyone has mountains to climb. You are not alone. You never will be. 

     Have the best week ever!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken

Find the beauty in life!

    

     It has been a great week!! The trio fire is still building in Adachi. I have had two and four man apartments, but three apartments are the best. We are working so hard to find new investigators and those that are prepared. Our area has really reset recently. Our recent convert Ben had his grandma get a really bad infection in her leg and she is in such a serious condition that he returned to China to try and see her one last time before she passes and he will not return until next year. He was so devastated when he heard. He was so close to his grandma and the news really shook him. Also, Rose, who was just baptized is going to the Philippines next week for 2 weeks so she will be gone until next transfer, so hopefully I stay. But we are in need of some new people who are interested in learning. 

     The week finished off with some fun stuff for P-day today. We are going to Lake Town, the largest mall in all of Japan and probably Asia to be honest. It is way bigger than any mall I have seen in America. And usually everything in America dwarfs everything in Japan in size. But this is something else. There is just about anything you could think of there. Including a huge Disney store might I add. 

     I am just so happy. Every day is just amazing. Sure, maybe there are some hard days and some rough moments, but at the end of the day I can almost never remember them. I try to focus on the little miracles of every moment. Are we doing that enough?  Someone once said: "Do you take time to discover each day how beautiful your life can be? How long has it been since you watched the sun set? The departing rays kissing the clouds, trees, hills, and lowlands good night, sometimes tranquilly, sometimes with exuberant bursts of color and form. What of the wonder of a cloudless night when the Lord unveils the marvels of His heavens--the twinkling stars, the moonlight rays--to ignite our imagination with His greatness and glory? When last did you observe a tiny rosebud form? Each day it develops new and impressive character, more promise of beauty until it becomes a majestic rose." 

     Isn't this life amazing?? Isn't it wonderful?? We have glories all around us. I can still remember countless nights of my dad on the back porch calling my name, "Trev! Trev! come look at this Sunset! It's amazing." Or, "Trev! Trev! Come look at the stars! They are so beautiful tonight!" He truly showed me at a young age that this is a life where we can take a moment and see what truly matters. Take a moment and see the beauties that the Lord has given us. We are one of the noblest of God’s creations. His intent is that your life be gloriously beautiful regardless of your circumstances. He wants us to be happy! He wants our life to be beautiful and full of beautiful days! Sure, sadness, disappointment, and severe challenges are events in life, but they are not life itself. I hear so many people say "I have such a sad life." No... You have sadness in your life, but it is not your life. "I have such a hard life." No you don't! You have hardships in life, but it is not your life. The purpose of this life is joy! Find it!! It is there whether you want it to be or not. Sometimes we want to be a Debby downer, but I am sorry, we flat out cannot deny the beauties and glories of this life! No shot! This gospel is hope! This gospel is change. Please never give up. We can succeed! Our success is never measured by how strongly we are tempted but by how faithfully we respond. Let us rise up and dust ourselves off. Respond boldly to the temptations and powers the adversary sends to bring us down and stand tall. Find the beauties in your life. They are and will always be there!

     Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken