Week 66!

     Week 66 was an awesome week! It started off with faith and hard work and a desire to see miracles of course!! 

     On Wednesday we came together as a zone at zone conference and we knelt together, 22 missionaries, in prayer. We prayed to see baptisms this transfer and prayed to know how many we felt that we could see in the next month. It was so powerful to see 21 servants of the Lord with such a strong desire to serve our Savior kneel with me in prayer. The spirit was so strong. We set a range goal to see 18-24 baptisms and immediately got to work to see it. It was so awesome. I prayed to Heavenly Father and just told Him I would give him 24 hours of faith. Just 24 hours of pure faith that we would see miracles. Then when the 24 hours ended, I started again.. And again.. And it still continues. It led us to two new investigators and we had an amazing baptism yesterday with our investigator Mizuguchi! 

     He was baptized by the bishop of our ward. So awesome! He had such a desire to change his life. He just told us that he wanted a new life and fresh start. He wanted to feel forgiven and clean. He was so saddened and disappointed by the choices he had made in his past life. He has tattoos all over his arms chest and back so he always wears a black long sleeve shirt so no one will judge him. He was very hesitant to be baptized with other people watching, but he finally agreed and said it would be ok. He was baptized and he was so happy. He told us the tattoos were obviously still there but all of the decisions he had made felt like they were washed away. It was great.

     A huge miracle came of it as well. In our mission, as you probably know, we have our area books on our iPads. It is all digital. So the other day we went and synced our iPad and all of a sudden there were around 250 people in there from the sisters old area book because there are no sisters in our area. There has not been for 2 years so all of these people had not been taught in 2 years. So we needed to find out who had interest and who didn't because now our area book was huge and unorganized. So we decided to start calling and invite people to the baptism. We called a woman named Maki Tanaka. She was so nice and I invited her to come to the baptism and she said her really good friend was actually a member in a neighboring ward and she had gone to her baptism 3 years ago but never went back to the church since. She was hesitant but said she might come... and she did! And she had a great experience. All of the sisters in the ward just went and fellowshipped her so well!! Maki was so nice and acted so natural in the church though that they thought she was already a member at first. But I asked her how she felt and she said she felt so happy. I tried to explain to her that there are moments in our lives when we feel a joy we do not understand. Like when we look at beautiful view or scenery. Or when we hold a new born child for the first time. Or when we see someone get baptized. I told her that in those beautiful moments, that feeling of joy or peace is Heavenly Father touching our hearts through his spirit, trying to let us know He is there. That there is something more out there. That He loves us. It really clicked with her. Then she asked me, "But why does everyone here seem so happy all the time and why are they always so nice to me. They always show love. Even when I visited the other ward three years ago. I want to know what you have that I am missing." I asked her if we could teach her about that very thing and she was so excited! She said, absolutely! I have work off all week can I come to the church and learn at 6 o'clock on Thursday! I said of course you can! She was fellowshipped so well by two sisters who came up after to me they want to teach her with us really badly and Maki wanted them there as well. I told Maki that one of the sisters cannot do it this week though and Maki said, oh that is fine I can meet the following week on Wednesday at the church as well. Can she be there then?  I said absolutely and testified of the blessings this message contains. She just stood there almost dumfounded. "Elder Aiken I do not know why, but I just believe the words you say. I do not know why but I just feel that they are true. I just believe them." I was so humbled to see the power of the Lord and His spirit working on someone who had not had contact with the missionaries for 2 years! Almost every time in those situations they have forgotten the missionaries or have no interest here in Japan. The Lord prepares the hearts of his children every day! 

     God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchanging. But, "If ye have imagined up unto yourselves a God who doth vary, and in whom there is a shadow of changing, then ye have imagined unto yourselves a God who is not a god of miracles." - Mormon 9:10. God is a God of miracles! He is always revealing himself to us in our lives. His hand is ever open just waiting for us to take it. Never give up! He is always there and help is always on the way! He will send his angels round about you to lift you up! So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever. I cannot give up or lower my faith because I know there is something great that awaits me every day I don't. This gospel carries me. Remember, remember The gospel is not weight; it is wings. It carries over the trials and sorrows of this life. Let it carry you! Let it be your wings. It forever is mine. 

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken