Week 81

     How fast these weeks go! It was a good week. We took the ferry again to Niigata for Zone Conference and it was pretty smooth but Zone Conference ended around 4:30 and the ferry we needed to take was at 4:00 so we did not know what to do.  President Nagano gave us special permission to take the 7:30 ferry to get home that night and it was late, stormy, and the ferry was rockin. I was like don't rock the boat baby don't tip the boat over. Wow, sorry! That was a bad one.  I sound like my dad! 

     But it was a great Zone Conference. We watched the district (and we also found out they just finished filming the District 3 if you were wondering! That is like seeing a preview for a new Star Wars movie for missionaries!  Hope it comes out soon!) and the sister just said, "my time here as a full time missionary will now soon come to an end..." and I was done. The lights were off in the room so no one could see me but I just started crying. The thought of going home even in 6 months just was too hard for me. I feel like I still have sooo much more to do and to learn. As a missionary as time goes on and the time to go home approaches, the more you realize that you are already home. Japan has become my second home. I love these people. 

Going to miss Sister Riggs (behind me) who just went home!  We were in the MTC together.

     But the work is great! Seriously me and my companion are like the same person sometimes. We talk and laugh literally... always. You have never seen two people talk this much ever. 

     This week I had a spiritual thought come to me that I really wanted to share with you and it's about prayer.  

 I thought about how many times I have kind of zoned out in a group prayer just to zone back in for closing in Christ's name to say the resounding "Amen." Or sometimes giving a really heart felt prayer at a set pace, slowly speeding up and saying that closing line thoughtlessly because it becomes so routine. But I really thought about what we are saying when we say, "Amen." So many times I feel like we say it robotically like it is nothing. Like it holds no meaning. But through that Amen we connect ourselves to that Heavenly communication with the Father by agreeing to what the person praying is saying. We have heard that before. Amen is like agree. But what are we agreeing to do. To ACT. We are agreeing and promising to the Father to act. Especially on the promptings we receive. That humble Amen that we say to end that heavenly "phone call" with the Father is our way of promising him we will do what was said in the prayer and what He told us to do as we listening to what we felt in that prayer. Promising him that we will act in order to be worthy to receive blessings or help for the dozens of blessings and guidance we just asked for. We do the same resounding Amen at the end of every talk in church and conference. Every testimony and lesson. But we sometimes just shove that one word under the rug and don't give it a second thought. In prayers it is probably the word that gets the least amount of thought to be honest.   

     But this week I have a challenge. I want to challenge us that every time we say Amen in our prayers this week, mentally change it out for Act. Thank the Lord for what you have been given, ask the Lord for guidance, tell him what you wish to improve, then close in the name of Jesus Christ, Act. Of course do not say it out loud but mentally agree with the Lord and the other person praying, or yourself if it is a personal prayer, to act. To act on promptings received. Act to be able to receive the blessings and help that you just pleaded for. I love you all. May we all Act, on the promptings we receive and all that we know to be true. 

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken

Happy Thanksgiving!

     What a great week! I got to play basketball for one of the very few times on my mission and I finally got to just practice my shot for about an hour. And it is coming back! Finally! I am getting that lefty love back in my shot!

     Best of all, we've been hitting the pavement all week trying to find new investigators and to build kankei (relationships) with the youth on the island. We went to a high school basketball game (which is nothing like America by the way.) There were four parents, no students, no other fans, no cheerleaders. Nothin. It was so quiet. So sad.  We met a principal of one of the schools and talked to him about teaching his kids English at his school which is a huge miracle you don't even know! He said he wants to call our branch president and talk to him about it. Hopefully we will call and talk to him and we can set something up!

     Also, my brother Brock had his birthday! Brock thank you for being the best big brother/twin ever! Everyone you better wish my brother happy birthday! Give him something nice ok! Wrap it up, put some love in there. No elephant giving.  Brock I hope you had the best birthday ever. We are 90% the same and that will never change! The 10% comes from the annoying little brother complex which stops further progress. 

     Anyone who was at my house when I opened my call will probably remember that I said "I never thought this day would come but here it is." I couldn't believe the time had come for me to serve a mission. That happened again yesterday when I hit my 6th months-to-go mark. The last stretch. It has gone so fast. I can't believe I am already to that point. Where has the time gone... it seems like a dream.  I hit my ending 6th month mark and my companion hit his starting 6th month mark. I am one year ahead of him to the day. When I hit that first 6th month mark I was in this same zone one month earlier... oh boy. I'm old. So fast. Yet at the same time I have grown so much and had so many trials, hard experiences, moments of pure joy, and soooo much change, that it seems like this mission has been a whole different life.  The person before my mission truly seems like another life. My mission saved me. The Savior gave me my life so how could I not give just these 2 years? I thought I would show the Lord my gratitude by giving Him this mission but it has been the exact opposite. I have not paid anything in these two years. I have only received. Only been given. I can't believe I saw these 2 years as a sacrifice. I gave up seeing football games and blockbuster movies to see the kingdom of heaven at work. It has been an amazing year and a half. 

     Almost every single sister I have known is gone home now. Every one I knew in the MTC, at BYU, or came to Japan with has gone home or goes home in 2 weeks. So fast.  Without tone of voice and seeing me in person it is hard to really show my love and testimony for this gospel, but I want to testify with all of the power of my soul that this church is true. This work is a stone cut out of a mountain without hands and will spread throughout all the earth. It is the Lord's work. I know it is true! I will never deny it! I love this work and I love my Lord. Anyone who is thinking or has ever thought about serving a mission, serve! Just Serve. Don't doubt, or think of how hard it will be because it is the best decision you will ever make. It will change your life if you let it. I truly want all of you to know that this is without comparison, without a doubt the best time of my life. Way better than BYU and BYU was amazing. It holds 100 times more worth than just about anything I did before my mission. And I treasure every day. I have found true joy. When we strive for joy, remember, it is only found when we seek for it in the right priority. 

Jesus Christ

Others

Yourself

Also since we are on the acronyms today here is another one I loved that a member told me yesterday. 

Father 

And

Mother

I

Love

You 

I love you all! Have the best week ever and Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken! 

Life's Autobiography

    Hello everyone!  What a week it's been.  People here have been very interested with the elction in the U.S..  All week people would stop us just because we were white even though my companion is Brazilian and he had no idea about it.  It was a perfect opportunity to talk the gospel! But what a great week with more beautiful pictures of this beautiful Island and more of the Lord's work being done. 

     I had an amazing chance to go on a split finally with Elder Judd this last week in his last transfer. He is a traveling assistant and came up to work with us! We went to Brighton together and had multiple classes together so it was way fun. He has been a part of my mission since the beginning. I saw him my very first day in Niigata because we just luckily ended up in the same zone. We had a fun time. I will miss him. 

     I had a member from my previous area call me yesterday and he just told me, "Elder Aiken I don't know why but I just got this really nervous feeling like you were not ok and I had to call you. Are you ok? How are you doing?" He is the best of all time. I told him that everything was fine except for my hip injury. He goes, "I knew it! I knew something was wrong. That's so interesting isn't it? That I got that nervous feeling..." Then he went on and asked about my hip and everything. He is the best. 

     Another miracle is that I have been looking for a cheap place to cut my hair here because I do not trust my companion. I am not letting Edward Scissorhands over here cut my hair. But then with Elder Judd on splits we housed into this young man who has a lot of interest in learning English and he told he cuts hair and I just got really serious thinking this is my one shot. So I took a deep breath and fired out the moment defying question we all face at one time in our lives... how much? He looks at me and says a mere... ¥690 or $6!  Needless to say he was pretty hyped when we said we would come on Monday. 

     The other miracle was we housed into a 26 year old man and he's a soccer coach for 150 youth on Sado and coaches them every week. He coaches at three locations with about 50 youth each.  He asked us to come help him coach and because he said the youth would love us. Now my soccer skills are just a few strokes below par. Or over par. However the saying goes to say that I am bad. My English is dead people. I had to tell him I was good because I have a Brazilian companion who by nature has to be amazing so it is fine. They will all focus on him. But the reason it is such a miracle is because President Nagano always has such a strong push on working with youth so we are excited! Rising generation! Sorry that was long, now onto a spiritual thought! 

     I want to talk about something President Harold B. Lee once said:

“In His Sermon on the Mount the Master has given us somewhat of a revelation of His own character, which was perfect, or what might be said to be ‘an autobiography, every syllable of which He had written down in deeds,’ and in so doing has given us a blueprint for our own lives.” 

     The Savior wrote his own autobiography not with pen and paper but with his words and his deeds. He wrote his autobiography to us with his life. How are we writing our autobiographies? Now we might not have our sermons on mounts in our lives but what about when we testify in Sacrament meeting? Testify to our families? To your kids? To your friends? Are you giving somewhat of a revelation of your own character? What character are you revealing? Is it a character that is in line with the Lord's? Not just in church or spiritual moments but in our daily lives. What words are we using? What deeds are we doing? Are we showing love? Are we serving? Are we use kind, clean language? Are we selfless and humble? Are we holding grudges, easily offended, or contentious? Are we writing an autobiography that you would be willing to sell to the public? The Lord had nothing to hide about his life because it was completely in line with our Heavenly Father. How are we doing? Are there things we are doing or words we are saying that we know are not in line with what the Lord would have us do? So we rip out a page, hide a page, or withhold the book altogether and stop praying to the Lord or worshipping on Sundays. So we start hiding parts of ourselves or our emotions from our family and friends. Then projecting a built up anger or sadness at those around us. But the fact is that this life is the editing time! When this life ends and we approach the judgement bar we will have to bring that book to him and he will read it as it has been edited through the atonement. My plea is that as we write our own autobiography and we reveal our character in our words and deeds that it can be one to be proud of. Take it to Lord in prayer if you have any doubts. Then if you need, take it to your bishop, and with the atonement, fix any typos, bad autocorrections (impulsive acts), and erase sentences, paragraphs, even chapters of our lives if need be. The atoning blood of Christ is like that red dotted line underlining a word that is out of place or misspelled. It is clear to see, but through that atonement, easily fixed. That atoning power is the whiteout of our own life novel. Let there be nothing to hide. Let us live an amazing autobiography! Be a light on a hill!! Be an example! People always watch what you do! Your kids, peers, coworkers. People on the street! Everyone sees your character. Everyone sees you. How do they see you? More importantly, how do you see you? Write an amazing Autobiography this week! Just start by doing it for one day! Improve yourself for one day! Give yourself to the Lord's will for one day! Then do it again... and again... and again. I know we can!

     Have a great week everyone!

Elder Trevor Aiken 

Loving Sado Island!

     I am just lovin life up here on Sado Island! It was a fun week. We have had to travel to Niigata back to the mainland like 3 times in the past two weeks for splits or meetings and we have to go back again today! When we go it is usually for about three days because there are only 2 ferrys a day to make morning meetings or full day splits we have to go the day before on the 4 o'clock ferry and get to the apartment at 8. Then we stay the whole day and take the morning ferry on the third day and get back to the apartment at about 1:00 so it has been hard to get the work going this far. But after today we will finally have some time to work and find up here. 

     It is really cold up here on Sado. I might have already said this but The Island is like two parallel mountain ranges with a valley in between so the wind has been funneling between the mountains through the valley and it is crazy windy. With the humidity it goes right through your clothes. We have had some cold bitter nights. But that doesn't stop us! Proverbs 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

     We will have something this winter! The Lord has a plan for this Island! I know it! I have such a responsibility and a work to do here. Our third Priesthood holder had his wife kick him out of their house because he joined the church and has now made it a priority in his life. She doesn't like that he goes every Sunday and to Family Home Evening. She has always been against the church but she finally reached her tipping point and kicked him out and he is now living in his car and trying to find. Because of the situation he is not coming to church anymore which is so sad. He is really struggling but we cannot make contact because we do not know where his car is and he is not at home obviously. One member has contact and is making contact but it is so hard. The adversary does everything he can to stop us from accepting and loving this gospel. Walking in and blessing or passing the sacrament every week, talking every month, and not having a Priesthood and relief society meeting each Sunday has really humbled me and turned my heart towards these people. What a faithful little branch of Saints they are! They deserve my 100% effort. I am giving  my all. We found two new investigators and we are working to find those that are prepared here. Working with less actives and our PI's. 

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (D&C 64:33).

     We can never give up!! Especially when we don't see immediate feedback. We can't give up on ourselves, those we love, and those around us. It takes time! Change takes time! It takes the Lord's time. And patience to that time. But we do need to work every day. I am striving to work every day. I strive to see the Lord's hands at work, But I first have to do my work first.  "For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." A companion scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants describes with equal clarity and conciseness our primary work as the sons and daughters of the Eternal Father. Interestingly, this verse does not seem to be as well known and is not quoted with great frequency. "Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength."

     Are we doing our work... are we really doing our work?

We must be obedient to the Lord and the promptings of the spirit. Not just in the obvious, but also being obedient to the still small voice that distills upon us personal revelation and tells us how to improve. How many of you have gotten the feeling, oh I need to be better at this... anything from reading your scriptures to controlling your temper. From showing more love to listening more. Attending the temple every week to truly preparing for the sacrament every week. That is not a personal thought or epiphany! That is revelation from the Lord by his Holy Spirit and if we do not act on the revelation we receive which he expects us to act upon then we will not receive more. We need to repent of our shortcomings or of not acting on promptings we have received. Repentance is not just for sins. When we don't act on those promptings it is like going day after day without piling the chain on your bike. Little by little it goes slower and slower until it stops. The promptings will grow dull until we won't recognize them or receive them. We need to do our work in this blink-of-an-eye life, because the Lord will do his work for eternity. Please let us do our work! Have the best week ever!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken