Happy New Year!

     Happy New Year! I woke up in the morning of the first with such excitement for a new year - then realization hit me right in my heart. I would never have another calendar year as a missionary. I would never go from January first to January first again with this name tag on my chest. I will not get another year to give every piece of my heart and soul to these people I love. I love them so much. They truly have every piece of my heart. I have come to see them as the Savior sees them, and my heart is full of love unto the consuming of my soul. I cannot picture leaving them. I cried during that morning prayer just begging the Lord to slow down the time and help me to treasure every day. Oh how I love this gospel that I can have the eternal hope that I will see all of them again in this life or the next. There are no goodbyes. I cannot imagine leaving this place though. I cannot not imagine ending my mission. For me, a mission is the Kolob of this life. I have never been closer to Him. I will forever hold this past year as a missionary in my heart.

     Looking forward to the new year, I pray we can be a little better. A better friend, a better husband, wife, brother, sister, son, daughter, mother or father. I pray we can love with a little more authenticity, and be a little more selfless. I pray that we can think a little more before we speak and act and make sure we are doing so to uplift and love rather than to demean or to tear down. I pray we can be a little more active in our callings, and a little more dedicated to the part of the vineyard in which we serve. I pray we can work hard and also play hard. I pray we can give more than we receive and give thanks for all that we do receive. Overall, I pray we can be a little more like our Savior. I am excited for another year and another chance to improve. Aren't you?? Another year to study, obtain, and use our Savior's glorious atonement?? I know I am!:)

New Year's Eve dinner - Fish eggs, octopus, and the pink and white things are mashed - squished/packed fish. 

     This week I just wanted to share two miracles that have let me know that God knows all. If any of you remember my previous investigator from Kawagoe - Maki - she is probably the investigator closest to my heart. I was the Elder who started teaching her and she is the best. She heard the voice of the Lord telling her to come unto him and has had some amazing experiences. Since I came to Sakado which is the neighboring area to Kawagoe and in the same district, I have been able to hear from the sisters on how she is doing since they started teaching her after I left. She opened up to the sisters a few weeks ago that she is really struggling with smoking. She was smoking 20 cigarettes a day and her health got so bad that she was coughing so severely that she broke two of her ribs. She then cut down to 10 a day after that and she called the sisters over 2 weeks ago and she told them God had broken her ribs because she was not keeping the Word of Wisdom (I thought that was funny but if it keeps her coming closer to God I am in). 

     The sisters talked with her and told her, "well then you need to stop, Maki. You are killing yourself and you have two kids who need you. The Lord has been calling you and he wants you to come unto him." She said she knew she needed to but she said she is too weak. I can't do it. So a member and friend of Maki's told her about, and testified of, priesthood blessings and Maki just said, "I need that." Now Maki lives closer to Kawagoe but she actually has a lot of member friends in Sakado so she asked if her best friend who is a member in Sakado could have her husband give her the blessing and they said of course and set it up. Then the sisters told me she was coming up to our ward Christmas Party in Sakado and Maki wanted me to participate in the blessing and I was so excited! I had not seen Maki since I had left Kawagoe. So we planned to do the blessing after the party and we were all ready until the brother who was going to give the blessing had an emergency and had to leave, so Maki came up to me and asked if I would do it. I was so caught off guard and a little nervous with my Japanese but of course I accepted. We went upstairs and I prayed so hard that the Lord would guide my words. I don't remember all of what The Lord said through me, but the blessing ended and the Spirit was so powerful. It was tangible for me. Then Maki stood up with tears in her eyes and said that during the blessing she had her eyes closed but could see the Lord standing before her beckoning to her. She went home and the next morning called the sisters over and told them there was one part of the blessing that would not leave her mind. It was that the Lord wanted her to act in order to receive the blessings promised in the blessing and it was constantly weighing on her heart and on her mind. The sisters asked her how she thought she needed to act. She said she didn't know, but knew she needed to do something. Then the sisters told her, "Maki if the Lord was beckoning unto you and he is calling for you, the way to enter in that path to return to him is through being baptized." She just grabbed one of the sisters and started shaking her kind of and said "Is that what he is trying to tell me?!" The spirit told her it was and she set set a baptismal date with the sisters for January 29th. She is still so nervous about the Word of Wisdom and keeping the commandments and coming to church every week but she said she knows it is what she needs to do and she knows it what what she needs to do for her two children. It was the most humbling experience for me that I could be a vessel and a conduit. I thought after I left Kawagoe that that was it. But the Lord still had work for me to do with Maki. Please pray for her that she can overcome her addictions! Pray that she can have the strength to reach her date! I am praying so hard for her! 

     Also, we met with our main other investigator - Shohei - this last week and we had a 3 HOUR lesson. It was crazy. I will not write a 10 page essay - sorry this is long so I will cut it short. But it reached a point where I said "Shohei, what is more important for you? Your happiness and getting an answer, or your studies?" And he said, "Elders, that is where you don't get it. I don't care if I am happy, that doesn't matter to me. I just want to make everyone around me feel joy." And we told him he reminded us of Jesus Christ. He wanted the same thing. He was taken aback by that one. Then we said, that is exactly why we share this message. Because this book, the Book of Mormon and the message it contains, brings others happiness. Then he said, "Wait. So if I read this book, get a spirit witness of its truth, get baptized, and share this message, the people around me will find more joy than from anything else?" "Yes!", we said. Then we were able to set a baptismal date for January 29th and he wants to receive that witness now. So awesome! The work goes on! Please pray for Shohei that he can get his answer! 

     Last miracle, this one was so powerful for me too. As most all of you know, I have now had 3 MRI's and 3 results for my hip with no answer. It has been so frustrating and hard. It hurts. I cannot run or play any sports and honestly I hate it. But I truly know it is the Lord's will at this time. I am not worried. It will all work out. That is my testimony. And last night I shared that testimony with all of the YSA's at this member's house after we ate dinner together. It did not feel super special to me in the moment. I just felt I should share it and I felt the spirit, but afterwards this young man, a YSA I love whose name is David (He is half Japanese half Brazilians and is fluent in English, Japanese, and Portuguese) came up to me crying and told me, "Elder Aiken, you just answered my prayer. I came home early from my mission because of a bad knee injury I had and it was so hard. I felt judged and I didn't want to go to church anymore. I felt like people didnt want to talk to me and I didnt want to talk to them. Two days ago I went to the temple and pled with the Lord and poured out my heart unto him but I felt like I did not get an answer. I got it tonight. Thank you so much!" He just hugged me and just cried on my shoulder for like 5 minutes and everyone was just watching. It was so powerful to me. I will never complain about my hip again. I truly am but a vessel of the Lord. We can all be the angels sent by God in someone else's conversion story.

     Have a great week!

Love, 
Elder Trevor Aiken