Best day of my life!

Before Maki and Kazuki's baptisms!

   Yesterday was the best day of my life! I don't know how to describe this week... Maki and Kazuki made it!!!! I cried so hard. I just bawled the whole time. Maki was just sobbing she was so happy. She said she felt like a completely different person. She said, "You weren't kidding! This baptism thing really works!" She was so prepared. 

     She bore one of the most powerful testimonies after her baptism and as she sat down she leaned over to me and told me she had so much more she wanted to say, so much more. It was the greatest day of my life. I know that she and Kazuki were the reason I was called to the Japan, Tokyo Mission. I don't know how else to describe it. I have never felt such joy in my life for another person. I found my sister. My eternal friend! Greatest day ever!

     We got transfer calls today and it is really interesting. I have had the strongest feeling for 2 weeks that I was leaving and it stayed until today, but my companion got called to transfer after only one. Elder Bloomfield who is in my district is coming from next door, Kawagoe, to be my companion - my 15th!  But I am so excited! I am almost cried knowing I was staying. I love it here. I think I might die here and that is the biggest blessing ever! Loving life right now! I am on top of the world. I have never been this happy. I don't know what to do with myself. 

     But please wish my big brother Tanner happy birthday!! It was this last week on the 23rd but please wish him a big happy bday for me! 

     I don't have a message this week - I think Maki and Kazuki's baptisms will be the best message of all!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken

"Can I please stay?"

My favorite family from Kawagoe!

     Hello - how are you all doing?  This last week was awesome! Maki is doing sooo good!! I have been having a phone lesson with her every night and it has been awesome! She hit this week and is so excited to get baptized but still a bit nervous. Her son Kazuki though is so excited. No worries at all! 

     On Saturday I had her give him the phone during our lesson and I said, "Kazuki, are you excited to get baptized with your mom this week?" "Ya!!" "Well this week your mom may have some low points and she will have temptations so I need your help. I need you to help her. I need you every day over and over again to remind her and show your excitement that you are getting baptized together. Every time just say, 'Hey mom we are getting baptized together right? Right? Right? Don't smoke mom! You can do it! You dont need it! We got this! We are doing this as a family right!?' I need you to elevate her ok?" He just said, "Ok! Ok! Ok! Ok! Ok!" He was so excited. He is only 11 but he is hyped. Please pray with all the energy of your soul that Maki can make it please! 

     On the phone last week she told me, "Elder Aiken, I can feel the power of so many people praying for me. I can feel their prayers. But I don't understand. I feel like I do not have that many friends that are members." I said "Maki you have friends praying for you all around the world! You have family praying for you all the around the world." With tears in her eyes she just told me, "I can feel those prayers." Please keep praying! She is so ready! 

     Then yesterday we did not have normal Sunday meetings. Elder Holland came and spoke at the Matsudo ward building which is the largest church in Japan with size and members with 300 plus members and it is our mission in the neighboring stake, so it was broadcast into 10 other stakes including our own. As I watched it, Elder Holland had so many insights - especially the part where he quoted 3 Nephi 17 5-7 where even though the people were too kind, respectful, and loving to beg the Savior to stay, they could not withhold the tears and the longing on their faces that expressed that heartfelt desire as if to say, "O Savior stay this night with me. Oh Savior stay this night with me. Don't go. Please. We have been waiting for you for thousands of years. We have been waiting for this our whole lives. Please don't go. Please don't go." (Quoting Elder Holland's words) 

     At that part I just began to weep. I could not stop crying as I imagined myself being there and I just cried because I miss my Savior so much. I cannot wait for the day that I will get to see him. The second reason I was weeping was because as he said those words I looked around at all the faces of these amazing Japanese people that I love and I too had compassion on them and wished to stay forever but sadly I can't. I cant'. I can't... and I found myself saying not just "O Savior stay with me, don't leave," but "Oh Savior let me stay. Don't make me leave." And I lost it. I was just sobbing during this meeting as the Spirit overcame me. Why does 2 years have to be so fast? Why does my soul have to long to be here this much? It breaks my heart. I have never known I could feel such love. It was such a powerful week for me. 

     We were able to have an Okonomiyaki party after church and that was unreal. For those who do not know what that food is please look it up. It is unreal I am not lying. 

     Today we are going to go bowling as a zone so that is way exciting! We will need to split our email time to do that. Plus we get to wear P-day clothes which is rare so I am hyped for that. I love the shirt and tie but when your white shirts are not that white anymore they lose a luster they once had haha. But it will be a fun pday. 

     Plus we are moving apartments on Wednesday so we are packing our whole apartment and that takes soooo much time and we had no boxes so we were so ghetto and we went to these grocery stores and took their free boxes. But we could not break them down so we carried these stacks through the streets and on the train and we got the dirtiest looks I have seen since America. But that was good stuff. Good week. 

     But anyway! I also wanted to share a thought I had this week as I read a quote from Elder Bednar. "There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first." The focal point I want to take from this powerful promise is in connection to the most cliche line in the book. "No one understands what I am going through! No one knows I am feeling! No one understands." Almost just as cliche, though I would not say it is cliche because it is doctrine, is the answer, "The Savior does." Now I know this it technically true but I think the concept is a little off. We always say that the Savior understands what we are going through but it says the Savior experienced it "first." So in reality as we have these trials are we not just coming to know and understand him? Is that not why we are given trials and hardship? It is so we can come to understand and know just a glimpse of what he felt. Isn't that a more humbling way to look at it? Not that he just understands us, we can understand him. 

     From now on whenever I, or anyone I know has the thought that "no one understands me" or " no one knows what I am going through," I want to respond by saying "Well maybe not. But now you understand the Savior. No one will ever know or understand what he went through. You just experienced a little piece. Be grateful. You just came to know your Brother... just a little bit more." 

     I am so grateful for trials and hardship. Not because they are desirable or because they make me happy, but because when I feel like no one knows or understands, I finally feel like I know my Brother. And it keeps me humble. It keeps me relying on the Lord every day and that is what keeps me going. That is what keeps me repentant. I could never do it without him and trials are my friendly "reminder" that I can't. Aren't we so grateful for "reminders?" They remind us of our Redeemer. I love him. I have come to know my Brother on my mission. I miss him. But I will meet him again one day. And just as he overcame the world and the cross, we too can overcome ours, and live again with our Father!

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken

Week 91!

     What an amazing week it has been! It is always an amazing thing when you have a new 40 year old woman come to Eikaiwa (English class) and she is just really quiet the whole time so you feel inclined after class to ask her if she had a good time and if she understood the English.  Then after you ask her she says, "Ya it was good... You are just soo pretty!" That's never awkward when that happens. Never is..  

     Also had a dream that my friend Zack could do a standing dunk no run up but we all know that can't be real;) Hope he reads this or it's awkward. 

     I know it Super Bowl week so I will not take too much time but I have an amazing story about Maki! And GO FALCONS! 

Maki was really struggling with her baptismal date because the motive behind setting the date was to show God faith so she could get an answer that this message was true. And she just could not quit smoking and was not really excited for the date and as time went on she just gave up. 

     But... really cool thing this week happened! I had interviews with president Nagano and he told me some amazing things I will quote later but one thing he told me was, "Elder Aiken I have been thinking about Maki a lot. The sisters came and they prayed and they felt that you should start working with Maki again too and work with the sisters on teaching her and show that love and encouraging her. I think it is a great idea. She is practically standing at the edge of the font looking in, she just needs that one last push. I know you have a really special relationship with Maki and I know it will help her so I think it is ok. You should do it." So I got permission to start doing phone lessons with Maki here and now work with the sisters on teaching Maki. I got to do 3 phone lessons this week and after one of them I really felt impressed to share "I FOUND MY FRIEND" with Maki and I sent it to the sisters and told the sisters I felt we should share it with her and they loved it. They went and shared it with her this week and just had this intense lesson. At first they shared it and they cried as they shared it and Maki just nodded and said "oh thank you that is sweet" kind of thing. And the sisters were way surprised because she looked like she had lost that fire she used to have. She was still the nicest ever but no Fire. Then Maki left and said "Oh I made us sushi I will go get it." Then this sister who is the best ever Hamai Shimai, who is a return missionary from Hawaii and fluent in English and was teaching with the sisters, looked at the sisters and asked, "Is Maki usually like this?" And the sisters told her no, she is usually more excited. Hamai Shimai looked at Modersitzki Shimai and said "You need to commit her to baptism right now." She was way confused and said no she is not even into the lesson at all. Hamai Shimai said no you need to do it. So Maki came back and the Sisters talked and it led them to ask, will you be baptized? Maki just froze. She had no answer. Then Hamai Shimai looked at Modersitzki Shimai and said "You need to tell her you are leaving." President Nagano had told Modersitzki Shimai in interviews that she was leaving after this transfer and Hamai Shimai knew that. Sister Modersitzki was caught off guard but did it. She referred back to the "I FOUND MY FRIEND" story and said that Maki was the friend she was sent here to find and that it was the same for Elder Aiken. She said we were sent here to raises our voices and call out to her to bring her home, but told her she would be leaving in 4 weeks and Maki was just crying way hard through all of this. She said Maki I know that before this life you asked us to find you and now we have. You just need to remember and make that step and be baptized. But will you do it? Maki through sobs looked up and smiled and said "Yarimashou." Which means "let's do it!" They set a more real date for the 26th of February and in her closing prayer she said "Heavenly Father, I have just committed to thee to be baptized on February 26th. Please help me get there." Then after the lesson Hamai Shimai told Maki, you know your son Kazuki can be baptized with you right? And her eyes got way big and she said really?? And they told her he was 11 so he could because he was over 8 years old. Then they said should we ask him? And Maki just heels his name and told him to come into the room. He came and they started to say that Maki was getting baptized when Maki just cuts in and says "Kazuki, I am getting baptized in February 26th and I was you to do this with me. It will make our family stronger. But it is your choice." Is that not a miracle?? They are going to start teaching Kazuki the lessons and have Maki teach with them!! She is so excited to get baptized now and just has a light and glows. She still has to tell her parents who are completely against the gospel and it is really scary for her so please pray that she can have the strength to do that and can follow the commandments so that she can be baptized! Please pray for her! Crazy miracle though! 

Lastly I just wanted to talk about my interview

In my interview I asked President Nagano how I can find peace in going home because it is honestly stressing me out so much and hurts my heart to think of leaving Japan. He told me a few things I wanted to share.

"Elder Aiken first just let me tell you that the fact that you love these people that much that it is hard to leave is a good thing. Many missionaries are on the other end where all they think about is going home. To perpetuate relationships in this life we need to have separations. That is how the Lord works. It is the same reason we had to leave the Lord and come to earth. You did the same thing when you left your family to come to Japan." I really liked that. I had never thought of that before. 

Also he asked a deep question that I had never thought of before. Talking about how to stay active and never go back to being who I was he asked, "Elder Aiken when we give glory to God does his glory increase?" I will say his answer but first please think about that. I loved that question. He told me he believes it does. That is why the Savior gave him all of the glory. He told me "Elder Aiken, dont you think that when we give the Father the glory and always have gratitude in our broken hearts that it makes him happy? I know it does because I have kids, and it will be the same when you have kids and when you beget your spirit children as a Celestial being. You will never have more joy than when they give you the glory. In your post-mission life give him the glory every day. For every accolade. Give it all to him and you will be ok." I really loved that. Brothers and sisters may we all strive to do the same. I love you so much! Have the best week ever!
Love,

Elder Aiken

Week 90!

One of the sweetest girls from one of my favorite families in Adachi!

     It was a great week this week. We had more and more opportunities to keep working with the ward and build relationships with them. We played basketball with the young men and young women and had a great time! I wore my Curry jersey that a member gave me because instead of "Warriors" it has the kanji 勇士 (brace warrior) on it and it is awesome! Even though I think it is Chinese... but I love it!  My companion does not like playing sports at all but loves to watch so he was cheering from the sidelines for the youth and pumping them up. But it was awesome, we had 12 youth come which is huge out here .

   

     Then as most of you are probably wondering about or heard, the whole missionary schedule, Pday schedule, and reporting has changed.  We do not report lessons any more. We went from reporting 9 stats to 4 and we now have 2 1/2 more hours on Pday to prepare for the week. But it has been very different for us here with that. We are working a lot with members though and trying to find time to teach their families private English lessons which is awesome. 

     We had a FHE with the Nohagi family last night and they are one of my fav families in the world I am serious. I made my mom's no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies and those were unreal. They loved them. So fun. I think they uplifted us more than we did them. They testified about their missions and miracles they saw and Nohagi Shimai the mom, told us a miracle that had happened just last week where after 35 years of looking, the missionary that baptized her found her! They had been looking for each other for 35 years and now for the first time they will meet in May. After she got baptized, the missionaries do not know that she went on to serve a mission in California, got married in the temple, raised 4 children in the gospel and two of which served missions. We never know all the good that we do. We never see all the results. So cool! The church is true! 

     The work is going great. This next week we are just hitting the streets and finding because we need to find new people. 

     I have a favorite quote I wanted to share this week.

“May we be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, choose to follow Him, be changed for Him, captained by Him, consumed in Him, and born again." 

     In the moment of adversity and trial may we choose Christ. Every time. It is through him that we are made whole. May we follow our fearless captain. 

     Also I wanted to share my ichiban (most) fav quote that my mom sent me. It is my background on my iPad. "If we're not hungry for Christ, we're probably too full of ourselves." How true is that. I feel this way a lot as a I sometimes look inward. May we all be a more hungry for Christ. May we feast upon his words. 

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken