Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

     Happy Easter!!!! How is everyone doing on this wonderful day in America (yesterday here)?? No one in Japan really knows what Easter means and honestly some members don't even really know. So many members came to church yesterday and didn't even know it was Easter which was heartbreaking for me. But still a great day! 

Saying goodbye to Elder Nielsen

     It was a fun week. We are trying so hard here to work with the youth of Japan and focus on that age group. Whether it is teaching the gospel, English, or changing the image of the church, because Christianity is not popular you could say for most people here. But we went to this college to talk to the kids and we find this futsol circle and they tell us they are playing on Thursday and they invite us to come. So we go on Thursday and this "little circle" was roughly 70 kids... and I am not even good at soccer so the pressure was on. Do you know how hard it is for us to try to be cool? We have not tried to be cool for like 2 years! We walk in, 3 white guys and one Japanese (but everyone thinks he is foreign because he is walking with us) and everyone looks at us. I mean everyone. They just eye us walking in and we are just trying to act cool like we have been there before. Everyone has jersey's and teams and stuff. I have never felt that awkward. It was bad. I forgot what it is like to just be casual and act cool and talk to people and all that jazz. But because we were the 4 outsiders they split us all up onto 4 separate teams which just put one little guppy with the sharks. So I had to prove myself... it was Trevolution time. Aiken for change time. I went sooo hard out there. I was all over the ball and the result.. one assist. Oh ya. I did it hahaha. It was way fun in the end and being white Americans they loved us at the end. And we are going back again next week. Funniest part is when we walk in and they all just go "Macho man macho man." Japanese people are small so when a white guy walks in it is like a body builder walking in.

     So after we finished soccer and I had that assist, feeling on top of the world people, we walk out and hit the streets to go teach our private English class at a member's home. We get about 20 minutes in with about 40 minutes to go and we are in the middle of nowhere enjoying the scenery, when with perfect convenience, my tire pops... for the 5 time I might add. But it pops and we were stranded so we start walking and call the member, get permission from President Nagano to get a ride with a priest age young man in the car, and she meets us and drove us to their house, had the class, and arranged for the Kakiki family to bring their massive bunch (eight kid family) to take our bikes to this shop and got it fixed. It was an emotional day. I am not as cool as I remember being before the mish;) 

     Then I spent all of Sunday setting up my final appointments with all of these members I wanted to visit one more time in the next few weeks before I go home and I hated that but it had to be done. Literally makes me sad thinking of going home. 

     But anyway, because it is Easter, I wanted to talk about being repentant daily!:) and not just from sin!! Actually more so from our daily shortcomings and mistakes. And I wanted to talk about it in a way that essential in our daily lives. It is giving an accounting of our day to the Lord every single night as we pray. How many of us give the Lord an accounting of we do each day? 

     Giving an accounting of your day each night in your prayers is a first step of repentance. It allows us to repent daily. We need to approach the throne of God each day and tell the Lord what we did that day. We need to repent of what we know we could have done better or the things we did that we know didn't make him proud. And if we do so humbly he will also open our eyes to things we needed to repent of that we didn't realize we did or didn't do. It allows us also to feel that needed guilt that leads to a change of heart, or even that needed confirmation that we made the Lord proud when we did do what was right so we know we are on the right track. I promise as you do so the Lord will open your eyes to opportunities you had that you did not realize; to serve someone who was in your path; a chance to testify to a friend that you did no take full advantage of; or maybe you did not see an opportunity to love someone who truly needed it that day. Even more so I testify that as you do so the Lord will open your eyes to the good you were able to do that day even when in your eyes it may have seemed like you didn't do much. We never know how much good we do, or how much good we can do! But as we repent daily we are given the gift of discernment and we can be given revelation and guidance to be able to open our spiritual eyes so that we can see everyone as our spiritual brothers and sisters. Then serving, testifying, and loving coming a whole lot easier. 

     This daily accountability helps us prepare to approach the throne each week at Sacrament. Rather than Saturday night or sadly even Sunday morning before the meeting starts. It allows us to feel His love every day. It allows us to be more repentant. "When a person has gone through the repentance process, the Savior does more than cleanse that person from sin. He also gives him or her new strength. That strengthening is essential for us to realize the purpose of the cleansing." Don't you love that??! I do! Will we ever fully comprehend the beauty, strength and blessings of the Atonement?? No! We will never realize all we receive from what our Savior gave. We can be strengthened each and every day as we are daily repentant as we are cleansed. Sometimes I think we forget the second half of that promise. We are not only made clean, but we are given greater strength to stay clean! Is that not a reason for our perfect brightness of hope??!:D 

     It is like working out. If we work out each day we will become stronger and it will become easier and more desired as we see our progress. We must be repentant daily. Because we are not enough as we are. We need the daily given strength of the atonement. Being just clean is not enough. "To be admitted to His presence, we must be more than clean. We must also be changed from a morally weak person who has sinned into a strong person with the strength to resist sin and the spiritual stature to dwell in the presence of God. That is what it means to be saved." To do as Elder Bednar said in conference. "Be worthy. Stay worthy." Then we can be purified even as he is pure. What a tender mercy to have that knowledge that we can! But what a greater tender mercy it would be for our brethren who don't know to know!! Wouldn't it??? 

     We have something to give! We have good tidings of great joy to share! And it does not have to be scary? Why? Because as we approach the Lord, give an accounting, and repent daily, he will open our eyes in the days or weeks to come to an opportunity to do so. If we ask for it! 

     I know this church is true. I know this is a gospel of steady improvement and eternal progression. May we ever progress, he cleansed, and strengthened, every single day.

Have a great week -

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken