Week 103!

     Happy Mother's Day!  I am so grateful to have an official every day to celebrate the greatest woman I know, my Mom:) so fun to talk to my family yesterday. We were able to spend Mother's Day at an American families house! The first time I have entered an American family's house in my mission. The Hansen family invited us over and it was so fun.

     What an amazing week this week! It is going to so fast. Still just so much time with members and had a little goodbye basketball activity to all of our college age mission school students, PI's, and investigators. We went to this college basketball circle and there were around 70 kids playing and we were so hyped. We could have thrown down, but they were playing full court so we couldn't play so... we walk in shirt and tie and sit down on the side by the score board and we were the score keepers/fans/announcers and they were dying. They were laughing so hard. We were going so hard but it was so good. We got so much contact information. Hopefully Elder Bloomfield will be able to meet with them again. I was so sad though, they wanted to meet me again but I told them, I would be gone. First time I have said that in 2 years besides transfers... but it was still fun. 

     A cool thing this week... well first we were locked out of our apartment last week and I forgot my key card to my room. But! I remember that I left my window open (revelation). We opened my window and he card was on my desk on the far side of the desk. We could not reach it though, but we had set an umbrella conveniently outside our apartment to dry (revelation). We have checkered bars in front of our window so that is why we could not just slide in. But we could fit one arm through. We slid the umbrella in and it was just barely too far! But Elder Bloomfield tipped over my hand sanitizer bottle backwards on top of it pushed down on it and pull it towards him sliding both of them. After sliding it someway, we had to get it to the near side of the desk but there were things in the way and if it fell off the desk it was game over. So I grabbed my conveniently placed next to the window back scratcher (revelation) and maneuvered things around, including hooking my chair's armrest, pulling it next to the desk and sliding things onto it. Then I pulled the card to the near side of the desk, reached as far in as possible... but my shoulder was too big and could not fit in the checker. So Elder Bloomfield reached as far as possible... and he got it baby. We were in. Straight beautiful. Pretty much a straight up kiseki (miracle).

     Also we went to an all you can eat strawberry farm again this week for 15 dollars... but... this time they had this unlimited sweetened condensed milk cream dip stuff for it and it was unreal. Plus they had unlimited ice cream too! Put the strawberries in there... oh ya. Plus put some chocolate syrup in the cream dip stuff... hello. Goodnight. It was unreal. They told it was time to leave and I almost said, "Well, if I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight." And then walk into one of the rows and just live there forever. Literally thought about it. But here I am. We're good. 

     I had my last Zone Meeting this week. Last one ever. Literally. They announced this week that there will no longer be Zone meetings in our mission ever anymore. So my last was everyone's last. Convenient. Also, the Zone Leaders felt bad that I didn't get to give my farewell testimony in Zone Conference so they let me do it in Zone Meeting. That was special for me. I just cried so hard as I testified about my mission. I will miss it so much. Happiest time of my life. So crazy. I have my last meeting ever on Friday. My final District Meeting. Woah. 

     Then on Thursday we had splits and I was with my Brazilian District leader Elder Passos and we went and visited this recent convert and there was this, I am serious kind of evil woman there. We just felt so dark when we got there and the spirit was not in her home. There was this woman trying to force her to do her religion's prayer and would not leave her home til she did it. Just like the Anti-Christ. Just testifying that Christ will not come and asked me "Have you ever seen Christ? No, you haven't. Because he is not there!" Just so dark. But it was just like Korihor. I legit just couldn't do it any more and I just testified so powerfully that it is true and Christ will come and she cannot deny it. I testified that God is there and he loves us. She just got the most stern face, but she couldn't deny the spirit and what I was saying so she just walked away to the back of the house and told Eja (The recent convert) to come over by her and they would finish the prayer. Eja doesn't speak Japanese so Elder Passos is translating and Eja is just scared and confused but too nice to make the woman leave or call the police so she says "I will leave with you." She goes to leave with us and the woman is like NO! Don't go with them to their church. It wasn't til we left the house and started going to our church that she left. But she just looked back and smiled like she was going to come back. Uuggg.  How can you think that that is the way to spread something you believe. You can't force people! But it was an interesting experience.

My first barbecue in 2  years!!!

     We had a great lesson with Vincent this week as well. He goes to this college TIU and Brother Hansen is an English teacher there so after he got out of class, we all walked together to the Hansen's house which is like 5 minutes from the school and we had a great lesson. Brother and Sister Hansen taught with us and it was so good! Their daughters were asleep (miracle) and we taught the Restoration and it was so good. So spiritual and we committed him to pray about the First Vision. So excited for him! 

     I will keep my message short and sweet this week because next week it will be pretty long - my last one. I love you all so much!

     An Indian philosopher Tagore has a saying that goes, "I have spent my days, stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung." I admit I am a hard critic, but the thought of never truly accomplishing what I am meant to do here, well, scares me.

     I know sometimes we sit back and wonder what we are even doing or what our purpose is in life. But please don't spend that time sitting sad or worried not knowing what to do! If you do, your song will never be sung! Just go! Act! Be prompt with promptings!

     Have a great week!  Next week will be my final letter - CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Love,

Elder Trevor Aiken