Hello my dear friends and family! This past week has simply been amazing. God truly blesses us all so much. I love this life, this work, and this opportunity to serve. There were many tender mercies from the Lord this week. Thanksgiving was a great day. There aren't too many days in the year with a more tender spirit.
The morning of Thanksgiving, three of our zones had a Thanksgiving activity! It was great to spend time with Elders I hadn't seen in such a long while!
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| Best Apple pie baked by Sister Bean! |
We had Thanksgiving with the Bean family and what a true joy that was. Oh how I love that family. Her homemade apple pie, is the single best pie I have ever eaten. What a blessing it was to spend that wonderful holiday with that family!
On Friday Elder Berry and I along with the district leaders held a fast. We needed help. We have been striving so hard to find more souls to bring in the gospel, and all of the changes we had been making on our own weren't seeming to work. This fast was the most spiritual one of all my life. I KNOW that God lives. We had been trying with all our might to find success in the work, and it was to no avail. But the second we petition God's help, when we sacrifice our worldy desires, the windows of heaven open. I have never felt so clean and pure in all my life! The power of God flowed into our hearts. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to fast! That night once we ended our fast, the spirit whispered to me that I needed to call Natalie, a recent convert, and ask how her Thanksgiving was. That prompting was immediately followed by the feeling that she had been treated poorly by family. So I did just that, we picked up the phone and gave her a call. “Natalie how was Thanksigiving?!” “It was Ok” she said. “What happened", I asked. She proceeded to tell us that in the middle of dinner her aunt stood up and pointed at her and said, “You are a part of a cult!” She then yelled that twice more in her face. She said it was hard to see her family treat her that way, considering they never said a thing about her being Catholic. She then said, “But it's alright, I know this is the true faith, and I will give all for it.” It was amazing as we talked, to know that God literally knew her. That he prompted us to call her! I know that God truly knows us all and what a blessing it is!
The most amazing experience of all my life happened yesterday! You all remember Chelsie and her kids who were baptized a few weeks back. They are such a special family. Prior to us finding Chelsie, her husband was given a do-not-contact order between he and his wife. The order came by mistake from an argument they had with a friend. It was a huge relief this week when the judge had time to review it and lifted it! Ivan is the most amazing man I have ever met. He is from Mexico and got papers to come here a few months back. His spirit shines from his face as he talks about his love for God. In Mexico Ivan was almost killed three times in very scary circumstances. We had our first lesson with Ivan last night at their home. Ivan said, “I know that God has saved my life for this, I want to be baptized so my family can be united.” His friend Jesus will also be baptized with him! As we taught Jesus he said, “a few months back I gave up drinking and cigarettes because I felt that I needed to come to know Christ.” WHAT A MIRACLE! It's great to see these to men, who throughout this life have been prepared to accept the restored gospel. We told Jesus that baptism was the first step to prepare to return and live with God. He then asked, “OK so now what's the second!?” They wanted us to stay the whole night and teach them all we knew about Christ. I will never forget looking at Ivan and then at Chelsie, as he looked at her and said he wanted to be baptized. This family will now prepare to be sealed in the temple forever. We hope to baptize he and Jesus this weekend! Ivan walked around at church shaking everyones hand saying, “See you next week!” - before we ever even taught him. The most powerful part was his prayer. He said, “Thank you God, Thank you God for sending the missionaries to my wife. Thank you God, Thank you God for helping us find the truth.” As he finished his prayer he began to cry.
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| It's beginning to look a little like Christmas! |
This gospel is the most amazing thing in all my life! This week was a week of miracles! We prayed so hard that God would send people to our church building on Sunday that we hadn't met before and he did! He sent many souls! It was a miracle. Lisa and Nick and the whole family came to church this week. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.
I can't wait to come back next year and see Ivan and his family sealed in the temple. This is God's plan. This truly is the truth and the way. I love this gospel with all my heart! It changes lives in every way possible. I would be a lost soul without it. I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER KNOW!!! Please stay safe.
Love,
Elder Aiken
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