HELLO, AND GOOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!! This past week was just absolutely amazing! There is a God above that lives and loves us. This is the day of the Lords power here on earth. I know that God is a God of miracles and the work is rolling forth at an incredible pace. We are so blessed here in Issaquah, I feel the spirit of the Lord working within us. I testify to you that our Savior Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind and we can each be healed from our mistakes.
On Friday we had our 3 month interview with President Larkin, something as a mission we always look forward to. That was a landmark interview for me and for my life. He is a man of revelation, and his words hit me with power. This work is a work that must never stop or slow down. This is a fight against satan and the fight to save souls. I thank God everyday that I am called to this work. This work is one that was foretold of old. Joel 2: 28-29…. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” THIS WAS THE WEEK OF DREAMING DREAMS AND SEEING VISIONS. The work of the Lord is truly amazing.
This week we ran from person to person to declare repentance. Everyone, from 8 to 108 must repent of their sins. In 2 Nephi 2 we learn that our days on this earth were prolonged that we might “repent while in the flesh.” Later on in the 2 Book of Nephi chapter 26 we learn that Christ has commanded “his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.” If we don’t repent of our sins, we cannot return to live with God. We live in a world that is completely caught up in the “eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die” lifestyle. That is not the case. We are here to prepare to meet God and we must prepare with our heart, might, mind and strength! I am in the final quarter now, and I am just going to wear out my life for this cause. There is no more important work, and it pains my soul to meet people who feel hopeless because of sin and don’t know that Christ can and will redeem them.
This week there were a few experiences that changed my life forever. Saturday afternoon we had a great miracle. We went to teach a man named Ken who Elder Berry had met the previous day. When we showed up he had invited his friend Cody down to join us. As we began to share our message the spirit poured into the room. We knew that they were ready for a change in their lives. Cody just immediately opened up. We asked Cody when he had felt closest to God in his life. He said, “Two years ago, I was lying in the hospital and had just recovered from an overdose. The doctor told me that I shouldn’t have lived. I felt for the first time in my life that God was there.” Cody grew up in the rodeo scene, they were constantly traveling and never had time to learn about God. Cody then looked at us and said, “Is there anything I can't be forgiven of? Can I be forgiven of all my sins?” As we shared this verse from Isaiah, peace overwhelmed his soul. “….though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Here is a man in his mid 20s, living everyday with fear in his soul! I will never forget the face of this man as he learned of Christ. He said, “I cant imagine the joy of feeling cleansed from my sins.” Cody and Ken are progressing towards baptism on the 24th of next month.
The other is the story of a woman named Mary. A few weeks ago we tracted into a woman named Lacey. She said that she was a member of the church and hadn't been for awhile and asked us to come back. As we returned a few days later, Lacey wasn’t home! But we met her mother Mary, who was just moving in to stay with her. This week we got a text from Lacey asking that we come teach the both of them. So Sunday morning before church we did just that. My dear friends and family, this is a moment in my life I will not soon forget. Mary got caught up in drugs when her children were in their youth which resulted in them being taken away. EACH OF HER THREE CHILDREN ended up finding the gospel on their own! Now, Lacey in her 20's has taken her mother in. Mary recently has gotten clean and now wants to change her life. Only God could create a scene so great as this. We read a scripture from 2 Nephi 31, where the voice of our Father in Heaven comes among the people saying, “Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my beloved Son.” Mary began to cry she said, “I feel horrible for what I have done in my life. And for my children….can I be forgiven?” Mary put her face in her hands and began to cry. All she wants is to feel free from her past. We bore our testimony of Christ, that He truly had bowed under the weight of all of her sins, and that through baptism she could be healed. We left with warm smiles, and happy faces. Her face turned from despair to hope.
We went by Kim's last night and took all of her cigarette makers! We had such a powerful lesson with her. She is a strong spirit, fighting to overcome the world to be at one with God. I leave you all with my testimony that this is God's work! This is the fight for souls. All around us are “perishing” under the weight of their sins. We know the key to helping them, don’t let your light be hidden. I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND AND LOVING LETTERS OF SUPPORT! Stay strong in this tough world, this is the only way to true happiness, just know that.
Love,
Elder Aiken
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