Temple blessings!

     My dear friends and family! Hello! I hope that all is well and that you had a great and spiritual week. This past week was filled with rich blessings. I am excited at the work that is going forth! There were many wonderful and great experiences over the past week. I time of learning and reflecting on the Lord's plan and path for each of us.

     Friday I had the marvelous experience of going through the temple with Natalie, a convert from last year. There are few experiences that I will ever cherish as much as I did when I walked in the room and saw her begin to cry. To see her excitement and joy was overwhelming. As I sat in the temple pondering this experience, I couldn’t help but come do a deep understanding of the temple, and its significance in our lives. In the temple we make special covenants with God that prepare us to return in His presence. There we understand what we need to do in this life, to be with our families forever. In this ever tumultuous world there is no greater place to go and receive comfort and guidance from the Lord. As we walked into the Celestial Room in the temple, I asked her how it was. She said “I don’t know, it just feels like I have been here before!” Oh how sweet the spirit that is in the House of the Lord. A place where we can seek refuge and truly feel like we have come “home”. It's hard to find time in our busy lives to attend the temple often, but a priority it must become. I know that the blessings that come from temple attendance effect each of us personally, but our whole families. I know that when my family attends the temple, I can feel of its blessings. 

     This weekend I have pondered my friend's journey to the temple. Tears filled my eyes on Sunday as I recalled in the chapel, the night that we found Natalie. We had parked the car on the side of a busy road because the area we had planned to tract just didn’t feel right. As we bowed our heads, a burning in my heart came over me that I had never felt before, and a voice as from Heaven came unto me saying, “Clark St.” I was new to the area, and hadn’t heard of it before. I looked to my companion and checked for reassurance that the street existed. He affirmed that it did, and we ran off to the street. Soon after we knocked on her door. She realized in her life that she needed more! She needed a foundation for her and her family. It’s a powerful thing, just that simple statement. That she “felt that she needed more in her life.” God in His wisdom has given each of us from birth the Light of Christ. The spirit that teaches us right from wrong. Each and everyday that spirit will guide us to things that we need to change in our own lives. The hardest thing for us to do, is accept those promptings. Natalie followed those promptings that day, and the blessings of Heaven have since flown into her life! She was just called to serve in the Primary Presidency! Her son will be receiving the Priesthood in October, and I plan to ordain him to the office of a Deacon on my way home. 

     My dear Brothers and Sisters, following the promptings of the spirit is of great importance in our lives. This life is about being taught through earthly experiences how to refine ourselves in to the gem that God would have us be. He has a plan and knows what we need to change to be all that we can be! I testify that through Christ we can all make the changes necessary to be “closer to God” and have “more of a foundation in our lives” as Natalie was searching for. Great things happen when we follow those promptings. All God wants is for us to be happy and to enjoy this life! Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and living by its teaching, happiness flows! Lives change. Generations are changed forever. The impact of its blessings flow to all, as we just simply follow, and believe. Just believe.

     This past week has been simply miraculous! The work is rolling forward. This week we met a woman named Kaylee! She has truly been through some of life's greatest challenges. She didn’t grow up in a religious home or a home that you ever felt loved in. In her 20's she met a man that she thought was the man of her dreams, but soon after their baby was just a few months old, he began to abuse her. Years later she began to date another man, and when he found out she was pregnant, he ran away from the situation! Now, home alone, with a two week old baby we knocked on her door. Tears filled our eyes as she shared her life's experience and how she now was fighting to feed the family. This Sunday she came with us to church! Last night members of the congregation had them over for dinner! To see the smiles on her face and her young daughter was just amazing! The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. We are never alone in God's plan. He hears us, and watches over us! Kaylee explained that she has always been in search for the truth, and in search of a church that didn’t have a man preach from the Bible, twisted scriptures that came from his own knowledge. I sense and feel strongly that the world, although they may be afraid to question, are truly searching for the truth! How blessed we are to have the knowledge that God has again restored the fullness of the truth to the earth.

     I am humbled this week and amazed at God's goodness and mercy! As we strive to know Him and learn of Him, God's spirit will strive to be with us! It will guide us, and help us change the little things in our lives, to bring our homes more joy! I love you all! HAVE A GREAT AND HAPPY WEEK!

Love,

Elder Aiken