Monday, August 8th, 2011

     Good Monday morning everyone.  This week has truly been great!  I miss and love you all!  I won't be able to type a long email this week because we had some surveys to do. 

     So on Tuesday we had a meeting with Stan…the man I spoke of last week!  When we knocked on his door and he answered with the biggest smile and said come in!! He had cleaned up the whole yard!! Done all of his laundry and had scipture quotes taped on the walls.  He is a different man.  THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS TRUE AND HAS BEEN RESTORED TO THE EARTH.  He has changed his life and drawn closer to Christ. Through that he has changed everything about his life.  My heart was so touched.  For a moment I had a glimpse of our true purpose!!  The Savior spent his time on the earth healing. Healing hearts, minds, and souls.  That’s all he did.  For a time he is directing the work from the Heavens.  We, as his missionaries have the blessing of being guided by him to the souls that need him.  As I sat on the couch I was just struck with awe. 

     We are truly doing HIS work.  It’s the greatest blessing of all my life.  I would truly rather be doing nothing else, than minister with Our Savior and Redeemer.  I love Him!  I hope you all have a great week.  
Love, Elder Aiken

Great Lessons Learned!

     This week was a week that I will never forget as long as I live.  I have so many experiences that I want to share, so many things that will shape me for the rest of my life.  I will do my best to share them with you and I hope that the spirit will guide me in how best to share them.

     Two weeks ago we got a referral from the Zone Leaders in Bellevue.  A man named “Mr. Loud” found a pass-a-long card on the side of the road.  He called the number and got ahold of the missionaries in Bellevue and said that the card really intrigued him and he wanted to join our church.  They passed the referral on to us and then we passed it on to the Elders in Hylebos.  For the past week they have been stopping by the address that Mr. Loud said he lived at but they were never able to find him at home.  Day after day they weren't able to find him at home. 

     Rewind to last week when the Hylebos Elders felt prompted to knock on a man's door.  A man answered the door named Sunny and he had just been evicted that morning and was down on life and needed help.  They had an amazing lesson with him and Sunny came to church the following day and loved it.  That whole week they had no clue where he moved!  "Mr. Loud" was gone with no way to get ahold of him.  So on Friday I went over there for exchanges!  We felt prompted to go knock on "Mr. Loud's" door one more time!  We knocked on the door and Sunny opened!!  So I said “are you Mr. Loud??”  He said no I am Sunny!  I had no clue who he was but the Elders were so excited!  Elder Hilton said “What are you doing here!?”  He said I just moved in today!  We walked in and had a very moving lesson!  He said “I am so happy you found me!  I love your church, its my home!!”  We taught Sunny about our message and he began to tear up and said that he wanted to be baptized!!  He then said that his family of seven will join him in that!  It was amazing. S imply amazing.  God, by the miracles of Heaven, placed Sunny in our path through a referral that we still have never been able to find.  God knows us!  He knows Sunnny and wants his family to be blessed by the joy of his church!  A Mighty Miracle.

Sassy misses Brock!

     Earlier in the week while Elder Bunton and I were having a training session with the District Leaders, our companion Elder Livingston went knocking doors around the church with Elder Oh.  He and Elder Oh met a man named Stan who came up to them and wanted to learn more!  They could only talk for a minute so they told Stan they would come back.  For the following three days we went back to Stan's, everyday we knocked, there was no answer!  The Third day we knocked.  Then knocked again.  There was no reply.  We had a feeling that we should wait for a minute.  Finally Stan answered the door.  For three minutes he stared at us, looking each of us in the eye.  He said “for three days you have come and knocked on my door. Why? Why do you keep coming here? Why do you keep on coming back!  I havent answered once.”  I looked him in the eye and said “because we know this message is the key to happiness and it can bless your life.”  He fell to his knees and wept.  I went down on the cement and sat by him and put my arm on his shoulder.  I asked him what was wrong.  He wept for what seemed like an hour.  He looked up at us and said “My wife just left me.  I have lost my job.  My mom is dying of pancreatic cancer, and my Dad was just diagnosed with skin cancer.  My children are gone.  I am broken.  I have nothing.”  He again began to cry.  In all my life I have never met a man with such sorrow.  He had lost all hope at that point.  My heart ached for him!  I just wanted to pick him up and fix his life!  We sat for some time talking to him.  Read scriptures and talked with him about Christ.  He said “What time is church?”  We told him when it was and he said can I come??  Haha, we said of course! He said “ You guys are saving my life.  You have saved me.  Thanks for coming back and not giving up on me!”  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to happiness.  In the depths of sadness, Christ can heal us and save us from our woes.  I know that Stan will be happy again!  The ward is so excited to help him!  We have a big service project lined up to clean his yard and house.  As he walked us to the car that night he kept asking if we were real!  It was sad to see a man that for so long hadn't felt loved and like he was worth anything.  Through the atonement of Christ Stan is beginning to feel loved.  It was heart breaking to see a man who felt that he had lost it all.  I am so blessed to have met this man!  He has taught me so much already.  Through him I have again gained the assurance…that God knows us!  He lives and loves us!

     The final experience happened yesterday!  This too touched my life forever!  It was the last day of the month and we hadn't baptized anyone!  We had been praying with all our souls that God would lead us to someone who had already been prepared to be baptized!  It was the last day of the month and still we had found no one.  For a moment my faith was shaken.  As we left church to go visit a potential, I took a wrong turn.  I know that’s weird, I would never do something like that, right?!  So we decided to just continue down the road and go to another person that was previously interested.  As we walked down the street we saw Robin!!  Robin has been coming to church with us for a few weeks and has gone to church for a while down in Auburn!  The past few weeks we haven't seen her!  She had previously told us that she was already a member!  So we asked her again, are you sure you were baptized?  She said "well when I was sixteen I was going to be baptized but I got too scared!”  So we said, “There is a baptism in thirty minutes would you like to come?” She said, "yes I would love to"!!  She ran inside and grabbed a change of clothes and we waited for her ride to get there to follow us to the church!  She said “for the past few weeks I have been going to different churches to find out which church is right!  This is my home.  This is my church!”  The baptism was amazing!  She was so happy and so overjoyed!

     This past week has been truly amazing!  I have learned and realized so many things.  I know that God is at the helm of this work!  Nothing we do can bring miracles to pass as we are humble and realize our own nothingness and rely on His hand, He places miracles in our lives.  As such is the path of life!  We are here to prepare to meet God.  While on this journey we will face times of heartache and trial!  But as we rely on the Lord and turn to him, He will never lead us astray!  I love you all.  Thanks for all of your love and support!  I humbly declare that this is Christ's church once again restored again to the earth, in all of its Glory! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Aiken

Mighty Miracles!

     Hello everyone!! I hope you have had a wonderful week. I often wonder what life would be like if I didn’t have the opportunity to serve a mission and I just thank the Lord daily for this experience. This has truly changed my life.  It is molding me into the man I want to be.  I love it with all of my Heart.  God is so close to us here, the presence of the Savior is almost tangible at times. 

     So, Federal Way is really different from Issaquah! I love it. The Lord places so many prepared people in our path it's the greatest blessing! We have been teaching a lot of Marshalese people and it's amazing to see their spirit. They are such a spirit-filled people, so full of love for God!  If only we could love like they do.

     On Tuesday we had a really important meeting with the zone. We unveiled a goal for the next 30 days that we want to accomplish before Elder L. Tom Perry arrives to our mission.  I was so nervous. I didn’t know how anything I could say could inspire our zone. We prayed earnestly and prepared so hard that God would be with us. We said the most humble prayer before entering the room.  As we presented the goal to the zone the Spirit flooded the room.  Elder Bunton and I were filled with tears as the Spirit became so strong in our hearts.  We read “Onward Christian Soldiers” to the zone and I don’t think anyone had a dry eye. We all committed to “Tread as the saints before us have Trod”.  In all my life I have never felt the Spirit so strong.  We all were so overcome with emotion as the Spirit confirmed to us that Christ is at the helm of this work!  He knows us all and wants us to accomplish this goal.  I will never forget that moment.  As Elder Bunton and I cleaned up the room to head out we both looked at each other and couldn’t remember a thing that was said in that meeting. 

     I know personally that God lives.  He knows us all!  I know this with every fiber of my being. 

     Yesterday morning as I was studying my scriptures my heart was weighed down with sadness because we didn't have many people that were going to come to church.  We had worked so hard the previous days and things seemed bleak.  I prayed and asked God for strength.  As I asked why this was happening, I felt as if God was saying "hold on my son I am working a mighty miracle." That morning as we went with our ward mission leader to pick up a Marshalese kid, he brought 5 others with him!  Two cars were filled with people that wanted to come to church!  Eight people came to church on Sunday.  I was amazed.  God is a God of miracles!  He has a plan!  As we rely on Him we will never fail!  This experience led me to Mosiah chapter 23.  Here, Alma and his people,  recently converted to the Church, have fled and established a home in Helam.  There they were prospering, being obedient, and living the ways of the Lord.  In verse 21 it says "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith."  I am so grateful for chastening, for trials of faith!  They make us stronger, better, and build our character!  This is the purpose of life!  During these times we must rely on the Savior and we will never be led astray!

            Through the experiences of this week I have learned that charity is the key to happiness. Without it we are nothing.  With it we can conquer anything.  As we pray daily to be filled with charity and to conquer pride, our hearts become united with the Savior! As we are united with the Savior we can help heal hearts.  I love you all so much.  I am grateful beyond measure for the oppurtunity to serve the Lord for two years.  It's going by too fast at times, but I am grateful for the time I have.  Have a great week!

Love, Elder Aiken.

Great first week in Federal Way!

     Hello everyone!!! How are you all doing today!? I hope that all is well and that life is great!! This past week has been just better than expected!  I sure miss Issaquah.  I used to have dreams about missing home but now they have switched to missing Issaquah!  It's great.  I love Federal Way! 

Elder Bunton from South Carolina

     My new companion is just amazing and I am very blessed to be his companion! I am looking forward to this transfer. The past week I have learned and been taught so much!  As a zone we have been working on polishing our lives, becoming pure and holy vessels of the Spirit.  In my life I always looked at repentance as a scary thing, something you only need to do after doing something really bad or specific.  We have made it a priority to repent for all of the little things and ask God to purify our hearts.  This has brought me to a much deeper understanding of the Atonement!  The Atonement is for everything, all of our weaknesses and imperfections, no matter how big or small!  I have seen such a deep increase of the Spirit in my life. It has brought me to an even greater knowledge that my Redeemer lives.  The Atonement purifies our hearts so that we can be lead by the Spirit.  It's such a blessing.  I am so deeply grateful that Jesus Christ died for us, and that His hand is stretched out to forgive us and help us change if we will just reach for it! 
     Yesterday we had an amazing church tour with a man named Wayne.  We met Wayne earlier in the week as he was sitting under a car overhang.  We took him to the chapel and sat on the bench and talked of the Atonement.  Wayne has had a very hard life.  He lost his only brother 8 years ago and his mom 4 years ago.  He has no family left.  He hasn’t been able to find a job in a few years and is addicted to cigarettes.  As he shared is life with us I was brought to tears.  I looked in his eyes and just loved that man.  I felt so deeply that God was there for him if he would but turn to him.  He got emotional as he described his life and his past, his DUIs and being homeless.  He said his heart was just torn up.  At that very moment I realized he felt lost, alone and unworthy to be in the presence of God.  I then realized that no matter how deep and far we travel from the path that God has for us…it can be healed through the Atonement of Christ!  No matter what we do, the Savior can heal our hearts and fill us with love.  I know that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can draw closer to God.  It truly is the only way to happiness.  If I have learned one thing out here it simply is that. The gospel is true and leads to happiness.  It has yet to fail me.  Every person that we have introduced to the Gospel has been filled with a greater peace and happiness. What a blessing.  I love you all, and bear my testimony that God does live and Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and redeemer of us all!
Love, Elder Aiken!

First Transfer!

     Hello and good morning everyone!!  I have been transferred!  I surely will miss the Issaquah 1^st ward and the Tiger Mountain wards!  My life has been changed forever by serving there!  The past nine months have truly changed my life.  So many moments and things that I will never forget.  This is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  While I was serving there I met so many eternal friends.  People that I will never forget.  It's amazing to see how the Lord places people in our path to meet and help us along in this life.  I will miss those wards with all my heart!  I can't wait to go back! 

     I have been called to serve as a Zone Leader in Federal Way.  I am very excited for this oppurtunity!  We serve 24 elders, the largest in the mission.  It will be great, I feel such love for them even though I don’t know many of them!

            The past week has been great! There were so many things that the Lord taught me in the last week to prepare me for this calling.  I am constantly amazed by the Savior's love and knowledge for each and everyone of us.  He knows us personally. As we live our lives right he will guide every foot step.  Although at times it seems hard to follow everything how we should, it is the only way to be truly happy. I am so grateful that God has a plan for each and everyone of us.  Leaving the area I have lived for the past nine months was hard.  I will miss them!  But so many miracles happened yesterday that will touch my life forever. Yesterday morning we went back to teach a man named Jordan! We found him last week when we were going back to teach his brother who was interested in learning more! We had an wonderderful lesson! When he was in 8^th grade he felt God wanted him to know more about Him.  Ever since he has been searching to know God and know what His will is for him.  Jordan is in his early 20’s.  One of the most humble seekers of the truth I have ever met!  He truly loves God and wants to do what God would have him do.  The past three years he has given up searching as he hasn’t ever been able to find what he felt was the truth!  As we taught him the restoration you could just see a light bulb go on!  He wants to change.  He will be baptized on the 16^th of August!  It was a touching lesson.  

The Hutchings

     After that lesson I got a text message from a sister in the ward asking if we would come give her husband a blessing as they are considering big decisions in their lives.  I prayed with all my heart all day that God would inspire me that night in the blessing.  I prayed and prayed.  I felt the Spirit so strongly that God wanted them to know some very important things and that God knew them. It's amazing how much God loves us!  As we draw near to Him we can feel joy.  That night as we went and said goodbye to the Hutchings I rarely remember feeling the Spirit so strong.  I knew that God loved them and wanted them to feel complete peace!  God is a God of miracles, a God that knows us so well!  We are blessed. After that blessing we went and taught Jeff and Christine, a couple that has recently moved to Issaquah!  They both are so interested in the Priesthood power being restored to the earth so they can be sealed for time and all eternity!  Last night we were able to put them on date for the 16^th also.  It was a very special lesson.  God knows them and wants this for their family!

            Leaving the ward and saying goodbyes was hard.  I love those wards.  I feel like I met so many people there that I knew before this life.  I can't wait to see them again!  I love this work and am grateful for the oppurtunity to be a part of it!  I love you all with all my heart! I pray we can all continue to draw nearer to God!! God bless you!  Love, Elder Aiken.

July 5, 2011

     Hello everyone I hope you had a Happy Fourth of July!!!  This past week has been great - the sun has been out!  It's just about the most beautiful place in the world on sunny days!  I am so grateful for them!!  
     The Lord has truly blessed us this week.  We have met 7 new people that want to learn about the gospel!  A family of five came to church with us on Sunday and a great man named Jeff!  All are searching for the truth and felt so loved there!  There are two brief experiences from this past week that I would like to share.  The first happen on Wednesday.  There is a woman in our congregation that is from China named Shalmay.  She joined the church about two years ago!  She has three young children, and I was honored to bless her last baby.  Her mother, Sister Song has moved here for a time to help her with the kids but knows no english.  The Wans, a senior couple, just returned to the ward from serving a mission in Taiwan!  They went over to Shalmays home to visit and introduce themselves and as they talked with her mother, she wanted to come to church with them!  We talked to her at church that Sunday and she asked that we come over and teach her!  So on Wednesday we went over with the Wans so they could translate!  After we said the opeing prayer I asked Sister Song what God meant to her, and how He has helped her in her life.  She told the Wans that she doesn’t really know God!  She has worked for the Chinese government for many years and as she was interviewed she had to say that she didn’t believe in God.  So all her life she has grown up not being aloud to talk to God or believe that He lives.  After we asked her this question the Wans taught her for about 5 minutes!  I had no clue what was going on or being said but the spirit was so strong!  My heart was just burning.  After we left I asked Sister Wan what they were talking about and she said “Elder Aiken, we were teaching her how we know that God lives and that he loves us!” I was so touched!  The spirit confirmed to all of us that day that God lives! Although Elder Berry and I didn’t understand what was being said, we felt the confirming truth through the power of the Holy Ghost! 
     The other experience happened on Friday.  We are teaching a Lady named Lisa (not her real name). Lisa has been taught for about two months now and really struggles with addictions. She lived on the streets for many years addicted to cocaine and other drugs.  She has finally been able to kick those habits.  She is the neatest lady with a few young children.  She seems to not be able to succeed in the things she hopes because of her prior problems.  We really have struggled getting her to progress.  On Friday we went over there and just had no clue what to teach, no clue what would help her.  We said “Lisa, when you were young and you had dreams of growing up and being a mom, are you where you dreamed you would be?”  Lisa just broke down.  She said no I am not her!  Not at all, I can't afford any thing, I can't even take my kids to McDonalds when they ask, because my money is going to drugs.  She said “I want to change, I need to do this!”  The spirit of peace was so powerful!  I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can truly be happy!  No other way!  Deep, true, lasting happiness comes from following the teaching of Jesus Christ!  As we make Him the center, the rock, nothing will fail us!  I know that Lisa can make it and will through the gospel of Jesus Christ!  I love you all so much!! Have a great week!!  Love, Elder Aiken.

Great day for Laly!

                          (This post is for June 27, 2011)

     Hello everyone, I hope all is well!  This week has been a true blessing.  The mission is the most amazing adventure we can ever step foot in. There are so many lessons learned, and experiences had that can bless us all our lives.  I love it with all of my heart.  My heart is full of joy and gratitude to the Lord.  

Laly, JJ, Lorenzo and Elder Berry

   This week Laly, JJ and Lorenzo were baptized!  It was a very spiritual day.  I was blessed to baptize them and the spirit that was there was so thick. It's amazing how close the spirit is on the day of baptism. When we enter into the waters of baptism we are making a two way promise. A promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ and in return He will bless us all our lives.  It's during times like these that we get to reflect on the importance of baptism and how it has blessed our lives.  I have thought much about the blessing of baptism and my heart is so deeply touched.  I don’t know where I would be without the Savior by my side, and without the blessings that He pours out upon me!  Just imaging life without the Savior near us seems so lonely.  That seems to be what pushes me along every day!  We have to help others come to know that the Savior lives and loves us all and will help us through everything!

     JJ and the boys were baptized first, and then Laly! The boys stood on the stairs and watched as there mom was baptized. As we walked into the dressing room together they were both just grinning from ear to ear. They are just about the neatest kids I have ever met.  I can't wait to come and see them receive the priesthood in a few years. I asked JJ how it was and he said “It felt like the Holy Ghost was with me the whole time!”  The baptism was just truly amazing!  Earlier in the week as we ended their baptismal interview, we had Lorenzo pray and he said “ Thank you Heavenly Father for my two new Brothers, we love the Elders.” 

     I think I mentioned this awhile back but about two weeks ago Lorenzo got really sick.  He had an abnormal growth that was causing him to be doubled over in pain. They hurried him to the hospital but they were only able to give him some pain medication until they could get him to another doctor the following morning.  When they got home from the hospital Laly had us come and give Lorenzo a priesthood blessing!  When they went to the doctor the mass had reduced in size and they will now just monitor it for a few weeks and pain medication was no longer needed.  Now some might say that’s just a coincidence, but I know that because of the power of the priesthood Lorenzo was healed from this!  That power is so real. I am so grateful for it.  I am grateful for Joseph Smith and that through him the power and authority of God has been restored to the earth, just as it was given to the 12 apostles through Christ! I love you all!  Thanks for all you do! This upcoming week is going to be great.  I know that God lives and loves us, he will guide us all our lives as we turn to him! With him we are never alone!  Have a great week!  Love, Elder Aiken.