Reach out to one this Christmas!

     Hello family!!  Such a great week. I am so blessed to be serving as a missionary and to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. 
     This week, Elder Porter of the Seventy visited our mission.  We had a wonderful Zone conference with him.  As I sat in that meeting, my thoughts were upon the Savior.  I received wonderful revelation for me personally, my area and investigators.  Like many others during this time of the year, my heart is stirred towards Jesus Christ.  He was the main focus of our meeting and one thing that we talked about was the Doctrine of Christ.  He talked about the straight and narrow path and that without the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement, we would never be able to return home and partake of the tree of life, which is the Love of God. I felt motivated to go out Focus, Find, Teach, and Baptize. There are so many of our brothers and sisters without this knowledge, and what great responsibility the Lord has placed in our hands to bring His children home. I know that Jesus Christ lives, I have felt His love and the power of his Atoning sacrifice. 

     We have been focusing in our zone to use Elder Ballard's Apostolic promise with the members that "if each of us reach out to one person from now until Christmas millions will feel the Savior's love". That's all the Lord is asking just "one" person! As we draw nearer to Jesus Christ I am assured that many people will notice the difference in our countenance, and will be drawn closer to us as we reach out to them. 
     This week we had 6 of our investigators at church and are preparing for the baptism of two of our investigators. Both are teenagers and have such a great desire to do what the Lord wants them to do. They loved church this week! The Lord is blessing us with many prepared people. 
     I went on exchange this week in Fresno to the YSA ward, and it was a looong day! It was freezing, no one was answering doors and we could find no one on the street. The day followed like that until the last hour of the night. Elder Toth and I stopped and prayed, asking the Lord where we needed to go. We were impressed to go over the ward list and we found a name and went to his home. We knocked and a young man let us in. It was a house that rents out to college students that sale solar panels. Before I walked in I saw some Utah license plates outside and thought most of these men must be Mormons which they were, but they had no interest in hearing us. They called one of their friends who was upstairs who came down to listen to us. He was surprised to see us and said he hadn't seen the missionaries over in a long time. He told us he was 24 years old, that he had been a member his whole life, had at one time prepared to serve a mission, but fell from that path and had made some wrong decisions. Those decsions lead him to have many questions about the church, and the prophet Joseph Smith. He was happy to have us over and said he would like us to share a message with him. We talked about the Book of Mormon. I shared my personal witness to the truthfulness of that book. As we testfied, the atmosphere changed! The look on his face changed and he felt different. We invited him to pray about the Book of Mormon and he said not once in his life growing up in the church had he done so. He agreed and was so grateful for that visit. He knew we had been sent their for a reason. I'm humbled to know how much the Lord knows each and everyone of us and what it will take to get us to return to that path that leads to eternal life! 
     I know He lives, this is His church and that Jesus Christ is our Savior! I look forward to this next week and seeing what the Lord has in store for us! Have a great week.


Love,
Elder Tanner Aiken

A great week of Thanksgiving and answered prayers!

Getting ready for our Thanksgiving feast!

     Hello Everyone! Another great week to be a Mormon missionary, I am grateful this morning for the many blessings the Lord has given me!  It was so nice to be fed so well on Thanksgiving.

A little too much turkey!

     This week started out a bit tough with not many people to teach.  But about midway through the week things started to pick back up again. Elder Castaneda and I have been working very hard, but also smart. I came home a few nights this week absolutely exhausted, many times I catch myself falling asleep during our companionship prayers, for that I have repented. The Lord has blessed me with energy to carry out through the day. Our zone as a whole is doing amazing things. We currently have 39 investigators with baptismal dates, and we had 34 at sacrament meeting. We have done very well at setting up for the month of December hoping to hit our mark of 20 baptisms. 
     This week being fast sunday, I felt very down. It has been a fews weeks since we had seen any investigators at church. Our area has only seen 1 baptism in the last 7 months. Being a 30 minute drive for our investigators to get to church seems at times nearly impossible. I began my fast thinking of all the many blessings I had received. I prayed with a sincere desire for our investigators to come to church. That morning as we went to church we set up for another sacrament meeting. The Spanish group that we serve in, had all of its leaders out of town, so we had to direct the sacrament meeting with the bishop from the English ward in there with us. It was hectic! As we walked outside to see if any of our investigators had showed up, there were none to be found. My heart sank. I felt sad once again that no one was coming to church. As we walked back into the building, sacrament meeting was about to start. We were beginning to close the doors and return to our seats, when all of the sudden, we see our investigators piling into the building! A woman named Dominica, her two daughters, and their two friends all who we had been teaching! I was once again filled with such happiness that the Lord had answered our prayers and fast! As I sat in testimony meeting, a woman stood and bore her testimony of missionary work and how the missionaries never gave up on her and how grateful she was. I learned a great lesson this week on faith and patience. 
     I am grateful that the Lord has given me trials and hard times on my mission, not because they are fun or easy, but because we learn from them! I know that God answers and hears prayers! It requires faith and desire but He will answer them. I love this work, I love my calling as a missionary, and I have come to enjoy every moment I have been given to serve Him who knows all! Have a great week everyone! 

Love,
Elder Tanner Aiken

Happy Thanksgiving

     Hello Everyone! The work is going great here in Firebaugh and Mendota! We have many people right now that we are teaching and quite a few that have baptismal dates. Our only problem is getting them married. We have three couples that we are teaching that all have great desires but just aren't married, and due to the financial situations it is very hard to get them married!
     Our zone is doing great Elder Castaneda and I have been thinking about what we can do better to inspire our zone to have a miraculous December! As this week falls the day of thanksgiving I am so grateful to be a full time missionary. 
     This week, as I have walked the streets of Mendota, it has humbled me! I have such gratitude for my family, for this church, and to have the knowledge that we have. I've talked to many people with drug problems, families that are falling apart, and some don't even have enough money to put food on their table. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ! It breaks my heart to know and see how many people reject our message, even after having felt the Holy Ghost. But what a blessing it is to know that we are a part of the only true church on the earth and that we have a living prophet that is guided by revelation. Most of all to know about the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for His sacrifice that He made for us. 
     I am grateful for the commandments that are there, not to hold us back, but to set us free. Mosiah chapter 2 vs 41 tells us to remember the happy state of those that keep the commandments, that they will be blessed in ALL things both spiritual and temporal, for the Lord God has said so! I have learned so much this week but feel that my testimony has been strengthened on the importance of keeping the commandments! They bring us so much happiness. They keep us from the grip of the adversary, and give us spiritual protection! 
     This week I am also grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is aware of everything in our lives. He know us each personally, better than we know ourselves. 
     This week as I read in the scriptures I was thinking about the things I was grateful for when I felt urged to read a letter that not only changed my life but saved me.  It was written by my brother Brock.  That letter guided me to serve a mission and I keep it in my scriptures as a constant reminder of God's love that He has for me! I know that he is aware of me! I am so grateful for my family, I love you all so much! Though a mission is a time to focus on the people I serve here, you are never far from my thoughts!! I love you all have a great week!
And Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Elder Tanner Aiken 

God hears our prayers!

     Hello everyone!  It's transfer week and Elder Castaneda and I will be together at least 6 more weeks.  That's great news! 

     I am so grateful to be writing you this morning. I had an experience this week that has changed my life and my mission. 

     Elder Castaneda and I had been seeing little to no success, people not keeping commitments and no one at church. I was pretty down and prayed to the Lord for a miracle this week, something to help us see His hand in this work. We went about our daily routine on Friday. We went out to go see a family who we had invited to be baptized on the 1st of December.  That was a 35 minute drive for us, but for some reason that wasn't where we were supposed to be. We were lead by the spirit to contact a referral we had received. As we knocked on the door, no one answered, but the spirit again told us this is not where we need to be. A prompting came and told us to go see a lady in the ward who lives alone in very humble circumstances. As we walked towards her trailer and knocked, a man came around the corner and said, "God is so good! The woman living here is very suicidal right now. Who sent you or called you"?  We had not received a text or a call from anyone. This woman was preparing to take her life. She had been pleading with God to send her an answer all day, but no one from the church came to visit her. We arrived at just the right moment!  She came to the door pale as a ghost and was weeping. She looked at us and said, "no one can tell me that this church isn't true!  No one can tell me that God doesn't live, or that He doesn't hear prayers".  She told us that she was praying at the moment we knocked on her door, asking Heavenly Father to give her the strength to not take her life. This woman had been scarred years earlier from an explosion and both of her parents died at a young age. She felt left alone. I knew that God had been sending us around town that day and knocking doors with no one behind them because He knew that this woman was in desperate need of two Representatives of Jesus Christ!  I felt an absolute love for this woman. I saw her as a daughter of God. 

     I know that God hears our prayers and I know that we are never alone. I am so grateful to have this knowledge. It is so important to follow every prompting we are given whether we think it's silly, or just a random thought in our head. Promptings aren't usually accommodating to our time and schedule, but they are given to us in moments where others may need our service or a helping hand. 

     God lives and Jesus is the Christ! This is His work!! Have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Tanner Aiken

Christ is our Anchor!

One of our recent converts

     Hello every one! It's been another great week to be a Mormon missionary!
     Elder Castaneda and I have been seeing miracles in our area, and are recognizing those people who are prepared to hear the gospel message.  President Gelwix left us a priesthood blessing last week that "we would recognize the prepared people that will be put in our path."  I have seen this happening in our area.
     This week as we were doing some harvest blessings, we knocked on a door of a young man named Mario. He seemed a little down as he opened the door.  We told him who we were and that we had been sent to his home for a reason. He willingly let us into his home and told us that he had been going through some really hard times.  He had just lost his license due to a recent DUI and could see that he was getting farther and farther away from God.  We said the prayer with him, and the spirit poured out upon that room.  Mario was in tears as we asked him how he felt. The spirit then lead us in what we said and our questions were inspired. We were able to teach Mario how he could overcome temptation by anchoring himself to our Savior Jesus Christ.  We read from Helaman chapter 5. I have personally thought about this in my own life, "How can we overcome temptation"?  
     The scriptures teach us that we must pray always that we be not lead into temptation, that we should read the word of God for they will teach us ALL things that we must do. We must already have the decision set in our head that we will resist the temptation before it arrives. When we begin to think twice about our temptations, we have already let satan get his foot in the door and by that time it may be too late! 
     In a world growing in filth and wickedness we must apply these principles.  The most important thing of all is that we are anchored to our Savior Jesus Christ. Heleman chapter 5 vs 12 says, "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that we must build our foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build t hey cannot fall."  Brothers and sisters I promise that as we do this we will beat temptation every time! 
     I love this work more and more each day.  I have nightmares and thoughts of the day when this will all come to an end.  I want to be sure that I find everyone that I have been sent here to find!  God lives!  We are his children, he loves us! Jesus is the Christ. This is His church. As I read about the Tree of Life this morning in the Book of Mormon, I really felt the Savior's love.  He is there waiting for us.  If we hold strong to His word and promises we will arrive to our final destination.  There will be trials and temptations of all sorts, but we must be anchored to Christ our Savior! I love you all have a great week! 

Love, 
Elder Tanner Aiken

Great time to be a missionary!

Manuel's baptism

     Hello Everyone! What another great week to be a Mormon missionary! 
     This week was truly inspiring. We were able to have a baptism yesterday for Manuel. It was such a great service except for the part when we dropped the cell phone in the font while we were filling it up! It was great. 
     This week we had a wonderful miracle. We were stopping by to visit one of our investigators. She wasn't home so we decided to stop by and visit a lady we had contacted the day before who lives next door. As we knocked her door, one of her friends came out and told us that she was busy cutting someone's hair but we could come back in an hour. It was really weird because we had an impression that we had to be there. Nevertheless, we went on with our day to another area and stayed there for about 45 minutes visiting some members. We had another prompting that we needed to return to that house that we visited earlier. As we went back and visited her, once again her friend came to the door and said that her friend just barely had another appointment begin. We were thinking what is the point of being here?  It was so obvious the reason we were there was to talk with the lady who opened the door. We asked this woman if we could say a prayer with her. She didn't look too interested but she finally agreed. She told us that she had recently been laid off and her husband had left her and her two kids. As we said the prayer, this woman began to weep as we said the prayer. At the end of that prayer the woman said she felt so good inside. She asked, "how did you know I needed that"? We told her that we didn't know but God knew. She was touched by that blessing we left on her home. We taught the importance of families with her and she really became interested. We invited her to say the prayer before we left. As she offered the prayer my heart was filled with love for this woman. She gave one of the most heart felt prayers I have heard on my mission! We then we knew we needed to invite her to be baptized! She said yes! It was such a great experience. She actually does not live in our area but I know God puts us in people's paths for a reason. 
     I know great things will come from that simple prayer we left with her. I know that this Church is true! I know that God lives! Have a great week everyone love you all!! 

Elder Tanner Aiken

God's love NEVER changes!

     Hello Everyone! What another great week here in the "City of Dreams"! Just kidding! But in all seriousness, this week was great. 
     This week, Elder Castaneda and I have had a sincere desire to find families in our area. Something that this area has been struggling with has been finding solid families that will help build the church. So we went to the Lord for His counsel. We have prayed and fasted to see and recognize families that are prepared to hear the gospel! As we prayed and fasted we knew the Lord would provide. As we have gone out proselyting this week, literally behind every door and street contact we have found a family! We have recognized them as prepared people and they have recognized us as representatives of Jesus Christ. 
     Last night we entered a family's home after contacting them on the street. They are from El Salvador. Much to our suprise they invited us right into their home. We offered a blessing over the home and the spirit was just so strong. We talked to this husband and wife about eternal families and the steps we need to take here on earth to reach our divine potential. We talked about baptism as the spirit was bearing testimony to them that what we were saying was true. We invited them to be baptized. They said "yes", and immediatley asked where our church was located. We bore testimony and this family we will be visiting later this week. My thoughts then turn to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can internalize it into our lives. 
     Also this week, Elder Castaneda and I were stopping by some apartments. We saw a lady taking her laundry basket from her car and walking towards her apartment. She saw us and began to pick up her pace and entered her home and closed the door. We both looked at each other and said let's knock on her door! As we knocked, she answered and this woman looked like she had been through many difficult trials in her life.  We could sense that she had fallen into satan's traps and lies. She looked depressed and could barely look us in the eyes. She asked if we were of a certain faith.  We said, "no, we are representatives of Jesus Chirst sent to your home to bring you a message of our Savior Jesus Christ." We offered a prayer with her and as we ended the prayer she broke down in tears and said, "how did you know to speak with me"? I ran from you because I thought you were of another faith and you still knocked my door." She said that she had been through many challenges in her life. She had been raped by her father and his friends, she had been abused by her husband, she is addicted to drugs, and has been through prostitution. We looked at this woman not as the natural man would but through the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We bore testimony of our loving Heavenly Father and that no matter our circumstances or what we have done He will always love us! We testified of our Savior Jesus Christ who said in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This woman who had been cast into the darkness, and not seeing a way out, saw a glimpse of her Heavenly Father's love and that His arms are always wide open. 
     We ourselves must internalize the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We must understand our Heavenly Father's love for us. We must understand His plan. We must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we must repent! 
     This woman who we have begun to teach is slowly making changes in her live. We are praying for her each and every day! I know that God lives and His love is never changing and is always there for us! Jesus Christ lives and his Atonement is for everyone! I love you all have a great week! 

Elder Tanner Aiken