Tokyo Japan Week 34

Sakura trees!

 愛する家族へ

こんにちは！皆元気ですか？今週はすごく楽しくてよく伝道できました！最近に私と私の愛する同僚と共に日本語だけ話しておりますからこの手紙も日本語ばからりです！じゃ、頑張ていただけど、英語に変わります。すみません。まだ愛されているかな～

Hello everyone!! It's been another really awesome week here in Tsukuba, it's finally starting to turn into spring! We've started running morning, and the Sakura trees are starting to bloom around our apartment. :) some pictures will follow soon! It's kind of hard cause I can take photos on my iPad and send those, but the really awesome photos on my camera I can't send unless I send the whole SD card home, which is kind of lame. I still gotta buy an sd card reader attachment, but that still takes some time, I'm way sorry! Those good photos will come soon, but I hope you like the iPad photos! Japan is seriously such a beautiful country, and it's finally starting to warm up a bit, which is super awesome. Week five of the transfer started today, so in two weeks we'll have transfer calls again, which I still can't believe! It seems like this transfer just started, but I'm so excited to go forward with faith. The time is really starting to fly by, but I'm so thankful for every minute here as a missionary here in Tokyo. It's totally changed my life so much, and I'm so thankful for the miracles that The Lord has blessed me with in my life.

Lunch with our friend Yasuhiro

It sounds like everyone is doing so great! It's sad some of the emails have gotten a bit shorter, but I understand you guys are busy. :) Lexa I'll be praying for you for sure for this job! I showed some of the elders in my apartment those pictures from San Fran, and they got super stoked, and really wanted to visit. I know you really must love it down there, and that job is really so needed. I'll keep praying for you every day!! As well Whit, it looks like you're having so much pursuing photography in San Fran as well! Those photos are are so cool, and it's been fun to use some of them in introducing where I'm from to investigators and people on the street. They get so excited, and then they get super blown away when I say my sister took these. You have such an amazing talent that the Lord has blessed you with Whit! I'll keep praying for you, and I know you're gonna have such a great time in Iceland! Tyler as well you sound super great! This past email was a bit short... Haha, but I know work keeps you busy, so I hope you're having tons of fun man! I'll keep praying for you, when's that bike coming by the way??

Lots of naan at Bel's shop

Mom and Dad I always love hearing how close it sounds like you are with the missionaries in our ward! I promise you that they appreciate that so much. Today we were taken to Costco by a family here in the ward from Utah, and it was really such a blast to be with a family so excited to share the gospel, and as well to have some fun with. Thanks for all that you do, and just thank you so much for being so awesome. :) I'll keep praying for our missionaries back home as well! Sometimes it can be really discouraging, but I promise that they'll see those true miracles soon enough. Sometimes The Lord gives us those mountains to climb, and a lot of times it's hard to see that top of the hill when we're climbing up, but it always gets the hardest right before it breaks. Give those Elders a big hug (Dad, haha, not from Mom) and let them know I'm praying for them! The Lord is so aware of their diligent work, and He loves them more then they can even realize. Miracles are on the way!!

Quick update on investigators, please pray for Bel! He's our really amazing Nepalese investigator, and he's looking so solid! He came to church again yesterday, and even though he can only stay for Sacrament meeting because of his work schedule, he's showing his faith so strongly, and he's so excited to be baptized. We visit him at his Indian curry restaurant almost everyday, and he's always just so happy to talk about where he's been reading in the Hindhi Book of Mormon, and he's enjoying prayer so much. Bel has been such an amazing miracle, and just an amazing person I feel so blessed to have met here in Japan. He was truly so prepared by The Lord, and it's shown me that heavenly father's love truly reaches all nations. Bel is amazing! He has a small family still living in Nepal, and he's so excited that he can baptize them as well when he receives the priesthood.

Sports day in Tsukuba

All in all this week has had some seriously amazing days, and it's made me so thankful to be here as a missionary. I seriously can't believe it's been almost 10 months! The time truly has flown by, and it's made me so thankful to be here sharing this incredible message with all of these great people of Japan. This week I've really felt the love that our Heavenly Father has for all of us, and as well that incredible cleansing power of the Atonement. It's been such an amazing blessing serving here, and I'm so thankful for the changes that these short 10 months have wrought on me. Some of those things were hard to change, but I'm so thankful for them. I'm especially thankful this week for this great language I've been blessed with the opportunity to learn. The other day Elder Sakamoto and I were talking, and I realized that just 10 months ago I couldn't speak any Japanese at all! And now I was having a full conversation with my awesome Fukuoka-ian? Companion from Fukuoka, haha. He's such an awesome friend to me and I'm so thankful to be working with him! He's taught me so much about truly relying on the Spirit, and that has truly strengthened my faith so much. I love you all so much, and I'm so thankful for all that you do!! Today I'm so thankful for my awesome, gnarly, rad, laid back, chill, seriously amazing family. :) you've all blessed my life in so many ways, and I'm so excited for that awesome reunion on Skype in just a couple months now! How crazy is that? Haha, well anyways, have an awesome week, I love you all so much!!!

Love,
Elder Justesen
ジャステセン長老
信仰が有れば何でも出来る。

Tokyo Japan Week 33

Costco pizza!

Hello everyone! It's been another really awesome week here down under in Tsukuba! Although it's still WAY weird using Facebook as a missionary, it's been such a blast catching up with old investigators, and as well some of those awesome eternal friends I've made here as a missionary. It sounds like everyone is doing really awesome! The weather here in Tsukuba has been really awesome lately, and the cherry blossoms started blooming a little bit today! We all woke up this morning and went for a morning jog, which in the past was always freezing cold, but today was so nice and it was such a blast! So much fun, we did it without shoes! Elder Sakamoto was a track and field runner, and he told us all today it's the best way to run. It was fun!

But the main thing I want to say today is... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXA! Holy goodness I can't believe that you are now 25 years old... What is this craziness? Today I was talking with with Elder Sakamoto, and we both agreed that time goes way too fast. You're a little bit older than him by a couple months, and he's scared to turn 25, haha. Just want to say thanks for being such an awesome example to me Alexa! I love you tons!! I hope you have a really awesome day today, make some sweet memories! I promise I'll only miss one more of your birthdays, haha. But seriously though! Have tons of fun with Mom and Dad, and have a blast! You only turn 25 once. :)

My companion Elder Sakamoto

Jungle Juice in Tsukuba!

But yeah this week has been pretty awesome! So quick update on Jimmy. We still haven't been able to contact him, but we're praying and fasting for him pretty often, and the ward is praying and keeping an eye out for him as well. He's such an awesome guy,  but he may just be kind of going through a hard time right now. He's come so far though from when we first met him, and I know that the Lord is truly working with him right now. He's preparing just like he prepares all of his children, and we're just praying and waiting. :) I know that whatever happens is what the Lord wants to happen, and I'm okay with that. There's a really awesome scripture in Isaiah 55 that says it best. His thoughts are not always our thoughts, but if we follow him to the best we can, he will bless us. He'll give us that comfort and peace that we need, and we can take so much hope in knowing that we're following the will of the Lord. I love being a missionary so much! It's been so far from easy some days, but it's taught me so much about relying on the Lord, and putting His will before our own.

My friend Taro

Our new investigator Bell from Nepal is looking so awesome though! He came to church this Sunday, even though it was only for Sacrament meeting! He owns his own Indian curry restaurant, but he took that time to come to church on Sunday, and it was really so awesome. Bell is such a cool miracle, and we're so stoked for him! He's set to be baptized, and he's looking really good! He has such an awesome desire to follow the Savior, and he wants to learn more about those things. His English and Japanese are a little hard to understand, but he always expresses his love for Jesus Christ, and he learned the word "awesome" from me, and that's a word he's using to describe Jesus Christ. :) Heavenly Father has really given me so many awesome blessings as a missionary, and it makes me just really thankful to be here. Today my really awesome buddy Elder Burt reminded me that this spring will be the last season I'll have two of in Japan. That really hit me! It's been a long time for sure, but it's flown by so fast, and I'm so thankful for every minute of it. Some days have been so far from easy, but this time as a missionary is changing my life so much, and I'm so thankful to be here. I love being a missionary, and having this chance to share the gospel here in Tokyo Japan. It's such an amazing place, with such kind, humble, and really loving people. Having a Japanese companion has been so awesome, and has helped me so much in learning the language, as well as the culture. Elder Sakamoto is so awesome. The other day we had a companionship inventory, and we were just in the praising each other section, and he just looks at me and says, "Elder Justesen, you are a child of God." And that simple truth hit me really so hard. I felt such a warm feeling fill my heart, and I realized the true power and happiness that is in that small fact. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and He loves us so much. I love being a missionary so much. :)

Our friend Sasho, who's getting baptized this week!

With our friend Junya!

So some other way awesome news! Remember Luis back in Maebashi last transfer? My boy is getting baptized this week!! I called up Elder Tu'ua last night to check up on how he's doing, and Elder Tu'ua told me that he's really had such an amazing change of heart, and he finally made that decision to come and be baptized. As well, they were talking to him about the temple and missionary work, and he got so excited by the idea of becoming a missionary! And Luis is in his early 20's so he definitely could if he wanted to! It was seriously such an awesome miracle, and it showed me how much the Lord is involved with those people that we love. Although I couldn't teach Luis anymore, I've been praying so hard for him, and I'm so stoked for him! He's been such an awesome friend to me, and he was so hard to leave when I got transferred, but I'm so stoked for him! I'm gonna try my best to go, but Maebashi is on the other side of the mission, so it may be a little impossible, but I'm really so excited to see those photos. :) Luis is a real eternal friend, and I'm so excited for him.

Important apartment business :)

All in all this week had its ups and downs, but overall it's been super awesome. :) I love being a missionary with all my heart, and I'm so thankful for these 9 almost 10 months! Yikes. They've really changed my life so much, and I'm so thankful to all the wonderful people that I've been blessed to work with. I love my family!! It's fun to kind of see what you're up to when I pop on Facebook, and I'm always praying for you everyday. :) Thank you so much for all you do, and know I love you so much! Have an awesome week, and enjoy the spring weather!! Winter is finally over!!! :) The gospel is true, the book is blue, God loves you!

Love,
Elder Justesen

Tokyo Japan Week 32

Konnichiwa everyone! It's been another really awesome week here in Tsukuba, and I'm happy because now I have some time to write. Just want to say I'm way sorry it's taken me a couple weeks to write about what has been going on lately, but things have been going pretty great! It's finally starting to warm up, and Elder Sakamoto told me that the Sakura trees should be blooming super soon, so I'm so excited! It's so cool to see the work going forward at such a fast rate, and I feel so lucky to be a missionary here every day. It's almost been 10 months since the MTC, and I was thinking about all of the blessings and miracles I've seen. Being a missionary really has been the greatest experience of my life, and I'm so thankful to be here! Elder Sakamoto is such an awesome companion, and being around him has helped my Japanese so much. He's a missionary that is really full of so much charity and love, and it's been such an awesome transfer so far serving with him.

It sounds like everyone is doing really great! I'm always praying for you by name every day, and I'm really so thankful for all the love and kindness you always put in your letters! I'm really so thankful to have such an incredible family, and I'm so thankful for the things you all taught me while I was growing up. :)

Tsukuba is amazing! This week we were able to set 2 new baptismal dates with our Nepalese investigator Bell, and our other investigator Cho! They both have really been such miracles here in the Tsukuba area, and we're so excited for them. The really incredible thing I wanted to write about though is Cho. So! When we first met Cho, he had such a strong desire to learn English, as well as learn about God. But, he said since he was a scientist, he wasn't too sure if he could, but he really wanted to try. So we had a couple lessons with him, and they really went so well, but he said he was still having a hard time believing, and he was kind of losing hope in that faith. So we started praying for him really diligently, and asking Heavenly Father how we could help him. And then the other day we were eating with him, and he looks up and says, "so, in order to become Mormon, you need to stand in the water right? I saw a picture of that on your website." We were so blown away! He had on his own searched up the church website and looked up baptism, and really wanted to learn more about that forgiveness of sins, and coming closer to God. We taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he committed to be baptized! It really showed me so much that as missionaries, we really are just the tools in the Lord's hands. He uses us and guides us, and it's been such an awesome experience seeing how much The Lord is preparing His children everyday, and I'm so thankful to be here as a missionary in that position to just serve, and do the best I can to be a good tool in the hands of the Lord of the vineyard. I love being a missionary!

If I could ask for one thing, could you guys pray for Jimmy? He had this really big exam this weekend, and we haven't heard from him in a couple days. His baptism is set up to be this weekend, and he's looking so good, but we just haven't had a chance to meet in a little while. Jimmy is such an awesome guy, and it is seriously unlike him to just kind of disappear, so please pray for him! He's been progressing so well, and his whole focus has been on having that eternal family, and he's really come so far. He has truly been prepared by the Lord, and when we first met him, he really didn't believe in a God, and he's now grown so much closer to him, and the ward really loves him as well. It's been such a miracle to meet Jimmy, and he's taught me so much about how Heavenly Father truly wants all of His children to find that happiness. Jimmy's such an awesome guy!

Also Mom I got your package! Thank you so much, I really love it! Man... You all have really such awesome taste in ties and candy. ;) I used the candy for a present for Jimmy, and the tie is really so awesome! I've really grown quite a big collection of ties, haha.

So one of the really big things that happened at Mission Leadership Council was the announcement of all Zone Leaders starting to use Facebook! It was a pretty big shock for everyone, but everyone is so excited to see how it will help the work go forward faster. So they really want us to use our old accounts, just to clean them up a bit, and then go forward! So I checked it out today, and I don't think I'll have to delete too many photos, I just wanna say thank  you so much for making my Facebook look so great! It was so cool to see all the photos from the other end, and it made me really thankful for the awesome technology we have now. It's cool to see how we all can stay super connected, even though we're all living pretty far apart. :)

All in all it was such a great week, and I love being a missionary. Tonight we taught the plan of salvation to a young high school student at a nearby park, and it made me so thankful to be a missionary here in the Japan Tokyo mission. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much in these past 10 months, and every day has been such an incredible opportunity to grow and learn. I've come to learn that Heavenly Father really is there, and He loves us so much. No matter how far we may stray from him, He never strays from us. When we feel like we can't do this on our own, I testify that is when The Lord is right by our side, urging us on, and at times carrying us to that place of rest. I've come to feel that so much as a missionary, and I'm so thankful for the blessings He has given me. He's given me companions and people who have changed my life. He's given me a language I can now (barely) speak. ;) he's given me eternal friends who have come to the savior, and felt that love that he has for them. He's given me a chance to change. He's given me a chance to become someone new. He's given me a chance to see through his eyes, and a chance to reach out and help. I'm so thankful to be a missionary. It has completely changed my life, and I feel so lucky to go forward everyday and share this message. I know this Gospel is true, and that when Joseph Smith knelt in the sacred grove, he truly saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and that through his experience we can know that God speaks. He speaks to us every day through little means, and large means. He speaks to our hearts in a language we've always known, just maybe at times forget. But He never turns from us, and He's always anxiously waiting for us to come back to him. I love being a missionary, and I'm so thankful to be here. I'm so thankful to my awesome family! I miss you guys a ton, but there's no where else I'd rather be at this time. :) in just about a year and 2 months, it's gonna be such an awesome reunion, and I'm so excited to take this time and become a better person, and take every chance to change. :) I love this gospel, and I being a Tokyo Japan missionary! Have an week, I love you guys so much!!!

Elder Justesen

Tokyo Japan Week 31

Hello awesome family!! Okay, so this one may be kind of short again, so I just want to say some things!

1: Virginia will always be the only lady for me! I wish I could give her a big hug, she's amazing!

2: this week jimmy is doing so great! He's living the word of wisdom, and he's looking so great! He asked if it's okay for him to drink coca cola instead of coffee, he's so prepared and amazing! I love that guy.

3: I have the most awesome companion ever! Elder Sakamoto from Fukuoka is the nicest, most charitable guy ever, and I feel so lucky to be working with him. Dad it's so true, my Japanese is feeling a lot better, and my English is slipping! Haha.

4: I have the most amazing family ever. :) just want to say thank you so much for all that you do and for your prayers especially. Thank you so much for all you do, and know I love you so much!

5: next email will be longer I promise! Today we have missionary work at night, and we're heading to some fun places today, so not a huge amount of email time! :( so sorry, but I love you guys so much!!

6: this week... I love being a missionary so much. It's changed my life in so many ways, and I've really come to feel that truth that we have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us personally, and knows us all personal. And he loves his children!

7: being a zone leader can be intense, but I love it so much! Being able to serve and focus on these awesome missionaries all the time has really changed my life so much, and I love it so much. They've helped my faith so much, and I love being here!

8: The Lord loves us! This week I've felt that love so much this week. At the start as was pretty nervous being the senior zone leader at transfer 6, but The Lord has strengthened my life and heart so much, and I'm so thankful. I love being a missionary!

Just want to say I love you all so much, and I'm so sorry that this email is so short! Promise... Promise next week will be longer! I love this gospel, and I love this opportunity to be a missionary! It's changed my life so much, and I'm so thankful to be here! Have an awesome week, I'm always praying for you, and I love you all so much!!! Until next week... The gospel is true, the book is blue, and God loves you!!

Love,
Elder Justesen

Tokyo Japan Week 30

Hey everyone! So it's been another really awesome week here in Tsukuba, but I don't have a huge amount of time to write today which is was a little bummer, but today was transfer calls! So...I'm staying in Tsukuba another transfer as a Zone Leader! This time as a Senior Zone Leader with a missionary named Elder Sakamoto! He's Japanese!!! I'm so stoked cause I've heard so many awesome things about him, and it'll be way fun to improve my Japanese. But yeah! So we've been trying to get everyone set up to travel, and that takes a long time, and time has run pretty short, so not a huge time to write. :( but! I just wanted to write really fast and talk about some of the really awesome miracles we saw this week!

First off, Jimmy set a baptismal date!! We had such an amazing lesson with one of the members here in our ward, and he finally made that big step to set that goal to be baptized. As well, we made him this sweet little calendar with his "steps to baptism" and he's looking so good for next month! Jimmy is such an awesome guy, and he's been such an amazing miracle here in Tsukuba.

As well, my awesome companion Elder Dunbar is being transferred to the mission home! He's going to be an assistant! He's really so excited, but as well pretty nervous. He's been such an awesome companion though, and I've really learned so much from him.

Sorry, but I don't have too much time, so this email will be super super short, but I just want to say I love you guys!! Being a missionary can be a bit stressful when you're a zone leader... But I love being a missionary so much. It's totally changed my life, and I love it so much! Have an awesome week!!!

Love,
Elder Justesen