Monday, October 27, 2014

Tokyo Japan Week 63


愛する家族へ

Hey Everyone! First off, happy Halloween from the awesome country of Japan! I'm so stoked, we're having our Halloween party this weekend, and it's shaping up to be awesome! So many members are bringing their friends to come check out the church, and I'm preparing a pretty awesome missionary style surfer costume, should be pretty gnarly. ;)

Well today was seriously so great, and this week all in all was so awesome! This week I really felt the amazing power of prayer, and Heavenly Father has been really blessing our zone so much this past week. Our investigator Chen from China set a goal to be baptized next month! We're so excited for him, and he's really showing so much desire and faith as he's reading the Book of Mormon diligently to find that answer from his Father in Heaven. It's been such an amazing opportunity, and we're so stoked for him! As well we saw such an amazing miracle this week with our great friend Yoshimasa! We were having P-day this past week, and our other investigator canceled on us last minute, and we weren't able to meet, so we decided to hop on the train and look for people to talk to. We met Yoshimasa, and he's been looking for a church to attend here in Urawa! He recently went to Italy, and was deeply moved by a picture of Christ that he saw, and he said ever since then he's been wanting to learn more about what Christ did in this life. Long story short, he attended church this Sunday, LOVED IT, and is now reading the Book of Mormon! He's a really cool 39 year old man, who loves the Beatles! He's a great guy, and just such an awesome miracle I'm so thankful for. At church he asked as well if we performed baptism, and he said he'd love to learn more about it! He's pretty golden!


Then this week we tried really hard to boost some of the areas in our zone by doing blitzes throughout this week! Heavenly Father blessed us so much in that spirit of helping, and on one blitz with a group of elders we found 14 new investigators for this one area, it was so awesome! I really love serving as a Zone Leader so much, it's been such an awesome life changing experience! Then this Sunday was Stake Conference, and President Dorff bore such an amazing testimony on the power of daily prayer and scripture, and doing family home evening weekly. As we all got older and moved out it was hard to do family prayer, but I'll always remember those evening when we would gather as a family to read the scriptures, and I know it's something I really want to continue with my family in the future. :)

Speaking of future families, my trainer Elder Burgin is getting married in December! I got a sweet email today, and he's so pumped! I've got some really amazing trainers, and I'm so thankful for the awesome examples that they always set for me. :) And then today! Today was temple P-day, and it was such an awesome time at the temple today. It was Elder Dunbar's last temple day as a missionary, and we had an awesome talk in the temple, and it was such a great time. He said some really nice things about our time serving together in Tsukuba, and it just made me feel so thankful to have such amazing companions while serving here as a missionary. This time has really changed my life so much, and I'm so thankful for the growth and change it's brought to my life. It's given me such a stronger reliance on Heavenly Father, and has made me so excited for the future ahead. Always at temple day I do lots of reflecting, and despite the intense trails this past transfer, Heavenly Father has blessed us so much, and this week was just miracle after miracle. The zone is really starting to pick up, and I'm so excited for the future ahead. Next week is transfer calls, so we'll see how it goes! Either way, as long as I still get to be a missionary for this awesome Gospel, I'm way stoked. :) 

It seems like you guys are all doing way great though! Just want to say thank you so so so much for the awesome package! I really loved the tie, and the candy was gone pretty quick, haha. Thank you so much for taking all that time to send it, I really do appreciate it so so much. :) Whit I'm so sorry about your camera!! I can try to find a cheap Nikon over here for you! Such a bummer, but I know it'll lead to something cool! Also Lexa, your costume was seriously gnarly! I was sad you didn't go as Facebook though... ;) Tyler I really liked the shots and tennis racket photo! I'm way glad you're still using the babolot! And Dad, I seriously loved the costume! Way to go the other day as well carrying all of those assignments! If it makes you feel better, one week I had to manage a surprise missionary musical number, teach gospel principles, and all that stuff on one Sunday. Service is the best! ;) But I know all of the talks and lessons you gave were so awesome, I really do miss hearing your gospel lessons, they made learning so much fun, and and made the doctrine so interesting! Thanks for always being an amazing teaching example to me. :) And then Mom! Your costume was so great, and I'm so glad to hear you're doing great! Elder Shumway and I met this crazy nice family recently, and the mom asked why we seemed so happy and smiley all the time, and I told her it was the example my mom set for me! I told her about your incredible service, and always having that attitude of helping others. After that when she saw your picture, she said, "your mother is beautiful! She looks like a model! What an amazing women!" And I just nodded and said, "そうですね" ;)


I just want to let you guys know how much I love and appreciate all of the prayers you gave in my behalf this week, our whole zone really felt it, and it was so easy to feel that extra love and support. I really do have the most awesome family ever, and I'm so thankful for this time to be serving here in the amazing country of Japan. At Stake Conference I just felt such an awesome appreciation to be serving in such an amazing country, and then at temple, it was so amazing to see old companions, great friends, and people I really look up to so much. It's been such an amazing experience so far, and I'm so excited to just keep it going! I love serving as a missionary with all of my heart, and I'm so thankful to be serving during this awesome holiday season. It's going to be such an awesome Christmas! Please know I'm always praying for you, and I'm so thankful for all you that you do for me, and the incredible examples you always set before me. :) I love being the youngest of such an awesome family, and I'm so thankful for the gospel and how it has truly brought us so tightly together. I love this work, and I love this missionary work! Thanks you so much everything, I love you guys!! The gospel is true, the book is blue, and God loves you! See you later!

Love,
Elder Justesen

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