Tokyo Japan Week 73

Hello Awesome Family! It's been another really awesome week, and I'm so excited to talk about some of the miracles this week! Looking at the title, it's exactly how I've been feeling this week. :) Serving as a missionary has been the most amazing, sometimes most trying, but overall greatest experience of my life, and I'm so thankful for the chance I have to be serving as a missionary here in Tokyo Japan! I can't believe today starts 5 months, but I'm so excited to give every effort, and sprint to the finish! This week Heavenly Father truly blessed us with so many miracles, and I could truly feel his love throughout this week. First off with some of the really amazing miracles!

Dhani came to visit!

First Brother Futoshi Kawai in Urawa was baptized! I wasn't able to attend unfortunately, but I had the chance to talk to him on the phone right after his service, and he was really so happy. He said he felt so much peace and love in his heart when he came out of the water, and it made me feel so thankful to be his friend. I'm so thankful I had the chance to share this gospel message with him, and I'm so happy for this awesome decision he has made to follow Jesus Christ. As well this week, I received a call from the Narita elders, and it turns out Sister Chika, one of the first investigators I ever taught will be heading to the temple soon for her own endowments! I was so excited, and I felt so thankful to have met her here in Japan. As well the Matsuhashi family back in Urawa are progressing so well, and apparently the husband Brother Yu is planning to receive baptism sometime very soon! It's incredible to see and feel of the influence serving a mission has in your life, and I felt so thankful for the time serving here in Japan. Serving as a missionary as Dad and Tyler can say, is not always easy. Sometimes you really feel you're not going anywhere, or maybe that your faith just isn't strong enough. But at those times, I've been so thankful for the gift of prayer, and I'm so thankful for the incredible miracles happening here in the final months of my mission.

Apartment view!

As well this week Heavenly Father blessed Elder Higashi and I with so many cool miracles in our own area! Brother Arai is looking great for his baptism in February, and this week we had such a cool experience! As we were handing out English class fliers at the station, an older man walked by and gave a pretty strong rejection to the flier. He walked away, but 5 minutes or later, he came walking back, took a flier, and began talking to me as if we were good friends. We talked about God and the Plan of Salvation, and he seemed to really want to learn more! I asked him what happened, and why he seemed so uninterested before. He looked at me and said, "Well, as I was walking away I saw something in your eyes that told told me you knew something really special. I felt I needed to come back and talk to you immediately." And so he did! He accepted a Plan of Salvation pamphlet, and we set up an appointment to meet this week! Such an awesome miracle, and just made me feel so thankful to be serving as a missionary at this time.

Brother Futoshi's baptism

It sounds like everyone is doing so great, and I'm so stoked to hear about all of the amazing miracles and blessings Heavenly Father is sending down to our family! I'm so thankful to you guys, and for all of the love and kindness you always share with me. It's been not always easy being so far away from you guys for 19 months now, but I'm so thankful for the opportunity Heavenly Father has given me to serve, change, and become more of the priesthood holder he wants me to be. I love this gospel so much, and I'm forever thankful for the chance to be serving as a missionary for this incredible gospel. It's changed and blessed my life in so many ways, and I'm so excited for the months ahead! It's pretty cold, haha, but the work is warm and awesome. I love you guys so much, and I'm giving you all a huge hug through this email!! Have an amazing week, I love you guys! :) Also! Tell Sister Naoko thank you so much for those kind words! I'm so excited to talk to her in Japanese after the mission! Haha, thanks so much for everything, have an amazing week! Hurrah for Israel!!!

Love,
Elder Justesen