Hello Amazing Family! It's been another really amazing week, and today we received our transfer calls! I am staying with Elder Templin for another transfer! So excited to be staying in Urayasu, and I'm so excited to keep working with faith and striving to give every effort going into this final months of my mission. Today starts the last 12 weeks of my mission, so it's definitely pretty staggering, but I'm so excited to go forward with faith! I think Dad put it perfectly when we talked about the emotions he felt near the end of his mission. It seems so scary, but I'm so thankful for all of the amazing miracles that have happened, and I'm so excited to go forward with faith and keep striving to be the servant and missionary the Lord wants me to be. As well this transfer, I've been made a District Leader! I haven't been a district leader since Maebashi, so I'm so excited to jump back in strive to really work hard for the district! I think being a District Leader was one of my favorite responsibilities, and I was so bummed it was only for one transfer, so this coming transfer is looking pretty amazing!
First off I want to say I will for sure put Grandpa in my prayers! That is so surprising, I'll be for sure praying for him. Please keep me updated on everything that is going on with him. I always wish we had been a little closer, but I'm so thankful for the kindness and the love he's shown me in serving in Japan, and it's been fun talking to people about how my grandpa visited many times here in Japan. He's a great example of hard work, and I'm praying he will make a quick recovery.
But everything is sounding really great with you guys! I'm so thankful for the amazing blessings that Heavenly Father is sending our family's way, and I'm so thankful for the cool things coming up in the future! Tyler, I'm super stoked for your wedding! Kaitlin sounds so great, and I'm so pumped to meet her! If you guys join the call in May, I really hope I can talk to her for a little bit! She seems super great, but I'm not surprised because she's marrying you! We met a new young investigator today, and she's from Peru! She was so excited when I told her that my Dad and brother both served in South America, and your awesome example has been really applied in my life, and I'm so thankful to you. Love you brother! As well Alexa, you need to tell me more about Alex! Haha, the Christmas card only shows so much. ;) But he seems way awesome as well, and I'm so excited to meet him! Thank you so much for your incredible email last week, it really boosted my spirits so much, and I'm so thankful to you! As well Whitney, you are an amazing example to me of going for what we want in life, and just shooting for our dreams. You've taught me that with faith, work, and laughter, we can do and become anything we desire. I'm so stoked to always hear of all of the great trips you are heading off! My sister is a world traveler, and I love it! I met a young college student this week with a Canon XD, and we had a great time talking about, well YOUR photography! It was way cool! As well Mom and Dad, I just want to say thank you all so much for the wonderful upbringing you gave me in my youth. I'm forever thankful to the sacrifices and kindness you always showed, and the memories I will never forget. This past week, my companion and I were called up randomly to teach the English gospel doctrines class in our ward! I was pretty nervous, haha. Gospel Principles is basically what missionaries teach everyday, but that was pretty next level! Haha, but I just thought about my awesome Dad, and tried to teach just like him! Sure enough, I cracked jokes, we taught simply and powerfully, and did all I could to teach with the Spirit. Overall it was such a great time, and it was a great Sunday! Thanks Pops. :)
This past week Heavenly Father has really blessed our companionship, and I really felt so many personal blessings this past week. This past week I was feeling a little bummed about some things, and just about how sometimes it can be pretty hard being a missionary in Japan. You may not teach as many lessons, see as many baptisms, or feel like you really are making a difference at times, but I wanna testify that I was taught this week that those things are not important, that Heavenly Father loves us, and grants us the miracles and blessings that are expedient for us. This week I received a message from a recent convert in Urawa, Brother Han Bing, and he was telling me of how he baptized a young Chinese women today in the ward, and he was so happy and thankful to hold the priesthood at this time in his life. At that same time I received an email from Sister Chika from the Narita ward, and she's happily attending the temple for baptisms this week, and planning on receiving her endowment in the coming months. As well I received another email from another recent convert in Urawa named Futoshi, and he expressed his thanks of sharing the gospel with him, and he's happily helping the elders there in fellowshipping one of their other investigators. The feeling I felt was incredible, and I realized that although it can be difficult serving as a missionary in Japan, it is the most incredible, most rewarding place to serve. At least to me. ;) I know that Heavenly Father has given me just enough each day to keep moving forward, and now it's been such an incredible thing to see the miracles continually growing.
I'm so thankful to be serving as a missionary, and I'm so excited to keep going forward with faith and serve with all my heart. I'm so excited to go forward with faith these next 12 weeks, and continually strive to follow the Spirit in all things we do. Last night as well we saw such an amazing miracle! We were riding our bikes home, and we rode by this young man sitting smoking, and as we rode away we felt a really strong impression to go and talk to him. We quickly rose back to say hello, and it turns out he's from the Philippines, and was baptized when he was 8 into our church! He hasn't been to church in over 10 years or so, but he was really happy to talk with us, and said we could come visit his family this coming week. It's amazing to be a missionary, and I'm so excited to go forward with faith! Just want to thank you guys so much for all of the kindness and love you always show me, and I'm so excited to keep working hard! Have an amazing week, I love you guys! The book is blue, he gospel is true, and God loves you!
Love,
Elder Justesen
No comments:
Post a Comment