Hey everyone! This has been a pretty awesome week here in Oyama, and I'm way stoked to write about some of the stuff that happened. First off! Just wanna say thanks for all of your awesome emails, they all really do mean so much to me. :) You guys are getting so many blessings!! It really makes me so happy, and really thankful to Heavenly Father, I've been praying for you all individually and by name everyday. Tyler! Congrats on your new job man!! So stoked for you! You were in my prayers everyday, so I'm super stoked things are working out for you.
On to the week! I should hopefully get my card by the end of the day, so I'll keep a look out, thanks so much for all you did to help me get the card! I know it was a major ordeal, so I just wanna say thanks! This week we weren't able to find any new people, but! We recently met that Brazilian family, and they want to get baptized!! We are going for the baptisimal commitment tomorrow night, and we're way excited. Which brings me to something I need from ya Tyler! So, this amazing family wants to be baptized, but they only speak Portuguese! So we've been trying to find a way to teach them way simply, but I could really use some good phrases. Could you maybe send me some phrases you used a lot on your mission, and then I can communicate with them a little better! Thanks so much man, I can't believe I'm teaching a family completely in Portuguese! I feel way lucky to have this experience though. It's super challenging at times, but the Spirit is really being the master teacher, and the Lord is blessing us so much. Suprisingly, right now most of our investigator pool is Brazilian! We always leave the apartment now with mutiple Books of Mormon in Japanese and in Portuguese. Who would have guessed that!! Haha, you just never know! I feel really thankful to be in Oyama at such an awesome time, and especially being able to teach so many great people.
We also had a super cool experience this week! So last Sunday we were handing out chidashis at the Eki, and we found a new investigator named Okenchu! Turns out he is from China, and he is really so prepared. We taught him at a little donut shop, and he asked us if he could come to church with us the followingSunday! So he came yesterday, and we had such a great time, and we were able to teach him after church as well. It was so cool to see his reactions as we taught him about the Restoration, and it made me so thankful for this time to be a missionary. At times, it really does feel like forever, but then I have days like today where I realize I have already finished 4 months! That's so crazy!! I remember yesterday being a little 12 year old and thinking a mission was so far away and so long, and here I am already almost a quarter done. CRAZY! But I'm really loving it, and I'm really so thankful to be here in Japan. It really is a historic time, especially for Asia. They are so prepared! We meet people all the time, and their lives have been leading them to that point in time to meet us. Especially the Awaihara (Brazilian) family we are going to commit! Apparently, the day we met them they had been in Japan about a day and a half. They had just arrived here! But the Lord blessed us in meeting them right when we did, and now their moving closer to baptism. Man, it really just blows your mind! Being a missionary really is the greatest thing ever, and I'm so thankful to be here at this time.
There's no sugar coating it! Missionary work is way hard! I probably got rejected more times this week then I have ever in my life, but the people you meet make it all worth it. We are going forth with the intention to save a few souls, and I feel so blessed to be here in Japan at such an awesome time. I love you all so much! There are many days where I miss home and miss the cooking and the blessing of having my family around... But! I wouldn't trade this time for anything. :) I go to bed every night tired and stoked, because I know I'm finally doing exactly what the Lord has wanted me to do since I was a little kid. It's funny how quickly time goes by! I feel like yesterday Dad and I were riding to little league baseball practice;) Haha, I'm so excited to see the blessings you guys are having, and please know you're always with me in everything I do. Mom...everyday I always push myself to be the best missionary I can be, cause I know you expect only the best! Crazy that time is going by so quickly, and I'm already at 4 months, but I'm stoked for the next 20!! By the way! Don't spoil Conference for me! Haha, I have to wait a whole extra week before I get to see it! I'm so stoked to see it though!
But anyways, I really love you guys so much, and I'm so stoked to talk to you in less than 3 months! haha. So excited to see how everybody is doing and stuff. Have an awesome week!! I love you all!
-Elder Justesen
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