Good morning everyone!! Okay... I'm way sorry about last week! I felt seriously way bad sending off such a short letter but that's life I guess, haha. But we saw a super awesome miracle! Let me explain.
So last week we had our really great investigator Dhani call us up randomly on Monday and said he wanted to meet that night. So we thought we would have time to email after that lesson, but it ended up going a little long because Dhani had something he wanted to tell us. So Dhani is 20 years old, and has been meeting with the missionaries for 3 years, and he's truly been so prepared by the Lord. Elder Dunbar and I worked so hard with him, and then he went to Indonesia and it was a little different when he came back. Back that Monday he told us that he's just very tired and he wants to make that decision to be baptized once and for all. So! He's asking us to give him 4 super lessons, last one being tomorrow, and he said he will then make his decision to be baptized or take a break. So pretty heavy stuff, but! We prayed and prayed, and we felt such a strong confirmation that this is going to be a major turning point in Dhani's life, so we started prepping for these lessons! Dhani is looking really so great, and the other day he was asking me all about what he would have to do if he wanted to become a missionary. He really loves missionaries so much, and he stayed for all three hours of church yesterday, so he's looking really so great! Dhani has been standing between the lines of commitment for so long, and it was such an awesome miracle to see him become so determined and heartfelt about receiving that answer from the Lord. We've encouraged him to fast, pray, and just really open his heart to the Lord about how he is feeling, and we'll see how it all works out tomorrow night! It's big stuff, but I know that the Lord is proud and happy for Dhani. Dhani is actively seeking the Lord, and I know that the Lord will bless him as he does this. Keep Dhani in your prayers!!
So I really apologize so much about the short letter, but it was so awesome to see Dhani start progressing like that. As well this week, Brother Bel received the Aaronic Priesthood! Bel is seriously awesome, and it's been so awesome helping teaching the after baptism lessons, and just seeing his faith growing. He's such an awesome man, and such an awesome miracle to have met and be teaching him. He strengthens my testimony so much whenever we meet him, and it really makes me so thankful to be a missionary.
It sounds like you guys are all doing so awesome!! Tyler have a blast in Europe! Fly safe and don't be Taken okay? Haha, stay safe! I'm so excited to talk to you guys this coming weekend!!! I'm so excited to answer some questions and see how everyone is doing! I love you guys so much, and it's gonna be such a sweet reunion over Skype! Oh! So I remembered Mom said something a package coming my way soon and I just wanted to ask for a couple things if that's okay! 1: maybe some more p-day t shirts? Some of those Arbor shirts would be so awesome! As well as any other of my old t shirts would be great! The ones I have are great, but I could maybe use some more. :) plus! It's always awesome getting some of those old clothes from home! 2: if you could maybe toss in one pair of normal shorts that would be awesome as well! We're getting close to summer in Japan now, and it's really starting to warm up, so some normal p day shorts would be awesome as well. 3: okay! So there is a cd that tons of missionaries here have called the Lower Lights? Apparently it's a cd collection of church hymns covered into indie awesomeness, and I'd really love to have that cd! You can't buy it here in Japan, but apparently you can find it in the U.S.! It's way good music that I'd really love! 4: anything else you'd love to throw in there! Pictures, letters, cards, candy, anything would seriously be so appreciated. :) I always get so stoked when I get a package from home, and I really appreciate you sending me packages so often here. It really means so much to me, thank you so much!
So as well this week we had Mission Leadership Council, and it was pretty sad because it's my trainer Elder Burgin's last transfer here! He's still got a few weeks, but he and I talked for a while, and I really felt so thankful to have had such an awesome trainer. It's so true that as missionaries the Lord is always preparing us to meet His prepared children, but just as well Heavenly Father is always preparing people in our own lives that will truly change us. And that's really what my trainers were for me, and I'm really so thankful to have had such an awesome trainer like Elder Burgin. He and I were kind of freaking out because he was about transfer 8 or 9 when he picked me up from the mission home, and now I'm about the same place!! Time seriously flies by so fast as a missionary, but I'm so grateful for every moment here as a missionary, and I'm so excited to keep going forward and giving this work my all. It's not always easy, and some days you really feel like you've given you're absolute best, but sometimes the results come slow... But they do come. Heavenly Father loves us all far too much to ever let us fall, and He is constantly with us as we do all we can to follow His will and His son Jesus Christ. Especially at this 1 year mark coming up pretty soon... I took Dad's challenge and I've started collecting those things I've learned so far, and just experiences I've loved, and it's but such an incredibly humbling experience. A mission will change the course of your life forever, and make you into the person the Lord has always wanted you to be. Therein truly is the power of the Atonement, and it's something I'm so thankful for. I can still so clearly remember those first few days at the MTC just not knowing what was going to happen, wondering if I could ever learn Japanese, or most importantly if I would be a good servant of Christ... but the Lord has that power to cleanse, heal, and make us new. I'm so thankful to be a missionary. :)
I'm also super thankful for my awesome family!! Yesterday we had a Cinco De Mayo party at the Davis' house here in Tsukuba, and I can't lie, I may have gotten just a little bit homesick! Haha, their son just got back from his mission about 6 months ago, and the family is so much like ours at that time when Tyler had just got back from his mission. It's always so strange but awesome being around a family from the United States, and it just made me so thankful for the awesome family I was blessed to be with. I seriously love you guys so much, and I'm so thankful for everything that you do for me every day. :)
Well I'll leave some space for us to talk next week which I'm so stoked for!! I was thinking maybe 12 o'clock Monday my time, which I think would be Sunday evening at 8 your time? If that's cool that would be awesome! Monday is p day here, so it'd be nice to talk to you guys on that day, but whenever is good for you! I'm so excited to talk to you all, especially to the most Gnarly Mom in the world! Love ya Mom. :) I'm way excited to praise and compliment you to the point of annoyance! As well, I'll probably be wearing one of sweet short sleeve white shirts... Prepare for the Gun Show. Tokyo Japan style. And by Tokyo Japan style, I mean 16 hour time difference and on a little screen... Haha. But anyways! If that time is okay, let's go for it! If not, try to write me back soon and tell me! I hope Tyler can join us too, I'd love to say hello and talk to him too! Love you man! Saw tons of Skylines today and thought all about you!
Well I'm seriously so excited to talk to you guys, and I hope everything is going great! Thank you so much for all you do, and know that I'm always praying for you every day by name. I know that this Gospel is true, and that through the Savior Jesus Christ, we can all start again and strive to become who the Lord has always wanted us to be. I love being a missionary so much, and I'm so thankful to be here in Japan! Today marks 11 months, and I'm so excited to keep going strong! Love you guys so much, talk to you next week!!
Love,
Elder Justesen
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