Tokyo Japan Week 48

Tokyo!

Wow what an intense, awesome week! I just got back from visiting Shinjuku with our first investigator here in Urawa, but it's been such an awesome day! I just want you all to know how really thankful I am to be in this area, and I'm so excited for the miracles the Lord has already blessed us so much with here. It sounds like you're all doing so great, and that really makes me so happy. :) I'm praying for you all every day and night by name, and I'm so thankful for the blessings Heavenly Father is showing us at this time. 

But anyways this week was so great! It was pretty hard saying goodbye to the Tsukuba area, especially the investigators that are there, but things are really looking so great here in Urawa. First off, the ward is so huge!! About 120 members strong, and the church is so big! It's nearly American size, and it was so cool to be back in a church that is completely full every Sunday. I really do love the small wards I've been serving in, but it's been so cool to now see the other side of the big wards in Tokyo! Urawa ward is so awesome, and you can just feel their intense desire to share the gospel with all of those around them. In Tsukuba we were working hard to help the ward establish a "bring a friend to church" day, and here in Urawa they've already got one set up! It's so cool to be here in a such a missionary work focused ward, and I just hope to be a helper in any way that I can.

The investigators here in Urawa are so awesome too! Right now we're working with so many amazing people, including a young man who was referred to us from the Sapporo mission who is so excited to be baptized, it's so awesome. We're going forward with the lessons, and helping him prepare, but his desire is so awesome, and we're excited for him. He's looking great! As well, the investigator that we went with to Shinjuku today took us to so many cool places! Most of the pictures are on my camera, but I have some on the iPad. We went to the Tokyo Giants stadium, unfortunately couldn't go inside, but saw it! After that we went to the a Metropolitan Tokyo Office Building where we went to the 45th floor which overlooks all of Tokyo! Seriously so cool, and what was awesome was as we were going around seeing all of these great sights, we talked about the importance of prayer in our lives, and he told us he's been praying every morning and evening, and he always prays before his meals. He loves prayer so much, and he's got such an awesome love for his Heavenly Father, and he's pretty young! Just turned 21, and the ward really wants to help him be baptized and go forward and serve a mission! It would be such an amazing miracle to witness that, and I really hope to be able to help along that path. He's such an awesome young guy, and he's really got such an amazing humble attitude and way of looking at life. Sometimes missionary work can wear you out quite a bit, but it's always so awesome and such an incredible blessing to share the gospel with amazing people like the people here in Urawa.

I'm so happy to hear everyone is doing great! Thank you all so much for the emails, and especially the kind words. They really help and strengthen my day so much, and I'm so thankful to the amazing family Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I love you guys so much, and I'm so thankful for everything you do for me. Your examples and your love have truly blessed and shaped my life, and I'm so thankful to have such an awesome family. :) Thank you all for putting in the personal letters for the package! I'm so excited to receive it, and hopefully once I receive the Hawaiian shirt I can join in the Koshigaya music night! Haha.

This week I'm just so thankful to be a missionary, and be serving in such an awesome area. As soon as I got off the train, and I had such a strong feeling that this area is going to be super special to me for the rest of my life, and I can really start feeling and seeing why. My companion Elder Mobley, 19, from Anchorage Alaska, is so awesome! He's already taught me so much about true humility, and the blessings of having that deep charity for all of those around us. He's still pretty new at being a Zone Leader, but he's been such an awesome companion, and it's so awesome to be working with him. This week my trainer Elder Howard went home! He finished his mission, and it was such awesome blessing to talk with him on the phone before he took off the next day. It's pretty crazy because the time he picked me up is the time I'm at now, and his advice was just, "Hold on tight man! It starts flying by, but it's so amazing." Haha, but it was so cool to talk with such a great missionary like him. Garrett Howard is his name, so you can maybe send him a note on Facebook just saying Elder Justesen appreciates all that you did for him. :) I've really come to feel that as a missionary. Heavenly Father truly prepares the people you will meet, and if you let them, they can truly change your life. I've loved my mission so much with all my heart, and I'm so thankful for this opportunity to be a missionary, sharing the great news of this gospel. I love you all so much, and I'm so excited to keep working with all I've got! I've recently set a pretty small goal of just once I hit that beach in Santa Barbara, I want to feel like I've really earned that sunset and beach. Meaning, give my absolute all until the very last second, never letting a moment slip by. I know that if I continue to trust in Heavenly Father and rely on His strength, we can see so many amazing miracles and blessings in our lives. Love you all so much, have an amazing week!!!

Love,
Elder Justesen