Roller coaster!

It`s almost Christmas and it doesn`t even feel like it!! Haha. As missionaries we just do the same thing everyday so this Christmas season doesn`t feel a whole lot different ha. I will say that I have been able to think more about the meaning of Christmas though and I`m grateful to have it! :) I can`t believe it`s already the middle of December. The temperature has definitely dropped over here the past few days, but we still haven`t seen any snow. I hear there isn`t a whole lot of snow that falls where I`m at, although we`ll probably get at least a little.
Well this missionary roller coaster continues to just keep right on rollin. I feel like I`m in a loopty loop right now and can`t get out haha. It`s definitely been full of ups and downs, and this week was no different. Our college student investigator, Kanno Arata, has unfortunately gone down the drain. No, not the drain in the baptismal font that we were all hoping for. He finally talked with his parents and I guess they weren`t too happy about things. We recieved a big `NO` from the parents and they even seemed to change his mind too. The next thing we know he has our phone number blocked and we are no longer in contact with him. We were able to get a message from him through one of our members, but he said he no longer has any interest. It was so sad to hear and I was really disappointed but what can you do. We worked really hard with him and he was so close but it just didn`t work out. I`m sure there will be a better time and place for him to recieve these things.
We also weren`t able to meet with our other baptismal date, Ayako さん。 She caught a cold and unfortunately we weren`t able to meet. We did though, have an awesome thing happen this week. We now have a family we`re teaching!!!! A few weeks ago we housed into a really nice man, talked a little bit about the Book of Mormon, and he gladly and thankfully recieved it. We followed up with him last week, were able to meet the rest of the family, and made an appointment for yesterday. We met, enjoyed some time with them, and shared a short message. They are such a sweet family. The daughter is going to a Christian college and they all seem to be so golden!!! They have 3 kids, ages 20, 12, and 10. The name is Kishi. They`re pretty busy so we won`t be meeting with them for another couple weeks but we`re gonna invite them to our Christmas party and go from here!!!!! Elder Juchau and I were really excited about them :)
I hope everything is going well for all of you back home in America. Before we know it this Christmas season will come and go and we`ll be into a new year. I hope we can all live every moment like it`s our last and soak in all we can, especially during this time of remembering our Savior. I love you all!!!!! Thank you all for the support and love you render towards me. I really appreciate it. Take Care!!
Elder Ovard

Miracle Week!

Family and Friends!!


Today was transfer day and I`m proud to say that there were no changes in Tagajo!!!! :) I wasn`t really expecting anything to happen anyways but you never know what can happen on the mish haha. There were a few changes that took place within my District though. 2 Sisters are leaving and 2 more will be coming in. One of them is a new missionary, and the other is Sister Beaven, an Australian, who was with me in the MTC! So I now have somebody else to speak English too! Haha.
It`s been an awesome week on the mission here in Japan. So good that it earned the name `Miracle Week`!:) Haha. We were so blessed and we saw so many miracles this past week. I remember working with an older missionary in Iwaki and asking him what his favorite part of the mish was. He said, `All the miracles.` I never really understood what he meant, and for that matter didn`t really think I had seen any miracles up to that point. As time has gone on though, I have definitely come to understand what He meant by `all the miracles`. I have seen the Lord`s hand more time than one and am so grateful for all the miracles He has blessed me with.
This past week we achieved the Standard of Excellence!! We worked really hard and were able to see the fruits of our labors. We found 5 new investigators, 4 of who we will continue to work with!! One of the investigators is Ayako-San. She is a 30 year old woman who came to English Class and we picked her up from there. We met with her the first time, taught about the message of the Restoration, and committed her to baptism right then! She accepted and we made a date for Jan. 15th. She seems golden and we are so excited to be working with her.
Well things with Arata-San are kind of all over the place right now. After about fifteen phone calls and ten minutes of knocking on his door, we were finally able to get him out of bed and we got his butt to church! Haha. He really seemed to enjoy it too :) We have been working really hard to get his parents` permission for the baptism. We sent them a package on Monday including the permission form, a DVD about our message, a `For the Strength of Youth` pamphlet, and letters from Juchau Choro and I. Last night we called him to see if He had talked with his parents about things and He said he had. Then He said it was bad. He pretty much said it is impossible. It was so discouraging. We never asked if they got our package or anything but we will figure out more of the details from here. As of now, all we can really do is pray.
The mish is still amazing though. I`m so grateful for the opportunity I have to be bearing testimony of our Savior, especially during this Christmas time of year. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. I love you all!!
Elder O

Wonderful News from Sister Hiroko

A fun facebook message that I received today!  Sister Hiroko makes my day. :)

Sister Heather,


Hi!

I have a wonderful news for you and Elder Ovard.

Kowaguchi finally got baptized today.!!!I 'm very happy for her.

She have two sons and divorced about three years ago.

We are going to support her with missionaries.
I really wanted to let you know about the baptism for Sister Kowaguchi.I'm looking forward to seeing you with Sister Kowaguchi

one day!!!
Please take a look at Sister Kowaguchi
Have a wonderful sunday.
Hiroko

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving. They don`t celebrate it here in Japan as it is an American holiday, but Elder Juchau and I were still able to have ourselves a little Thanksgiving Feast :). It wasn`t with out a little excitement though haha. My wonderful mom sent us a couple cans of turkey with potatoes and stuffing, but there was only one problem with the turkey- our can opener wasn`t the best haha. After Juchau Choro basically Hercules-ed the first can open, the can-opener was gonzo. We didn`t have anything else to open the next can with so our next thought was to go ask the neighbors if we could borrow theirs haha. We knocked on the door right next to our apartment, stood there with our broken can-opener and can of turkey and tried to show her what the problem was haha. The lady who came to the door said she didn`t have anything so we tried another door but as we did so the first lady came back out with something in her hand. We took it and as we started heading back to our apartment we noticed it definitley wasn`t your average American can opener haha. It looked like more of a knife or some dangerous kind of weapon haha. We used it for what it was worth though and with a little exertion were finally able to get the turkey out of the can! Haha. Definitely not your usual Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma and Grandpa`s house but it still did the job :) Thanks mom!
Things are moving forth with Kanno Arata-San. We met with him and jointed with one of our Returned Missionaries, Terai Jun, and were able to get his parents situation figured out and underway! I don`t know what the difference was but this time when we asked him about his parents he sounded like it would be no problem getting their permission! It made me so happy. We`re gonna send a package with a letter from us and a few different things to his parents so that they can get a little bit of a better idea about what their son is doing. We`re gonna work toward him being baptized on Christmas day!!
Other than Kanno Arata, the work is still going well and we`re definitely stayin busy as always. We find lots of good people every week, the hard part is just getting them to continue to meet and learn. It`s all good though. Tomorrow is District Meeting and I can hardly wait. Ha jk. It`s kind of stressful to prepare and get things ready, but I always learn so much from doing them. It always seems like the one who prepares something benefits the most from it. Maybe that`s why God called me to this position- cause I need lots of help! Haha. Thank you all for all your love and support. I have the best family and friends in the world! I`m so grateful for all of you. Hope you have an awesome week!!
Elder Ovard

Worth the wait!

Well it`s a couple days late but I think it was worth the wait!! The past couple days we have had leadership training up in Sendai so our P-Day got moved to today (Wednesday). The good thing is- we are able to be emailing in Tagajo today because the library is open!! So we didn`t have to go clear up to Sendai.
It has been such an awesome week with the work. We have made so much progress with Kanno Arata!! In the past we have just been doing lessons at His doorway, but this week we told him we would like to either meet at our church, or in his apartment. He let us in His apartment and I think it made all the difference in the world. It was so much nicer to be able to sit down with him and be able to talk about the gospel. He opened up a lot more and the Spirit was definitley a lot stronger. Earlier in the week we got a little bolder with him about baptism, and yesterday we had such an awesome lesson. He has been taught everything besides the commandments so we were planning on teaching him a couple commandments, but when we got there the lesson took a whole different route. I felt like we needed to review Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Then we read the promise in Moroni 10:4-5 and talked a lot about the Spirit and how God will answer his prayers. The Spirit was definitely there and we could tell Kanno Arata was feeling it. When we asked him to pray to know the truthfullness of these things for himself, there was a long pause. He sat there for about 5 minutes not saying anything. I was tempted to say something and brake the silence but I decided to just sit there and wait for him to answer. He finally did. He said he would do it. He didn`t say anything special or anything, but the Spirit was there and He was feeling it. He knew that God would answer his prayers and it meant a lot to him. He is such an awesome kid!!! His baptism date is for the 27th but it`s not going to be going down. We still have a couple more things to work out but He`s definitley getting closer!!
The work is good, the church is true, God is our Father, and Christ is our Savior. It`s real!! I know these things are true and I`m so grateful for them in my life. I love you all!
Elder Ovard

Good News!

I recieved this facebook message this morning.  I was so excited to get it and I know that Elder Ovard will be so happy to hear the good news too.  We really miss Sister Hiroko.  Iwaki was such a fabulous area for Blake to serve and we have learned so much about member missionary work.

Sister Ovard
Hi!

How have you been?

I have a good news for you.

Ms kowaguchi is going to get baptized in Nov,20.

Do you remember her name?

I'm so excited and can't wait to see her baptism on Saturday.

When Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda was serving the Lord in Iwaki, Ms Kowaguchi wanted to be baptized.When Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda was in Iwaki, Branch President was going to baptize her. But she hoped that missionary would baptize her.She answered my question two days ago.That's why she refused baptism. She is very happy now and will feel always God's love.
I really wanted to let you know about Baptism for Ms Kowaguchi.

I think that Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda will be glad to know about her baptism.
Sincerely,

Hiroko

Package arrived

We recieved the package last Monday from Blake.  It only took 4 days to get here.  I am a liitle worried he still hasn't recieved my Thanksgiving package.  He ususally gets packages really easy.  (Maybe someone wanted his stuffing and potato pearls. haha) His package to us was the best.  He sent a tape with the package and he sounded so happy and was having fun.  I think he sounds the same and the kids think he has an asian accent.  He talked to us while he cooked food (He loves food)  He recorded a talk he gave in church (we didn't understand a word of that)  He loves his new companion and they laughed a lot.  It was great!
He sent home a lot of ties.  He said ties in Japan are only $1.00.  So I guess I don't need to send him any ties.  He sent a candy called hi-chews.  The kids just loved them.  He can send more of those home anytime.  He sent Austin home a Muzuno shirt and then little Japanese trinkets.  I guess we had Christmas early.  It was a lot of fun for us.  I know he doesn't have time to send things home.  He said he had been working on the package when he was in Iwaki. 

Hello, Hello

How`s everybody doin?! Man we rolled into Sendai today and we`ve already got Christmas trees goin up! Haha I guess it`s just about that time of year huh. They also had some Christmas music playin and what not...American of course! They had `Santa Clause is Comin to Town` goin. Japanese English is pretty funny. Of course the music is correct, but sometimes they try and put English phrases up and it gets pretty funny :).
So it`s been kind of a disappointing week with our investigators this week. We`re still meeting with Kanno Arata a lot, and wanted so badly for him to come to church this week but when we went over to his place on Saturday evening, he had caught a cold :( It was a big bummer cause we really wanted to talk about baptism with him and try and get him to church. He should be feeling better this week though so we`ll just go from here!

We also got a call from Mika Kumagai, the mom with a couple kids, saying that she couldn`t meet anymore. I think her husband might have had something to do with it but we won`t be meeting with her anymore. She said that her family is Buddhist, and that she can`t do Christianity. We get that a lot but it was still hard to hear. I just testified to her about our message and I could tell she was feeling something. She is still a sweet lady. Maybe later!

Saturday afternoon we called the dude who came to church last week to see if he was gonna come this week. It didn`t go over to well haha. The old man started yelling at me and tried to tell me we were the same as some other crazy church! Haha I tried to explain things to him but he wouldn`t hardly give me a chance.

We also never met with another one of our high school investigators, Ono Tomoya. We had an appointment with him but he had high school sports come up. He told us he`d call us when he has time. He`s a way good kid and sticks to his word so hopefully he`ll come through! He was golden, but has got way busy and we haven`t been able to meet with him for a few months now. So it`s been kinda discouraging these past couple days.
We did have an awesome Zone Conference this week though! It was huge. The Sendai Zone is by far the biggest in the mission. It was so good to be able to see everyone. I even saw my trainer! Haha I got a pic with him and my comp. 3 generations! Ha. At the Conference we get to see pictures of all the baptisms our mission has had since the previous Zone Conference. Guess what?! Yasushi-San, an investigator Elder Mitsuda and I found in Iwaki, got baptized!!!!! I was so happy!! :) It`s feels so good to know that the work you do isn`t over when you leave. You never know what will happen from the hard work you put forth.
My testimony has grown so much this week. I have particularily come to love Preach My Gospel. It is an awesome book! I have not only learned tons about missionary work, but about the church and how to obtain a strong testimony! There is so much good in PMG and I encourage all of you to study it. I`m so grateful for it and the help it has given me. I love the Gospel! I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior. My comp and I talk about what a stud Jesus was. He`s the man! He`s our perfect example and I want to become more like Him. I know He lives and is our Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father. May we all feel of His love everyday of our lives. I love you all!
Elder Ovard

Konnichiwa!!

How is everyone?! Wow what an awesome week it has been!! Things are going so well and Juchau Choro and I have seen so many miracles this week. We have been so blessed and it is such a good feeling!
So on Tuesday, President and Sister Tateoka caught us off guard and stopped by our apartment for morning study haha. I didn`t have my tie on yet, and Juchau Choro just happened to be washing his clothes that day haha. I threw my tie on as quick as I ever have, and Elder Juchau threw on some slacks. Then we opened the door haha. It was quite the surprise.
Training a new missionary is so awesome! They have so much fire to go out and work and it`s so good. I also feel like they carry a special Spirit with them comin out of that MTC cause we`ve just seen so many miracles lately. Saturday we hit up the batting cages with one of our investigators, Kanno Arata. He`s a first year college student. It was a blast! Haha. It`s definitely been a little while though. I haven`t been able to move for the past 2 days ha! That same day we had to go get oil tanks filled up for our apartment heater and walk back with them. I`ve never been so sore in my life!
This week we found 2 new investigators that pretty much just came out of nowhere. We met an old man on the street wearing a New York Mets hat, told him to come to church, and He came! Then we also met a sweet old lady on the street a couple days ago, talked to her for a bit, she gave us loads of good food, and left. She didn`t really have any interest in our message. Then a few days ago we saw here driving in her car pulling up to her house. We went and talked to her, she invited us in, fed us some more awesome food, talked a little bit about our message, and said we could come back later this week!! So cool!
We also had a miracle with one of our baptismal dates, Mika Kumagai. She`s a Mom of 2 little girls. We`ve only met with her at her door but we need to start meeting with her either at the church or in her house. We told her that and it didn`t seem like in the house was going to work. She said her husband will have no interest. We were able to get an appointment for at the church this Thursday!!! It was another blessing.
My faith has been strenghtened so much. If we have faith we can do anything. Something I learned this past week is that faith is not only believing, but also doing. We need to believe in something, act on it, and then we can know of a surety. Miracles have not ceased. I`m so grateful for my Loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me and helped me so much throughout my life. I know that He knows us, loves us, and wants us to be happy. I love this Gospel!!! Have an awesome week!
Elder Ovard

HOLY SMOKES!

Sometimes our emails give a little more information that feels in the blanks of his blog email.  I thought I would share.

my beloved parents,
hello!!! wow sorry about teh email jsut barely. It was pretty lame.  So, things are so good right now!!! REally, I never would have guessed I would be training after 4 transfers, but here we go!1 Haha. Its been so fun. Juchau is a way cool guy.  I really feel like we can start to see some progress around here now.

Blake tried to buy a bike last week.  I thought someone had stolen his debit card because he never spends money and we put a freeze on his debit card.  After sent a few emails to the mission president we found that it was him trying to use his card and get a much needed bike.  The mission home suggested that the bike would cost 600-700 dollars.  Blake is always watching his pennies.  I had to smile when I saw how much he spent.

I got a bike! Haha it was a little bit of a rodeo but it all worked out :) It was only like 300 dollars and seems like a nice bike. Sorry about all the hassel. I felt bad but everything worked out. haha mom i loved it when they told me you loved me.
So we`ve become pretty good friends with some of the members. The Hirata family. Its only the mom and dad right now. Their daughter is serving at Temple Square!!! If you`re ever up there you could say hi. They are the hair cutters. Have a way nice place and are so nice to us missionaries. I love them.
Man I cant believe Lonne and Nancy! Thats so cool. Im so pumped for them! Haha. Tell them congrats for me. If I ever get a minute Id like to write them a letter. Things really have been so busy though. As a trainor and D.L, I dont have much free time. Its prob whats best for me though. Keeps me focused on the work. Dont worry about me! :) Im fine and everything is good.
Sounds like you all have been crazy busy back home huh. Wow.  Heavenly Father knows us and knows whats best for us so as long as we`re doin whats right, he`ll take care of us.
I really want to get this package sent out to yall today. Sorry its been so long. It really isnt a good package either. I`ll get a tape though so hopefully you enjoy that. there wont be a whole lot else. I dont really have time to throw something good together or anything. I feel bad. Oh well.
I hope all is well back home. Sorry I`m not very good at communicating things well. It will be so much nicer in a couple months when its just over the phone!!! I can`t wait. It will be here before we know it. Just always remember that I love you and am so thankful for all you do for me. I will never be able to give back what you have done for me. Love you tons!!!!
Blake

Crazy couple of weeks!

I am so grateful to get this email.  It has been 2 weeks since we heard from him last!  YEAH!!!

Wow what a crazy couple weeks it`s been! So much has happened that I`m not even real sure where to start!! First of all, we had a transfer and Elder Swenson was transfered. I`m staying here in Tagajo and I got a new missionary!! Haha so I`ve been training and working the District Leader spot so things have been a little crazy. It`s so much fun though! My new comp`s name is Elder Juchau. Pronounced Ju-shaw. He`s from San Jose, California. Cali boy! Haha He`s a way cool kid and we have tons of fun. He studied Japanese in high school and had a way good teacher so his Japanese is actually already pretty good!! It`s still definitely an adventure though with the both of us not really having the language down all that well haha. It will probably help out a lot to have to do everything ourselves. My District is still pretty much the same. We even got 2 new sisters in our District. It`s the biggest District in the mission. Everybody`s Japanese except for us so it`s pretty fun :)
So I feel like we`re starting to see some progress here in Tagajo now!! We got one of our young investigators, Kanno Arata, another baptismal date!! It`s for the end of this month. We also made another baptismal date last night with a new investigator!!! Her name is Mika. She`s a mom and is so nice. It wasn`t the strongest commitment but she still accepted! :) We have been so blessed lately.
Sorry this is so short! We really don`t have too much time. I love you all so much though and am so thankful for all of your support. Take Care and have an awesome week!!!
Elder Ovard

Letter to mom and dad

I asked Blake a few questions in my email.  I thought It might be interesting to know a few things about where he is living, and life in Japan.  This is all I have.  I need to keep asking questions. ha.  He has a twenty minute train ride and a twenty minute walk to get to a computer to email us so we are really greatful he makes the effort to do so.  It takes him 40 minutes one way. He has a sweet companion right now who will be going home after the next transfer.  Elder Ovard really is trying to make it a positive experience for him before he goes home.

Hi mom and dad,
Holy smokes it was good to hear everything. So much new news!!! I don`t have much time so I better be quick. First of all, next week is transfers so pday won`t be till wednesday. If Elder swenson is transfering, we probably won`t get to email so it could be another couple weeks. I`m not really sure what`s going to happen. Things have still been a little crazy but it`s good. I`ve grown so much and that it will probably end up being good for me. Mom you asked about him (Elder Swenson)- He`s interesting.  We seem to spend a lot of time trying to work out our relationship which I can`t figure out whether it`s good or bad. Anyway, I think his family is good? Not real sure. He`s really smart!!
I got the package!!!! Thank you so much. It was so good. I loved everything. it was perfect. I want to get you all a package soon. Sorry it`s taking so long! ha.
Our apartment is really nice. It`s part of like a 14 story apartment. We`re on the 3rd floor. It`S been pretty warm around here lately. Yes, we sleep on futons. It`S not bad. I`m always so beat at the end of the night I could probably sleep on the sidewalk and be just fine.
You asked about the mission home. It`S in Nagamachi. Like 20 minutes out of the city.
Well, things have been getting better as D.L. I`m getting more used to the responsibilites and everything. It`s still tough though! Lots of work. I`m just a little disappointed with the work here right now. I think it will get better though.
I really don`t know waht is happening with Swenson choro. It will be interesting. I guess if i don`t email you next week then he is transferring.
I don`t need any clothes or anything for christmas. I have it all and I`m fine!!!! my shirts and everything are doing good. No worries.
I can`t wait to hear about Lonne and Nancy!!!!
Well, I better get going. Thanks for everything. I really am so thankful for our fam. It`s the best.  I love you all. Things are going good. I`ve learned so much and have definitely grown :) and time is flying!! before we know it we`ll be talkin. we`ll figrue that out later. Anyways, I better go. Have a good one! Oh ya- it`s ok to send me the other emails. (I send him a few emails from his missionary friends)  I can print them off and take them :) Love ya!!!!!!!!!!

Time Flies!

Hello Hello!
How is everybody doing?!! It`s been a while hasn`t it?! Ha I guess it`s only been a couple weeks but it doesn`t even feel like that! Time flies by out here. So, we watched conference last week! It was so good. We came to Sendai and watched it at the church. They had a separate room for the English version so that was nice. I thought it was so good! I don`t really remember a lot of the details so I`m glad they make Ensigns :) haha.
The work here in Tagajo is really slow right now. It`s been kind of a discouraging these past couple weeks as far as the numbers go, although that isn`t what measures a successful missionary. Our "commitment" to the work is what is important and I feel like we can be doing a little bit more. It`s been really sad with two of our best investigators lately. We haven`t met with either of them for a couple weeks now. We have contacted them though and set up appointments. I hope they will still have the desire they once had!
I gave a talk in church yesterday on "priorities". I was a little nervous and didn`t do the most preparing but I still think it went well :) haha. I talked about the title of liberty given by Moroni in the book of Alma, and how we need to remember or God, Religion, and our Families. They are pretty basic but also can be hard at the same time. Sometimes it`s the little things that give us the biggest reward!
Tagajo is an awesome area, but there still is nothing like my first area Iwaki. I was spoiled! haha. The members here are really nice and amazing, but I`m still working on building a stronger relationship with them. We don`t work with them or do as much with them. Tagajo is a really big area and everybody is really spread out. The other day we biked to a few less-actives houses and it was a work-out!! I think we probably biked 15 miles and it was up and down! It`s good for me though :)
We recently had a training given by Pres Tateoka on the Atonement. It was so good and my testimony of the Atonement was strengthened even that much more. The Atonement is everything. Without it, Heavenly Fathers plan could not be fulfilled and we would be nothing. I`m so grateful for the sacrifice not only our Savior made, but His Father as well. I can only imagine how hard it would have been to give your Only Begotten Son. And our Savior was ready and willing. The Atonement is so real and I`m so thankful for it. I love you all. Thank you so much for your love and support. It means so much!! Take care and have an awesome week!!!
Elder Ovard

Hello!!
How is everybody doing?! Things have been a little crazy here in Japan the past couple weeks haha. Everything`s still good though :) I`m jealous you all have already watched conference! We don`t get it till next week. I`m pretty sure I`ll be able to watch it in English too.
I never told you how the District Meetings went so I guess I`ll start there! We have now had 2, and I have definitley learned a lot. This probably is something you all already know, but the one who prepares the lesson is usually the one who learns the most. I have learned so much! Maybe that`s why I was put as District Leader? Because I have so much I need to learn about missionary work! Haha. They have both gone really well. I was a little nervous my 1st D.M. to have President and His wife there, along with the A.P.`s, but I made it through! I will admit though- it`s tough doing it in Japanese. Usually you can get away with doing the trainings in English and have another missionary translate, but because my whole district is Japanese, it makes more sense to just do it in Japanese anyways. It`s hard, and the trainings might not be as good, but I guess I can still get the job done! My favorite part of missionary work is that the most important thing in missionary work has nothing to do with how well you speak the language or anything like that. It`s the Spirit!! Even though the language is still a challenge, I can do my best to invite the Spirit.
Elder Swenson and I have been teaching a couple young kids lately. One is a first year college student, and the other is a 2nd year high school student. They are both way cool! We had baptism dates with both of them for yesterday, but obviously they didn`t come through. Ono Tomoya, the high schooler, is way good! He`s golden. We still need to get him another date and make sure his parents are cool with everything, but other than that- he will be baptized!! He`s way busy with school clubs right now so it`s tough to find time to meet and for him to come to church. The other kid, Kanno Arata, is still a way good kid, but not quite as golden. He doesn`t have as much drive or desire, but we`re workin on him. He came to church last week for the first time which was way cool! We also had Ono Tomoya there too. It was a good week to have investigators at church cause President and Sister Tateoka were there too haha.
This last Friday and Saturday we had Splits with the Kamisugi Zone Leaders. Kamisugi is like the city part of Sendai. I went there with Elder Suzuki, and Elder Funaki went to Tagajo with Elder Swenson. I love the big city so I had no problem with that ;) haha. It was the most time I`ve spent alone with a Japanese person in my life! haha it was way good though. Elder Suzuki is awesome. It was a little frustrating at times to not be able to say everything to him that I wanted, but it was still way fun. He helped me out with so many things.
Well that about does it for the week. I hope all is well back home. Thank you all so much for the love and support you give to me. It is greatly appreciated!! I love you all and am so thankful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary. The church is true!! Take Care.
Elder Ovard

The mission is still AWESOME!

Hello Everyone!!
The mission is still awesome!! Haha. It was so hard to leave Iwaki, but Tagajo is legit! Iwaki will always have a special place in my heart. The people have changed my life for the better. I never thought I would grow to love them as much as I did! It was just like saying good bye to family. They were so good to me and mean the world to me. I do love Tagajo though! It is a really nice area. It`s only like 20 minutes of of the city of Sendai by train. While I was in Iwaki we rode buses everywhere, but here we will be riding trains. Tagajo is really nice. I think everyone works in Sendai, but lives in Tagajo. Haha. It doesn`t really have a main city street like Iwaki does, but I think it might be a little bit more of a classy area. Our apartment is so nice!! And big! Haha. That`s probably a good thing though cause my comp`s 6`7"! Haha he`s a big dude. When we talk to people on the street I look at everyone driving by and they all just stare at him haha. For the Japanese, He`s definitely from another world! Ha. I really like him though. So far things have been going really well. He likes to cook and keep things clean so I have no problem with that! :). Our apartment is really close to the train tracks so when the trains go by it reminds me of the train ride at Disneyland! Ha.
Tagajo is a ward, but it`s not much bigger than the Iwaki branch. They do have a good organist so I`m not sure if I`ll have the chance to play or not. They are all so nice though! Right now I`m just trying to remember everybody`s names! Ha. There is a really cool kid named Jun who just got back from the Nagoya Mission. He`s gonna be a huge help and I already love him!
Tomorrow we have District Meeting and Specialized Training. Specialized Training is done by President, the AP`s, and the Zone Leaders, but District Meeting is my job. Ugh! Ha. My first D.M. and everyone`s gonna be there! Haha. Oh well. Our District is way cool. We have 8 people in our district which equals the biggest district in the mission. It makes the mission a little different now that I actually have some responsibility! Ha.
There isn`t email in Tagajo, so we have to come to Sendai to do it. I love the city though so that`s not a prob! ;) The mission is still great. Even though I`m in a new area and things have changed up a bit, I`m still doing the same work. Heavenly Father is still there for me. The church is as true in Tagajo as it is in Iwaki! Ha. I love the gospel. I love the Book of Mormon. There is such power in it and we can obtain that power through reading it everyday. We are so blessed to have these things in our lives. May we not forget how blessed we are and continue to do the small and simple things that will one day give us the greatest reward. I love you all! Thanks for everything. Take Care.
Elder Ovard

                                                    Blake and Elder Swenson in Tagajo

Farewell message from Sister Imamiya on Facebook

Sister Hiroko Imamiya sent me this message along with a lot of pictures.  I wish I could put them on the blog but they don't look very good when I move them over.  She took pictures of their last day and the move with the Elders on the bus.  They are so wonderful.  She seems to know what a mother needs.  Elder Ovard was so spoiled in his first area.  They are great examples of member missionaries.  We all Love them so much and will miss them.  FOREVER FRIENDS!

Sister Ovard,
It's raining outside in Iwaki.I feel like that someone is crying for grief.
Today Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda left Iwaki for Tagajo and Aomori at 9:30a.m. The church members and two investigators saw them off at the bus stop.We took pictures of missionaries and really were very sad that they left us.
Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda are great missionaries!!! I think that they will help many church members and many investigators who really need God's love in Tagajo and Aomori.They are waitting for Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda. And Missionaries will have a wonderful time with them there.
We really had a great time with Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda in Iwaki.I'm always grateful to you and your family. I'm so glad that we are forever friends!!!One day I'd like to Utah.Please come to Iwaki.
Oh!Elder Ovard made a short speech in Japanese in English Class yesterday.His talk and japanese moved us deeply.
Let's keep in touch!
Sincerely,

Hiroko

Transfer day!!! Look out Tagajo

Today was transfer calls and we defintely have some transfering going on. Mitsuda Choro is heading up to Aomori to become Zone Leader... and I`m heading up to Tagajo!! Wow we were both so surprised. Tagajo is part of Sendai. I`ve heard a lot of good things about it. My new comp will be Elder Swenson. His nickname is The Beast!! Haha. He`s like 6`6". From what I hear, he`s a little hard to get a long with. So I might have my work cut out for me! Haha. He is an older missionary and only has a couple transfers left, but I will be co-senior with him. And I will also become District Leader. AAAHHH!!!!! I was so surprised when President told me that. He also said that my entire district is Japanese missionaries except for my comp and I. So I definitely have my work cut out for me!! Haha I gotta get studyin up on that Japanese!! So I`m a pretty nervous right now.
I`m so sad to be leaving Iwaki. It really is the best area in the mission. The members have become my family. They have all been so good to me. Today when we called Sister Keiko to tell her about transfers, she started crying. That was so hard. She has become my mom in Japan. I am so grateful for all the members here and for all they have done for me. They have been the best examples of the Savior that I could have asked for. I want to be like them.
We did have an awesome week here. We met up with Yasushi-San, a new investigator, and got him a baptismal date!!! He is so good. It is amazing to see the change the gospel can make in the lives and hearts of people. He is such an amazing man. All he wants to do is follow Christ and do good. So it will be hard to leave him behind. This is the Lord`s work though and He will take care of His son.
My testimony has grown so much this past week. I have felt my Heavenly Fathers love more than I can explain. As nervous as I am with these transfers, I am confident that Heavenly Father will provide a way. It might not be easy, but it`s what he wants me to do. I am so grateful to be a missionary. There is no greater happiness than the blessings of the gospel. I love you all and am so grateful for all your love, support, and prayers. Take Care!!!
Elder Ovard

                 These people do Japanese Swordsmanship. It was way cool and way good culture.

Facebook message from Hiroko Imamiya

I didn't recieve an email this week because it is transfer week.  Blake has been in Iwaki for 3 transfers so we are wondering if he will be transfered.  This is a facebook message I recieved from Sister Imamiya this morning.  We love this sweet sister and if he is transfered we will ALL miss her!!!

Sister Ovard,
Hi!

Maybe you know his schedule about missionaries.

Elder Ovard won't be able to e-mail you on Monday because Monday isn't P.D. So I think that Elder Ovard will e-mail you on Wednesday.
Today Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda gave us a wonderful lesson.

I was so glad that Elder Ovard spoke Japanese fluently and his pronunciation was great.
We were talking about a transfer...

I think that missionaries will transfer when someone in other area needs them.But We need Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda in Iwaki.
Have a wonderful week!
Hiroko

Blakes Clarification of Speaking Fluent Japanese!!!

Hi Mom,

I told him that sister Imamiya said he speaks fluent Japanese...

So it`s been a little bit longer of a week hasn`t it. I was definitely ready for pday. It sounds like Sister Imamiya is really talking up my Japanese! Haha she`s too nice. Mom don`t get too confident or excited about it. It`s so hard!! I feel so humbled after being with the AP Kina choro the past couple days. I really feel like I didn`t know anything. I`m so nervous for a Japanese comp. Elder Kina is pretty serious though. I need to have someone who is excited and happy and fun!! That`s the kind of missionary I like to be and it`s hard to be that when the other person is so serious. There are tons of cool Japanese missionaries though. Actually, they`re all cool. It definitely would help out my Japanese to have a native comp, but I really feel like it will be so hard. Maybe it`s what I need?? I guess whatever happens will be for the best. President Tateoka is such a good guy and I know what ever he decides on will be right from the Lord.

I told him that his Uncle Lonne and Aunt Nancy have thier mission papers in....His reaction cracked me up!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH Lonne and Nancy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahaah that`s so cool!!!!!!!!!!! haha I`m so excited for them. You will have to let me know everything. That means I`ll prob be gettin home before them huh?! Wow that`s so cool for them. I can`t see Uncle Lonne being serious enough to be a missionary! Haha I would love to be in the same mission as them. That`s great.

His good friend Zack Rogers left for Ghana, Africa this week. He had a mix up on the date and he missed his flight.  He had to fly all the way to Ghana by himself.  He was suppose to be the group leader. He did fine and made it safely.  He will have a memory for the rest of his life.

And it sounds like Rogers had quite the time huh?! Haha wow. I`m glad Hazen came and got his letter. I miss him. He`s such a good kid. I hope He`s doing ok. I think all of us prob had a pretty big impact on him so I hope all is still well.

Today is Elder Mitsuda's birthday!!!

We have such a fun day planned. We`re going to the caves with Imamiya, Keiko, and a couple other members. Imamiya and Keiko are my favorite. They are angels. I love them. I don`t really have any American food I`m absolutley craving. We eat well here. Maybe a little too well haha. I`m getting a little chubby haha. It`s not good. Don`t send too much. I do want teeth whiteners though. And pictures :)


Well, I guess there could be excting news next week, or it could all be the same. I`ll let you know!! BTW, I did get the letter you sent me with the newspaper articles and picture of Bryson and stuff. It was great. Thanks for everything mom. I love you so much and appreciate all you do. I want to send a package home soon for auzzy and his bday. I`ll do it when I get some time. Who knows when that will be though. LOVE YA!!

Meetings in Sendai

Konnichiwa!
It`s been a little while hasn`t it?! Elder Mitsuda and I have been up in Sendai the past couple days. He`s District Leader so we had to go up for Leadership Training. It`s like a 3 hour bus ride from Iwaki. We take busses everywhere we go. Sendai is so cool! I love the city haha. While he did the training I worked with one of the Assistants for a couple of days. Right now there is one Japanese Assistant, and one American. I wanted to work with both of them but I got put with the Japanese, Elder Kina, for both days. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to work with Elder Hinckley too, but that is what President Tateoka assigned. Elder Kina is a way good missionary though! I learned a lot from him, but it was definitely hard. I felt like all the Japanese I ever knew went right out the window! Ha. My head was starting to hurt from all the thinking and not really being able to understand everything haha. It was a good experience though. Transfers are next week so maybe President was just getting me ready for a Japanese comp?! Ah I`m a little nervous! I do love being at the mission home with all the Elders though. There were like 15 of us there. They are all such a strength to me.
Today is Elder Mitsuda`s birthday!! We have an awesome day planned too. We`re going with a few of the members to some caves! I`m so excited. Iwaki has the best members in the world. I love them so much. We did just get a new rule though. We now have to have joints at all lessons with females. Before we could just meet up with one of the Sisters if it was at a public place or something, but now we need to have joints so it might be a little harder to get lessons. We`re so sad about it because we love the members and now it`s not gonna be the same! :(
The church is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know God lives and loves us. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives!! I love you all!
Elder Ovard

Facebook message from Sister Hiroko Imamiya

I love to get these facebook messages from sister Hiroko Imamiya.  She is so wonderful and Elder Ovard just loves her.  When he gets transfered I know we will ALL miss her terribly.  The members of the Iwaki branch are so helpful to the missionaries.  The missionaries credit thier success to the wonderful members of the ward.  It is fun for me to get her opinion on how well Elder Ovard is doing because he tells me he has a long way to go with the language.  The gift of tongues is a wonderful blessing. This can only happen with the help of our Heavenly Father.  He loves his missionaries.

Sister Ovard,
Last Sunday Elder Ovard made a speech in front of the church members.It was excellent!! He was amazing!!He spoke Japanese fluently.I'm so glad that Elder Ovard is making rapid progress with Japanese.I wish I could speak fluently.
Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda are wonderful!!!

They help the church members, the less active members and investigator wiht all their heart and mind.Thanks to Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda, we are very happy.
Have a wonderful Sunday,
Hiroko

Hello

Hello Hello!
How is everybody doing?! Everything is going great here in Japan! I can`t believe another week has already gone by!! Yesterday I gave a talk in church on missionary work. To be honest with you- I wasn`t really nervous! I figure giving a talk in church is no different than what I`m already doing all day everyday haha. I guess it went well. A lot of people tell me my Japanese is really good but I don`t think so. I have a long ways to go! I am grateful for the Japanese I can speak though. It is truely a blessing. I thank you all for your prayers on my behalf.
This week the Aizu Elders came to Iwaki for splits and it was so much fun. Elder Lundell and I were in the MTC together and I love working with him. It makes things interesting with us both not really having the best Japanese haha. We did teach a lesson to a member and it went really well. His name is Brother Igari and he is awesome! After the lesson Elder Lundell and I had a couple hours of finding time and we were so blessed! I think Heavenly Father knew our Japanese still isn`t very good, so he put people who speak English in our path! Haha we were able to teach a lesson on the street to a girl from Canada, and then we found a really sweet high school girl from Mexico! Haha it was kinda funny but I feel like it was more of Heavenly Father`s tender mercies. We did also get some Japanese people to become `potential investigators` as well. It was so much fun!
Our branch had a BBQ on Saturday and it was a blast. Elder Mitsuda and I didn`t have the investigators show up that we were hoping for, but it was still a huge success. Alot of the members brought friends so we still had a lot of non-members show up. Also, our most recent convert, Brother Onodera, lives quite a ways away from the church and doesn`t have a job or any money so he hasn`t been able to make it to church for quite some time. We`ve tried calling him many times but haven`t talked with him in forever either. One of the members went and picked him up and brought him to the BBQ!! It was so good to see him. The same member picked him up the next morning for church too. He is still doing awesome! :)
I love working with Elder Mitsuda. He is such a good companion. We are working so hard, but having fun at the same time. Sometimes he thinks I`m a little crazy though haha. I think I embarrass him sometimes, but oh well! I know this gospel is true and I`m so thankful for it in my life. I know that it is the way to happiness in this life, and eternal life in the world to come. We are so lucky and blessed to have it in our lives. I was thinking the other day about how lucky I was to be born into the gospel. We need to remember how blessed we are and try and give back to our Heavenly Father all we can. There is definitely no better feeling in the world than sharing the gospel and serving others! I love you all. Thanks for everything. It`s greatly appreciated!!
Elder Ovard

Another Awesome Week!

It`s been another awesome week here in Japan! :) On Friday we went to another Festival, but this time we went with some investigators so it was actually really effective! We went with Iwakami-San and a couple of his friends- `O` and `So`. They`re college students and way cool! `O` and `So` are Chinese but their Japanese is perfect. I talked with `O` for most of the night and it was so good! He was way cool. My Japanese still isn`t very good, but I do think we were able to have a pretty good conversation. His English isn`t too bad either! Ha. I ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and He took it so well. We`re going to meet up again with them this week!

We met with the Nakamura Family, the mom and daughter, on Saturday and had a really good talk with them. They just won`t change! She still thinks all religion is the same. The thing I`m most sad about is that she won`t read and pray about the Book of Mormon. She won`t even give it a chance! It`s so hard to see that. I love them though. They are such sweet people. We planned to help them with some more yard work, but we ended up talking a little too long so we weren`t able to work. We`re gonna go back this week and do a little yard work with them! :)
I love the Iwaki branch. The members here are amazing! They are all so kind and sweet. We have a barbeque this Saturday that will be really fun! I`m hoping we have a lot of people show up. I also have to give a talk in church on Sunday! Ugh! Haha I`m a little bit nervous. The subject is `Missionary Work`. I don`t really know what I`m gonna do so hopefully I can come up with something! Ha.
I love you all and am so thankful for everything! Have an awesome week!!
Elder Ovard

God is on my side! Next time I'll listen.

Wow it has been such an awesome week here in Japan! I really can`t believe it`s already P-Day again! Time is flying by. Yesterday we had Elder Aoyagi come to our branch. He is a member of the Seventy. It was amazing!! I played the organ during sacrament so I got to sit on the stand with him :) He is way cool though! And so is his wife haha. He gave such an awesome talk. I was a little nervous that I wasn`t going to be able to understand anything, but surprisingly I didn`t do too bad! He talked about the Plan of Salvation and how Christ is the center of it. He had so much power to his words and the Spirit was so strong. After church we ate lunch with Elder and Sister Aoyagi, the District President, and our Branch President and His wife. Then we were able to get a picture with them! It was such an awesome experience. I also found out that He used to be the Mission President here in Sendai like 25 years ago. His wife said it`s the best mission in all of Japan! Haha.
We were able to get a service oppurtunity in this week! It`s kind of rare to do service here in Japan. We helped the Nakamura`s (Our Investigators) out with some yard work. I think it was the first time I`ve actually enjoyed doing yard work! Ha mostly just cause it was something different for once :) They are such a sweet family, they just don`t really understand the importance of our message. They don`t see the difference between our church and all the other ones. We`re meeting with them again this week to finish up some yard work, then we`re going to share a message that will hopefully help them out!
I had quite the experience on the bike this past week. We had a lesson with an investigator who lives up a huge hill. The lesson went a little long, and we had another one planned for afterwards. So we were running a little bit late. As we were rushing down the hill trying to get to our next appointment, I had the feeling that I should hit my brakes a little bit and slow down. I was going too fast though, and having too much fun so I didn`t do anything! Haha. Then the impression came to me again that I should slow down a little bit but of course I didn`t. At the bottom of the hill there`s a pretty busy street that we have to cross. The light was green though so we were good to cross without having to stop. As I was crossing the street, I noticed a car attempting to turn. I thought they saw me but apparantly they didn`t cause the next thing I knew I was running into the front of the car! Haha. I got hit by a car! Somehow nothing really happened though. I was still able to stay on my feet, and my bike was perfectly fine. I don`t really know how the car was. It was crazy though! The people were really nice and hurried out to make sure everything was ok. I was mostly just laughing though! Haha. I guess that`s what I get for not listening to the Spirit when it tells me to slow down. Thankfully I`m a missionary and have God on my side or else I`d probably be dead right now. haha jk.
I love you all. I know this gospel is true with all my heart. There is no greater happiness than living the gospel and striving to become more like our Savior. Have an awesome week!
Elder Ovard

Elder Aoyagi, Elder Mitsuda, Elder Ovard and Sister Aoyagi

Zone Conference August 2010

Tanabata Matsuri

Konnichiwa!!!
It has been quite the party here in Iwaki the past few days! This past weekend was the Tanabata Matsuri. A Matsuri is a festival, and it was huge!! Haha. Elder Mitsuda and I were able to spend some time there too :) It was held in the streets of Iwaki. There were tons of decorations and booths and all sorts of different things. It kind of reminded me of Swiss Days, or being at a theme park with out rides, except this was huge! On Saturday night there was a huge firework show. We went with some members and a couple non-members. It was awesome! There were probably hundreds of thousands of people there. They had fireworks going for most of the night too. They really don`t mess around with the festivals here in Japan! Haha. It was so much fun to be at. It was completely Japanese culture. The festival ended last night, but today when we came to the place to email, everything was already cleaned up and everything! Japan is such a clean place. You wouldn`t have ever known there was a huge party the night before. I heard there might be another one soon so we`ll see :)

The work here in Iwaki is starting to progress. Elder Mitsuda and I achieved the `Standard of Excellence` again this week. We are so blessed! We are still working really hard with Nakamura San and her daughter Hitomi Chan. They are so sweet and nice but don`t really understand what`s different about our church. They still haven`t read the Book of Mormon, so Mitsuda Choro and I acted devastated and I think she realized how much it meant to us. So they`ll probably read now! Haha.

Next Sunday we have a Seventy coming to our branch! His name is Elder Aoyagi. He spoke in the last General Conference. I am so excited! I`m also playing the organ so hopefully I do a good job! Haha. We also have Zone Conference this Thursday in Koriyama.

Thank you all for your love and support. It means a lot! I`m so thankful to have the best family and friends in the world. I`m so thankful to be a member of the chruch too! We are so lucky to have the fullness of the gospel right in our hands. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that if we read it we will come to know our H.F. and our Savior. We are so blessed to be led by living Prophets and Apostles too! The world is crazy, but if we listen to and follow them, we`ll be alright! I love you all! Have an awesome week.
Elder Ovard

                       Blake and Elder Mitsuda at the Matsuri with some of the members.

                 This is Hitomi Chan on the top.  We are teaching her and her mother Nakamura San.

                                  At an old Japanese house with Hiroko Imamiya.

Still in Iwaki!!!!

Today was transfer day and we got the call from President saying that... Elder Mitsuda and I would be staying in Iwaki together!!!!!! I was so relieved! Haha my mind has been all over the place the past couple days wondering what was going to happen. I am so excited though! I didn`t want to leave Iwaki or Elder Mitsuda, and I got it! :)
I can`t believe how fast time flying by. I once heard- time flies when you`re workin hard...or hardly workin. Haha we`re definitely workin hard though! We`ve been teaching Hitomi Nakamura and her mom recently. They have such a nice family! They lived somewhere in the Middle East for a while so Hitomi can speak English fluently. She is way smart and thinks way deep. She can play the piano too, so I told them sometime I wanted to hear it! Yesterday before our lesson we played the piano for a bit and it was way fun! I miss not being able to play as much! The lesson went well, but I`m not sure how much interest they have in it. They`re way nice though and willing to meet, so we`re gonna do our best!
Sunday as we were housing we randomly housed into Kowaguchi, one of our old investigators! It was so crazy! We were all so surprised. We haven`t talked to her for at least 3 weeks. She seemed really happy to see us though! We talked to her for a minute then made an appointment to go back next Sunday. Who knows what`s going to happen??!
Mitsuda Choro`s bike went down this week haha. His tire has been really low, then all of a sudden it just went out. It was funny though- when I looked back at him it reminded me of the cartoons when like there`s a big wreck and the bike gets hammered. Haha his tire was so bent up and wabblin all over the place. Now He`s riding one of the members bike`s that is an old grandpa bike haha.
Well, that`s about it for the week. All is well here in the beautiful place of Japan. Thank you all for everything. This church is true and I`m so thankful for it. We are a blessed people! Take Care.
Elder Ovard

5 month mark!!!

Hello hello!
Another week down, and also my 5 month mark! Wow it`s crazy how fast time flies. The Zone Leaders came down for splits and it was a blast! Their names are Elders Billings and Ogaki. Elder Billings is way cool and fun.

And Elder Ogaki is Japanese! So I did spend some time alone with a Nihonjin! Haha I was a little nervous, but it ended up going really well.

We were still able to talk and hold out a conversation. It was nice to see that since the last time we split together my Japanese has improved!
Yesterday as I was passing the sacrament in church I passed it to Mau, the sweet 8 year old girl who was baptized last week. It was so cool though. There was a special spirit about her as she took the sacrament. Little children are so precious! Maybe that`s why the Savior says we need to become like a little child :)
This past week was the `Standard of Excellence` week for our Zone.

This includes teaching 20 full lessons, and getting 3 new investigators. Elder Mitsuda and I wanted to get it so bad, so we worked really hard! And we got it!! We were so blessed. Two of the investigators come from a really nice family. The Mom and the 17 year old daugther are the inv`s. They are so sweet and we are going to work really hard on them!
This week is going to be a little crazy. We`re not really even going to be in our area! Haha. Elder Mitsuda has leadership training in Sendai, and I`m going to work with Elder Billings in Koriyama. We leave today and won`t get back till like Thursday or Friday. Holy smokes! Haha.

Thanks for everything. I have the best support in the world. I`m so thankful for loving friends and family who love the Lord. I know He lives and loves us. Take Care!

Elder Ovard

Mau Suzuki was baptized!

Holy smokes another week has already gone by! My mission is awesome. Things are going so good here in Japan. It`s been a week of a few ups and downs as we had a couple investigators potentially drop us, but things are still great! I`ll get through the sad stuff first, then the good stuff!

Kowaguchi San didn`t come through with her baptism. We called her earlier in the week to see if she was still good for one of our appointments, and she said she couldn`t meet and then politely said she refused baptism. We still don`t really know why or what is going on with her. It was really hard to hear her say that. We`re gonna try and contact her sometime this week and see what is going on. She is all over the place! Whatever happens will be for the best though. The other investigator is Kuramono San. She is a way sweet lady but her family is really against religion so we think that is why she said she can`t meet. It was so hard to these things. But, even though it was hard to have this happen, Elder Mitsuda and I still kept our heads up and didn`t get too discouraged. We know that as long as we are working hard and doing our best, then that`s all that matters. Whatever happens is in the Lord`s hands!

Yesterday Mau Suzuki was baptized!! It was so good! She is 8 years old. Her mom is the only member in the family, and isn`t very strong. It was so cool though. Mau is so cute and has such a sweet little spirit about her!

Thursday evening as Elder Mitsuda and I were housing an apartment, we had quite an experience. We came to the door and noticed that the keys were still in the lock. We rang the doorbell and a lady answered on the speaker phone. She said she was busy and didn`t have interest but before we left we tried to tell her that she forgot her keys in the door. She didn`t really understand, so I grabbed the keys and started shaking them. Apparantly that was a bad idea though because the lady started screaming really loud!! So I took off running! Haha. Mitsuda Choro thought something might have happened inside but I knew why she was screaming. He stayed there asking if everything was ok. Then He told me that she said she was going to call the cops. I thought- Ya think?!! Haha she thinks we`re trying to break into her house!! Haha Mitsuda Choro didn`t have any clue the lady thought we were trying to break in. It was so funny. My heart was pounding. It was definitely an adrenaline rush! Haha. Later I found out the woman was in the bathtub haha. I didn`t catch that part of the contact though. Haha. It was quite the contact! We were laughing the rest of the night. I love Mitsuda Choro :)

Japan is awesome! I love it so much. The language is tough, but I love it! I learn more and more everyday. It is such an awesome language, it`s just takes time. But I love my mission! Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. It means a lot. This church is true and I`m so thankful for it. Have an awesome week!

Elder Ovard

**Last P-Day we went to the beach with a few members. It is beautiful! Notice I wrote my name in the sand :)

Changes with Zone Conference

Konnichiwa Minasan!!
Wow I can`t believe another week has already gone by! It really is crazy how fast time is flying by. Things are going great though. It has been an awesome week. We have been really busy and had a lot going on, but that is what makes everything so good!
Thursday we had Zone Conference in Koriyama. We found out some interesting new changes too! We will now be having Zone Conferences only every 3 months. We used to have them every month. Interviews with the mission president will also only be every 3 months. There will also be training for leaders held in Sendai every month that lasts for 3 days. (My comp is District Leader so that means we`ll be spending some time in Sendai) Holy smokes! Haha. It is kind of interesting but all of this came from the Missionary Department so it must be for the best! Zone Conference was awesome though. I always learn so much and the Spirit is always so strong. It`s also nice to spend time with the other missionaries and get to know them.
We didn`t end up having Kowaguchi`s baptism this week but we will be having it next Sunday!! I am so excited for it. I have been kind of nervous lately wondering if she`s even ready yet, but this week things went really well and I feel like she has a really strong desire and is ready!
We will also be having another baptism along with Kowaguchi! She is an 8 year old girl. Her name is Mau Suzuki. She is so cute! She comes from a part member family. The mom is the only member, but she isn`t the strongest either. We have been visiting with their family for a while now, but we hadn`t ever really committed Mau to baptism. Our Branch President told us to just do it, so we did. And she said yes! It was so cool! Haha that was all we needed to do! So Elder Mitsuda and I are way excited for both of these baptisms next week :)
Saturday President Tateoka came to Iwaki. Sister Tateoka has a broken foot, so He came by himself. We were only planning on having him come to our nightly planning session, but he called earlier in the day and said he wanted to make it to one of our lessons. I was SO nervous! Haha. It was awesome though. The lesson was with Brother Onodera, our most recent convert. It went way good. After our planning session in the evening, we had our interviews with him. Something funny is that we talked about baseball for quite a while! Haha. He even shared some experiences about playing with people while He was on His mission. I love President Tateoka! He is such an awesome man. Before He left, He offered a prayer and the Spirit was so strong. He blessed us and I felt so comforted and loved not only by Him, but also my Heavenly Father.
So it has been a really busy and exciting week! I love Japan. I know this is where I`m supposed to be and what I`m supposed to be doing. This work is amazing! I love you all. Thank you for everything! Take Care and have a good week!
Ovard Choro

Awesome week!

Hello Hello!
It has been an awesome week! Things are going really well here in Iwaki and with my new companion Elder Mitsuda! We finally met with Kowaguchi this week. She is still doing good! She came to church yesterday, but has been having a little problem with the Word of Wisdom. Her baptismal date is for this Saturday but it might need to be moved back another week. We`re not really sure yet but it will definitely be happening!
We have also been doing work with a college student named Iwakami, and a mother named Kuramono. Iwakami is a college student and He`s way cool! We are going to a buffet with him this week so I`m way excited about that! Ha. Kuramono is a really sweet lady. She has a 14 year old son, but is not married. She has the sweetest spirit about her. She seems so golden, but her family is really against church so it will probably hold her back a bit. We will pray for her though!
We will be spending a couple days in Koriyama this week for Zone Conference and Splits. I love going to Koriyama! It`s a little bit bigger city than Iwaki.

The language is really hard, but I learn more everyday. It is definitely going to take some time! Elder Mitsuda is a big help though. I have already learned a lot from him.
I am so grateful to be serving the Lord at this time. I feel so blessed to have the knowledge of this gospel. It`s amazing! I`m so grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves and cares for us. I know that He loves us and wants to help us. He has given us all we need in this life to find true happiness. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it has the power to strenghen our lives and help us resist temptation. We are so blessed! I love you all!
Take Care,

Elder Ovard

                              Eating "Nato" most Americans don't like it but I don't think it's bad.

Email from Brother Todd Ogaard

The email from Brother Ogaard  we received shortly after Blake arrived in the mission.  We were so excited to get it and the pictures he sent.  It is fun to hear how your son is doing through the eyes of others.  I appreciate all the emails that I receive from those who come in contact with Elder Ovard.  I  am really grateful for their generosity, the example, and words of encouragement that Brother Carlson and Brother Ogaard gave to my son. 

Dear Parents of Elder Ovard:

I had the privilege of taking your son and his companion, Elder Warren, to dinner tonight in Iwaki. I served in the Sendai Mission

35 years ago, and was in the area visiting some old friends. You must be very proud of your son-he impressed me and I am also proud, as a Sendai RM, to have him serving here. I also attended church here last Sunday when he bore his testimony in Japanese - nicely done!

I thought you might enjoy seeing the attached pictures.

Kindest regards,

Todd Ogaard

Webmaster/Maintainer

Japan Sendai Mission RM Site

http://japan.sendai.mission.net or google, "Japan Sendai Mission"

Email from Rob Carlson

Sister Ovard,

My name is Rob Carlson and last Sunday I attended church in Iwaki, Japan, where your son is serving as a missionary. I was with him for only a short while during the church meetings but he seemed healthy and happy to me. He is working hard to learn the Japanese language and seems to be making good progress. He interacted with the members and participated in the Priesthood lesson (I did not attend the same Sunday School class as him, but I am sure he participated there as well). I was able to share some of my experiences as a missionary in Japan -- making sure to tell him about the time it took to learn the language, but I assured him that things will be easier over time. I also told him that one of the things I feel is a key to really learning the language is to think in the language. I told him that for the first 2-3 months I was in Japan I felt that the Japanese language was simply a code that they used so that I could not understand them. But once I started to think in Japanese I suddenly realized that it really is a language -- not something to torment me!

I am attaching some photographs I took of him on Sunday (ignore the date in the photos, my camera was still set to U.S. time). He has a new companion, Elder Mitsuda, who is a 4th generation Japanese-American. In two of the photos are others, who are local members.

Attending church in Iwaki was a memorable event for me, since I served as a missionary there 36 years ago. At the time I was in Iwaki the Church did not have its own building, but held meetings in a rented building (with the missionaries living in the same building and moving our stuff out of the way on Sundays so that meetings could be held there). I had not realized that the church had a “real” building in Iwaki until I visited the city just last year (35 years after I had worked there as a missionary). It is a tangible sign of the Lord’s kingdom being in Iwaki.

I want to thank you for allowing your son to serve a mission in Japan. I have a strong affinity to the Japanese and am grateful that he is serving the people of Iwaki, whom I learned to love so many years ago. I pray that he, as well as your entire family, will be blessed for his service to the Lord.
Sincerely,

Rob Carlson

Elder Ovard and Elder Mitsuda in front of the church.

Elder Mitsuda and Elder Ovard with member

New companions Elder Mitsuda and Elder Ovard

Elder Ovard at church.

Elder Mitsuda

Hello Everyone!
It`s been a pretty crazy week here in Japan with transfers and everything! Thursday morning we rode the bus up to Sendai to switch comps and everything. I love going to Sendai! It`s a pretty big city. People say it`s about the same size as Salt Lake but I think it`s bigger. At least it seems like there are more people! Ha. It`s awesome though. And the drive is so pretty. Everything here is so green and there are hills everywhere.
My new companion is Elder Mitsuda. He is half Japanese. His dad is full Japanese but grew up in America and doesn`t know any Japanese. Elder Mitsuda studied it a little bit in school. He knows a lot of kanji so I`m hoping to learn some from Him! I love him though!!! He really is amazing. He`s going into his 8th transfer. I`m going into my 2nd. He is from Seattle but moved to Utah when He was like 17 and went to American Fork High School. He really is so cool. We`ve had a lot of fun together already.
Thursday we did streeting the whole day in Sendai then stayed the night at the Zone Leaders apartment. There were like 10 Elders there. It was kinda crazy but a lot of fun! I got to see Elder Kaneshiro, who was with me at the MTC. That`s always fun :)
Kowaguchi San was supposed to get baptized Saturday but it didn`t end up working out. She said she was busy with friends and had a job to do or something. None of us could figure it out. It made me really sad. I think She is just nervous about Elder Warren tranferring and having a new missionary come in so sudden and soon. She gets nervous and scared really easy. We have an appointment with her for later this week so hopefully we will get things figured out. I really do think she will still recieve baptism, she just might need a little more time.
This gospel is amazing and I know it can change lives. I`m so grateful for the help it gives us. We are so blessed to be led by living prophets who know what we need today. I love you all!!
Elder Ovard

Crazy Stuff!

Today is transfer day and Elder Warren is being transfered! We could not believe it! Usually you are with your trainer for at least 2 transfers but Elder Warren is now heading up to Morioka. Thankfully I`m staying here in Iwaki! Ha I love it here. I feel really bad for Elder Warren though because we have a baptism on Saturday! He`s going to have to miss it. Her name is Kowaguchi San. She is really sweet and humble. She always brings us tons of treats and random things when we teach her so I`m gonna be excited to get her baptized so we won`t have to deal with all the stuff she gives us! Haha. That sounds bad but it`s true. She is way sweet though. Elder Warren was going to baptize her but now that He is being transfered, I will do the baptism.

This past week we went on splits with the Aizu Elders. It was a blast! They came to Iwaki. Their names are Elder Peterson and Elder Lundell. I love them both. Elder Lundell and I were in the MTC together so we`re way good buds. It was a fun time.

All is well here in Japan. I love being a missionary more everyday. I have already learned so much since being here, but more than anything I have learned a lot about our Savior. He is awesome. I love reading the scriptures about Him and learning from His example. He was perfect. He lived a life in the service of others. Everything He did was for the benefit of others. We can learn so much from His example. We had Stake Conferece this past week and something the Stake Pres. said that really hit me was- We need to love others like we love ourselves. That is so true. It is definitely hard, but I know that when we loose ourselves in the service of others, we will become happy! I`m so grateful to have our Savior`s example to look to. We are so blessed!

Thank you all for all your prayers and support. I hope you have a great week!!

Elder Ovard

This is a family we had home evening with and we played baseball with them.  It was way fun and they are really good baseball players.  They think I have muscles Ha Ha.  He is holding my muscle.

The nicest sisters in the world. The sister wearing glasses is Sister Imamiya, she bought me my bike and Sister Keiko is really awesome too. They do so much for us. I love them both.

A member, nonmember who we have been with before, Elder Ovard, Elder Warren, and  Onodera who 
                 was baptized a few weeks ago.  We are at the Aquarium on our P-Day!