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