Sansa Matsuri!

Hey everyone! Hope all is well for you all and I wish Jeni congrats on the big day last week!! ;) We`re beginning to have our fair share of fun over here as well. In Japan they celebrate and do things called `matsuris`, or festivals. They are tons of fun and filled with Japanese culture as well. The `Sansa Matsuri` is taking place here in Morioka this week so we may be lucky to catch a bit of it :) We do have a busy week ahead of us as we will travel to district meeting, return with the district leader for splits, then go to Miyako with about 12 other missionaries for another service project.



Yesterday as we came home from church we had 2 huge moving trucks parked outside of our apartment building. We now have some new neighbors!! Haha. We still hadn`t gone to visit them but this morning as we were leaving our apartment a younger couple met us up the stairs and greeted us. They told us they had just moved in downstairs and then they handed us a bag with a few house-needed things. I was quite surprised by their kindness and apparantly they were going around to everyone in the complex! As I talked with Elders Ohira and Ishida afterwards I did learn something new about the Japanese culture. When they move into a new place, they introduce themselves and take some sort of gift around as well. I haven`t moved around too much in my lifetime but I`m pretty sure in the states` it would be the other way around?!!


We picked up a couple really awesome investigators this week. In case you didn`t know, we teach a free English Class every Wednesday evening for an hour. We actually have a really good turnout right now consisting of about 15 students. Some are members but there are a lot of non-members as well. At the end of english class, we share a brief message about our beliefs in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is tons of fun and I look forward to it every week!! We have an advanced class and a beginners class. Right now I am teaching the beginners class.


There are a few young kids who come with their parents (the parents participate in the advanced class). I try to have fun with them and even sometimes joke around with them a little bit :). Last week we were learning some vocabulary and we came across the word `handsome`. I asked Akari, a cute 9 year old girl, if she knew what it meant. She didn`t have any idea so I told her it meant- Ovard Choro haha. She obviously believed it and when we looked at the Japanese definition she started cracking up haha. I did find my foot in my mouth this past week though. We learned about communication which included the word `cell-phone`. As a joke I told her I was going to give her my cell-phone as a present. I told her she could text her friends but not to tell her mom. (I know that`s bad haha :/) She didn`t believe that I was really going to give it to her but I kept going along with it. She didn`t take me too seriously and I saw the phone left on the chair as the night came to a close so I wasn`t worried. After class and everything had ended I reached into my pocket only to find that I didn`t have my cell phone!!! AAHH. She must have taken it with her!! Haha so I borrowed somebody`s cell phone and gave mine a ring. It came to the cute little voice of Akari haha. I felt so bad as I tried to explain to her that I needed it back. I was lucky they weren`t too far from the church though and they were very kind as they brought it back to me. Kind of an adventure though!! Akari had previously told her mom that I joke around with her sometimes so thankfully it wasn`t too big of a surprise haha.


There is more to the story though. Yes, it does get better and more serious. So don`t worry haha. As part of our lessons, we recently finished up a sequence about the Restoration. One evening after we taught about the Book of Mormon, Akari`s mom asked a few questions and expressed a little interest. Her name is Kumiko. We ended up giving her a Book of Mormon to take home, along with a pamphlet about Joseph Smith. The same night as the cell-phone drama we were also able to make an appointment for the next day to talk more. (Another reason Kumiko was ok with her daughter having my phone. She thought they could just return it the next day haha.) We met with them at a nearby mall and talked with them about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was amazing. It may not have been the most spiritual lesson due to the environment we were in, but it still did the job. She told us that she believed it was true!! She basically testified to us that because God is one there must must be one church. I was so happy!! She seems to have all the right questions and is seeking truth. She asked us if it was ok even if her husband and other members of the family didn`t have interest and we told her that was no problem. Definitley excited to keep working with them!!


The church is true. I love you all. Thanks for all you do. Hope you have an awesome week!!


Elder Ovard

Service!

Sports at Round 1 in Morioka

      The Family  Elder's Tillemann-Dick, Shinno, Ovard and Juchau!  A great family reunion doing service!!!

One of the many buoy's

Service in Miyako!

Hey friends and fam!! How`s everybody doin?? It`s been an awesome week here in Japan. We have had a few more service opportunities that I am eager to share with you! :)

Last P-Day we got together with some friends and members from the branch and went to a local facility and played sports. It was so much fun!! It had been a little while since the last time I swung a bat and I haven`t been able to pick up a basketball since Sapporo when I used to school President Daniels ;) (haha that is a joke, he was actually the one schooling me), but anyways I was a little sore for a few days! Haha. We hopped on the bus afterwards and made our way down to Sendai that evening for service the next day. Once again it was a blast to get together with the other missionaries, especially being with all 3 of my sons at once! A little family time is always necesarry haha :).


We got up at 4 in the morning Tuesday and made treads over to the Ishinomaki area. It was a good 2 1/2 hour bus ride with a very beautiful view at times and sights of disaster at other times. The service was awesome though. We were right along the ocean and for the most part I was on top of a huge pile of ropes and who knows what else trying to retrieve things that could still be used. We rescued bouy`s, anchors, rope, and much more. By the way, it smelled terrible and there were flies everywhere!! I guess that`s what happens after 5 months. It was really a blast though. I also met up with a member from Tagajo who lost his home in the tsunami. Thankfully he and his wife were ok but he was still a little bit on the downside. There is so much work to do over here and it is going to take a lot for some of these people to get back on track. They are all so awesome though. We had a little testimony meeting on the bus ride back and I couldn`t help but to be so impressed and thankful for these Japanese people. I am always particularly impressed with the people in charge of the service activities. They are awesome men. This dude`s name was Kobe, or George. He was awesome and from watching him I was able to confirm that even people who aren`t members of the church are still wonderful people and Heavenly Father`s children. Those are the kind of people who will live in heaven!! :)


We had another opportunity of service on Saturday, this time with the branch. There were about 30 of us who gathered together, hopped on a bus, and went over to the Miyako area. Miyako was also destroyed. We spent our time on a lot clearing out sand and bad dirt that had been swept over from the ocean. They were wanting to use the lot to make a field. This job wasn`t as intense or exciting as previous projects have been, but we did still have our fair share of excitement. At about 2:00 we started getting warning text messages about an earthquake coming and the sirens in the city started going off as well. It definitely had us on our toes but luckily nothing more came out of it. Apparantly there was a decent quake but T.D. Choro and I didn`t feel anything haha. We believe it`s because we were working too hard haha. Just kiddin but I really didn`t feel anything. I did get some calls from people back in Morioka worried about us though. I heard it was like a 5 or 6 on the scale. We were safe though and if anything were to have come I had my escape point up the mountain eyed out well in advance!! We are still shakin a little bit though. I just recieved an earthquake warning message on the phone this morning around 3:00, sat there for about 10 seconds, then had a little ride in my futon haha.


We saw a couple huge miracles this weekend!! Yesterday I had the feeling that we should go visit an old potential investigator and when we did we were able to have an awesome lesson about the Restoration!! He accepted a Book of Mormon, and said he would read it. He understood the value the book has and that he needed to first read it, ponder it, and pray about it. He is a 26 year old college student. He is a little busy this week but I`ve got his contact info and we will definitley meet again :) Saturday evening we didn`t have much time to proselyte but we went out and worked hard and God blessed us!! He put a 21 year old girl in our path who we invited to church for the next morning and she said she would come! :) T.D. Choro and I were so excitied and surprised that afterwards T.D. Choro suggested we find a quiet spot and say a thankful prayer haha. We went to church the next morning having high hopes, and she came!!!! Her name is Sakai Nanako. She had a really good experience and was down to meet again. She has lots of potential!! Unfortunately we weren`t able to get Migaku to church :( We went over to his apartment before church started to try and get him out of bed but it just wasn`t enough. We`ll get him next time though! Ha.


I`ve been reading in 1 Nephi lately. I love it! I have most recently been impressed with what Nephi talks about in Chapter 6. I love verses 3-6. That is what the Book of Mormon is. Those are the people we as members of the church need to become and that I want to be. Those are the kind of people who live in heaven!! I`m so thankful to have these things!! I love you all so much. Thank you for all your love and support on my behalf. It`s much appreciated :) Hope you all have a good week!! Take Care.

Elder Ovard

It's HOT HOT HOT!!!!

Hey fam and friends! Hope all is going well for you back home. It is so hot out here!! And humid. I can`t ever seem to cool down either. They don`t have central air conditioning/heating systems here although we do have a little over-head unit in our apartment. It definitely makes things hot though!!



We were able to help a couple out in the branch move into a new house this past week! It took a little bit longer than we expected but they treated us to an awesome buffet afterwards so there wasn`t any complaining haha.


It hasn`t been the most eventful week on the mish although we have still had good things happen. I don`t have too much time today because we are heading down to Sendai for a service project tomorrow so I will try and get the best points of the week out there. First, we are working with one really good investigator by the name of Onodera Migaku. He is a college student. He`s been an investigator for over a month now but is really starting to progress and become stronger. We meet with him 2-3 times per week. Recently we`ve been focusing on the Book of Mormon and prayer and knowing the truth through those things. It has helped him so much and it is so cool to see him start to pray with more intent and sincerity!! It definitely takes work though. He is scheduled for baptism on the 30th of this month but we`ve got lots to do in preparation for it.


I myself have had similar experiences in my own life as of late. I finished the Book of Mormon once again this past week!!!! Yay!! I love it. There is so much to learn from it and it gives me so much strength for each and everyday. My testimony of it grows more and more every time I open it up. As a missionary, I especially enjoy reading about the missionaries in the Book of Mormon and the experiences they had. It`s crazy how much we can relate to them! I`ve still got a long ways to go before I can become the fantastic missionaries they are, but I know that Heavenly Father has opened that door for me and that I do have that opportunity. It builds my faith!! I know that no matter where we are in life or no matter what we are doing, the Book of Mormon will lead and guide us along the way. I love it!! I encourage you to read it everyday.

We`ve got a pretty exciting week ahead of us so I will definitley fill you in with the details next week ;) I love and appreciate all you do. I wish you all the best! Thanks for being the best family and friends in the world!! Take Care.

Elder Ovard

T.D. Choro!

Hi fam and friends!! How`s everybody doin?? Well this past week I closed a chapter with Elder Shinno and opened up a new one with a new missionary- Elder Tillemann-Dick :) I already love the kid!! Haha he has me laughing just about all day. It has only been a few days together but we have already had quite the experiences.

We met Wednesday morning at the mission home and spent time with President and Sister Rasmussen and the other new missionaries. We made it back to Morioka that evening just in time for English Class. Everything was going normal until Thursday morning during personal study when he leaned over to me and told me his back was hurting so he was gonna go lay down and finish reading. Little did we know that he would be laying on his face for the next 12 hours!! Haha. I laugh as I say this but Elder T.D. is totally cool with it. He couldn`t really move his upper left back, nor his head. He mentioned how taking on a big head at the time brought a whole new meaning to the table haha. If we were to measure his head according to a baseball cap he said he would be a size 9. So I guess it does take a little effort! But anyway, he was laying on his belly not being able to do anything. He wanted a neck brace so he could at least get up and move but they apparently don`t sell them too easy here in Japan. He wasn`t gonna take that though so he decided to try and make his own. Out of cardboard! Haha. I helped him out and after some time we had something thrown together but I could tell it wasn`t gonna do the job. By the time evening had come I went out with another missionary living with us to the dollar store and we bought an airplane pillow with some other little gadgets. We returned to the apartment, threw it together, and tried to help T.D. Choro get on his feet. It worked! Haha. 12 and a half hours later T.D. Choro returned to life! Haha. He smiled the entire time and didn`t hardly complain. His first day in the mission field was definitley one for the record books though!


T.D. Choro is an awesome Elder. He is most recently from Denver but has lived in D.C. and traveled many different places. He speaks Hungarian, decent Spanish, a little Arabic, and is now working on Japanese. He comes from a brilliant family where everyone has or is going to Yale University. He loves to talk and could probably tell you about anything. Haha as we were eating lunch in the mission home one of the elders from Canada asked him if he knew who the last Canadian Prime Minister was- he answered it with ease haha. He`s got an awesome smile and is giving it everything he`s got :)

We met with one of our baptismal dates this past weekend and I really wanted to get him to church this Sunday. He had not yet been. His name is Onodera Migaku. He has come to activities in the past but not sacrament meeting yet. We taught him about the importance and blessing of coming to church. He didn`t think he could get up on time so we told him we would email him in the morning and swing by his place to pick him up at 9:30. He accepted and made it to sacrament meeting!! I was very happy for him and the faith he showed in coming to church.


The gospel is true! I am so thankful for it in my life. I am especially grateful for the blessing of having Prophets in our lives. I love reading the conference talks and learning about the revelation for our day. We are so blessed! I love you all and thank you for your kindness, love and support. I have the best family and friends in the world! :) Hope you have an awesome week. Take Care!

Elder Ovard

Trainers with the new Elders.  Elder Ovard on the left with Tillemann-Dick Choro.

Trying to make a brace out of cardboard.   Didn't work to well!

Almost there!!!

                                  On His FEET! After 12 1/2 hourss! :)  T.D. Choro Still Smiling.

Rika and Yugo's Baptism!!!

 Kawamura Rika and Yugo's baptism!  Yugo was baptized by Elder Narita, Rika was baptized by Elder Ovard.  This is a family Elder Ovard and Narita were working with when the earthquake happened.  It is good to be back in Morioka and see their progress. 

           Elder Ohira's 27th birthday!  Yes there are 27 donuts.  It only took him a week to eat them all.


Holy smokes where do I even begin?!! There has been so much going on this week and I have so many things that I want to share with all of you. I will try and focus so I don`t miss anything. It has all been so good though!! Most importantly, Kawamura Rika and Yugo got baptized!!!! Yay!! I will tell you more about it later but I have been jumping with joy for them over the past few days so I had to get that out there.


President Rassmussen made it in early last week and yes we did meet with him!! He came up to Morioka on Saturday and we held a Zone Conference. It was so good!! He is one of the nicest and most classy men I have ever met. Sister Rassmussen is the same!! They are both so sweet and I am so excited to be able to work with them from here on out. President served his first mission here back in the day and at that time it was called the `Japan Mission`. He even served in Iwaki, my first area!! He is such a nice guy and we all love him and are excited to be with him.


This morning we had transfer calls. President told me he had recieved revelation from the Lord and was going to bless my life by giving me a new missionary. Another one!! Haha. I will be staying here in Morioka but will be coming back with another companion. I have not yet met him but his name is Tillmann-Dick. President met him last week in the MTC and said he is a really nice guy. Supposively he is a convert to the church and I believe his family may be part of the Islam religion. Not real sure though. I will have to double check. I think he is most recently from Colorado but for the most part comes from New Jersey. President also said he is a smart kid and can speak a few different languages too including Arabic and Spanish. Holy smokes!! Haha I really don`t know anything but I am definitley excited to see what`s in store. President really wants me to focus on training this time as well so I will not have Zone Leader responsibilities this time. That`s a little bit of a relief! :) Shinno Choro will be transferring down to Sendai and serve in Nagamachi, the mission home area. I`m not gonna lie- it`s gonna be hard to let him go! He did so much for me and everyone around him. He is an awesome missionary and I am thankful for all he taught me. This also means I may have to start cooking some meals as well...oh boy!! Haha. Elders Ohira and Ishida will be staying here in Morioka as well.


It has been a crazy week trying to get everything ready for Sister Kawamura and her son`s baptism. But we made it work!! We held the interview on Friday and had the baptismal service on Saturday. It was one of the best services I have ever been too!! The Spirit was so strong and I was just so happy for the 2 of them!! One of the most exciting parts of their baptism was that Elder Narita, my companion from before here in Morioka, was able to attend the baptism!!! He came with President and Sister Rassmussen to the Zone Conference and they all attended the service. Before we entered the water the missionaries sang a special musical number. I played the piano while they sang `I`m Trying To Be Like Jesus`. It was so good!! Narita Choro performed Yugo`s baptism and I did Rika`s :) The Spirit was so strong. It felt like heaven to see them all dressed in white!! Rika was baptized first, and then her son followed. When they had finished, Yuika (Rika`s 2 year old little girl), wanted to get in the water too! Haha it was so cute. Her mom kept telling her that she had to wait till she was 8. That made me so happy. Now their family knows where they`re going!! To the Celestial Kingdom...forever!! :) After the service ended, the first thing Rika said to me was, "Now I`m happy :)."


The mission is full of miracles. It was a miracle to be able to meet with the Kawamura family. I love them and I`m so grateful to have had the opportunity to share the gospel with them. Now we gotta work hard with the branch to hold on to the fruits of our labors. I love this work!! I love you all. Hope you have an awesome week!!

Elder Ovard