Picture with President Yoshida!

Hard to believe this is the last mail before Christmas! Just like everything else it`s kinda just crept up on us huh. It`s beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here though!! Had to bust out the boots and have a little fun in the 8 inches of snow we got over the past couple days haha. It was crazy, it went from a clear ground to nothing but white in no more than 30 minutes! Very pretty though. I guess we`ll be gettin lots of hit from here on out . I`ll take another white Christmas :)



I mentioned it before but my last week in Morioka we had District Conference and were visited by many of our leaders. One was President Yoshida, the first counselor in our mission presidency. He also does a lot of translating for the church, including the Book of Mormon into Japanese. I enjoy him so much and really wanted to get a picture with him back in Morioka but he was busy with a lot of different things so it wasn`t able to happen. I left the church that day a little discouraged but was confident in Heavenly Father that I would have another chance to meet him. My first sunday here in Nagaoka there was an announcement that President Yoshida would be visiting our branch on the 18th of December. Recently we were also able to meet up a couple of times in Niigata for some meetings as well. So yesterday as our meetings came to a close I was able to pull Yoshida Kaicho aside and take my long awaited picture :) It was a tender mercy of the Lord and a testimony to me that Heavenly Father knows me personally and has a plan for each and every one of us.


Our branch president here in Nagaoka lives a little ways away but we were finally able to make it over to his place this weekend. He had a nice house and such a cute little family!! The members here are great. We aren`t having a Christmas `party` this year but instead have made Christmas-looking pinatas in which we are gonna fill and take to less-active members, etc. I think it will be a fun activity! We are also doing an English Class Christmas Party this week!! It should be fun. We`ve been blessed and have about 20 people attending class each week!! Although we may not have very many investigators or people to teach, we`re still being blessed and seeing miracles taking different forms. A few investigators wouldn`t be too bad of a Christmas though! ;) I hope you all have a good one. Thank you so much for your kindess, love, and support especially during the holiday season. I love recieving your letters. I hope and pray that we may all feel the joy of our Savior as we celebrate His birth this Christmas season. Love you!!!


Elder Ovard

                                                                     The Field is White!!!

                                                          Tatsuhiro. I love this kid!

                                                        Pres. Yoshida- The Man!

Let it snow!

What`s up everyone. Hope all is going well for you back home. I can`t believe another week has come to an end. It`s been another good one though! I love it out here. We got our first snow this week!! We got a couple of inches but it melted within a couple days. It`s pouring rain right now. You wouldn`t believe the grocery trip we just went on! Haha I don`t know what I`m gonna do when I don`t have to handle bar all my food home. Snow is much more convinient and definitley lots prettier than the rain! We`re not too far away from the snow though. Give it a week or two.



We had an awesome zone conference this past Friday! I love to get with the other missionaries and recieve training from my priesthood leaders. It never ceases to amaze me how much Spirit they bring with them! I love President Rasmussen. He and Sis. Ras. gave us such a sweet Christmas present this year. They had all the missionaries take a picture in front of a rice field (D&C 4) and made a nice dvd out of it. I really enjoyed it. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful and loving mission president and mom. Also, I mentioned a few weeks ago how I met the man who does a lot of translating into Japanese for the church. Not to mention the Book of Mormon! Well, I really wanted to take a picture with him but he seemed really busy so I wasn`t able to do it. I wasn`t sure if I would ever see him again, but he lives in Niigata and I`ve actually seen him a couple times since coming here!! He will be coming to my branch here in Nagaoka next week. I love to hear him speak! He is full of the spirit. And I think I`ll be able to take a picture with him too. God has a funny way of putting things together. ;)


Unfortunately our promising and hopeful investigator living on the 4th floor of our building didn`t work out :( She`s a really nice woman but I guess it`s just not her time. We`re gonna have to keep looking for the `elect`!! Saunders Choro and I are both full of faith and confidence that they`re out there, we just gotta work hard and be patient with the Lord. Our English Class has continued to be a success!! We were blessed once again with new students this past week. Hopefully people don`t start getting the wrong image when they see a bunch of young girls showing up! Haha. Saunders Choro is just too cool. We`re always hopeful english class can be a means of finding people to teach.

We may not have too many people to meet with at the moment but that doesn`t keep me from feeling the joy of this work each and every day. I love it!! We had the opportunity to watch the Christmas Devotional by the First Presidency yesterday. It was awesome. I hope and pray that we can all feel and experience the joy that comes from the true meaning of CHRISTmas. He is our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our Exemplar. Our way to true happiness. I know these things!! :) Thank you all for the love and support you give to me. There isn`t anything that isn`t recognized nor appreciated. It means a lot. Love you all. Have a good week!!


Elder Ovard

My Last December!!

Hey hey hey! I can`t believe it`s December!!! And already the 5th. Wow it`s flying by. Every morning when I wake up I realize I have 1 less day and it gives me that much more motivation to cherish the remaining time. I love being a missionary!! There`s nothin like it.



It`s been another busy one full of ups and downs. We had a Specialized Training up in Niigata this weekend and it was there I learned that my MTC comp and best bud Elder Taylor is now back in the States. He broke his foot some time ago and rather than healing it has only gotten worse. Unfortunately it`s gonna require some surgery. I was SO sad to hear the news and was almost in tears. He`s a stud and I love him. I wish him the best with everything and look forward to seeing him in the near future! He was serving in an area just outside of Sendai and in his place will go Elder Juchau. So now I`m gonna have to let go of my boy too! :( ha. It was like a slap on the left cheek and then the right. He had been in his previous area for a while however and I know he`ll tear it up over there. At least we got to spend some time together including another Thanksgiving! ;)


We have a new investigator! And she even lives nearby! I mean, 2 floors down! Haha. So when Juchau Choro and co. were in town a few weeks ago they decided to knock a few doors of our apartment. I couldn`t believe it at first but when I heard that they found someone golden I gave them some slack ha. Her name is Kikuchi and she`s married with a 9 year old son. She`s so good! Elder Saunders and I met with her a couple times this past week. She went to a Christian High School and College so she also has some Christian background. She read the Restoration and Plan of Salvation pamphlets and had all sorts of questions. She now has a Book of Mormon and I`m confident she`ll read it too! :) She has interest in English Class and would like to come to church sometime as well so hopefully we can help her get to that point!


Our English Class continues to be a success as we have been blessed with many new students. I even think the girl we found last week in her car will come to church next week! Haha. English Class is a fun and natural way of getting people to the church, meeting other members, and getting introduced to the message.


Well I`m not gonna need another haircut for a while... Saunders Choro took it off! Haha. It was the first time my entire mission having my comp cut my hair. I guess that`s what happens when it`s the end of the month with no money and you`re gonna be seeing the Mission President in a couple days! Haha jk. He did a good job though and it sure makes things easier.


We went to visit a member the other day and not to much surprise, got a little lost. But some of the cutest little girls helped us find our way! Haha they didn`t know quite what to think about 2 big Americans. By the time we found the place I even saw one of them trying to take a `sneak` picture with her phone camera haha. It was cute. Afterwards we got in a pic with them. Japanese kids are so cute!!


I love the mish. I love this work. I love the gospel. I love having the opportunity to share this `Good News` with these sweet Japanese people. I want to do all I can to give them everything they deserve. Thank you all for the love and support you give me. I love my family and friends! :) Hope you have a good week! Take Care.

Elder Ovard



pics

1- Brother Osman. A recent convert from an area in western China. This man can draw!!

2- Joetsu District!!

3- The Ovard Family minus TD Choro :) Shinno Choro is also now a father making me a grandfather!!

4- The cute little girls!