Miracles this week!

Hey everyone! I can`t believe another one has already passed by!! I hope your week went as well as mine did. It`s been a busy, fun-filled one that`s for sure :) And the snow keeps coming down!! Pretty crazy. There are times we wake up to a foot of fresh powder. On top of the 5 feet already piled up, that is!! We spent a few days in Niigata this week for interviews with President and splits with the zone leaders and due to heavy snow we weren`t able to ride the train back. We ended up taking the shinkansen (bullet train)!! We ended up making the hour and a half ride in twenty minutes, but also lost an extra 20 bucks out of the wallet. Not a bad experience though! I couldn`t help but to think, `The next time I`m on the shink I`ll be heading to Tokyo!`. As excited as I am, it`s really sad to think about. But we`ve got an awesome week ahead!!




Although our working time in Nagaoka was short, we saw miracles this week! We were able to see Yamamoto last week on P-Day, follow up with her, and get a return appointment. She`s been reading the Book of Mormon too!! :) We`re gonna go back this afternoon. We also found a new investigator from the area book named Wakai. She`s a middle aged lady who runs a shop not far from the train station. She`s really sweet and fun and has the potential of coming to church next week! After retuning from Niigata Saturday afternoon we began knocking on doors. We came across one really sweet woman and began to introduce ourselves. She was really nice and I had the feeling that we ought to push for an appointment with her. I did, and to our surprise, she asked if it was ok to meet at the church! She said an hour would be good haha. She said she was just going to listen, so we`ll see where things go. The appointment is for today, actually in just a couple hours! Her name is Emiko. We`ll pray for the best!



We`re off to Sendai this Thursday for our Mission Conference with Elder Oaks, Elder Hallstrom, and Elder Aoyagi. I can`t wait!! I`m so grateful for the opportunity I have to hear from special servants of the Lord before I return home. We are blessed with the guidance of living prophets!



This morning, for the first time in a long time I opened up my journal to the first part of my mission. It brought back so many good memories. I love my mission :). I`m grateful for the many learning experiences I`ve been given and for the many friends I`ve been able to make. I will never forget this time. Thank you for all your support. I love you all. Take Care.


Elder Ovard



Pics: Fireworks in the snow! It was quite the show. In August, Nagaoka has the biggest firework festival in Japan.