WAZZUP FAMILY!!!

Okay i'll start with moms questions haha:
For Thanksgiving we have about 3 different members that all want to
feed us haha so to anwser you question i'm going to be getting fat!
Also this week we had a person we met invite us to go to like a miami
shelter place on Thanksgiving. It's like kinda a homeless shelter
place i think. Anyways the MIami Heat basketball team with be there
serving the food haha cool right?? Well I want to go but i think it
might be little out of our area so we'll have to see haha Harvesting
is amazing and without it i just don't understand how you would get in
any doors. I feel bad for the other missionaries that didn't have this
haha anyways harvesting we get in a lot of house. Especially when were
where all the black people live. This past week we got in 26 homes and
thats through harvest for mmm 30-45 min a day is all. It's so cool.The
other elders? Elder williams and Peterson. Williams is originially
from Georgia but now lives up in timpanoges. And elder peterson is
from Mesa Arizona. I love them both their so cool. Mom you can send
whatever you want they all get stuff too. My comp for sure but you if
you want you can send for the others but i think their fine. Just my
comp for sure. And I got you package for Thanksgiving!! Thank you so
much!! Bomb stuff in there. The treats keep me going each day i'm
tellin ya haha Elder Diaz loves those Fruit snacks.Yes members feed us
all the time. We have a list of food that they fill out in RS each
sunday for us. One person takes a certain day of the week. It's the
best haha sometimes were just so busy with people we don't have time
to go eat :) Nope I don't need anything for Christmas haha i'm doing
good mom. Yes i'm pretty sure elder diaz and i will stay here because
were still doing the training program! 12 weeks. So next transfer
elder diaz will probably leave because he has been here awhile. I'll
stay next transfer i think. I get lots of time in miami :) I love
it!!!
I'm so excited more michael oh my gosh haha thats so sweet!! I love my friends.

So this week was another great one!!! No baptisms but a lot of
investigators haha we got 13 new investigators this week. It really
gets hard somethimes because there is only so much time in the day to
see everyone. Yesterday at church we got 6 people there and so were
praying and have the faith for baptisms this coming sunday. Including
that lady that has Dialysis with one leg :) her name is mattie and she
is my favorite!! Like seriously! I love her. IDK if it's because she's
black or what but man shes great. She lives in kinda a sketchy
neighborhood but other then that it's great :) hahaha jk So how is
everyone?? Thanks so much for all your emails again. Don't worry about
printing them off. I should be okay to write and read them all. I just
idk about the blog letter haha oh well.
This past week we had Zone Conference.. and lets just say my mission
president is like literally the next prophet. He's so stong and has
the best testimony. His wife as well. Oh my gosh it was so good.
Presdient shared stories about his life and related them to the
gospel. It was like General Conference status.. so good. I learned so
much. Spanish is still tough but i know it wont come in a week haha
I'm loving it. Elder Diaz and me will speak it and just laugh all day!
I'm started to have members in the ward help me so i should be
speaking it more and more. I am slowly started to understand more and
more so thanks for all the prayers!!
Sounds like all you are doing great. Blake and Bryce Harper.. Dad on
the MTN.. Mom with questions hahahaha jk... Paige and Tay with school
and work and thier house... and Ayns with the boys like usual haha
It's crazy how is seems like things change here everyday but it's just
the same old stuff back home haha it cracks me up!! I'm worried about
my dog grizz though. Still don't hear much from him? Sometimes i
wonder if he's still there haha ayns at least took a pic of him for
me. He looks like he's starting to go grey? Si or no? haha I love you
all so much!
Emailing is so hard because I have so much to say but always don't
know what to say haha it's nice when you all ask questions!! This week
in the Marlins stadium there was a pro soccer game! Venezuala and some
other team haha i can't remember, but we went and rode our bikes
around it on the way to a members house. It was so cool but it gets me
excited for baseball :)
Christmas here should be fun!! Crazy but fun haha a lot of people have
put up their lights and stuff already. Big building.. sky scrapers
have began to do so as week. It'll be fun and i'm sure you'll get a
lot of pictures!!
Anyways I better get I love you all so much! Let me know if you have
anymore questions!!
Have a wonderful week!! Love ya

Love ELDER OVARD

                  Coming Home From Key Biscayne (the Island)  This picture is on the Bridge.

WAZZUP FAMILIA Y AMIGOS 


What a week it was!! So I don't know if you all heard but this week we were supposed to have 3 baptisms. Well we got two of the three down so i'm not complaining :) But wait it gets better. So this week I got my first opportunity to baptize someone. I baptized a kid named Jonathan and Elder Diaz baptized his Grandma. Jonathan is a 16 yrs old and I think he is half Nicaraguan and half black. haha He's such a stud! I love him. Anyways so let's just say Jonathan wanted to be baptized 3 times hahaha No so heres what happened. He spoke English so I didn't have a problem saying it but when it came to dunking him.. Man I felt like I was going to drowned the kid! I did it the first time and he came up and I swear he was like trying to find some oxygen haha but NO I needed to go even further down. So ROUND #2 I dunked him and it was about the same. The witnesses both just said to push him down all the way to the bottom haha so ROUND #3 I threw him down and seriously felt like he was under there forever haha I was so scared! I didn't want to hurt him because I love him so much! So after I brought him up and the witnesses were both smiling and said good. Jonathan had a HUGE smile on his face and said "Thats what i'm talking about baby!! I feel SO clean" hahaha oh man I will never forget the look on his face and the feelings that both of us were feeling. It was an experience and feeling that I hope neither one of us will ever forget! When Elder Diaz told me I was going to baptize I was so excited haha It motivated me in the the mission work. That step and taking on that covenant with out Savior Jesus Christ is what this works all about. I know that as I strive to work hard and do everything I can for the Lord Jesus Christ he will bless me with these wonderful ELECT people. The people that are prepared and ready. Just again this week the Lord has blessed Elder Diaz and I. We found 3 more investigators that are pretty dang solid already and they have the Desire and Faith. Since being here I have learned that's all people need to be baptized. A desire and faith in Christ. It's amazing how great people are in this world. One of our investigators is named Mattie. Mattie has dialysis and only has one leg. Her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is amazing. She always tells us how she believes one day she will live with her family all again but not only that.. She will be her full self again. Physically that is. She knows that Lord will heal her someday and she always always expresses her thoughts and feelings about that. She is so sweet. I look forward to teaching these new wonderful people and I want to help them in their lives through our savior. Our other investigator that was supposed to get baptized this week ended up not because of economic situations and stuff. She is struggling and we've been trying to help her but it's been tough. Anyways it's an amazing life being here representing our Savior. I love it and I'm so excited for all my friends to get out here and serve the lord. They are all getting their calls now and it makes me happy! Alrighty well see yal next week! Love ya

ELDER OVARD

              1st Baptism for Elder Ovard.  Lidia and Jonathan with Elder Diaz and Elder Ovard.

                                                   Jonathan Elder Ovards 1st Baptism

IM HERE!

WELL WELL WELL hahaha wow this is crazy!! WHOEVER told me I was going
to the states is wrong!!!! haha People around here ALL speak Spanish.
In our proselyting and stuff honestly I have probably only ran into 3
people. Our ward is 85 percent spanish. It's crazy but I love love
it!! The people are so so so nice. We have a members house to eat at
literally like everynight. K so I am in Riverside North. This is in
MIAMI :) ya baby!! I am literally in the big city of miami! I have
riden my bike around the Marlins stadium probably 15 times now. It is
like right in the middle of my area. Then the Heat arena is also in my
area and I have riden my bike around that probably 2 times haha So
there is A LOT of excitement around here all the time!! Miami is
sweet. My apartment is on the 12th story of a building and I can see
all of the big buildings of miami (downtown) It's so much fun to ride
our bikes through the sky scrapers and just talk to people:) I will
send you a few pictures that I took. I don't have that many yet but I
will continue to take a lot. My companion is ELDER DIAZ hahaha oh man
I love him already!! He is mexican and is from mexico. He speaks a
little bit of english haha it's like broken up english. The only
problem is, his broken up English is better then my spanish! Its
brutal haha my hardest thing is understanding people. I can speak okay
but understanding people and what their saying... MAN ITS HARD. It
will come though I know it will and I have a native to speak to all
the time. We talk more spanish then english so thats always good. He
really is a hard worker though and he baptizes people so he does a lot
right:) There are so so many different ethnicities around here. I
honestly think it's impossible to keep track of them all haha
Hispanic, cuban, nicaragua, argentina, puerta rican, Blacks, and more!
We had a party one night that the members put together and it was
called like the day of Espana, but it was more or less just everything
bringing foods of their culture and their country and then we all eat
and have a good time!! These people sure do LOVE their food. I haven't
had to cook at all yet! It's great haha Members always go with us to
investigators homes and teach with us... It's amazing. The members
here are seriously amazing. Such great great people. I don't know how
many times i've got from kids and their parents.. This is YOUR house
now and WE are your family now!!! haha I just want to cry because they
mean it and you can tell they do. ELDER DIAZ is just like their kid.
Of course he can talk to them all in spanish and crack jokes and stuff
with them haha so hopefully one day i'll get there. We are supposed to
be baptizing 2 investigators this week so it will be a first for me:)
I am so excited haha Whoever has heard our mission has been the
highest baptizing mission in the U.S. and Canada this past month was
correct haha The Elders here really get after it and the people are
such good people. Anyways I'm loving it and seriously love the people,
miami, food and everything. Love you all and have a great week.

Love ELDER OVARD

Austin's pictures didn't come through but here is a picture from his mission president. Him and his companion!!!

WOW IT'S HERE!!!!!! I leave on tuesday at 3 in the morning! I'm so excited! This past week in the MTC has been so good though. One of my goals was to finish my time out here in the MTC strong. I wanted to show the Lord that I am here for him and i'll do whatever it takes to do his will! I am always working and trying to be the best missionary I can be!! Yesterday I had in-field orientation and it really helped me understand more of what the field is going to be like and I think it really helped me prepare more. I never knew members were such a big help to missionary work. Also planning and finding.. it's all done by the Lord. I'm so excited for tuesday and to get there in Florida and meet my Mission President and my new comp. It's going to be so sad leaving Elder Hunter. He is a stud and is going to be such an effective missionary. He's is committed to the work and I loved that about him. He taught me so much. Our studies together were amazing and we each taught each other the different things the spirit taught us. I honestly look forward to after the mission when I will be watching him play ball for DSC! Were going to be such good friend I just know it and I love him. I'm pumped for a trainer though. From what I have been learning here these past few days.. sometimes the trainers aren't always the best haha and they can get lazy. I learned that that first day I get there it possibly could be up to me. I may be the one telling my trainer what we should do. It's possible but I feel as if my comp is going to be amazing. I have a good feeling about him and I look forward to working with him. I already love him and I don't even know him. Also my mission President! Wow! From the things i've heard here at the MTC he is an amazing leader and he knows how to find and teach people what they need. I look forward to him and all the stuff I will learn from him that i will take to the lives of others. I dont know if you all are as excited as I am haha but it's like i'm speechless and don't know what to so because I am so excited!! Little Shy boy Austin will be in Florida preaching and talking with everyone:) It's hard to believe I know but I have made it one of my goals!! I want to talk with everybody that I come in contact with! Anything I say to them will be from the lord and you never know what person he has prepared for us. It's better to talk with everyone then to miss that one person he has prepared right :) haha anyways I better get! I love you all and will see you in Florida :) Next week will be a lot more excited email I promise!!
HASTA FLORIDA!

CON AMOR,
ELDER OVARD

Hola Familia y Amigos

Como estan todos? I can't believe i am officially down to my last week here in the MTC. It is so crazy! like seriously! I'm getting so exctied though, I want to do everything I can to finish out my time here though and learn all I can and all the Lord has in store for me. I know there is a reason we are in the MTC before we head out to the field. I have learned so so much and it will be sad to leave! This week was AMAZING though! I will never forget this past week. We had the privilege of having Chad Lewis, a professional football player for the eagle, come and speak to us! He was so cool. He told us experiences he had in football, on his mission and in life. He is a guy that I definitely want to be like! One think I really really liked though that he said was.. As missionaries and children of god we receive instructions, rules and principles that are like practicing a drill in sports. We do the best we can but drills sometimes are boring and they are hard to give it all we have sometimes. He explained though a drill is something we practice and do because when we need it at that crucial moment in our life or in a game... what we have been practicing and doing as "drills" will come into reality and that game and our lives will be on the line. We have to always be practicing what the lord has commanded of us. They are like drills, hard to follow sometimes but in the long run if we do what were supposed to our drills and the lord with help us in all we do. I loved this and it really stood out to me when Chad Lewis was talking about it!
Another great opportunity.. :) on Tuesday night for our devotional we had the opportunity to hear from one of our beloved apostles. Elder David A. Bednar!! WOW it was amazing! We all stood up when he walked in that big gym filled with thousands of missionaries! The spirit was so strong just being in his presence. He taught us a few important things that i also loved. Since it was only 2 days after conference he chose to talk to us about conference and the importants of it. Then he taught us how to study each of these talks and how we can get everything out of them that is intended for us. He gave us 3 things in which we are supposed to look for. 1. What is the Doctrine or the Principle being taught. 2. What Invitation is there? What are they asking us to do. 3. What is the Promised Blessing that will come if we do what they say. These three things are so so true! We watched a few talks while he explained all of this to us and in every talk there were these 3 things!! It really was a blessing to have him there and help us! I encourage everything to rewatch a few talks and really focus on this way and PATTERN of studying and learning!

Well I better get! The last week here in the MTC and i'm getting so excited to get out there to FLO-RIDA:) I love you all and have a wonderful week!!

ELDER OVARD

Another wonderful week!! I love having all my buddies here! It makes it so much fun! Dillon and Connor are doing amazing. They have adjusted well and are loving it now! I wasn't able to make it out to see Cody Parry come in unfortunately. I have been asked to serve in a new position now in my zone and we had a meeting and stuff when he was coming in. So I was pretty sad about that, but I did go searching for him at dinner that night!! I found him and he had a big big smile on his face! haha he looked so happy and looked like he was ready for the experience of being a missionary! It was so cool it see and he will do a great job. I love Elder Parry:)

So Jenny Gubler I have some news for you. Do you know a Hermana Haglund?? haha I don't know her first name!! anyways I was talking to her and we made a connection. That you were my cousin and you and her went to jerusalem (however you spell it) together. She said you and her were really good friends! She is in my zone and we talk all the time. She is really funny. Anyways she wanted my to tell you hi and hi to the newly born baby :) Olivia she thought it was!!

This past Tuesday we heard a wonderful talk about conference and I wanted to share it with you all quick because I loved what they said. While watching conference you know how a talk comes up and your like WOW i hope... so and so... is watching this talk right now because it is perfect for them. They need this in their life right now because it will help them with the problems they have. WELL familia and amigos please please don't do that. Brother Ellis encouraged us to instead of thinking of others ask ourselves, "Lord is it I"? This is what the apostles asked Christ. It is what we need to ask Christ. Focus on things that will help us and that will keep us from doing our problems. Don't worry or judge others about their problems. This make sense? anyways I hope it does! 

I love you all so much! Have another amazing week! Love you and I'll catch ya next week:) ADIOS

CON AMOR, ELDER OVARD

Hola Mi Famillia y Amigos

Birthday in the MTC!! Couldn't have asked for anything better right!! I loved every bit of it! After classes and stuff me and my district partied it up in my room!! haha Birthday hats and ALL! It was a birthday that I will never forget and that is because a lot of you had a lot to play in that! Thanks for all the BDAY cards and packages!! Wow we as missionaries truly are loved! That and I have the best fam and friends around! So thank you all! It was a party that is for sure :)

This week Connor Livingston and Dillon Cook came into the MTC! Let me just say... WOW it's good to have even more friends here now!! They are both so ready and so prepared! You can tell just by talking with them. Elder Livingston is actually in my zone! How cool is that. Two of us little ST GEEZY boys in the same zone as missionaries! What a blessing. I will see him everyday and i'm sure we will do study every so often together!! Dillon is in the building next to me so I should see him a lot too. He only has three weeks in here! He is missing out haha but he is ready! I will about be leaving the same time Dillon does. or sorry Elder Cook. Thats crazy to think about!

This week Elder Echo Hawk a General Authority come to our class and talk with us! It was sooo cool. He talked about having exact obedience and the blessings we get from it! Then he also talked about the ripples affect. And how if we convert one, that stays active and lives the gospel. Years down the road that one person could be up to the teens and then the twenties! It's crazy! He shared this with us because that is what happened to him. He was a convert and his whole fam and kids and grandkids are active in the church now. 

This work is so so real and I love it!! Spanish is such a cool language and as hard as it is to learn, I think it is slowly coming and with the Lords help I will get r done and I will be in Flo-Rida bringing the lost sheep out of babylon! For after all... My purpose is to invite others to come unto christ, by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith in the lord Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the H.G and enduring til the end! That is what we do as missionaries!

I love the Gospel! I love the MTC! The food is amazing :) haha HASTA LUEGO

Love ELDER OVAR