Transfers, February 2013, New Missionaries

For anyone who is regularly at the international gate of the airport,
 here (above) is the sure sign that it's transfer day.  Eight carts,
awaiting luggage.  Won't it be fun in July, when we are expecting
at least 20 new missionaries!  President Baird gets so excited when these great new missionaries come walking through that gate:

Sister Leah Hodson, United States

Elder Samuel Richard, Australia

Elder Victor Lazaro, Brazil

Can't forget the group picture and the Hoiza Shout--YOSH!

From left:  Elder Milder, Elder Mikkola, Elder Lazaro, President and Sister Baird
Sister Hart, Sister Hodson, Elder Chiba, Elder Richard, and Elder Tano

Yosh!

Then they are off!  On to a train from the airport to the Nagoya Station, where they make a quick stop for photos at the Golden Clock, and then transfer to their final leg.  They will arrive at the Kamiyashiro Eki and be picked up to ride the last few blocks to the honbu.

From left:  Elder Clark, Recorder, Elder Hara, Commissarian, Elder Richard, Elder Chiba,
Elder Mikkola, Elder Milder, Elder Tano, Elder Lazaro,
Sister Hart, Sister Hodson, Elder Ellsworth and Elder Schade, AP's

At last, the next morning after some training, they get to meet their first companion and find out where they will be going.

Elder Yoshifumi Chiba

Elder Chiba, left, with Elder Harada are going to Nonami.

Elder Yoshifumi Chiba is from Sendai, Japan.  He was baptized first in the family, and his mother followed.  He has an older and a younger brother.  He wants to work hard on his mission so his family will receive blessings.  He enjoys volleyball.  He is a person who never gives up.  The experience he had when he prayed to know if the Church was true also caused him to want to serve a mission.  The Atonement of Jesus Christ has helped him forgive others and find great peace in his life.

Elder Harada really appreciates his knoweldge of the Gospel and finds resolution of 
problems through it. He feels peace and joy at church.  He feels confident that 
his mission will help him decide what to do for the rest of his life.

Sister Saya Hart

Off to Fukutoku are Sister Hart (left) and Sister Ishihara

From St. George, Utah, Sister Saya Hart comes from a family of five.  Her mother is from Shizuoka and she has a grandmother who lives there currently.  Sister Hart loves the fine arts and visual arts and plays violin and piano. She enjoys photography and would like to study that and film eventually. She is warm and friendly, kind and positive.  She has a great motto for her mission:  Loyalty to the Lord.

Sister Ishihara loves to listen to good music and she enjoys performing as well.  Music brings her joy, especially if she is the one bringing it to others.  She has received comfort, encouragement, courage and power from God through prayer.  She knows that He loves her.

Sister Leah Hodson

Sister Hodson, left, will join Sister Rogers in Yokkaichi.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, Sister Leah Hodson has two sisters, one of whom is her twin.  Sister Hodson was majoring in acting and linguistics before her mission.  She would love to visit every Disneyland in the world and win every cooking competition she enters.  She enjoys crafts, reading science fiction, and listening to classical music.  She is cheerful and humorous. Sister Rogers studied Japanese before her mission, so she entered the mission running. She is an excellent trainer and while this is the second person to be blessed by her training, there will be more.  She wants to give 18 great months of her life to her Heavenly Father because He has given her everything.

Elder Victor Lazaro

Elder Lazaro (left) and Elder Romero will be headed to Ina.

Elder Victor Lazaro hails from Curitiba, Brazil.  He is the youngest in his family, and his older sister and brother both have degrees.  After his mission, Elder Lazaro will go to BYU Provo and major in economics.  He loves math and engineering, too.  He likes talking to people, learning languages, and making people laugh.  Elder Lazaro also plays guitar, and likes movies and learning.

Elder Romero says he loves doing things.  He is a very hands-on person.  He has
had many wonderful spiritual experiences and has felt the Lord's hand guiding him.
His life hasn't always been easy, but he has come through smiling,
and he thanks family, friends and the Lord for help in doing that.

Elder Pontus Mikkola

Elder Wilcox will train Elder Mikkola (left) in Tsu.

Elder Pontus Mikkola is from Espoo, Finland.  He is the middle child, with a brother on either side. He loves art and chemistry and studied chemistry for a year before his mission.  He also has an interest in Japan and its culture, so was glad to get called to Japan.  Elder Milder likes Japanese Indie music and trying out new cooking recipes.  He says he is patient and warm-hearted, taking others into consideration in everything he does. Elder Wilcox loves and wants to travel.  He is outgoing and loves meeting new people and always seems to be happy.  He is excited to have kids and raise a family.  And he is best friends with his own siblings and loves his family "a ton!"  Elder Wilcox plays drums and has even played a show in Hollywood.

Elder Eduardo Milder

Fujieda will be home to Elder Milder (left) and Elder Matsunaga

From Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Elder Eduardo Milder has an older brother and sister, and a younger sister.  He lost his mother to cancer in 2010.  Elder Milder studied in psychology in college for one year before his mission and loves getting to know people.  He gets along well with everyone and is patient with himself and others.  He is always in a good mood. He was a professional soccer player for a while.  Elder Milder has had a special friend since he was 10 years old, and hopes to marry her when he gets home. Elder Matsunaga uses sign language and speaks English.  Some day, he would like to make a movie that changes peoples' minds about God.  He would also like to use movies to tell about our church's doctrine.  He enjoys talking with both children and adults.  He is loving and open to feeling the spirit.  He is a hard worker and kind, and doesn't like being in a bad atmosphere.

Elder Samuel Richard

Elder Richard (left) and Elder Ludlow will enjoy being in Okazaki.

Elder Samuel Richard is from Perth, Western Australia.  He is the oldest of 7 children and has four sisters.  His family is very close.  He is thinking about being a pilot, a teacher, a lawyer or an engineer after his mission.  Reading, swimming, strategy games and sports of all kinds are what he enjoys, and he also loves to meet new people.  He calls himself funny, outgoing, and focused and he works well under stress and perseveres through challenges.  He is also a good teacher.

Elder Ludlow is hard working, organized and determined.  His testimony is
another one of his strengths.  He is serving a mission because he knows
how happy the Gospel will make people, and he wants to set
a good example for his little brothers.

and Elder Jarem Tano

Kanazawa will be blessed to have Elder Tano (left) and Elder Kaneko.

From Pearl City, Hawaii, Elder Tano hopes to become an aeronautical engineer and work on planes in the Air Force.  His parents and a brother all served missions in Japan, and one of his three sisters served in Thailand.  Elder Tano gained his testimony through prayer, fasting, and scripture study over a period of time.  Part of that testimony is that he was called to be a missionary before he even came to earth.

Elder Kaneko uses sign language and speaks English.  Some day, he would like 

to make a movie that changes peoples' minds about God.  He would also 

like to use movies to tell about our church's doctrine.  He enjoys talking 

with both children and adults.  He is loving and open to feeling the spirit.  

He is a hard worker and kind, and doesn't like being in a bad atmosphere.