News Release

New Micronesia Guam Mission President Called

Okuda,-Masaru--Megumi.jpg
Okuda,-Masaru--Megumi.jpg
Masaru and Megumi Okuda© 2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Change comes with the warm Guam breezes. Brother Masaru and Sister Megumi Okuda have been called as the new President and wife of the Micronesia Guam mission. Currently living in Rexburg, ID, they will begin their mission as President and companion the end of June 2022. They will be succeeding President Eric T. Hicks and Sister Christina Hicks.

Masaru Okuda, 58, and Megumi Okuda, parents of three children, live in the Moran View Ward, Rexburg Idaho North Stake. Brother Okuda is a temple ordinance worker and is a professor in the Computer Information Technology department at BYU-Idaho. As a young man Brother Okuda served a mission in the Micronesia Guam Mission. Former church callings include stake president, stake presidency counselor, high councilor, bishop, seminary teacher, and elder’s quorum president. He was born in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan, to Yoshiharu Okuda and Atsumi Okuda.

Sister Okuda is a service missionary in the temple office and a temple ordinance worker. As a young woman, Megumi served a mission in the Japan, Nagoya Mission. Former church callings include stake Relief Society presidency counselor, ward Relief Society presidency counselor, ward Sunday School teacher, and seminary teacher. She was born in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, to Masakatsu Fukuda and Tsuneko Fukuda.

Wishing to serve many missions as senior couple missionaries after their retirement in a decade or so, they told of their surprise when they were called to be mission president. Though feeling humbled with this call, Sister Okuda says she is very excited to be serving as a missionary again much sooner than anticipated.

Dedicating their spare time to religion, morning walks and service, Brother and Sister Okuda focus on spirituality.  “I love the spiritual things and that gives me the greatest joy and motivation” says Brother Okuda. “What we both enjoy the most is just being in the service of God and feeling Heavenly Fathers love. When you have served and feel that great love of the Savior, you naturally want to share it.”

Having previously served in the Micronesia Guam mission, Brother Okuda has an idea of the challenges he will face as mission president.  Along with the need for frequent travel, he says he will need to overcome the barrier of physical distance with the missionaries and the leaders in the districts by fully utilizing all resources God has provided at this time of pandemic.  He wishes a day will come soon that he and the missionaries will be able to visit and minister to members living on those islands that have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic.

The mantle of mission president is settling over him as he prepares to assume his new duties in July, and he feels peace and excitement about this new calling.  They can’t wait to meet all the missionaries and members in person to know each of them personally.  He states how they want to “bring the love of the Savior, conveying the love we have for all these people we will meet.”

Brother Okuda tells how “we read about Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon and Bible, but how would you feel if you actually meet him? That’s the kind of meeting I would like to have with the missionaries and the members.”

With the dedication of the Temple in May, Brother Okuda states that “we have faith that the growth of the Church and the depth of the conversion of the members will accelerate in a way that we’ve never seen before. We are looking forward to seeing the miracle come to the people in the Micronesia Guam mission. The Lord works in a miraculous way, in a way that we never could imagine. I have faith that things are going to work out and that the Lord will direct us.”

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