Mom and Dad,
Fun to hear about the baby shower and that Lillie and Mimi will be going to
play with Grandma and Grandpa.
愛する父よ、もし私は漢字で書いてもまだ読める？私はRAGNARで走りたい！(In case you couldn't read that, yes,
I would be very interested in running in the Ragnar). Also, we haven't been
going very far on the distance - my companion brings a soccer ball and practices
kicks and drills while I do pull-ups and dips on some exercise bars in the
park. We also do stairs and sprints sometimes. I love getting up and
moving!
It's been another good week. Things are starting to get a bit chilly
around here, but not quite as bad as where you are. It's nowhere near as bad as
it was in Toyooka last year either - Osaka has probably been the nicest area for
weather for me on my whole mission.
Last Friday we had a Zone Training Meeting. It was awesome because Elder
Hapi is also in this Zone so I had a chance to talk to him. It was a bit
strange because I'm going back one transfer sooner than he is. He said he's
considering coming to BYU Provo for school, but he's not how much he wants to
live in America. Hapi Choro is such a hoot. It was also strange because I was
invited to give a returning missionary testimony at the end of the meeting. I
remember when I first got to the mission and went to a meeting or conference and
saw the returning missionaries give their testimonies. I always thought that it
would be so far away. But here it is, and it's a sprint to the finish.
The Eikaiwa (English conversation class) in this area is awesome! I've
been having fun doing the kid's class, and last week two more families came with
kids. They were invited to come by the students already coming. We're working
with the ward now to plan an activity outside of English Conversation class to
try make it easier to bring in a Gospel introduction. We're excited to see
where things will go with Eikaiwa.
We've received a challenge from President Welch to read the Book of Mormon
by the end of February. I'm excited to begin the Book of Mormon again and
deepen my own testimony and conversion.
I love life and I love being a missionary. It's strange to think that in
just a few short weeks I'll be seeing you all, but it makes me want to sprint
harder and harder. I remind myself that the only way I can hold my head high
breaking through the finish line is if I finish pushing my hardest. In Helaman
16 (maybe it's 15) it talks about how after Samuel the Lamanite flees from the
Nephites, he goes back to his own land and keeps preaching. If sharing the
Gospel is what you're supposed to do when you go home (which I think it is) then
I've got no reason to stop doing it or slow down now!
Love,
Elder Kyle Hutchings
