Mom and Dad,
Not going to lie, I took a long time writing my e-mail to Kaicho
(President) this week so I'm just going to copy and paste some of the things I
wrote to him and send it to you. I think most of it should make sense.
I sure hope the mini-cows are still around when I come back. I'd love to
see them! And eat them! Also congrats to Marisa on getting her
permit!
Just a bit of explanation beforehand:
This week we planned and did a Zone Training meeting. It went well and was
really good.
Kato Choro (Elder) and Aono Choro are the Assistants. They're both Ni Hon
Jin (Japanese) and both about as tall as Mom. It's funny, because most every
other assistant has been a tall, well built gaijin (White). Also it's funny
because Kato Choro is 27 years old. He's a way interesting fellow. He was
baptized about 2 years ago, I think. Amazing to think that even though He was
baptized just 2 years ago now he's a missionary serving as an Assistant to the
President.
Kouta Kyoudai (Brother) is an amazing fellow. His testimony is strong and
he is always so cheery. I'm pretty sure he has a nervous system disorder of
some sort. He's confined to a wheel-chair and his movements are very jerky.
His mental capabilities are impaired, but he is able to think and talk. When
he talks, because of the nervous system disorder, it comes out as a kind of a
semi-intelligible Japanese/moan. It's not always easy to understand even for a
Ni Hon Jin, so talking with him is a lot of guessing, completing his sentences,
and checking if you're understanding what he said. I love the brother. He
served for a period of time as a missionary in the Japan Kobe Mission.
After the ZTM it was our privilege to have some time to kokan
(exchange) with the Assistants. Aono Choro spent just a little time talking
with me. I've always respected Aono Choro. I think the first time I met him
was on the day before the Aoyagi Taikai (Conference) last May. My trainer and I
went to Okayama the day before the taikai, and he was a Zone Leader there with
Elder Price. When I met him, I told him, "You are beautiful." He replied, "You
are beautiful too." Thus began the beginnings of our beautiful relationship.
Anyway, during the kokan the other day he shared with me something profoundly
important and valuable. He shared with me what he has realized about how to see
success. His testimony at MLC was powerful when he asked, "Do you know how to
see success?" and it really set me to thinking again about what success is and
what it means to see it. Aono Choro explained to me that he sees there being
three parts:
1) To Obedience add Faithfulness. Obediently applying the tools and
training we receive, and on top of that really doing so with an attitude of
following the Spirit and trusting in His power.
2) Humility/Receiving Counsel. Always being humble enough to receive
whatever counsel the Lord may give you from whatever source. Having the
humility to recognize our mortality and that we need His guidance and
power.
3) Relying on the Lord. Knowing what it means for you personally to rely
on the Lord. Understanding how you can personally work effectively with the
Spirit, receive revelation, and how you personally go through the process of
desire, think, believe, focus, rely.
In all of the paintings of Book of Mormon stories, the characters are all
ridiculously beefy and muscley. Aono Choro may not match Lehi's family in
physical size and stature, but I think if Aono Choro's spirit and Nephi's
arm-wrestled, Nephi's spirit would have a run for it's money. Aono Choro is
beautiful, and a spiritual beast.
Having a chance to talk with Kato Choro was wonderful as well. We
discussed how ZTM went and some ways it could be improved. More than anything,
he said, Elder Hoshino and I need to focus more on how we are doing as Zone
Leaders in our day to day responsibilities. Our follow-ups, our interaction
with the missionaries in our Zone, etc. As we discussed the state of
Fukuchiyama Zone and the missionaries in it, we overall came to the conclusion
that as a Zone the quality of our lesons probably isn't that good. We're not
powerful teachers. I do get the feeling that's the reason that's a major factor
in why finding has been slow around the Zone. As Wong Choro has said, "The Lord
needs powerful teachers, not powerful finders." As Kato Choro asked me about
everybody in the Zone, I came to realize that there's really nobody who has
awful Japanese. Everybody is doing reasonably well. However, as Kato Choro and
I were talking the thought came to me that perhaps our Japanese isn't from our
hearts. To what extent the missionaries in this zone are able to speak from
their heart in Japanese. How much of a lesson is really the words that the
missionary wants to say and said from their heart? If they're not speaking from
their heart and bearing powerful testimony, then how can we make a spiritual
oasis? I get the feeling that improving lesson quality - especially the
heart-feltness - is where I should focus with the zone.
As I was thinking about improving lessons this morning, going into language
study I decided to read from romaji PMG chapter 10. I feel incredibly blessed
that my language study time is still revelatory time. When I read aloud during
study, that I'm not only able to work on my intonation and pronunciation, but I
understand enough that the Spirit is able to whisper things to my heart. At the
beginning of chapter 10 is the scripture D&C 84:85. When the phrase "take
ye no thought before hand what ye should say" translates into Japanese the word
"omoiwazurau" is used. That word means to be anxious about, to worry over. I
then opened up the scriptures in D&C 84 and read from verse 81-85. I
remembered that as we follow His way we are Relying on Him. It talks about the
yuri - the lillies and not worrying about things. Right here He says that He
knows our needs, thus He knows our investigators needs. We need to plan
carefully, but we shouldn't worry and be anxious about things. We need to trust
him and rely on Him. We need to following the attitudes He has instructed us to
have - don't worry about things, relax and go slow, be of good cheer. It was a
reminder to me of when I was a very young missionary. At that time I wasn't
very loose and Japanese didn't come out very naturally. As such when I would
just relax and try to feel the difference it made was huge. Things would come.
My testimony took more power, and I was able to speak from my heart.
We have an investigator who is the husband of a member. He comes to church
every week. Even so, he has no intention of being baptized. He 80 years old
and a crusty old fellow who isn't one to speak his feelings. Lately we've been
wondering about how we can get into his heart, and Hoshino Choro had the idea to
have a doseki (member) lesson with Kouta Kyoudai because this old man seems to
have a soft spot in his heart for Kouta Kyoudai. We weren't entirely sure
though, how to arrange for such a lesson - Kouta Kyoudai is in a wheelchair, and
our old man lives pretty far away. Yesterday, though, the opportunity presented
itself after church. We had a really good "lesson." It was half home-teaching,
and half a lesson. Kouta Kyoudai, one of the greatest kikan senkyoushi from the
JKM, was insistent that we take some time with him to teach the Terada fufu -
because as it turns out they are one of the families in his home teaching
stewardship. So, we sat down with them and Hoshino Choro translated from Kouta
Kyoudai to our dear old man. It was magnificent how much of a difference there
was in the responses to questions given by the old man, when they were coming
from Kouta Kyoudai. He actually said a sentence or two rather than just "I
don't know, I don't care." While at the end of the day he didn't accept the
invitation to be baptized, I think we've found the key to helping invite our old
investigator unto Christ.
Hope most of that makes sense. I had a great week, and I'm still happy and
healthy. Going to go look for suits again today. If I do find something
fitting, I won't pay more than ￥８000 for it.
Crazy to think we're getting a new Kaicho (President). That means that
Zinke Kaicho has almost been here 3 years. That means it's almost been a year
since my trainer returned. That means that in 2-3 days I'll have hit my 1 year
anniversary for existing in Japan. Wow.
Love,
Elder Hutchings
