Mom and Dad,
I
can't believe it's already August! It's been very hot and humid in Matsue.
Basically all I do in my free time is drink water. It's my hobby during the
summer. Crazy to think that school is going to be starting back up for Marisa
in another couple of weeks. It's cool to hear that Kevin's switching jobs. I
hope all goes well with that transition. Grandma Hutchings filled me in on
Grandpa's condition in her last letter to me. I always love getting letters
from Grandama. It's nice to get a taste of how everybody is doing.
I've been
doing well lately and things have been going great. I feel
kind of bad for my trainee sometimes - I'm really weird and American and stuff.
At the same time, we have tons of fun and get along great. As a trainer, I
don't go very easy on my trainee. I don't make his life miserable or anything,
but I make him think. Deeply. A lot. When he asks me a question, more often
than not I fire a question straight back. When you can get people thinking to
answer their own questions, or work harder to answer their own questions, then
they value the answer much more. It provides a better opportunity for the
Spirit to provide inspiration when the cogs and gears in the mind are spinning
and they dig deep into their souls. Sometimes I give hints, but those are also
generally come in questions, and as such I'm able to lead them to a conclusion
rather than just handing out the answer. I do it a lot with my trainee. It
also applies for investigators, but I generally go a bit easier on
investigators. Asking questions that make people think deeply is a really
convenient tool - basically people just end up teaching themselves. I make
Hashimoto Choro think a lot. It's tough for me too, because I have to remember
how much he knows and has experienced, etc. so that I don't ask him a question
that just leaves him guessing or dead stuck. Also, sometimes asking questions
is tough in Japanese. There are multiple ways to say why, how etc. But it all
works out in the end.
This last week was
transfers week, and one of the Japanese Elders in our apartment transferred. A
gaijin came to fill his spot. I don't really speak much more English than I did
before. The picture I attached is from before transfers. It's kind of funny
how much I'm leaning down to level out with everybody. Also, I have pretty long
arms.
I love dendo and I
love being a missionary. I feel a bit more tired in the summer because of all
the heat, but there's a really sense of satisfaction in coming back to the
apartment at night feeling worn out, hot, and sticky from sweat and
humidity.
Love,
Elder Kyle
Hutchings
PS. Thank you so much
for sending a package! I'll let you know when I get it!
