Ota sensei wrote us a kind letter which I'd like to share with you all. Thanks
to Desouza sensei and Hayato for the translation.

Dear members of Georgia Kendo Alliance

I want to thank everybody very much for allowing me to practice with them for the 3 months. You changed your Tuesday practice from kendo to kata, according to my advice. On those Tuesdays, members of all levels spent 2 and 1/2 hours to practice only kata. By the last Tuesday, Jonathan and Paul were performing their kata so well that I believed I was watching professionals do kata. Also Reiko worked behind the scene to make sure the beginners could understand the kata, along with assisting on translations. Watching everybody work together, I felt that everybody was trying their hardest for themselves and the dojo.
On Thursday and Saturday , I would watch everybody practice hard, and increase their quantity as well as improve their quality of their kendo. Feeling everybody's determination, I could see the people working tenaciously to try to grasp something beyond just the technical aspects of kendo.
I would also like to mention how Barr sensei, Hayato , Oliver, Paul and Kenneth worked together to teach the beginners, allowing them to move up efficiently.
Thanks to everybody's cooperation and understanding. I was able to promote kendo in places such as Richmond, New Orleans, Charlotte, Raleigh and Sarasota for, this I am grateful. With all this traveling, I made many new kendo friends in various places.
In my home life, while in America, I was able to experience many positive aspects of American culture, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, theatre(Nutcracker tickets I received as a Christmas present from you), New Year cross over practice, My Birthday party, New Year's party, as well as an automobile-based society.
I feel that we have a greater understanding of each other after various opportunities to converse after practice. Due to my lack of knowledge, I fear that I may have caused many people great inconvenience. For this I am sorry. I treasure all of you as students that I can take pride. Although we are separated by a great distance, I feel very close to each one of you. I wish success and prosperity to G.K.A. and wish to return in the near future and rejoin in practice.

Thank you very much.
Yoshiyuki Ota