Great Time By Brandon

Che fanmi mwen ak zanmi mwen yo,

(Dear my family and my friends),

I’m having a great time at the MTC.  The first couple of days were rough because I’m not used to working that much, all day, every day.  But it’s extremely spiritually uplifting to be here.  I can’t wait for General Conference next week.  It will be good to watch it surrounded by so many missionaries going all over the world with the purpose of preaching the gospel to the people, and helping them come closer to Christ.

        I’m going to try to send this letter with a Haitian Creole hymn book, but if I can’t get a good-sized box for it, I’ll just send the letter alone.  There’s only about 30 hymns, but it’s kind of amusing to look at the translation.  For example, the line “high on a mountain top, a banner is unfurled…” loses a lot of detail in the Haitian Creole version, which means something like “on a mountain, there is a flag…”  (Note from Nancy…Britney had a funny post about this hymn a few weeks back, too!) I know you won’t be able to read it (I can’t) but missionaries get ridiculous discounts on language material, and I thought you might like to see it.

        I just got back from the gastroenterologist (did I spell that right?) with Elde Tockel, and unfortunately we don’t have any new information on his errant liver.  He had to schedule a liver biopsy, which sounds pretty gross.  Next Tuesday is when he will go.  They get to stick a large needle into his liver, and he gets  to stay awake to watch it.  If it were me, I would be freaking out right about now.

        My p-day is about to end, so I have to cut this letter short.  I’ll try to send another next week.

Mesi,

Elde Slade

PS I was hoping to get a box to send home a few more things, but it’s so hard to find one, I’m just sending a letter.

I wrote this letter on Monday, but I’m sending it on Thursday so you may receive my next email first…I don’t know.  (At the time I seal the envelope, I have been here for a few hours more than 2 weeks.)

Thanks for everything,

Elde Slade

PS According to my instructor, Haitians are “the best”!

(note from Nancy…many of the words Brandon includes that are in Haitian Creole—including the word Creole—have accent marks over specific vowels.  Since I have no idea how to make those accents on my keyboard, I am leaving them out.  For example, Elde (for Elder) has one over the second “e”.  I am typing that word specifically without the “r” at the end on purpose!)