Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there reading this. 


And...those who aren't reading this.... And a Happy Birthday to 


Darrin.





I had a fine birthday on Saturday. I got the (big) package on 


Thursday. Thanks for the socks, they're exactly what I wanted. And 


now I have some Tamarindo to enjoy! I'm not sure what I should do 


about the little fireworks that you gave me, as it says in the White 


Handbook that we're not supposed to handle fireworks. Maybe I'll save 


them until later, or give them away, or something. I haven't made the 


brownies yet, as we have no vegetable oil and only 1 egg.





On Friday the Assistants came to donate a bike to Elder Kaneko. He 


already had one donated to him from Elder Brewster, but Elder Kaneko 


took the new one, so I took Elder Brewster's old bike that Elder 


Kaneko was using. So I got a new bike for my birthday! It's not a 


full suspension, and it doesn't have a gaurd around the gears (my 


pants got caught and ripped a bit...), but the back wheel doesn't 


wobble, and it doesn't make clanking noises. Hopefully I can use it 


for at least another 1/3 of my mission; which reminds me: today, my 


mission is 1/3 over!





Elder Albert is pretty hilarious. He's been finding out all of the 


wierd things that Americans do, like slam doors in our faces, and 


scatter like cockroaches when we approach. "No good," he says. We're 


teaching some lessons, but no one is doing too much yet. The 


Marshallese work is going pretty slow. We're having some of them come 


to church, but usually they just say that they'll come to church, and 


then they don't come. Elder Jaynes and I aren't quite sure what to 


do. At this point I feel like I'm doing most of the work myself: 


Elder Albert isn't really speaking much; but I believe that I was 


about the same way when I came out, so I'm just trying to figure out 


how to help him learn faster than I did.





Honestly, this whole trainer business is simply out of circumstance. 


It was planned quite some time ago that I was going to train a 


Marshallese elder after going to Springdale. He was actually supposed 


to come a transfer earlier, but he didn't know enough English at the 


time, so he stayed another six weeks in the MTC. That's why I'm 


training: because I am one of four missionaries that have been 


assigned to proselyte in Marshallese, and the two natives are too new 


to do things on their own.





So I can't think of much more to say, other than things are okay, and


I'll try and send a CD burned with everything from my camera card in 


a while. I forgot to bring a blank CD today, so I'll have to burn it 


next week, or have a member burn it, or something. Anyway. 'Till next 


week!


Brady