New Area: Burlington, and More Problems with Pants

I don't have time again, sorry, we are mailing from the church lab and there are only two computers.

This week was good. We had a baptism, photos to come later. But the story of this week is one of destruction, and a deer. After the baptism, the Emporia elders were driving home... and hit a deer, going 55 mph.

They called us to go pick them up and then we drove down and then saw the car. It was destroyed, photos to come later, and the side panel on the front was destroyed. We looked at the deer and it just looked like it needed a combover and it would be good. But the best part was when the cop asked us if we want the deer, we said no then he radioed in "anyone on the roadkill list for a deer?" They have a roadkill list!?! So awesome! People can sign up and get the roadkill and eat it!  So cool! I promise I will be more assertive next week making sure I have more time. Love you, and I didnt even get to email dad or anyone else.

Con amor, Elder Daines

I got more time so I am writing more, the come back time. But I have been thinking about what I want for Christmas, and I was thinking just like pants, I ripped another pair, and ties. And music.

My new area is burlington. It is super small. We live with members and they are cool. 

I dont know if I said this yet, but in my last area, everyone was in the military, the jobs I heard were: tank driver, demolitions, and all types of military jobs. Now it is all in a nuclear power plant. I hear, crane worker, operations and stuff like that now. Burlington is super small, by the way. 30 minutes to walk across the entire town. 1 and a half hours away from Topeka, which is the zone I am in, so lots of driving for stake conference and training and stuff.

One thing I have been working on recently is being more bold in my teaching. Like if they don't agree with something, going straight out and saying it. For example, if they dont believe in the book of mormon I would have said, "Moroni, a writer in the book said that...", now I have been saying "Moroni, a prophet of God wrote that..." Get the picture? We had a training from the APs and president about that.

Bad Jokes, More Possums, and Silly Pets

This week I broke my ankle... just kidding. I couldn't decide how to start this letter so I started with a lie. Missionary like, yeah?

Well this week was good. We have a bap on saturday, this time for sure. My second so far then. She is Kristi. I dont really know much about her. I just got here. 

But his week was cold. everyday was below freezing. One was about 18. Right now it is 31 and I forgot my jacket at home. (Burlington.) I have that nice one from dad and a member gave me less nice one for everything else. I forgot them both. Walking around in the cold. 

We had some good lessons. Lots of less actives here are getting better. Our investigators are alright. One family we we're meeting with is a dad and a boy. Dad left church after he got divorced and boy hasnt been in 7 years. The dad doesnt really take us seriously and keeps making jokes the whole time. Kinda hard to teach with him, the son is really good. Asks lots of good questions that we can then expound on. This last lesson, the dad got a phone call and had to leave, and we had a really good 2 on 1 talk with son. It was really good. Spirit was strong and he said he would come to church on Sunday. But unfortunately, he got called into work. 

That package saved me. I was almost out of Zyrtec. I had two more.  The members we live with have about 5 cats. And two awesome dogs. And two possums that come every night. One is bigger and passive. I could easily catch him again. And the other is little and rude. He chases me and bit my shoes and everything. I want to catch him, but I dont think I will... one of the dogs is a husky. She is so fun. Loves to play chase and run and run and run. But she is super obedient and loves to snuggle. One of the cats, Meriska, doesnt like to play chase. She is a kitten. I always say her name like the vampires in van helsing. Then I chase her. I usually beat her eventually. She slips on the wood a lot. I love chasing her. She doesn't.

Is He Happy? Brady Delivers His Verdict.

This week was good. We lost some investis to mexico and I dont have much time so I will write fast to save time.

I am getting transferred this week. 

My bike is in the mission home, no tengo ahorita.

I am sad because I am going to an english area.

I am sad because my comp doesnt speak spanish.

I am happy because I am a missionary.

I am happy because this past transfer was lots of fun.

I am happy because my comp Garza is awesome.

I am happy because he helped me learn spanish.

I am happy because I have photos to send home.

I am sad because I cant write much because I have to send pictures.

I am happy because Alex Boye has started recording a new album.

I am happy because it sounds awesome.

I am happy because some is in africanise.

I am happy because I am a missionary.

Verdict: I am happy, even though I am going english.

[Yes, that was the entire letter. We got lots of pics from Brady this week. Here are some of the less random ones:]

Better Than Cow Tippin' (Pictures Included!)

*Note: Aside from all of this cow excitement, he did have a baptism last week. 

This week wast the best ever! Once in a lifetime opportunity!! More to come on that later

This week's letter will be done day by day, starting on tuesday! VAMANOS

Tuesday: normal

Wednesday: during the correlation meeting, we were stuck on the bottom of town on bikes, so we called someone to pick us up

Thursday: Manhattan day, with the college. but we had to go on exchanges because we had two dinners, so we split up and I got stuck in English and on the edge of town away from the college.

Friday: Best ever. We woke up at 6 in the manana and went to mcdonalds for breakfast. Then at the church we got a ride to a farm and did service there, bahaha. ...cow service... We waited while the ranchers went and got all the cows together in one of those little metal places, you know what I am talking about, they are all over in Montana. One right by the corner where the jeep road goes onto normal road and the road goes in a sort of s shape. 

I went undercover in the middle of the cows. They noticed I wasnt a cow fairly quickly and ran away. I chased groups of them into a corral, where me and the rancher chased big ones away and put calves in another part. From there we put close to 30 calves in a little cage and me, two somoans and a rancher kid would push these baby cows that weighed over 240 pounds of muscle and loved to kick into a little pathway, lets pause in the story really quick to talk about this a little bit more. In the cage was awesome. The cows had poop all over them from the bigger cows and were fat and loved stepping on our feet. 

The best way to get them into the straight and narrow path was through baptism. Just kidding. It was to put them in a headlock and carry the head forward and someone else push in the behind and then you drop the head next to the entrance and four people push and kick the cow. 

To continue from the straight and narrow, the cows would get pushed through to the end where there was a machine that grabbed their heads so they couldnt move and then some one would give them two massive shots, stick a tag in their ear, one of those big white piercings that lots have, and then someone would castrate them. Yay.

But it gets better. There were some stubborn cows, but the cows were out in the field. Horsemen would go and lasso the cows and drag them, then we would go, they taught us how to tackle cows and we would then take them out. Two people will hold the cow while others did the things aforementioned. Pictures of that to come next week

Saturday: normal

Sunday normal.

Pictures:

Smuggling Samoans in the Trunk Is Only Natural

Yay italic is back off! I accidentally turned it on during typing of last letter and couldn't fix it! Also library was closed monday so we couldnt email then. 

However this week was great! We did work. I played There Is Sunshine in my Soul a lot this week on the ocarina, and got an awesome new person to work with. Super prepared and awesome. 

Also for pday last week we got haircuts at a member's and my friend left their phone there. So we had to go back. But their house is in Fort Riley--a military base. You need id to get in. He forgot his wallet in Manhattan. Can you see how this is going? So we went to go get it, and instead of dropping the other missionaries off and my comp and I getting it, we put a Samoan in the trunk and smuggled him into the base, like Han Solo. If we got caught we probably would have been arrested. No bueno. I dont plan on doing that again. 

I do plan on catching another possum and hopefully I plan to work my way up to an armadillo eventually. That will require some preparation on my part though. 

The new pants are working great! I wear them so I would know. And a happy note! I convinced my companion to buy me a soda at a gas station! Free soda! Yay! Also my apartment is kinda bland... maybe if you could send me some clay snowman things. That was a joke that probably didn't make sense to most of my readers at home, but to one, they will understand.

We put an investigator by the name of Marjen on date. She is cool and super distracted; it took longer to put her on date than it should. However it happened now! She is on date for the 2 of November. Fun fun fun. 

I learned to ride my bike with no handlebars. I could do it alright before, but now, I am going over bumps, through grass, and up hills! and I go like this while doing it: 

"I can ride my bike with no handlebars

No handlebars, no handlebars

I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars, no handlebars

Look at me, look at me
Hands in the air like it's good to be
Alive and I'm a famous rapper
Even when the paths are all crookedy

I can show you how to do-si-do
I can show you how to scratch a record
I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together

I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to "De Colores"
And "I'm Proud To Be An American"

Me and my friend saw a platypus
Me and my friend made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want, cause look

I can keep rhythm with no metronome
No metronome, no metronome
And I can see your face on the telephone
On the telephone, on the telephone"

You get the picture right?

I love you more than I love riding my bike with now handlebars.

His New Satchel Saves the Day

Well this week was rad. Get it? First off that package arrived perfectly! It [a new satchel] is waterproof and it saved four Book of Mormons! That day I would have used my backpack, but that arrived so I didnt, later when we were biking it started to rain... 70 degree sideways rain. And my pack [the new satchel] was dry inside!! Awesome. 

Conference was good, lots about family, it was awesome. I dont have lots of time for writing right now but I will try to go fast. We put two people on date this week it is good. One is awesome, totally prepared. The other lives with a member family and is like the dad for them.  Super awesome lessons with them. 

I miss conference with you guys, not as good. I bought lots of candy for it and used 70 dollars of my 150 a month on it. Then didnt get to eat it cause we watched it in the church... estoy triste... anyways in conclusion, the package was so awesome thanks so so much. Love you, I now have MoTab Showtime, Alex Boye Spirit, Piano Guys one and two, Essential Missionary collection, and David Arch. The last one was so good, great idea mom, love you so much!!

In Which Brady Wrangles a Possum

Before I forget I need to answer your questions: I will not be transferred. We are staying. Yay. Thanks for sending, I am very excited! I will love to smell that Thorin hair, I miss that little buddy.

I keep forgeting my camera so I cant send pictures. But me and my comp caught a possum! Awesome! It was smelly and after a while it just started playing dead. Loved it. 

Also I had to give a talk this week, no bueno. No se como compartir un mensaje en espanol... I found a book of the hungry catipillar in the nursey and sort of translated that into spanish for them, then compared it to repentence. Everybody laughed...at me and my spanish. 

But this week we had a really good lesson with someone that is taking a while--her name is Marjen--about baptism. It was good. But she is also attending another church and they are pushing her to be baptised also. Right now she is listing towards the other because she identifies well with the music in that church. I feel like we can get her though.  

Also on thursday, three days before the baptism, the branch pres called us and told us he wanted to push back the baptism so he moved it back three weeks, lame. But nothing we can do. Hope it gets better soon.

Thanks so much, and other than that not much happened this week. A lot of service and possum snatchin'.

Also I forgot to tell you I went to a setting apart for a missionary this week. It was awesome and great. The stake president looks like a pirate.

Also the possum pooped in the towel we were holding it in. We didnt notice, but God watches his children. We miraculously had the sheet there when he pooped. We spent a lot of time just holding it without the sheet and it didnt poop there.