.:Long Overdue:.

Ok I've been slighty cruel to all who care so much about Elder Brown, just as I do. I hardly make it through the week from email to email without going crazy. So I apologize IMMENSLEY for making you all wait for any sort of update. Here I am though! No worries.... =D Brock is in Fiji now. He's been there a few weeks and he is absolutely loving it. To update you I'm going to start from the beginning of my emails and go up to my most recent:

MTC

Brock got haircut in the MTC. He said it was a level 2 and he thought that was pretty awesome. I don't think he'd had a cut like that since him and Mitch were little (age wise ha ha) boys and my dad buzzed their hair every summer. He goes to class all day long and as much as he hated school he says this isn't so bad. He says an average day goes somewhat like this:

> >> >>>>> 6:30 Wake Up
> >> >>>>> 7:00 be in class personal study.
> >> >>>>> 7:45 breakfast
> >> >>>>> 8:15 class with teacher and learn.
> >> >>>>> 11:00 gym
> >> >>>>> 12:30 lunch
> >> >>>>> 1:15 class
> >> >>>>> 5:30 dinner
> >> >>>>> 6:15 class
> >> >>>>> 9:00 plan for the next day
> >> >>>>> 9:30 be in the residents

He's recieved a new companion as his first one tried beating him up (seriously does he not know who Brock is?? ha ha jk, he was a BIG Tongan. Good thing he didn't succeedd). It was only a few weeks later that he also got sent home for anger issues. Hearing that showed me how much Brock had grown in the few short weeks he'd been there. Brock used to have a "hot temper", if you will, and i'm pretty sure there would have been a good MMA show down if he would have handled things like he used to (right Gus?? =D) His new companion is Elder Chlarson. He's from Utah. Super nice, Brock says, but a little nerdy. His favorite part about the MTC at this point is learning the language. He's become very good friends with the native fijians there (they're going to California) and they help him a lot. They've told him he's almost starting to sound like the natives. He really liked that. When he was set apart he was blessed with the gift of tongues if he worked hard so it's great to see that being fulfilled! His best friend is one of the native Fijians he's met named  Peta Rakuita. He is 6 foot 4 and weighs probably 250. I bet they're a fun little friendship to see! =D Crazy thing is my dad served with his uncle when he was in Fiji. Brock is still concerned with keepin' his rockin' bod, ha ha, so he does arond 200 push ups and sit ups a day.  His food requests crack us all up though. He wants 3 NORMAL Cokes as he put it, a Dr. Pepper, VERY buttered popcorn.  No wonder he has to do so many freaking push ups and sit ups! He left the MTC for Fiji Saturday the 7th of May and got there early Monday.

Fiji

Saturday the 7th as he was at LAX we got to talk to Brock. It is defintely on the top ten list of best days of my life. He sounded amazing. I can't believe how much more mature and changed he sounded just in the short two months he's been gone. It was an awesome 2 hour talk. Monday my mom got a very SHORT quick email. It said simply this:

"hey mother i am emailng you to let you know that i am here in fiji and i am sittin in my short sleave shirt and sulu haha :D i am healthy and having fun :d so was every one kinda crying last night haha cause i could feel the sorrow throug the phone haha :D love you all

ELDER SPEED ANGEL"

We, unfortuanately for my crazy self and mom, didn't get another letter until this Monday, which is his P-day. His first area is Taveuni  Matei. We haven't got any pictures yet because he said their computer is super slow. The picture above is from googgle. Brock says it is called the Garden Island. Lucky kid, right?? Up to the email we got he had taught about 20 lessons and gotten to know a lot of people. His companion is Elder Momoisea another Tongan, but Brock says he is very chill and relaxed, unlike his first. He was very excited to meet a Brother Yee, who told Brock that my dad baptized him. He says it is VERY hard trying to actually communicate with the language, rather than just learning words but he's doing his best. He lives in a flat that only gets electricty from 6pm to 9:30pm. His bed is a camping mat (good thing we camped all those years growing up, right?!). His food menu he said is as follows:

> breakfast is usually hot coco with crackers
> lunch is noodles or hot cooco haha
> dinner is alot differenet haha but way good.
Ha ha sounds like he's going to get soooo skinny, or never want Hot Chocolate again ha ha! One of the members has a weight bench that he lets them use, so Brock is in heaven all around it sounds like. He is the only "white boy" at church and everyone thinks that is pretty funny.

So far this is all we've heard from him. If you know Brock well enough you know he's definitely a man of MANY words..... NOT. So needless to say we don't get very much from him. I think we'll be lucky if we get a single picture! As much fun as he's having i KNOW he wants letters from everyone. In almost every letter he writes my mom he asks her to PLEASE have people write him. So... if you get a chance type him a little letter here and I'll send it on to him, or send him a letter of your own!

We sure love our Elder Brown and are SO grateful for the sacrifice and obedience he's shown. Stay tuned and I'll hopefully keep you updated weekly!

Love Al.