speaking of...

Ok, so that last post reminded me of some funny parts in my brother's last letter. He is serving in Detroit and encounters a lot of interesting people! Here are some of the sections:

"Oh that reminds me, I noticed it's way easier to speak in Ebonics. I've gotten good at it over the past few months. Last week, we were teaching and we had a (white) member present during the lesson. As I was introducing the Book of Mormon, I noticed the white member's face as he was noticing all my errors in my speech.

I said something like: "While da Bible was bein' wrote in da middle eas', da book o' da Mo'mon was bein' wrote right here. Da las' guy to write in dis book here dug a hole and stuck it in da groun' cuz dey ain't no one lef' to keep writin' in it. But he don't be writin' it on paper, he wrote in in a book with gold pages. See da picture? Dat way we can steel read what he wrote after 2,000 years. But he wrote in a language dat nobody speak no mo'. But wit da Gif' an' power o' God, Joseph Smiff could read it and den translate it, an now we gots it in English."

Back when I was with Elder Phinney, we would talk in Ebonics to each other in the apartment. Sometimes we do it with Elder Nelson. I noticed that Elder Nelson prays like a white boy from Utah, so when people in Detroit want a prayer circle, they pray, I pray like them, then Elder Nelson prays, and then they look at him weird because he prays different.

Here's a typical Detroit prayer: "Father God, we come before you today, thankin' ya for da many blessin's we receive from you, Lor'. You are an amazin' God, Lor'. You are so great ("Yes, Lord"[muttered by somebody else nearby]) We love you, and know that you love us all da time ("Yes, Lord") even when we backslide ("Yes, Lord") Lor', we ax you now in da name o' Jesus to bless us O Lor'. ("Yes, Lord") Bless our babies ("Yes, Lord") bless us financially ('Yes, Please Lord'). Father we ax dat all da evil in da worl' to stop ("yes, Lord") dat all da voilent people will receive what they got commin'! ("Mm!") Father God, bless these 2 young boys here wit us ("Yes, Lord" - this time muttered by the Elders) bless them as they go out, 2 by 2, doin da work o' da Lor' dat dey be safe from all dem evil people ("Yes Lord") Lord, We ax you these things in unwaverin' fafe. We pray! In da name o' JESUS! Amen!" So we don't normally go this extreme, but we find a happy medium when we pray with people."

hee hee. Just wanted to share. He is a great missionary.