February 24 Email & New Address!

Hallelu-Yee-Haw!!

I am in Marble Falls, Texas, and all the cities around it. I'm in the largest area in the mission. I am in the country. hahaha

This is what I pictured when I got my call to San Antonio, Texas. Everyone here lives on a ranch and has pigs, cows, chickens, haha!!

We are in a nice truck and we drive it every day, so I won't be using my bike again until my next area. Well.....besides today we are going mountain biking with a member here.

My address here is.. 1605 Stony Ridge court #8, Marble Falls, Texas, 78654.

MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE SENDS STUFF TO MY OLD ADDRESS! Make sure everyone sees my new address

I don't even know where to begin haha I really do love it here though. If ya'll think I wasn't going to learn a language on my mission, think again. Out here in the Texas Country, they do not speak English. haha I am getting pretty good at talking like them too.

My companion's name is Elder Christensen from Nampa, Idaho. He's pretty new to the mission, but he is way nice.

We do a lot of service here. Which is way fun!

The area has been going pretty rough lately, hasn't seen a baptism in a while, but we have already met a few people and are getting some lessons. I'm really happy to be here and really excited for all the memories i'm going to have here.

I lived in my last area for 6 months and I knew everyone pretty well there and felt really comfortable. Now I get transferred up here where I literally don't know anyone, I don't know the area, I don't know the people we are teaching. But it was awesome to see how even with everything else changing, you can always feel The Lord with you. No matter where you go or who you are with, The Lord can always be there with you so you never have to feel alone.

I'll send some pictures!!

I love you all, write me!!!

Love, Elder Giles

 

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

 

 

Lyndon B. Johnson Lake and yo' boy

 

Off to do some service

 

Elder Condie and I

A deer right next to our apartment! haaha

Manuel, Eric, and I

 

February 10 Email!

Family,

I'll probably send a box home next week with some stuff in it so I don't have to carry it all around, I might send my first journal home soon too. Transfers are coming up on the 20th, i'm more than likely getting transferred, 6 months is a long time in one area. I would love to go to Austin! I think that would be so sweet, i'm sure I will at some point in my mission.

It's been kinda rainy here too, it's completely different every day, but today is wet and dreary. lame.

 

So there is this very small town in our area called Somerset. oh, it is so weird. haha we went own there for the first time on Monday night because there is a guy living there who used to meet with the missionaries in Louisiana but moved there for a job. Anyways, It is a super small town and I feel like i'm back in the 1950's. Everything is old and just.. weird. haha it's like old ghost town ghetto. Most of the houses are super small and are holding on by a thread. It's super weird, but I love it.

 

Like I said, I will more than likely be getting tranferred soon. It's really sad. I honestly love this area and all the people here so much. This has been my home the whole time I have been away from you guys. There are so many truly great people in this ward and in this area of Texas. I have learned so much just from the people here, and I will never forget some of them and the memories I have with them.

I'm sending home a picture I took this week with me standing outside one of the 'entrances' to the Trailor Park that Manuel lives in. haha

 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters in the Book Of Mormon is 3 Nephi 17. Ya'll should read it, and feel the power it has.

I love Texas, I love this mission, I love the Book Of Mormon and I love The Lord.

This Gospel is about trying to perfect ourselves, and become the best we can be. We always here, "I'm not perfect" or "I'll never be perfect"

It's true that we will never achieve perfection, in this life, but before we use that as an excuse, we should use it as a challenge. We can't be perfect, but we can always be better.

 

I know that God lives and answers prayers.

 

Love, Elder Giles

February 3 Email!

Family,

The baptism this last Saturday went great! His name was Gavin Bailey and his grandpa came into town from Vernal, Utah to baptize him! It was a really good baptism. It was pretty cool also, because his other grandpa (from his dad's side) is a Lutheran Minister, and he came to the baptism. He was a great guy, him and I talked for a little bit.

 

So, I have taught and been a part of 3 baptisms now, (4th this Saturday). I personally baptized Dion Saldivar. Speaking of Dion, I had a sweet experience this Sunday. I was sitting right next to Dion at church, he usually comes over and sits next to me. So when the sacrament came he was the one who handed it to me... I don't know, it was just so awesome for me. I had a flashback of when I first met him, and all the times I taught him and then when I baptized him and now he was handing the sacrament to me.. It was just such an unreal experience for me! AND then, he bore his testimony in front of the whole ward. It's hard to describe the joy that I felt in that moment. Seeing someone who I helped teach about the Church, and now he is up there bearing his testimony about it all! Unreal.

 

So there is this sweet guy we are teaching named Daniel. He has been through sooo much, but he has the best heart. He really is like one of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever met. We had a very spiritual lesson with him and his son this week, and after he was talking about how he has always tried to do what's right. He said that one thing he always told his sons was, "fight the good fight". He explained it to me saying, " When you know what's right, Always fight for it".

I loved that so much!

We all have a fight each day, whether it's small or large. We all have our personal testimonies and we know what's right and wrong. We know better than we act most times. One thing that Jesus Christ repeated in both the Bible and the Book Of Mormon was to not 'hid your light under a bushel'. If Jesus Christ repeats himself, it's going to be important. Let's not hide what we know to be true from others, or ourselves. I'm not saying for everyone to hop on your bike and go door to door, but as you live your everyday life, make those little choices that show others, and yourself, who you are. It's those little fights that we can't overlook. Let's fight the good fight, aight?

 

I love ya'll!

 

love, Elder Giles