July 14 Email!

Family,

Yeah, it's been around 100 degrees here every day too, but it's "really humid". I put it in parenthesis, because I really don't feel the humidity any more, I guess i'm just used to it haha and I love the heat! It's not going to be good when I go back to Utah.

OHH, you're repainting the kitchen? what colors are you painting it? I have painted actually quite a bit out here. It's like one of the most repeated service things we do. Every house out here in these boonies are just double-wide trailer homes, and everyone refuses to do ANY OTHER kind of work on there house, besides just repaint over all the stains and mud on the walls haha.

Well, folks, we had another very stellar week.

I went on an exchange with one of the Zone Leaders named Elder Van Aken, from Oregon. hahaha he is very similar to me. When we were in the truck just driving to another appointment, we would freestyle the whole time (and we do a lot of driving). haha he had a 'rap group' in High School and would make rap songs, too. It was extremely fun, just rapping about missionary work, institute dances, baptisms, the millennium.. anything that came to mind hahaha.

Today, actually, i'll be going on an exchange until Wednesday evening in the richest area in the mission. It's called 'Barton Creek', it's the nicest part of Austin. So, that'll be fun. Totally different from what I am used to. My first area was the slums, and now i'm just out in the country.

Dinner Updates: (this will now be a weekly thing, updating ya'll on the grub i'm snacking on)

-Deer steaks with mashed potatoes and gravy (shot the deer and did everything themselves)

-Cajun Hamburgers

-Barbecue Brisket

-Sloppiest Joes

-Deer Meat patties with cheese and chili's wrapped in bacon

-Cocoa Pebbles

A lot of really incredible experiences happened this week.

Within hours, we unexpectedly showed up at two separate Less-Active families home. I'll just share about one of them.

So, the Bishop told us about a family who's papers he just received into the ward, so we went to see if they really did live there. Well, they didn't. It was some lady who didn't know who she was and wasn't interested in The Gospel. So, I asked the lady who else we could go visit on the street. She told us of an old widow named 'Mary' who lived just down the road. So, we went over to the old widow's house. Knocked on the door, and a shirtless 16-year old boy answers the door. I quickly realized that this wasn't a widow's house named 'Mary'. Well, we started talking to him and found out that him and his mother are members of the Church, but have moved a lot and didn't know where the Church was. He mentioned how just recently he was talking to his mom about going back to Church, and then we knocked on the door. They now are coming to Church, and have family members who are not yet baptized who we will start teaching.

It's awesome to feel that God just worked through you to accomplish something.

Thank you all for your prayers and for your examples

I love you

Love, Elder Giles