Monday, November 25, 2013

Hello! 

 I got your package!  I was surprised!  That's really cool.  I'm an uncle now.  I hope everything is going well with Joel.  He has a lot of hair.  Also, I'm happy to get the yellow envelopes.  I kept meaning to buy them so I can send the memory card.

Some wonderful things are happening here.  This Saturday, we have a baptism at 4:00.  Logan Gadbury is going to be baptized.  He has  a wife and a one year old son.  The wife is still learning, so we're hoping she'll be baptized soon.  Then the week after that, Marcus and Leah Haynes will get baptized on December 7th.  Then we have a baptismal date set up with Zack Hare on January 4th.  We're hoping we can move his date closer to before the end of this year.  

So many wonderful things are happening.  It's a lot of work to do.  It's really exciting.  The only thing we're worried about is we'll run out of investigators.  They'll all get baptized too quick!  That's fine though.  

Yes, I still attend the MIssion San Jose Office.

My companion's name is Elder Harper.  He's been here on his mission for about 3 or 4 months.  He's still new.  He's from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Wow!  Luke's birthday!  Is he talking or signing now?  I bet he is so big.

I will email you tomorrow.  We only had 20 minutes today.  We had a special service project and the mission president said we could have P-Day tomorrow.  

From Elder Giles

Monday, November 18, 2013

Hello!

Wow, so much has happened!  We've been working hard here in Seaside.  Now we are going to have a couple of baptisms soon.  We've been trying to help our investigators come to church.  Finally, this past week, we had our investigators come.  One of them, Logan, has been coming for about a month.  We've been praying for him and inviting the members to pray for him.  After priesthood, we were leaving church.  We saw him in the hallway and he waved us down.  He wanted to talk with us.  He said "Hey Elders.  Can I have a baptismal date?"   We were so surprised!  We said 'yes!  November 30th?"  Now he will be baptized on November 30th.  2 other people we're teaching will be baptized the week after that.  Marcus and Leah Haynes will be baptized on December 7th.  They're so excited to be baptized. They were going to be at church yesteryday, but Leah went to the hospital.  Everything is ok now, so they're planning on coming to church this Sunday.  Marcus and Leah are just accepting everything we teach.  Marcus says "Wow!  That makes sense!"  Leah always says she has a good feeling when we come and visit.  It's so great!  Zack Cunningham is going to be baptized mid December.  Hopefully on December 13th?  We haven't set up a day yet.  He is working on stopping smoking.  He's great.  He feeds us fish every week.  It's pretty good.  All these people we're teaching are in the military.  They won't stay here too long.  Marcus and Leah are moving away before the end of the year, so we're trying to baptize them before they leave.

Whew, lots of work.  

Yes, I will probably be here until the end of my mission.  It's a wonderful place.  The address is right.  You can send me stuff to that address.

I did get an email from Minnie Mae.  I will answer her question with the Wildmons.  When I was in the ASL Program, we didn't get to teach them.  We kept trying to set up appointments, but every time we went, they weren't home.  Elder Domingo and Elder Le Beau are doing a great job with the deaf people.  Elder Domingo is deaf so he can connect better than we ever could. He's doing wonderful.

I think Elder Domingo's family is doing fine.  I don't know too much though. I don't see them.  They live almost 3 hours away from me.  

Wow, Zach's baby is coming?  I'm going to be an uncle soon!  Take lots of pictures and send them to me.  Wow!  it's weird to think about, but exciting!

Hopefully, I'll send the memory card soon.  

Love Elder Giles

Monday, November 11, 2013

Hello!  

It's been another exciting week here.  Wow, so much has happened.  The two baptismal dates that we had had to be cancelled.  The first one, Logan, was on the 16.  But he wants his whole family to learn and come to church together.  His wife wants to know more before she lets her husband get baptized.  We were happy to hear that Logan's wife wanted to meet with us.  The second one, Zack on Novembmer 30 was cancelled.  He is going to be home for Thanksgiving.  He also doesn't understand repentance yet.  When we invited him to be baptized, he was very excited.  Later, we were talking with him and he told us that he is going to drink and smoke as much as he can before he gets baptized then he'll stop.  We haven't had a chance to explain to him, but on Tuesday we will.  He's still very excited to be baptized.  We're really happy.

I miss the Deaf Branch too.  There's no deaf people here in Monterey.  They all live in Fremont because of the deaf school.  I think after my mission, I'll come back and visit the Deaf Branch.  

There's a lot of military people here.  I sometimes miss the military when I see them.  But not too much.  

For Thanksgiving, we're going to 3 different dinners I think.  I think it's going to be too much food.  But that's ok.  We'll figure it out.  How is Zach doing?  Is he doing a lot better from his motorcycle crash?  

We're having a lot of fun here.  I'm on a bike too.  I really enjoy it.  There are a lot of hills.  

Ok, I love you all

Elder Giles

(Mom will answer Joseph next Monday: Yes, Zach is doing a lot better. He is not giving upon USMC.)

Monday, November 4, 2013

Hello!

I have been transferred to the Monterey Zone.  I live in Seaside.  It's a city right by Monterey  Wow.  It is so beautiful here.  It's a vacation place.  The House we live in is on a hill and we can see the ocean and the Monterey Bay.  It's really wonderful here.  I've been here for 3 days or 4 and we have 2 baptisms set up.  A man named Logan will be baptized on the 16 November.  We met him my 1st full day here.  Wow.  We were riding our bikes and we saw a man pushing his baby in a stroller.  We said hello to him.  He said "Hey Elders, I've been looking for you.  Can you come to my house in 15 minutes?"  We said "Sure!"  We went to his house 15 minutes later and went inside.  We talked with him a bit and started teaching him.  Then he asked us "I was wondering, how do I get baptized?"  We were so surprised!  It was great.  He's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying.  He's been to our church a couple times before.  

I met another man named Zack.  He's in the Army.  Around here in Monterey, there's a language school for military people.  There's lots of Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines around here.  So Zack has been meeting with missionaries for a little while now.  When I first met him, he was smoking the entire time.  But we taught him the Plan of Salvation and invited him to be baptized.  He said yes.  We just need to help him stop smoking.  He will be baptized on November 30.

I think Monterey will be my last area.  I'm so lucky.  There are beaches here and everyone is so nice.  All the members want to share the gospel.  It's great.

I'm sad that I had to leave the deaf people behind, but I'm happy I can serve here in Monterey.

I will email you next week.

I love you all.

Elder Giles