October 10th email

Good afternoon everyone!

This week I got sassed by a cat. We were going around, it was early evening. We were talking to people on the street, when this lady approaches us and asks us if we could help her rescue a cat. So we follow her down the road a bit, to this evergreen. We find it (a bright white ball of fuzz amid all the dark brown branches; excellent camouflage), and I climb a few feet up and make my first attempt to get to it- to no avail. I get out of the tree, and reassess, then go back up. It comes up to me, close enough that I could pet its head, but as I grabbed its collar to try and pull it to me so I could pull it down, the collar pops off! And then it gives me this look like "Now why would you go and do a silly thing like that?" Then walks away. I stayed up there for a few more minutes, and it came close again, but not close enough! Eventually it puts itself on the exact opposite side of the tree from me, placing the trunk of the tree directly between us. It perches there, and looks at me. "Haha, can't catch me now!" 

Now, during this time while I'm making a fool of myself attempting to rescue this cat, my companion was talking to this lady. She was extremely nice, but sorta standoffish, like "I don't really want missionaries talking to me" BUT for the sake of the cat she did! ...I'm still pulling twigs off of my jacket!

Besides that, we had to bike back about 6 miles uphill the whole way from a meeting. That was quite the workout! ...that won't be happening again. That sure made your legs burn!

The only other thing I really have to tell about, is that I'm going to be teaching some of the other missionaries here how to cook and bake. They're insistent that I show them my "master chef skills" ...which don't exist, but, we'll see if we have time!

'Til next week,

Love you all!

-Elder Jacob Degiuli

 

Since there are new missionaries, they went to a training meeting on the 3rd. Here are some group pictures from that meeting with their Mission President and his wife. I like to call her the Mission Mom. I don't know if that's appropriate, but it makes me feel happy.

 

 

This is a picture that was sent to me as a text message from someone who fed them dinner Saturday evening. I love getting those pictures.

 

Jacob finally uploaded his pictures today. I was one happy mama. I got no explanations of each picture, but that's alright.

 Squirrel!

 

 This one made me crack up. I'm guessing it made him too.

 

 I can tell this was smoke in the air from the many nearby fires in August.

 

 Making dad proud, taking pictures of wildlife.

 

 This looks like an awfully long road to walk. Where are their bikes?

 

 I believe this was transfer day, when they went from the two of them in their apartment to four. He told me they did a massive cleaning. I am assuming something was terribly dusty and being banged out.

 

Along with my comment above about the bikes... Where are their beds???

 

I am so grateful for Jacob to have these experiences. Thank you to everyone for supporting him and writing to him. I know he appreciates it as do we.