Week 2 in Mexico

Note from Ann: Randall sent this email as a reply to the one I sent him. No one else sent him one because we are writing through the pouch. We want him to have time to send an email, not use the whole time just reading emails. In his first email he said he couldn't print off the emails. We really aren't ignoring him!

Dear Mom,

I didn't get any emails from you, but I know you still love me haha. I haven't gotten any mail and I have no clue when I will get mail, but ya, haha.  I love you all so much.  I miss you a ton but I am doing so great.  Mexico is amazing, although their computers don't do exclamation points, haha.  I don't know why, haha, but anyways is amazing here.  I feel like I have been here a year but it has only been a week.  My companion is great and he is a very hard worker which is great because some missionaries in the mission aren't.  He is awesome.  We have been doing tons of work to get this area up and going again.  The members are so great and always make sure we have food and just are amazing.  It is so crazy here though, haha, just people everywhere and cars everywhere and houses on top of houses on top of houses.  It is pouring rain right now like it does every afternoon at about this time, haha.  The day can be so hot and then boom it still rains, haha.  I don't mind it though although it rains every day.  I haven't used my rain jacket, haha.  It kinda feels good to get wet after being hot all day.  We finally got gas for our apartment on Thursday, haha.  I was glad to not take a cold shower any more.  Although Wed. we used an iron to warm up a bucket of water and used that to shower so that was not cold.  I liked that, but the gas is a lot easier, haha.  I am just loving it here.  The work is hard but great.  The language is hard, but I love it and as long as I do my best the Lord helps me.  I have grown so much in this week in both my testimony and in the language.  I am getting a lot better at understanding the people.  My ears are getting used to hearing all the words so fast, haha.  We played soccer today as a zone.  It was a blast.  I loved it, although I got a little sunburned because it was the first time I wore a short sleeved shirt here.  It doesn't hurt and it will be a tan tomorrow and then I will look a little less white, haha.  We have 6 progressives(investigators) now which is great because we started the area with none.  One of them, Daniel, has a baptism date for Viernes, Friday.  It's awesome.  We only taught him two lessons and then we asked him and he said yes.  His friend, that is a member that was in the lesson here, dropped her jaw when we asked him to be baptized so soon.  Then he said yes and she went from shocked to amazed and happy.  It was great and funny.  I love the people here.  They are so poor, but so humble and sweet.  I love this work and I love this gospel.  I am seeing the happiness it can give people and it makes me happy to be an instrument in my Heavenly Father's hand to bring his children closer to him.  I have a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that this church is true.  I love this work and I love the people I am serving.  We have a family and then Rosario, the mother of a member, that are both very close to getting baptized and maybe it will even happen this week.  It's great.  Well, I love you all and look forward to hearing from you.  You can write me short emails or long ones but if they are long I will just print them and get back to you on them the next week.  I love you all.  Thanks for everything.  I have such an amazing family, thank you.  I hope you had a great Father's Day, Dad.  I love you.  I am about to go give a blessing to a member with my companion.  I'm sure he will give the blessing but it will still be my first in Spanish.  I am guessing I will anoint which may be very hard in Spanish, but the Lord will help me.  It will be great.  Well I love you all, thanks for everything.

Love your missionary,

Elder Despain