6-28-11

Hola Familia!

  Sorry for not writing yesterday, we had lots of stuff we had to do! It sounds like you all had a fun and busy week! All is going good for me here. We have been very busy working! I have been teaching this lady more this week in English, haha. It's getting easier as I do it more but its still really weird! We still haven't had any baptisms but we are hoping to have more success this week! I hope that all is going good back at home! Tomorrow I have to go to the D.F. (Mexico City) to get some things straightened up with my visa so that I can be here another 8 months. I'm really glad I have the opportunity to be here serving the Lord. I am loving it! Although at times it is hard! Lately, I have been working a lot to help the elders in my district and to work in my area! I love you all and thank you all so much for all you do for me! I love you all and miss you all!! Hope that all goes good this week for everyone! Know I'm good and loving what I'm doing!

 

Love,

Elder Despain

Finally a Letter 6-23-11

Hola familia!!
  Sorry I didn't write sooner! This week and last week have been crazy! I have been working a lot to help out my district. They haven't been doing too well so I have been going to their areas and helping them out a lot! I'm glad I can help them but it makes for long days and no time because then I have to work even harder to catch up in my area the time I missed, but it's going good! I am teaching this Japanese lady. She is from Japan and then she lived in the states for a while and now is living here and so she speaks English, but her Spanish isn't too good, so I have been teaching her in English but it is super hard, haha. The words all just want to come out in Spanish! Like I have to think about what I want to say in Spanish and then translate it into English, haha. It comes out wrong a lot but I'm getting better because we have taught her a few times!!! It is a cool experience! I don't know if Andre was in this city, but she is from Chepa or something like that. It is close to Tokyo. I thought that he might know where that is or maybe was there on his mission... Other than that, not much is new, just been working hard! We have a lot of people who are progressing a lot and hope that we will have some success and some baptisms soon! These few weeks have been hard. Our baptisms keep falling through for really weird reasons, but we will keep working and the Lord will bless us! I loved what Emily said in her prayer for me, it was perfect! Because I am always thinking about what kind of missionary you would want me to be mom! and I know that you would want me to be the best missionary as possible and to have the spirit as strong as possible. Every day I think about that and it makes me work harder to be the missionary that you would want me to be mom! I know that Emily prayed for the right thing so that I could have the spirit like you would want me to have the spirit!!! Thank you all so much for all your prayers and I know that each one of you pray for something that I need and that every prayer helps me to be a little bit better while I'm in the service of the Lord! I still am far from the missionary that I would like to be but I know that everyday I'm working to become a little better! and I know that the Lord is helping me to become better and more like He wants me to be! Thanks for all you do for me and for the help and support of all of you! I love you all! and I miss you all too!
Love,
Elder Despain

Short Note 6-21-11

Hola, I'm still alive yesterday I couldn't write because we had to go teach a lady. I will tell you about her later she is really cool. Well, I don't have much time now either, but I will write you all tomorrow. I love you all. Sorry for not writing yesterday!

Love,
Elder Despain

Note from Kimi: Randall sent these pictures in June, but they were locked and it took me till now to figure out how to unlock and post them. 9-17-11 

An accident we saw. It was kinda bad. 6-3-11

 

Me about to eat a heart sucker! 6-5-11

Hola Hola! 6-13-11

Hey Everyone!!!!
   Well, I hope everyone is doing good! I'm doing great. Although, we had a hard week this week. Well, it was a really good week until like Saturday, haha. We had 3 people that were going to get baptized and on Saturday they all fell through so that made it a really sad week, but we will probably still baptize two of them next week. One didn't get baptized because her dad would let her, like he was all cool with it, till the last second and then he just got mad and said no. It was sad but maybe when she is a little older, like in a year she can get baptized! Then the other two wanted to get baptized but they got nervous and backed out on Saturday, but they said they want to get baptized they just need a little bit more time! I know that they will get baptized soon. We just have to work with them a little bit more! I love this work! I mean at times it's hard because we have stuff like that that happens but I love this work and I love helping people come closer to Christ! But other then that, it was a pretty normal week. Not much new! We are just trying to find lots of new people to teach! Well this week is Zane´s birthday, so tell him I say "Happy Birthday!!! Feliz Cumpleano!!! I love you Zane!!! You're getting so big so fast!!! I hope you have a great Birthday!!!" Also, "Dad, Happy Father's Day on Sunday! I hope that you have a great day and know that I'm thinking about you and that I miss you and love you a lot! I could have never asked for a better dad! You have always been such a great example to me in my life! Thanks for being the Greatest Dad ever!!!" Well, thank you all for all you do for me! Know that I'm doing good and that this work is moving forward very fast here in Mexico and I'm so glad I get to be a part of it! Love ya!

Love,
Elder Despain

Hola 6-7-11

Hola Familia!    So, everything here is going good! Not much is new. Yesterday we played futbol and that was fun. We played against a different zone. I got sun burnt. On my legs I got burnt like 6 inches, haha, in between where my long socks ended and were my shorts started, haha. It looks funny, haha. Then I got burnt on my face and neck but not much, haha, and it's like just a tan now, haha, but it was fun playing! We have a lot of people getting close to baptism. We just taught a girl named Veronica today and she accepted baptism for this Sunday so that was really cool. We have been teaching her for a while and she has understood everything. The only thing is just like she just kept saying, "But I'm Catholic and I can't change," which is what lots of people say. But we finally got her to understand that she wasn't doing something bad, she is just following the example of Jesus Christ and she finally understood that. There is a scripture in Mark 7:6-9 that talks  about traditions and that the people put aside the commandments of God to do a tradition and that is like what the Catholic church is. And so we read that with her and she finally understand how important it is to follow the commandments before the traditions of our fathers. But ya, that was just cool that she finally accepted! I'm glad that all is going good back at home. I miss you all a lot. But it is really crazy how fast the time is flying by. I have almost been gone 15 months! Thanks for all your letters this week, they were great! I truly have the best family ever! Thanks for all you do for me! Moses 3:18 says no man should be alone. Well, I am not alone because I have a great family and I know that is why God puts us here on Earth in families so that we aren't alone and I'm so lucky to have the family I do! Proverbs 1:8, listen to your parents. I know that this is very important. I am so grateful to have such great parents that have always taught me so well. I know I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for my great parents.   John 6:38, "Jesus did the will of the Father always and so should we! Efecials (Ephesians) 6:1 but we should obey our parents in the Lord and that is why I'm so grateful for such great parents becasue they always taught me to follow them, but in the ways of the Lord. I know that as I follow their examples I am doing what the Lord wants me to be doing! Thanks for being such great parents and for being such a great family, all of you for me! I love you all and miss you all! I'm doing good and I am praying for all of you daily. Thanks for all your prayers. I can feel them and they do help! I love you all.
 
Love,
Elder Despain