Hola Familia!!! 9-5-11

Hola!!!

   Hope all is well for everyone!!!! I'm doing really good!!!! This week was a great week, although it ended a little sad. We had a lot of success during the week but then all the people we had that promised to go to church didn't go.... sad. But we will have more success this week! I feel like we are finally finding good people to teach, like people that really actually want to progress! We are finally finding "los escogidos" or chosen people, like the people that God has prepared for us, the ones that are ready now to accept the gospel!

So just to let you all know, this next Monday I won't be writing home but I will be writing on the 16th! Because of the Mexican Independence, they are switching our p-day because everyone will be partying that day and we won't have any success so it will be a better day for a p-day and that Monday we will just work like any other day!!! I love you all!!! Thank you all for your letters. I love hearing from all of you!

Dad, I haven't gotten a chance to read your emails but thank for emailing me. I will read them tonight and write you next week! Also, thanks a ton Mom and Julie for sending off my package! My shoes are getting really bad, haha, but they will last until I get my new ones. The good thing is that my Eccos are still really good, but I can't use them every day because they usually get soaking wet after one day so I have to switch off so that the other can dry a day. Haha, it rains a lot here! alot! And in these last couple of days, it has started getting colder! Here it is already going into winter. Well, it seems like that any ways. I don't know where the time goes. I feel like we were just starting summer, haha. Every day more that I have here goes by quicker. It is crazy. The time just flies! But I'm so grateful to be here. I love serving the Lord and I love getting the opportunity to see miracles every day! This work truly is the Lord's work and I am so grateful to be a part of it! 

So the president told us that they are going to be sending emails to all of our families along with some videos so if you get those you should read it and watch them! I love my president. He is a great guy and really, really knows what he is doing! I know he was called of the Lord, every time I hear him speak to us it just amazes me the power and authority he speaks with! Also, you should get one video called La Expiacion (The Atonement). I don't think I have had any video impact me more then this one did when I saw it and every time I watch it, it still gets to me! You should definitely watch it as a family if and when you get it!!! It's amazing! Like I said, I love this work!!! It's not easy. At times it is really, really hard, but I love it and I'm so grateful to be here doing this work. Even when times get really hard, I'm still happy!! and I know it is because I'm in the service of the Lord!! There isn't anything that can make you happier! I know that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that He lives! I know that the sacrifice He did for us is real. I know He really did suffer for each and every one of us! I know that He knows how we feel in every moment of our life and is always there to help us, we must only ask for that help! I know He paid the price of sin for every person who has ever came to this Earth! But I also know that He will not force us to accept that sacrifice but that each one of us must accept Him in our lives through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through our Faith in Him and in God, through repenting every day, every time we mess up or make a mistake, through being baptized and accepting and taking His name upon us, through receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and listening to the promptings that we receive and through following His commandments until the end!!!  I know that that is what we must do to accept what He did for each one of us! I know that God wants to bless us because He loves us. But I also know that we have to do our part to receive the blessings He has prepared for us. But I have a firm testimony that when we do our part God always, always does His part and gives us all the blessings we are in need of! I love the Scripture in D&C 82:10 because it is so, so true! I know that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that this church that I am representing for these two years is the church of our Savior, Jesus Christ! It isn't the church of any other person or of any man but it truly is the Church of Christ and is established exactly how He established it when He was here on the Earth!  3 Nephi chapter 27 I love that chapter because it really does show why and how this is the church of Christ! I know that God loves each one of us and that is why He sent His only son to die for us. I know that wouldn't be an easy task for any father to do but because He loves us, He was willing to do it for us!!! I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God along with the Bible and I know that as we read and ponder the scriptures daily, we receive more of a testimony and grow spiritually! As I have been here in the mission, that has been a great blessing to me to really pray, read and ponder the scriptures and it has been a true blessing to me! I know that the scriptures are the words of God and that is why it is so important to study daily so that we can know what it is that God wants us to do! I know that this church is true and I know that what I am doing here is what God wants me to be doing right now and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here doing this great work! I love you all and I miss you all a ton! I hope all is well and I hope everyone is staying safe! Thanks for all you do for me!!! Tell everyone I say hi!!!

Love,

Elder Despain

One more thing I forgot to say. I had a cool experience yesterday well and last Sunday! Last Sunday, I got to confirm some one in church, so that was cool. I have always known how to do it but usually some one in the ward does it. But this last week they asked me to do it, so that was just really awesome! Then this Sunday I got to give the priesthood to this 18 year old kid that the other elders in my district baptized two weeks ago! We were in priesthood meeting and they were about to give him the priesthood and he was like I want Elder Despain to do it and I was kinda shocked because I have never done that before and I didn't think he would pick me. But it was really, really awesome! I have gotten to know him really well because I interviewed him a few times before his baptism and then he has gone with us to lots of different missionary activities, like the waterfalls. I have a picture with him up on the waterfall. I sent it to you all last week! He is a cool kid and it was a really cool experience for me! I love you all. Stay safe! Love ya!

Love,

Elder Despain