Me, Elder Plata, Hermana Weber, Hermana Garcia. my district! 3-3-11
My Whole Zone! 3-3-11
Me and Elder Plata in Nacho Libre masks 3-6-11
Me and my comp., Elder Plata. Yes, we are that cool, haha! 3-6-11
Showing posts with label Elder Plata. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elder Plata. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Birthday Wishes to Randall from Facebook
Happy Birthday Randell!!!!!
Feliz Cumpleanos Hermano Depain!
Happy birthday Randall Celebrate missionary style!
Randal... breffress.
happy bday
Nanette Brinton
Even though you can't read this, I want you to know I am thinking and praying for you everyday. Happy happy birthday. Love you bunches!
Happy 20th little brother! I love you!
Louigi De
happy bday brother!!
Jenny Arroyo
hola muchas felicidades por cumplir muchos añoste jiji que sse la pase muy cien
Missi Jo
Happy Birthday Randall!! Miss you!
Happy birthday cousin!
By the way, did you baptize Jenny Arroyo? Is that why she friended you on facebook?Happy Birthday!
Love,
Kimi
Replies to Birthday Wishes
Hola Kimi
I haven't had time to read your email but I am going to print it and read it! Thanks so much for writing me and for sending me Birthday wishes. It's pretty crazy that your little bro is 20 isn't it, haha. And that he has almost been gone for a year, haha. Well, I love you so much. Thanks for your letter. I couldn't ask for better sisters or a better family. We truly have the greatest family ever! Love ya!
Love your little bro,
Elder Despain
Hola Julie,
Thanks so much for the package and for the email and for the Birthday wishes! Haha, I know I'm getting pretty big!!!!!!!! haha, but I don't feel any different. Really it doesn't even feel like my birthday, haha, but I love it here and I'm so glad I get to be here. But I do miss you all ! I love you so much. Thanks for all you do for me. You're an amazing sister. I could ask for a better sister! (he meant I couldn't, but we have to tease Julie since he said he could ask for a better sister) I love you! Cuidense!!! (Take care) and make good choices, haha! Love ya!
Love your little bro,
Elder Despain 
Hola Familia!
Well, I don't have much time to write because I had a lot of letters to write back to! But thank you so so much all of you for your letters and for the Birthday wishes! This week was a good week but it ended a little sad. We had a man ready for baptism on Sunday but on Sunday morning he showed up and said he wasn't getting baptized because his family said they wouldn't talk to him if he got baptized. But we will continue to work with him and I hope that he can get baptized soon. We also have 3 other people that have a baptism date for this Sunday! I'm so grateful to be here and to be in the service of the Lord it's a true blessing! I love all these people that I am here serving and I grow daily through their testimonies and experiences. I know that I am where I am supposed to be and it's a true blessing! I love you all and thank you so much for your letters and everything you do for me!
Love,
Elder Despain
Monday, February 21, 2011
Me and Esperanza, a lady that we found the other day. She had an old, old Book of Mormon that she got many years ago so we took pics with the old one and the new one. She is so awesome and such a sweet lady! 2-18-11
Me playing some pool today for p-day with the zone leaders, me, my comp (Elder Plata) and two other elders. 2-21-11
The Time Is Flying By - 2-21-11
Hola Familia!
So this week was a good week! It is really crazy that I have over 11 months in my mission I really don't know where the time went. I still feel as if I just got here. Before I know it I will have a year and then I will be home. The time is just really, really fast here. But it makes me want to work just a little harder to make every minute count. Because I really wouldn't want to look back and feel that I wasted time because really my time here is very short. As I started, 2 years seemed like a really long time but it really is a very short time that i have the opportunity to be in the service of the Lord. I truly love being here. Daily I get the opportunity to serve the people and help them to come a little closer to their Savior Jesus Christ. Yesterday night I had the opportunity to work with a new member. We went on divisions. My comp went with one member and me with another. This man that I went with, Hermano Louis, has about 6 or 7 months as a member but just really wants to work and do his best to help in the work of the Lord. I was able to go and teach a few families with him. Because he doesn't have much time as a member, he doesn't know a ton about the church but I learned a lot from him. Because even though he couldn't teach some of the principle, he always relies on the testimony that he has. Every oppertunity he got, he bore his testimony and it was really great. And I know that his testimony helped those we were teaching. I know that each and every one of us has a testimony and if we just have the courage to share it, we really can lift and help other people. One of the other greatest things we have and one of the most powerful ways we can teach is through our testimony! I know this church is true and I know that through bearing our testimonies we truly can bless others. We were able to have a lot more success this week than the past weeks. The other weeks, we have had trouble getting people to church. But this Sunday, we had 6 invesigatores in sacrament meeting! It was really great. We still had lots fall through and not come but still it was really great to have 6 there and three of them, we are going to try and put a date for their baptisms this week! This week in sacrament, Yeny, one of the people that me and Elder Jaime baptized last change, gave a talk! And Carlos, another that we baptized, will be talking this week in sacrament meeting. It is really great to see the people you baptize progress in this gospel and to see their lives continue to change for the better! I am truly grateful for the atonement! It is a very great blessing that we have to know and be able to use the atonement in our lives daily. I know that as I see these people changing their lives, it is only possible because of the atonement! I have felt many times the help of the atonement as I have been here serving the Lord. There are times that I am down and things are hard, but always through a prayer and through the power of the atonement I am able to feel the love of my Heavenly Father lifting me up and giving me the strength to push on. I know the atonement is real and I know that as we commit sins or make wrong decisions, we can repent and use the atonement to feel those burdens lifted from us and feel clean and happy again! I hope that all is going well for all of you back at home! I am so grateful to have such a great family! And I am also so grateful to have this gospel and the knowledge that we truly can be an eternal family. This is something that a lot of people don't know and it makes a lot of people very sad because they don't think that they will ever see their family again. But we know that we can have an eternal family! It's something I always love to teach because just knowing that brings so much happiness to so many people! We are truly blessed to have this gospel in our lives! I love you all so much ! I pray for you all daily and I truly can feel your prayers! Thanks for all that you do for me! Love ya all!
Love,
Elder Despain
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A beautiful picture of The Virgin and The Papa (the Pope), haha. Got to love it here, haha. That is just painted like graffiti on the wall, haha and me haha. 2-13-11
My foot after hitting it hard playing football last Monday. It hurt and it hurt to walk on it all week but I think I'm past the worst pain and now it isn't so purple and swollen, haha. 2-8-11
We found a computer, well the out side of one, haha, and I put it on my head, haha. It's pretty cool, haha. I don't really know why I did it, but ya haha. 2-10-11
Mi hijo, haha, my comp, Elder Plata! 2-10-11
11 Meses!!!!!! Wow 2-14-11
Hola Familia!
So it's pretty crazy that in 3 days I will complete 11 months in the mission. That's a really long time but the time has really flown by. I really feel like I just got here but I have been here in Mexico for mas than 8 months. But I really do love it here. At times it is hard, but when I put all my effort into this work the time flies by and I truly get to enjoy the blessings of my Heavenly Father and also I get to enjoy the happiness I bring to those who will listen. We still haven't had a baptism this change. We had two ready for baptism this week, but they fell through right before. But we were able to find some new people this past week that I think will progress really fast! We also had people in the Sacrament meeting which is always really great! 3 investigators and two inactives came to church. That was really great! I really love this work and I'm so grateful I get to be here doing it! I really love Alma 17:9-11 that explains that as we fast and pray we can receive the spirit and be comforted and become instruments in the hands of the Lord. I really have been able to see that in my mission. The harder we pray and the more we fast, the more success we have. This past week we needed to find new people and weren't having luck but after fasting on Thursday, we were able to find like 5 new people that really are ready to listen to the message we have for them. Once again my testimony of fasting got strengthened. I know that the Lord truly does hear and answer our prayers and as we do our part, He will always do His part and bless us with what we need. I was studying the other day about the authority that we have in the church and how it is that we have it and what is the right way to get it. Well, I knew how we got it - through Joseph Smith - but I wanted to find in the Bible where it talked about the authority and how it is that we have it and no other church. I also knew that the correct way to get it is by the laying on of hands and I found some scriptures I really liked - Mark 6:4-5, Numbers 27:22-23. I liked how those explained the importance of the laying on of hands so I thought I would share it with you. I know that this church is true and I really don't need to find scriptures to tell me that because through the power of prayer I have gotten an answer that it is true and that we do have the authority to do the things we need to here on earth to return to live with our Heavenly Father once again. But at times I find it cool to have my testimony strengthened as I can find the things I already know are true but written in the scriptures. I know that in this church there is an answer to every question and I know with all my heart that it is true and that it is through this church and the authority within it that we can do the things that we need to, to return as a family to live with our Heavenly Father again! Not today but last Monday I hit my foot while playing football and it got like way swollen and purple, haha. It hurt pretty bad to walk on it all week, but it's not swollen any more and it's not too purple but it still hurts a little. It made the week last week a little harder because walking all day wasn't as easy as it normally is, haha, but I'm feeling a lot better and its much easier to walk on it now. I know that my Father in Heaven is always watching over me and helping me to accomplish His work. At times it is hard and we have obsticules (obstacles), but there isn't ever one that we can't overcome with the help of the Lord. I hope that all is well back at home! Know that I am safe and doing good! I love you all and thank you all for your letters. I really do enjoy getting them. I love you all!
Love,
Elder Despain
Monday, February 7, 2011
Another Letter Home 2-7-11
Hola Familia,
This week was a really good week all the way until Sunday, haha. We had a lot of success in the week, but then on Sunday we past by for 7 different investigators and none could come and that was a little hard and put us down a little. But that just means we have to work that much harder next week to have more success. I know that this is the Lords work and that if we do all that we can that He will always, always provide the way for us to have success and complete His work. I was thinking about what you said to me mom about the Savior calling His apostles and that He asked them to follow Him. It was probably the most difficult time for them, but they had faith and followed Him right away. I know that we need to follow their examples and be ready to leave whatever we are doing to follow the Savior. I was also thinking about a video that the president showed to us on the atonement. In the video Elder eyring and Elder Holland talked and it really hit me hard. It said that at times us as missionaries are going to ask "Why isn't this easy? Why aren't there just tons of people waiting to be baptized? Why are people mean to us? Why don't they accept our message?" And then Elder Holland says that in his thoughts it isn't easy because it was never easy for the Savior. Salvation isn't a cheap experience and the perfect missionary, the only perfect missionary that ever was here on earth, never had it easy for Him. So if we are going to do His work, we must go through just a little bit of the pain He went through. And he talks alot more about it but it hit me hard. Some times as we enter into this work, the work of the Lord, we expect it to be easy. But the Lord never had it easy and it isn't going to be easy for us but if we push through it and put our faith in the Lord, He will always help us through it and He will always give us success. But the success comes after the trail of our faith. I know that my Savior lives. I know He hears and answers my prayers and I know that the atonement is real. I know that we can apply it in our lives and change ourselves to become better people through the help of our Savior. I know that this work isn't easy, but that it is very hard at times, but the Lord always provides a way. I know for you all at home it is very hard at times to share the gospel but just remember that you are sharing something good, not something bad, so there is nothing to fear. If they except or not, you know that you have done your part. The Lord provides a way, we just have to find it. If we pray, He will put people in our path but before asking His help, we have to be ready to do our part. I know this church is true and that there is no other place that we can find true happiness. The only place is in this gospel, the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. I'm doing really good and my comp is learning little by little. I still feel that I talk most of the time but he is talking more and more daily. I love this work and I'm so, so grateful to be here serving the Lord. I got to see a miracle this week. We were down because we hadn't found any one new in all the week and we were thinking, like how are we going to find people and complete our goal that we have this week. But at the moment we thought that, a contact that we had done the last week came into our mind. We had past by other days but they weren't ever home. But since we both thought of this person at the same time we decided to check again. So we went and knocked on this door and the daughter of this lady that we had contacted answered. We asked if we could teach them and she said yes, so we went in and we were able to teach this family of 3 and the spirit was really strong and they accepted the message really well. I know that this doesn't seem like much but it strengthens my testimony of prayer and makes me know that this is the work of the Lord and He always makes it possible for us to do the things we have promised Him we will do. Goals here are very imoprtant because for every goal or number, that number converts into a person, a name and into another one of God's children that is able to recieve this gospel and this happiness, or at least have the opportunity to accept the message we bring to them. I'm so grateful to be here and to be able to see people change their lives for the better. Thank you so much all of you, for all you do for me. I truly have the greatest family in the world and I couldn't ask for a better one. Thank you for all of your prayers and please pray for me and my companion that we will be able to have success in this week! I love you all so much and just know that I'm good and safe! Love ya all!
Love,
Elder Despain
Monday, January 31, 2011
Letter Home 1-31-11
Hola Familia! y Todos! (and all)
So I'm doing great! This week was a little rough but I got through it. As you know, I got an hijo (son). Soy papa (I'm a dad), haha. Ya I got a new missionary straight from the MTC. He is Elder Plata. He has only been a member for a year. It is kinda hard being a trainer because this first week I was pretty much teaching and doing everything alone, but he is learning little by little and it is making it easier little by little. We didn't have much success this week but we are working hard and keeping our hopes up and our faith strong. We had two baptisms fall through because the lady isn't married but living with her ¨husband¨ and her daughter doesn't want to be baptized until the mom does, so we are working on that. It is hard because everyone says my husband or my wife when really they aren't married. But I also have had some really cool experiences last change and also in this first week of this change. I am now district leader, well since last change, and so I have had the opportunity to do baptismal interviews for the missianaras in my district when they have people ready for bautism. I have never had experiences with the spirit so strong until I was able to do these interviews. I go to their house and I tell them that I have a message specifically for them and I get to have a lesson one on one with them. I have never been able to teach so well or been guided so much by the spirit. In these interviews, I am really able to feel and follow the spirit to bring out problems or questions that they have and be able to answer and help them. The first interviews I did I could feel it a lot but the one I was able to do this past week was really a great experience and a real testimony builder. I know that my Savior loves me and is there by my side helping me at every moment and I know that Heavenly Father loves His children and through us as missionaries answers prayers and brings true happiness to these people. I feel that as I am obedient, I am truly an instrument in the Lord's hands. I know that as each and every one of us can listen and follow the promptings that we recieve from the Holy Ghost, we will truly be instruments in the hands of the Lord to answer prayers. I also had a very funny and weird experience this past week. We were teaching this really old man and he likes to talk a ton so it was very hard to teach him. But we were able to teach him about the restoration of the gospel and introduce him to the Book of Mormon. Well, when he saw it he wanted it so we said we would give it to him for him to read it. But he wanted to buy it and of course we can't take the money for Book of Mormons so we told him that it was a gift and that we couldn't accept his money. But he was very determined to give us the money and he shoved it in the pocket of my companion. So I was thinking "What are we going to do? We can't take the money." So I asked my comp for the money and as we continued to teach I slipped it into the front of the Book of Mormon and then gave him the book, haha. It was very funny because he wouldn't take no for an answer. But the good thing is that we got the money back to him, haha. But who knows what he will do when he sees that the money is in the front of the book, haha, but will see what happens this week. I love this work that I am able to do. At times it is very hard, but I know that the Lord will never call me to do something that I can't do. He will always provide the way for me to accomplish the work He has put in front of me! I love you all and I am so grateful to have such a great family! Thank you for all your prayers. I know they truly do help me to be able to do the Lord's will. Thanks for all you do for me! Gracias! Love ya lots!
Love,
Elder Despain
Thanks for all your letters. Sorry if I haven't writen back yet but I will do my best to write back next week! love ya
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