Elder R. after his bike crash. 12-7-11

Something my comp and I drew! Sweet isn't it! 12-8-11

 Our tower of Dr. Pepper! 12-8-11

 My Christmas package!!!!!!!!! 12-10-11

 Christmas pictures from home! 12-11-11

 Our Christmas guns! It's war! 12-11-11

Elder R.'s tire after his crash. 12-12-11

Hola! 12-12-11

Hey Fam! 

  So today is a weird day, haha, because it is like a holiday here, but its for the Virgin Guadalupe, haha. Don't know who that is or why every Mexican loves her because I only know of the Virgin Maria. But it's cool, there are like lots of parties in the street and stuff. Weird, haha! Anyways, had an okay week this week although all of our baptisms fell through this week. :( But we got 8 people to church, that was good! We are hoping we will baptize a few this week! My comp fell of his bike this week.... ouch! He hit a speed bump and his tire bent, as you can see in the pictures and he went over the handle bars and his bike landed on top of him. Not fun, but after it is all done it is kinda funny to us now, haha. But at the time I was worried. 

 

They sell Dr. Pepper in my area! I am enjoying that! I got my package!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!! It was awesome and my comp loves it as well. We already opened our Christmas stuff, we wanted an early Christmas! We had lots of fun with the guns you sent us, haha, great fun! I think that first day we wasted about a half hour playing with those guns. We were having a war to see who could hit the other in the head. Well, I won. I got my comp in the head from behind the counter in our house, haha. Never thought I could have so much fun with little play guns, haha! And the ties are great, haha. My comp says that he has never seen uglier ties in his life, haha, but I like them! And there are a few that are really cool. They are good looking ties. They're not even ugly but there are a few that are "wow" ties, haha. Well, I love you all and I hope all is well back at home! Don't forget to send me my Skype name! I love you all. Oh ya, I loved the beef jerky! I was so happy to see that, but for some reason was super hard, haha, but I still enjoyed it! I love you all!

 

Love,

Elder Despain

 What? An AZ plate? 12-1-11

 On the way to Mariposa Monarcas. 12-5-11

Hola! 12-5-11

Hey Everyone!

   Hope all is well back at home! It was a very crazy week for me this week! We had the opportunity to go to Toluca and hear Elder Johnson speak to us as missionaires, Elder Johnson is from the quorum of the 70 and is the Area president over all of Mexico! It was really cool. I got a lot out of his talk! Of the things he spoke to us about, I got 3 big things: Repentance, that we are nothing without the Holy Ghost, and that we are Representatives of our Savior Jesus Christ! I feel that we can apply this in our lives. I can apply it exactly as a missionary, but each one of us as members of the Church can also apply these three things! It was a very cool conference! Then on Sunday, he came and talked to the District of Zitacuaro, which we are part of, so we got to go to that as well. It was cool as well! 

 

The only bad thing was that we didn't baptize. Our baptism fell through Saturday in the night. It was disappointing, but we will hopefully baptize this week 2 people! But, we really did see miracles in our area on Saturday. We went to the conference in Toluca in the morning and so we got back in the afternoon, like 6, to our area. Our baptism fell through and also all the people we had invited to go to the conference Sunday morning in Zitacuaro, they all fell through and said no. So, we had already rented a combi (like a big van/ bus) to take investigators and recent converts and they all fell through. So, I was so worried and was just like, "What are we going to do?" Then I just said, "Let's just work as hard and as fast as we can." We started riding our bikes around as fast as we could go and just visiting all the people we could think of. We went to try and find where an investigator worked. We didn't find it, but we were like, "Lets just go to her house and hopefully she didn't go to work." So, went there and she was home. We invited her again to the conference, because earlier in the week she had said no. Well, she said yes! When I was talking to her, my comp. said that he was just praying she would say yes and she did! It was a miracle in our eyes. Then we went and visited a recent convert and her daughter who isn't a member that we are teaching, that had told us no in the week, as well. But we went and we asked and she said yes and her mom said yes, more miracles! Well, then while we were talking to them (in their taco stand) all the people there eating were listening to us inviting them. Well, a girl and a lady that were eating there just looked at me and said, "Where are you from?" I was like, "The United States. I'm from Mesa, AZ." She said, "Oh, we just moved back here from Chicago. What are you doing so far away from AZ?" I explained and she said, "Can we go with you, as well, to this meeting you were talking about? We have always wondered what you guys did and why you walk around every day." Haha. We said yes they could go, haha. It was two more miracles! Then, we went to other converts and they said yes as well, another miracle! Then, we were close to an old investigators house so we said, "Let's go invite her. She doesn't ever go when we invite her, but let's just try it. Well, she said yes! Another miracle! It was an amazing night and all that happened in a couple of hours. The Lord answers prayers and blesses us if we are diligent! I know the Lord hears my prayers! Then today, we went to the Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterflies). It is where a bunch of butterflies come every year from Canada! It was a hike to get up this mountain, but then there were billions of butterflies. It was amazing! I sent pics! It was really, really cool. I have never seen so many butterflies in my life and the pictures don't even show the smallest part of them because on the camara it doesn't catch them, but it was amazing! I loved it! 

 

Well just one more thing, I was wondering if you could tell me my screen name for skype. I forgot it and if you know it the password. If not I think I remember the password, but I have no clue what the screen name is. Thanks. I love you all! Hope you are all doing good! Stay strong and trust in the Lord always! Invite the spirit to be part of your life and always listen to the promtings that you get! I love you all and miss you all as well!

 

Love,

Elder Despain

 Riding my bike down a hill/mountain...

 and falling!11-23-11

 Our Thanksgiving baptism. 11-24-11

  Our Thanksgiving meal! 11-24-11

  Hola!

Just forgot one thing, the tie I'm using in the baptism...isn't that a great Thanksgiving tie? I thought it looked like a tie made just for Thanksgiving, haha. Let me know your opinion on it, but I think it is a Thanksgiving tie. My comp says it was just ugly, which it is kinda ugly, but it is really Thanksgivingish! I love you all!11-24-11

Dr. Pepper, need I say more?

11-28-11

Hey Family!!!
      I hope that all of you are doing great back at home and I hope that you all had an awesome Thanksgiving! My week was really good and I had a much better Thanksgiving this year! To start out, we had a baptism on Thanksgiving so that was awesome!!! Then, me and my comp had a Thanksgiving dinner at night, haha. A hermana gave us ham and we got some stuff to make mashed potatoes in the microwave and we bought Dr. Pepper! It was an okay little dinner, haha, but ya it was much better than last year! 

About my area, it is big but I haven't been to any other towns, we just stay in Maravatio. Maravatio is kinda big but, not really. It has like two big stores and then the rest is just all little stores, and we never take a bus or anything. We have bikes and we get everywere on those! We just have a casa de oracion. We don't have a church building. Right now there is like 50 people that attend but like less than a year ago when this became part of my mission, there were only like 10 members so it has grown a ton. They say if we can hold an attendance of 60 they will build a church here. So that is what we are working for right now! 

My comp. is Elder R. and he is native from Jalapa Veracruz but he is a cool kid. I'm glad you sent things for him because he won't get a package. His parents don't really even write him. So ya, just let me know what you put in it for him and I will make sure he gets it. We have both enjoyed the last package I got. We are always eating candy, haha. My comp. likes American candy! Haha!

We eat with members, but it is the same 6 hermanas that give us food every week. Each one is the same day every week because there still isn't enough to like pass a list around for our food. But, it's good I like it! We are looking for a new house to rent because the casa de oracion is really small and we don't really fit anymore! I like it a lot here. It's a small town, but it's awesome. I love it! 

I fell of my bike this week, haha. I was riding down this big hill/mountain and I fell at the end, haha. I got a picture of it, haha. Funny stuff! Not a bad fall at all, but it made me and my comp laugh for a long time, haha! I love you all and I hope you are all doing great! Miss you all a ton! Tell everyone hi for me! Love ya all!

Love,

Elder Despain