Got It!!!!!!

I got my permiso (permission) on Friday. That is what I was waiting for on my VISA, so that is really good. I went up to the consulate in Salt Lake and signed a bunch of stuff. Now they are just doing the rest of the paperwork so that means I should leave soon, but I don't know when yet. I will email you again at like 4:30 or 5 and tell you more. I just wanted to let you know that I got it and hopefully will be leaving soon. I am pretty sure I get to call you when I get my flight plans so I am looking forward to that. I love you and I will write you more at like 5. Love you!

Love,
Elder Despain

Letter to Mom May 18, 2010

Hey Mom,

So, I'm writing you really quick because I don't want you to be worring! They called you about my eye! I just want you to know that it is fine! I went to the doctor yesterday, Monday, and he said it is a stye, so he gave me drops to put in 4 times a day and to put a warm cloth on it 4 times a day. He said it should go away soon. I will keep you updated but I just wanted to let you know it's all good! and don't worry, I am not wearing my contacts until this is gone. Today is the first full day with my new companions! It is good that I got delayed. I wouldn't have wanted to get my eye looked at in Mexico, ha ha ha, so I think it is good! The Lord knows best and I know this is where I need to be! I love you all so much! Thanks for everything! I will write you on Friday and keep you updated! I hope the doctor visit isn't too much money! I love you! Thanks, Love Elder Despain

Dear Kimi 5-14-10

Dear Kimi,

Thank you so much for all your letters! And also for your package! It was awesome. I loved it all! It's really great to hear from you! I hope you're still reading everyday! I'm sorry that I haven't written you back. I try to write everyone tha I can, but I feel that there is never enough time. So I still don't know when I will get my visa :(! But it's okay! The other two elders in my district that didn't get their's either will be my new companions and we will be a district of 3. They are really upset ab out not leaving, but I'm okay with it. I am here to serve the Lord so I will go everywhere and anywhere He wants me to. I know that He knows me better than I know myself and I know that I can become a better missionary by staying longer! I know the Lord knows what's best! I love the Lord! I love this gospel! It really and truly makes me happy. I know there is nothing better that I could be doing right now! This work is so important and I know that being here will bless me for the rest of my life!

Well everything here is going good and I grow more and more every day! I have even gained weight, haha, ya I didn't even know it was possible, haha! Thanks again for the package because I am not really looking forward to more MTC food, haha! I was excited to not have to eat the food anymore, but it looks like I will be eating it for at least a little longer! So your food will help me through that!

This last week on Tuesday at our devotional we had Elder Jeffry R. Holland! It was amazing. It is such a great spirit that members of the twelve bring. It is really amazing! It's also so great to hear them talk so close up and it always seems so personal. When he went up to talk, he took no notes or anything. He just walked up there and spoke from his heart and by the spirit. It was great! This work is so important and it is so crucial for all of us to always be doing missionary work! Really crucial for missionaries, but also it is important for members! Well, thanks for being such a great sister! I love you! and miss you! Thanks for everything! Stay strong!

Love Your Little Hermano,

Elder Despain

P.S. Thanks again for the letters and packages! Thanks, I love you!

Letter To Kimi 5-7-10

Dear Kimi,

It was great to get your letters. Sorry I didn't write back right away. So I got my flight plans yesterday and so I leave the 17th, well if I get my Visa I do, which I hope I will! Not that I don't love the MTC, but I'm ready to leave, haha! I'm so excited to go to Mexico! Next week we start teaching like crazy so that should be good! I feel like my Spanish is getting so much better but when I get to the field I will be back to knowing nothing. But I know the Lord will bless me as long as I work hard here! It's good to hear you're staying busy and doing good. I hope you continue to read daily. I know it will bless you so much! Thanks for being such a great sister! How did it go having Mom come out to see you?

I'm super sad that all of you didn't get my e-mail last week. I hope you get them both this week. I resent them both to Mom. Tell your boys I say hi and that I miss them! Tell them to be good little hijos! and to listen to their mom, haha!

My testimony is growing so much every day. I'm so grateful for this gospel and the opportunity I had to be brought up in it. The devotionals the last two weeks have been so great. One was by L. Tom Perry. Awesome! It was on the restoration and Book of Mormon. It was great and a huge testimony builder. The other was by Elder Larry W. Gibbons. His talk was on how the church logically makes sense. It was a great talk, but the biggest thing was our review testimony meeting after his talk! It was great and my testimony grew so much from the other Elders in my district, but I really grew a ton from bearing my testimony. i know the more we bear our testimony, the more that it will grow! Well, I love you! Thanks for being a great sister! I know this church is true and that without it we can't be happy! Sorry this was so short, but thanks for writing me! I love you!

Love Your Little Hermano,
Elder Despain

Mom & Dad's Letter April 23

Dear Mom and Dad,

Sorry the email was short.   It is really hard to type a lot in 30 min.  I never get to say what all I want to.  That is awesome that you had such a great turn out at the ward party.  I think that is so great and such a great opportunity to serve and to get people involved.

I can't get over how great the spirit was at the Temple today.  The Temple is really just so amazing we are so lucky to have so many so close.  There is no place we can feel the Spirit so strong.  I just love it!  I miss you all so much, the whole family, but it's really great here. I can't believe its been 5 1/2 weeks and when you get this, like 6 weeks. It's crazy. It goes by really slow but super fast at the same time.  Elder Grow leaves to the Peru MTC in like 3 days so that's kinda sad and Elder Adams who I have become good friends with got his flight plans and leaves a week from Sunday. So that is sad and my teacher leaving was sad but everything else here is great!  I am growing a ton.  The Spanish is coming a lot better and we teach in all Spanish for the second time on Monday.  Last Monday went really good.  It's just awesome here.  If you work hard you really see the results and you see how much the Lord blesses you for working hard.  I know if I forget myself and become a disciple of Jesus Christ that I will be able to do anything that the Lord would like me to.  This church is amazing.  I love it!  The Gospel is great and there is nothing that can bring greater happiness!  I love you so much and I miss you!  I'm glad you got the pictures.  I hope you like them haha.  Oh ya weird, it snowed yesterday morning.  Utah has like bi-polar weather!  It's so weird!  Well sorry I can't write more.  Tell the girls sorry that I didn't write them.  I will try to soon, but there was no time, so sorry!  Thanks for the prayers.  Oh ya, and your cousin that is here right now, I saw her and talked with her (Aunt Donna's daughter Cheri and her husband).  They are going to be serving their mission in Mesa.  They are probably there now.  Anyways, she said she tried to call you and you didn't answer.  But anyways, I took a picture with her.  She said she would go by and see you at home.  I love you.  Thanks for everything!  I hope the kids got their postcards.
Love,
Elder Despain

Note from Ann:  I did get to talk to Cheri before she left the MTC.   It was so amazing to talk to someone who had just talked to Randall.  Cheri said she had seen him several times, but the last night they were there, they were in the cafeteria and Randall came and found them and talked to them.  Wow, has he grown!  I couldn't get him to talk to anyone at our extended family parties in the past!  Even Cheri was amazed at the change she saw in him over the 2 weeks she was there.  Cheri also got to see Brian Roberts, her nephew and Julie Brinton's brother, multiple times.  She said it was really exciting to get to see them.  David Whipple, (Aunt Virginia's son) said his daughter Lana is in Randall's district at the MTC.  Apparently it took them 5 weeks to realize they were related.  I haven't heard about it from Randall yet, but David said Lana emailed them about it. Aren't families great!  Thanks for reading the Blog and sharing in Randall's missionary experience. Don't forget, you can comment after any posts and I will send the comments to Randall by email. We would love to hear from you all!  Thanks for your prayers and support.
Love, Ann

Letter To Kimi 4-16-10

Dear Kimi,
  Thank you for the cards.  That will help me so that I can write to the kids!  I think they will like them a lot!  This week has been very good.  I have grown so much this week!  Although teaching in all Spanish is very hard, but through the Lord it can be done.  Have you been reading your scriptures every day???  You better be!  If you have been reading them everyday, have you seen the blessings from it??  If you haven't, know they will come.  I promise your life will be blessed through reading daily.  Thanks for the tie tack also, but unfortunately, I can't wear it :(  They don't let us! :(  But one thing I can wear is ties.  So if you ever see an ugly or weird or old or plaid tie, you can send me that.  I love weird, old or plaid or all of the above ties!  There is lots of tie trading that goes on here so even if I don't like a tie, I can always trade it and get one I like!  Everything here is just great and I love it!  Going to the temple is great and always brings a great spirit!  That is another thing that will bless your life a ton is going to the temple!  I love the temple so much and I always learn something new every time I go!
  Thanks for being such a great sister.  We are so blessed to have such a great family and such a close family.  I'm so grateful that I was raised in a strong family with the gospel.  It's such a blessing.  This gospel really is the only thing that can make people truly happy.  I am so excited to go and serve in Mexico.  I know there are people waiting for me y only me to bring them the gospel.  I know that this gospel will bless anyone that has it and I am so happy I get to share that with the people of Mexico!  I love you and miss you!  Make sure to read!

Love Your Little Brother,
Elder Despain

P.S. Tell Zane and Nate I love them and still love their pictures and I hope they are listening to their Mom and Dad.  If not, tell them that Randall/Elder Despain says they have to listen to their parents!  The Church is True!  Love You

Letter To Kimi 4-9-10

Dear Kimi,
  Well, Hello sister :)  Thanks for the mail, postcards, letters it's great, so thanks! :)  Sorry I didn't write last week.  It just is crazy.  There is no time!  Well I wish you luck on the house thing  ( Kimi's note:  We are trying to find a house to rent to get out of our apartment)  I hope you get one you like.  General Conference was so amazing.  It made me miss you all because it was all centered on families but it was still amazing!  My favorite talk was in the Priesthood session by President Uchtdorf.  It was on learning a language and patience.  He talked about him learning English and then a lot about patience.  It was so great and so perfect.  All the talks on teaching as parents made me realize that here at the MTC I am not only learning for my investigators in Mexico, I am learning to be a good teacher to myself, my future family, in my future ward callings and so much more.  Th eMTC is preparing me to be a great teacher for the rest of my life.  Ya sure the short term is for the people of Mexico, but it will be a blessing for the rest of my life.  But ya conference was great!!  I love what you said about scripture reading.  I encourage you to try and read in the morning which is very hard, but I promise that if you pray before reading, have a question or problem in mind when reading and then give yourself 5 minutes to think after reading.  I can promise you that you will receive those blessings from our Heavenly Father and you will get answers to those questions or problems that you had in mind when you read!  I know that this will happen through reading the scriptures.  I know for a fact that it will bless your lives and make each day better!  I love you and I know the only way for you to be truly happy is through this gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We can receive Heavenly Father and Jesus' help through prayer and scripture study!  We just have to do those things and be diligent in doing them if we want their help.  In 1 Nephi 10:19 it talks about being diligent in seeking.  Then again in 1 Nephi 16:28 but in that we can relate the pointer to the Holy Ghost in our lives.  It guides us according to our faith and diligence and then not only to that but to what we do when we get those promptings we must follow then and then we will get more and more as we follow them more.  So we need to have faith and diligence to receive the pointing or the Holy Ghost's promptings then we must act on the promptings then if we do we will receive more and more, more often!  So I promise if you read daily and seek with diligence you will receive answers, promptings and blessings!  So read!  The Gospel is true!  The Church is true!  The blessings we get from it are real!  I love you!

Love your little bro,
Elder Despain

P.S. Tell Zane that I loved his picture.  It is on the wall next to Jayden's and all the Elderslove it and the saying "me and you are alien missionaries  I have been watching Monsters vs. Aliens a lot"  "(CAN YOU TELL I AM)"  Ha Ha Love it!  (Kimi's note:  The picture Zane sent was the first picture of a person he had ever drawn and it really looked like an alien with three eyes, but we were all proud of it!)

Love you all

Letter April 10

Dear Mom & Dad, (y = and)

I love you! Tell everyone that I love them y that I love hearing from them y I can feel their prayers!. Tell the grand kids that I love them y that I love that they pray for me! Tell them to listen to their mom's. This week was great and Conference was amazing. I loved it all! I realized that the MTC isn't just teaching me to be a better teacher for my investigator in Mexico. After conference, I realized it is much more than that. They are preparing me to be a better teacher throughout my whole like, a better Sunday School teacher, and to be a better teacher as a parent and much, much more. Can you send me some more stamps? I have used a lot of them! Also, if you ever go to like DI or a thrift store, would you look for and old plaid tie or two haha? I would love an old plaid tie or two like that one I got at DI that was a clip on, but I want regular tie ones, haha. Just if you ever see one:). I got a CD made of my pictures that I have taken here. It was only like 2 dollars, so I will send that to you when they finish making it, probably like Monday. This week has just been so great! I am still doing good. The Spanish is still every hard y I'm not ready to teach in all Spanish, but the Lord will help me if I keep giving it my all! I love this work & I love the Atonement. I'm so grateful for it y it's amazing how much I use it. We watched a talk from Elder Holland and it was on the Atonement in Missionary work. It was so great y it really struck me how true it is. Even since I have been here the Atonement has meant so much more to me. We teach by the Spirit so much y we need every little bit of that in our lessons. Every rule, every min. we are late going to bed takes away from that Spirit so to get that back we must use the Atonement so that we can teach with that full power again. Ever since watching that talk, I have been thinking about it and that is what I thought of (see above example) and that I really use it so much more, like daily! Since realizing that our lesson on the Plan of Salvation has meant so much more, and to my companions also. Without even talking about it our lessons on the Plan of Salvation just became centered on the Atonement in every part. And by doing that, it has become so much more powerful. We taught it twice, both times to missionaries in our zone this week after watching that talk. We taught them as missionaries not as investigators like we normally do. So since they are missionaries it is usually hard to teach them the lesson because they already know it. But by centering it on the Atonement, the lesson became so powerful and during those two lessons, I don't think I have ever taught by the Spirit y felt the Spirit so strong! It was just so amazing. I am growing so much. I'm just grateful so much for the opportunity I have to use the Atonement daily in my life. I'm so grateful for this Gospel! Thank you so much for raising me in a home with this wonderful Gospel! I know that this is the only thing that can make us truly happy! Thanks for everything. I a great parents and a wonderful family. You are all so amazing to me and I am so very lucky. I'm sorry my letter isn't long today but I hope the email answered some questions that you had. I love you so much y I'm so grateful for all of you! Thank you for your letters y your prayers. The prayers really help y I really can feel them. I love you y miss you all.
Love,
Elder Despain

I GOT MY FIRST LETTER!!! ~Julie

My Dearest sister Julie,
Hahaha did you like that ha! Thanks for the letter! I hope you have been reading the letters I sent to mom! Because I haven't written you any I feel bad but I am now so that is good right? I wanted to write you but it is crazy here there isn't enough time in the day they keep us so busy and we can only write letters on Pdays not that I would have time any other day even if they let us haha. But busy is good I really do love it here the spirit is in everything we do and it is amazing. Your always happy here even when you're sad you're still happy its so weird but so awesome. So you know how you were joking about Grandma sending me letters in cursive and then I can't read them haha! She did ha and she sent me a card and it was so hard to read but don't worry it gets better! My Branch President, President Loid writes in cursive ha and we have to write him a letter once a week and he writes us back so that is a challenge to read HAHA so I think you cursed it by joking with me about it! But I am getting better at reading it Ha. When I got Grandma's card today I didn't have as hard or a time reading it because I have been reading President Loids HA. So that story about Ayla's mission is so funny. I love her and her great imagination! Tell Bret that I have been having a hard time getting anywhere on Call of Duty without him too! Translation: I don't get to play it and I miss him also! That's awesome that you got to go to the Easter Pageant! And that is so great that so many people went with you! It was like I was telling mom it isn't about converting people it's about bringing them closer to Christ and going to the Pageant would definitely do that for everyone! So I am still not very good at Spanish but I have improved so much its so crazy. I never would have thought I could learn so fast but the Lord really does bless us here it's amazing! I can feel everyones prayers so much! They help me out so much! Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying for me and for my visa! It is so crazy to me that I have been her two and a half weeks and by the time you get this almost three weeks it's just crazy the time goes by slow but then I look back and yesterday seems like it was the day I came in it's just crazy! I have grown so much since I have been here though so many prayers have been answered and my testimony grows so much every day! This gospel is so truly amazing and it really is the only way to true happiness. I love you and miss you all a ton but i know I couldn't be any better place! Sorry I didn't write you sooner! I will try to be better! I am praying for you and I hope you don't feel too sick :( Well I got to go I love you! Bye
Love,
Elder Despain
P.S. I hope you found a new pickle runner (someone to get you your pickles that is)

Letter 3-30-10

Dear Mom y Dad,
Thanks for everything! I hope you got my emails this week! Sorry that I sent it to the wrong one last week. I resent that one so I hope you will get them both! Please don't email back, just write me back on Dear Elder if you could because 30 min goes by so quick! Plus if I get it through Dear Elder I can read it during the week y I don't have to wait till Friday to get my mail! I love you so much! The MTC is so great. I am growing so so much it's amazing! On Sunday at our devotional, we had Elder Robins of the quorum of the 70 speak to us. It was amazing. He spoke on the conversion power of the Book of Mormon. It was amazing! After that we had a district devotional and we all bore our testimonies. It was great! Sister Loid my Branch President's wife said "the greatest person you will convert on this mission will be yourself." It's so true and I am already seeing it is great! In PMG (Preach My Gospel) it says you can only convert people to the level of your conversion, so I'm just trying to build on what Sister Loid said and get myself converted to the highest level as possible so that I can be the most prepared as possible to serve the people of Mexico! I'm so excited to go down there and serve! The time here goes by so quickly! There is so much to do every day and not enough hours in the day to do it all! But I love this gospel and I know it's true! I know I couldn't be any better place right now! I love you so much! I hope you get the emails I miss you!
Love,
Elder Despain
P.S. The temple was great. I got to go today. It was awesome and a good break, but very spiritual.

To the Giffords - March 26th

I know that Randall has pretty much written all this stuff before to others, but I wanted to post it here so he has it for the book we are making this into.  For the record, this letter made my day!


Dear Kimi, Zane, Nate y Mike,                                       y = and in Spanish

  Thanks for everything you sent me!  I loved it all!  Except the Peeps, but my companions both loved them so it worked out really good.  Ha ha!  It's great here y I really love it!  The spirit is so strong y I am growing so much every day!  My testimony has grown so so much.  On Sunday we had Elder Robins from the quorum of the 70 at our devotional.  His talk was amazing.  It was on the power the Book of Mormon has to convert.  It was so great! 
   I'm super excited for Conference.  I don't know how I am going to do it though.  My hand is going to kill after it because just in talks here I take like 3 pages of notes so I can't imagine how many I will take on Conference, but it will be great!  This gospel is amazing!  Sorry so sloppy (Kimi's note:  It was very sloppy too :) ) I don't have much time to write!  But I did get to go to the temple today, which was great.  It was a good break, but still really spiritual, but I am out of time.  I love you.  Thanks again!

P.S. Sorry it's sloppy y bad spelling.  Time is short.  There is never enough time in the day.

Love Your Little Bro,
Elder Despain

Dear Kylee,

Some excerpts from Randall's letter:
"My testimony has already grown so much and my Spanish, wow, it has gotten so much better. It isn't great but it is coming."
"I can’t get over how great it is here the spirit is in everything we do it's so amazing!"
"We wake up every day at 6:30 but it isn't enough sleep. Feeling the spirit so strong all day really wears you out it's crazy. The food here is pretty good, not to bad. I love my companions they are awesome. I am in a 3 some so I get two companions. It is amazing they are awesome. Elder Lawrence and Elder Gibson. I also love all the elders here they are all so great. I have two teachers I spend most of my time with, about eight hours a day in the classroom. Their names are Hermono Dubois and Hermana Bott. They are awesome teachers and teach by it. It is amazing eight hours is a long time but we all wish we had more time, the time flys by. All the Elders have been saying till Sunday is so hard, but not for me it has been amazing. I love it here the lord truly blesses us here."
" I don't think I have prayed so many times in a day and so hard. We pray so much, I pray so much and with all my heart because I need it to get through everything. The time here has been amazing. I know this is where I need to be. This gospel is so amazing it truly blesses my life and every one's life who has it."
" I love getting letters. I have got more mail then my whole district and Elders all put together. It's kinda funny but I love it!"
"I love this gospel, I love the atonement I know that it works in all of our lives."
" I have never been so busy in my life but it is so great."
" Please pray for my Spanish and for my visa to come through. I can't pray enough, it helps so much. It gets me through the hard work."

Randall's First Letter

March 21, 2010
Dear Mom & Dad,
It snowed on Thursday.  It was cold but fun.  It was light & didn’t stick, but it was fun.  I also saw & talked to Rex Self, aka Elder Self.  It was awesome to see him & talk to him.  Today was Sunday & in church everything was in Spanish, so I only got some of it, but it was still really good.  The musical number was “If You Could Hie to Kolob” but it was so amazing & the spirit it brought was great.   We had a fireside tonight.  It was great.   It’s so crazy how many notes I take on talks now.  In the fireside, I took 3 pages of notes.  It was so great.  We sang “High on a Mountain Top” and “How Great Thou Art” and some others, but with those two, I felt the Spirit so strong.  They are amazing songs if you listen to each word & put them to heart.  I loved it!  Then we got to watch the Joseph Smith movie.   It was great.  I loved it and like every time I watch it, the spirit is so strong.  The Restoration is so powerful & like in my fireside, so are the scriptures.  The Book of Mormon is so powerful when applied to our lives.  Also if you can, would you please send me letters so I don’t have to read emails, because I only have 30 min, but if you send me letters I can read them before that and use the whole 30 min. to write your email.  Also, will you please send me Uni-ball Elite pens.  They work good.  Also, I am not allowed to chew gum so please don’t send any more gum, but I have loved everything else in the package.  Thank you so much.   So I just looked in my address book and I sent your email to the wrong address.  I’m so sorry you haven’t got a letter yet.   On Friday, I will resend the email to your correct email.  Haha.   Sorry:(   I love it here.  It is so amazing.  The Spirit is so strong & everything is just so great.  I love you all so much.  Sorry about sending the email wrong.   I do love you and I did send one, so don’t think I didn’t write.  I love you and miss you all!   I love you and I will send the email on Friday so please write me letters so I can read them, not emails.
Thanks, love you. 
Love,

Elder Despain
PS Wheat Thins or Cheese-Its sound amazing haha