Hola Familia! 7-4-11

Hola Familia!!!
  Well, not much is new, haha! I'm doing really good and me and my comp are working really hard! I had two baptisms in my district so that was super cool because I have been trying to help them out a lot so that they could be baptized so I was really glad they finally did! Today we went to pyramids. They were ones I went to like 2 changes ago but they were cool to see again! We are hoping to have some baptisms in our area this week but we will see what happens!! We have been working really hard and I know the blessings of that hard work will come. At times, God doesn't give us the success that we wish but in His own time it comes! Tell Ayla "Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Other than that, everything is pretty much the same!! Our cambios are this Monday!! We should find out our changes on Saturday! I think I'm ready for a change of companion and area but who knows what will happen! I am ready to go wherever the Lord wants me to go! But I do think a change would be nice, haha. I have like 4 and a half months in this area! I have only been in one other area this long and that was my first area! Haha, I love it here though. I love having the opportunity to be a missionary! I miss you all a lot but I really do love what I'm doing!! I'm glad that I am an instrument in the hands of the Lord to get His work done here on earth! I'm so grateful to have this wonderful gospel in my life! We are truly lucky to have the knowledge of the plan of salvation and the happiness that comes with knowing our purpose here on earth and where we are going after this life! And more then anything, we are so lucky to know about the atonement of Jesus Christ and be able to use His atonement daily in our lives! I am so grateful for the atonement. I know that I make mistakes daily, but I know that with faith in my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ I can overcome the mistakes I have made and any others that I may make! We are truly lucky to have this gospel in our lives! I'm also so grateful for the amazing family I have!! I love you all so much and miss you all a lot! Although, I'm so grateful to be here on a mission! I hope you all are doing good and staying safe! I love you all!
Love,
Elder Despain

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

My district last change, Elder Montoya, Elder Barrera, Elder Gamez, Elder Asencio, y my comp Elder Salazar!! 5-24-11

A baptism that some elders in my district had this last week. We helped out because she can't move her legs or anything, so it took a couple elders to do the baptism. I was able to do her baptism interview and it was really cool to see her get baptized. I love this gospel and I love seeing how happy it makes people. 5-28-11

 

Some people gave these to the church and we didn't know it. We had a baptism and we walked in one of the rooms and it was just full of coffins, haha. 5-28-11

 

  This dog looks like Snuffy but just smaller. 5-25-11

Hola!!

  This week has been good! Changes are today but I will be staying here in Universidad and I will be staying with my comp another change, Elder Salazar. Some times the Lord has hard tasks for us to do but He always provides a way for us to acomplish them. I'm grateful to be a servent of the Lord and even though it may be hard I'm ready to do whatever it is that the Lord has planned for me. I know this change won't be that easy but I know that with the Lord's help I can do it! My comp is doing much better so it shouldn't be too bad, but please keep me and him in your prayers. They really do help. We have a few people really close to baptism. This Sunday we were supposed to have 2 baptisms but they fell through. But, we should have at least 2 this week so I'm pretty excited! Well, I love you all. I love you all. Thanks for all you do for me. I have the best family ever. Thanks for being so great!

Love,

Elder Despain

Me, Elder Wagstaff, y Elder Prise, at the conference with Elder Oaks. 5-18-11

Elder Agular he goes home in like a week. 5-18-11

Mi Papa! (the missionary who trained me), Elder Higuera, haha. He only has 2 or 3 changes left in his mission. 5-18-11

 

Me and my package! I have been waiting for this since February, but it kept getting sent back to my family for one reason or another.  It was for my birthday and hump day (1 year anniversary). 5-13-11

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Mi Hijo, (My Son/A missionary I trained) Elder Plata 5-18-11

 Picture of Elder Oaks when he was leaving from Stake Conference! 5-22-11

Zone Metepec playing vs us, Zone Toluca, today! 5-23-11

Me on the field we played on! 5-23-11 

 Me and some other missionaries. 5-23-11

Hola 5-23-11

Hola familia!

 

This week was good! I was still a little sick, but I'm getting better! This week was cool because I got to hear Elder Oaks talk twice!  On Wed., we got to listen to him in the D.F., just our mission and just the missionaries. It was awesome! I got to shake his hand and talk to him for a second! It was sweet. Also when he finished his talk to us, he said "In and by the office I hold as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, I leave a bessing with all of you!" It was really cool. Like through the office as an Apostle he blessed us. It was cool!!!! Also when he spoke in our stake conference, the mission president's wife asked me for a pass along card for Sister Oaks. So I gave her one I had in my pocket and then Sister Oaks used it in her talk and held it up and it was mine, haha. Stupid, but cool! I thought it was funny! We played futbol (soccer) today vs Metepec, a different zone. That was cool. I made two goals, haha, and who says Americans can't play futbol?!!!! It was fun! It has also been really cool to visit and see how much Veronica, Andrea and Fernanda have changed. Their baptism was a big change and it was really great for them. I love this gospel and I love seeing it change peoples lives! It was so, so cool to hear from Elder Oaks. I now know more than ever that he is truly a special witness of Jesus Christ and truly is called a servant of the Lord just like all the apostles in the Bible! It was really a cool experience! It was also cool to be all together as a mission. ever since they changed how we do changes, we never see everyone in the mission. So there were a lot of missionaries I hadn't seen in a long time, so it was cool to see them!!!  I will be sure to keep Jason in my prayers. Hope that all is good with him, but I will be sure to pray for him!!! Well, all is going well for me. I love you all so much! Thanks for all you do for me. Love ya!

 

Love,

Elder Despain

Hola Familia 5-16-11

 Hola!!!!!!!!
  Well, it was really great to talk to you last Sunday! This week was good! Today I had an interview with the president that was cool, haha. This past week we had a zone conference and that was good, too. We watched a talk from Elder Holland and it was a talk he gave when I was in the MTC but it was still great to list to it again and it was a motivation! But the really cool thing is on Wednesday we get to go to the D. F. (District Federales) and see Elder Oaks! He is going to talk to our whole mission! Then next Sunday, we will see him again when he talks to our stake. It going to be awesome. I am really pumped to hear him! I'm doing good. I have been a little sick but I'm getting better so that's good and I'm feeling much better! Thank you for the package. It was really great to get a package and I already gave away some stuff that I got in it! It's always cool to have stuff to give to the people we baptize and also to the people we are teaching! I love you all. You're all so amazing. I truly have the greatest family ever! Thanks for all you do for me! Well not much new has happened here, just doing good here and working hard! I love this work and I'm so grateful to be here! Being in the service of the Lord is truly amazing and just to see the happiness it brings to people's lives makes it worth every second. Like this family we baptized last week, they're really great and we have got to see them progress so much and just change their lives and now they are so much more happy. It's so great! They call us their angels, haha. It's funny but it truly makes it all worth it when you see the happiness it brings to their lives! Well, I love you all !!! Thanks for all you do for me! Stay safe!

Love,
Elder Despain

 Me and a little bunny 5-4-11

 

Me and Marcos, the guy that lived in a little shack that moved away. That was sad. 5-7-11

 The baptism of Andrea, Fernanda and their mom, Veronica! 5-8-11

  

Me and my comp., Elder Salazar 5-9-11

 

A picture of me and Elder Gamez in my Spain jersey 5-9-11

A picture of the whole zone after playing futbol. 5-9-11

Hola 5-9-11

Hola Familia!
 It was so awesome to get to talk to you all! And it was really great to get to see you all as well! The kids are so big. That really shocked me how big they have gotten! I loved being able to talk to everyone, that was really cool! I love you all and miss you all as well! I sent some pictures of the baptism that we had! And also of some other things! Well, I love you all and it was great to see that you are all doing well! I love you all so much. Thanks for talking to me for so long! I truly have the greatest family ever! Thanks so much for all you do! I love you all! Thanks also for inviting Kylee. That was really nice that I got to talk to her as well! I love you all. Thanks for all you do. I will write more next week!

Love,
Elder Despain

Hola Todos! 5-3-11

Hola,
  Thanks for your letters and I'm sorry for not writing yesterday. It's just that we were super busy and had to visit some people and didn't have time to write! I love you all. Thanks so much for your emails! So about the call, I'm going to call on Sunday. The time difference is 2 hours and I think I will call at about 4 my time, so i think it will be about 2 your time. I'm going to try and make a Skype thing really quick so that I can do it through the computer and it won't cost any money, but if not I will call you and then you can call me back! And just in case some thing goes wrong you can call me. I don't know what area code or international code you have to use, but I should be able to call you! I love you all! Well, I will talk to you on Sunday. It's crazy it has been like 5 months since the last time I called. I feel like it was yesterday! I love you all and I will talk to you on Sunday at 2 your time! If you could send me your Skype address before Sunday that would help me to be able to use Skype if it works out. I love you all! I'm doing great!
Love,
 Elder Despain

 A Statue In Our Area 4-20-11

 Me and Elder Martinez 4-17-11

Me driving a bus that is just the frame, haha. 4-15-11

 

Hope you like these random pictures!

 4-4-11

 4-4-11

 4-11-11

4-23-11

Hola 4-25-11

Hola Familia!

  Everything is going great for me here and I'm glad to hear that all is going good back at home. Thanks for sending the package again. I still haven't got it but I'm sure that I will get it soon!  So this week has been a really weird week, haha. It went good, but was very hard, haha. It was Semana Santa (Holy Week) and so like no one was home and ya it was a little slow for us, but we got through it and had quite a bit of success! Friday it was like we were in a deserted land, haha. There was no one outside and no cars and no stores were open, haha. It was weird. And then Saturday, everyone like throws water. It's a weird tradition here. So all day people were trying to get us wet, but no one got us good because we were on high alert, haha. Although, at the end of the day, I went with my zone leader, Elder Wagstaff, on divisions so he could interview a person for us. He told me that they got so, so, so wet, haha. They were on their bikes and like 8 people each with a 5 gallon bucket just soaked them, haha. We had a baptism all ready for Sunday but then at the last second, the guy had to work so he couldn't go to church. That was sad but he will for sure get baptized this week. He is like one of the coolest guys I have ever met. His name is Marcos and he lives in like a little shack, like there is just room enough for his bed nothing else, so we teach him outside his house. He is just super cool. He was living in the states for a couple years in Texas and he came back to help out his family and now he is trying to go back to the states, but wants to do it legally so he is saving up money and working on his papers. But ya, he is like the humblest guy ever. He is so cool and even though he has like no money, he always buys a bottle of water so that we can have water to drink while we teach him. But the last time we taught him, we took the water so he didn't have to buy it. He is such a awesome guy and I have loved seeing him progress. When we found him, he said he felt like he had an emptiness inside him and we told him that our message could help to fill that space up and he let us teach him. And every time we go, he just is so happy and is like, "You guys were right. It is filling that space up!" He is just sweet and progressing so well! I love this gospel and I love getting to share it with others and see them receive the happiness that comes along with this gospel! Thanks for all you do for me and for all your prayers, they really do help! Know that I'm doing good and that I'm staying safe! I love you all and miss you all a ton. I will let you know about the call for Mother's Day next week because they still haven't told us when we can call! I love you all and miss you all! Stay safe!

Love,

Elder Despain

Hola Familia! 4-18-11

Hola Familia!
   Well, I'm doing really good! I hope that all of you are good! This week has been full of changes, haha, but it has been good! Last Monday at about 6:30, the president called and told my comp., Elder Lindstrom, he would be leaving in about 2 hours and that I would be getting a new comp., Elder Martinez. I had the opportunity to work with Elder Martinez for a week! He had been struggling a little with his old comp and some other things. I was able to help him out a little in this last week and I was also able to learn a lot from him. I love having the opportunity to grow and become a better teacher and better missionary! Then, on Saturday, I got another call from the president and he told me I would be getting another new comp. today. I now have Elder Salazar as a companion! He is also an elder that has had a little bit of trouble in the past and the president is asking me to help him! I'm very excited for this change and I'm really grateful I have the opportunity to be here serving the Lord! I know that the Lord sometimes sends us things that are hard to do, but I know that with everything He sends us He gives us a way to do them and overcome the hardships. I know that I will have the opportunity to grow a lot this change and I'm so grateful I have this opportunity but I also know that it will be a very hard change with lots of obstacles I will have to overcome. I know the Lord is always here with me and will help me to overcome everything that comes my way! Please pray for me and please make sure to pray for my companion! Please pray that we can be obedient and accomplish all that the Lord has in store for us! I love you all so much I'm so truly grateful to have such great friends and family! I know that I couldn't ask for a better family. I love you all and I'm so grateful to have such a great family! I know the Lord loves us all and is always there to help us through our hardships! Remember the Lord always and always have confidence in Him and put your lives in His hands. I know that as we all do that we will receive blessings and be able to overcome all that is put in our path! I know that this church is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He loves us and for that He died for us. His love was so great that He gave His life for each and everyone of us all we must do is accept Him and do the things He has asked of us. I know that God lives and loves us and is always here for us. We just have to ask for His help and do our part! I know that this church is true and that it truly is the church of Jesus Christ. I know that I am a representative of Him and I know that this truly is His work. I'm so grateful to get to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to bring to pass this great work! I love this work and I'm so grateful for all the blessings it has brought to my life! It is true and this gospel does truly change lives! I love you all thank you so much for all you do for me! I love you all, stay safe! Know that I'm in the Lords hands and safe and doing great!

Love,
Elder Despain

Letter to Zane and Kimi 4-18-11

Hey!

Thank you so much Zane for your letter! I liked it a lot and you did do a very good job writing it and typing your name! Mexico is awesome! I like it a lot here, but I do miss you all back at home a lot! I loved your pictures. They are very cool and I'm sure that you are very good at playing t-ball! I love you a ton and I hope that some day you will be a missionary like me! Because it is awesome but you have to start right now so you will be ready when the time comes okay! Make sure you read your scriptures with your brother and mom and dad, so that you will be all ready to be a missionary like me! I love you lots stay safe and have fun!

Thanks for the letter, I loved it! I got on to print out the letters I have so I can read them while I'm waiting for my new comp to get here! I'm waiting in the bus station for him to get here! This is going to be a good change, but it is going to be a little hard! I have a big task ahead of me and I will need to be strong so that I can help my new companion. But ya, I'm here waiting for him and when I was printing off my letters I decided to write you back really quick! Make sure to let your boys know I love them and that I miss them a ton! They are getting really big! It's crazy! I don't feel like I have been gone too long, but I guess in a year and a month they change a lot! Haha. Well, I love you a ton. Thanks for all you do for me! You're an amazing sister. I couldn't ask for any better of a family or better sisters. I am so blessed to have you all in my life! Stay safe and tell everyone I love them and miss them!

Love your little bro!

Elder Despain

Me eating an Elote. That is like in the movie Nacho Libre, where the guy throws his elote and it hits the guy in the eye, haha, and he is running around screaming. It's funny! 4-4-11

 More pics from the pyramids 4-4-11