Hey!


Ya, just deposit the $100. I totally forgot about it, haha. And the password for my voicemail on my cell phone is my student number, so you can take care of that too if you wouldn't mind. Ok, sorry, I lost ten minutes on my email time because the browser wouldn't work and I had to change computers and it kept taking time away from me in five minute segments.

This week was great! I've been learning a lot! I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to serve. The language is coming along well, better than it ever has before. W get to go to the Temple today, and that will be great. I only have until next Thursday before I fly out for the D.R.!

Ok, so I got my flight plans, and I will be leaving on Thursday, August 5th at 6 AM in the morning from Salt Lake! We will fly into Dallas/Fort Worth and then we will fly from there to Miami where we will have another layover and then we will fly from Miami to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Sorry, I don't have the flight itinerary with me right now otherwise I could give you exact times, but I think we have like an hour or so layover in Dallas, then like two hours or so in Miami. So should I call you from Dallas? I will not arrive in Santo Domingo until 7:30 PM that night! So a full day of flight!

There have been some great devotionals here, and there has been a great Spirit at them. I keep hearing great quotes and things, but the thing that is stressed the most I think is obedience. Obedience is so important! It is the first thing that will qualify us for the blessings that The Lord has promised to us. We can't get to the other things laws and things that we need to do without being obedient first, it is the first and most important thing!

I love you so much! Thanks for all that you do! Keep using dearelder.com. It is way faster and easier and you can use it throughout my whole mission for free! I can get the letter the same day that way. Thanks so much! Keep the letters coming. I love having them every night!

Hey Guys,

It's Jeff! I'll get to email every Tuesday. I will only be able to write letters to you on Tuesdays, but please keep sending them all week! I have been so blessed, I get the most letters out of anyone in my district! I'm so grateful for all of you back home!

I've been really busy here! I'm in class all day or at a devotional, and for eightish hours most days with a teacher and then about four hours with just my companion. I should be leaving for the Dominican Republic on August 5th roughly, so do use that date on the address code in the letters that you send me. They have all kinds of food here! I have a great companion, his name is Elder Holt and he is from Kaysville, Utah. He has one other sister, and he's the only other kid in the family. He's great and we get along really well! I survived the first week so far, ha ha! We still have to do our laundry later. Oh, Elder Holt has the same birthday as me and we're going to the same mission, ha ha! What are the chances? I love you all so much and thanks so much for the letters and for all that you do. I sent a letter back to Scott today so it shouldn't be long and you'll have another one buddy!

Love,
Jeff

Jeff's First Letter Home - July 15th 2010

Hey Guys,

I'm here safe & sound! I leave for the Dominican Republic on August 5th. I have a great companion, Elder Holt from Kaysville, Utah. I'll be here for three weeks then I'm off. I've already seen a bunch of guys I know, including Elder Dixson. It's weird to thinkthat I'm now officially a missionary! Be good & I love you guys! Hope to hear from you soon!

Love,
Jeff

(We have sent four letters already - including one that I mailed two days before he even flew out so it would be there the day he arrived. Unfortunately, the address he was given to use before he left is a little different than the one he was given when he got there. Hopefully the letters we sent using the original address have made their way to him by now! The address on the blog is the correct one. The only change is the four digit code on the line that begins with DOM.)

Jeff reported to the Provo MTC today! His flight left early this morning at 7:25. We knew that he would be on the same flight with a friend of his, Jackson Law, but that's all we knew. When we were standing in line to check his luggage, we were surprised to see at least six other elders and their families doing the very same thing. We went upstairs to see Jeff off at the security check point and while we were talking with him there, we saw MORE elders. We believe there were about 10-12 elders on that same flight! That was an awesome sight to see! What a wonderful feeling to be there with all of these other families sharing the same experience. Even though we only knew one other elder in the group, it was a very powerful, peaceful, sustaining feeling to see all of these faithful, obedient young men heading off to places around the earth ready and willing to serve the Lord!

We knew we couldn't go down to the gate to see Jeff off and watch his plane take off like we used to do in the "olden days". We were a little sad about that, but a tiny little miracle came our way. Henry looked around the terminal until he found a map that showed us that "Gate 16" just happened to be the first gate just past the security check point. So we were able to watch out a window from the main part of the terminal and see the plane taxi to the run way and take off! Such a tiny little thing . . . but to some of us it was a tender mercy this morning!

We are excited for Jeff to start his service as a fulltime missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ and we look forward with great anticipation to his first letter home!

Elder Jeff DeSpain has been called to serve in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission! He will report Wednesday, July 14th. He will be in the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center for three weeks. Then he will travel to the Dominican Republic where he will be in the Missionary Training Center located in that country for six weeks after which he will be assigned to his first area. He will be speaking in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, July 11th at noon at the building on Guadalupe just west of Power Road. If you would like to visit with him before he leaves, please stop by our home that same evening anytime between 7:00 and 9:00pm!