Hey! Thanks so much! I love hearing from you. I"m going to try to answer your questions:

I just got the first letters last night, so the one that Dad sent didn't get here until last night. I got the package from Grandma the night that I got here and another one like two days later because I think she sent them like two weeks before I got here! The Spanish is coming great! I don't speak it all the time,but definitely more than in Provo, and I'm learning really well! I even had some natives that are cooks here tell me that my Spanish is really good! It's amazing to see the gift of tongues! I love it!

I'm a District Leader for our District! I can't believe it! WE have eight elders, Elder Getts (my companion), he's a great awesome elder from Montana with an unbelievable desire and will to work an improve and get better! I love working with him because he's so focused! We get a lot done! The other elders are Elder Curtis (Utah), Elder DeLeon (Texas), Elder Hatch and Elder Griffin (Utah), and Elder Brezek (Nebreska), and Elder Anderson (Utah). I have a great district, I just hope that I can lead them well. Sometimes I feel inadequate, but no one is inadequate with the Lord!

The food here is AMAZING! No offense, but especially after the BYU food at Provo! It's catered, and it's amazing! What happens is we live on the fourth floor of this building, and that floor is the MTC, or the CCM as they call it here! The cafeteria is down on the first floor and we go there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it's a little different because here the lunch is like bigger than the dinner., It's like the big meal of the day. It sounds like maybe they're not as into siestas here as I thought, ha ha :) My P_Day is Thursday, so expect to hear from me and write then, but please, keep writing me all the time I love hearing form you!

I didn't get to stay with Elder Holt, I got a new companion, and we have four to a room here again. It's awesome here though, we can listen to music! I love it, ha ha!

There's not very many missionaries here at all! We only have like forty here right now, and the whole MTC is one floor! We have a Mission President and his wife here, the Hendricks. So I guess that we're actually in the West mission, but my mission president lives in a high rise condo right next door! Ha Ha :) And the the area presidency lives there too! I don't know if you remember Elder Vinas of the quorum of the seventy, but he spoke in general conference and he came here on Tuesday and spoke to us! I got to meet him. I think the other counselors from the area presidency will be here as well to speak to us!

They have several Hatian missionaries here and they will be leaving gin three weeks and then we will be getting some Latino missionaries for the lat three weeks! That's when most things will switch to Spanish, ha ha! Better be ready!

We have class most all day, with some gym time outside. President Hendricks can shoot hook shots out there! And we're right next to the Temple. It's like a gigantic version of the Gila Valley Temple! We get to walk around it every day! The first and second floors of the building that we're in are housing for it! So when people come here, they stay in those floors and we stay on the fourth floor.

We get to go to the Temple on P-Days and we got to go to the University today and pick up trash! It was crazy, the streets are lined with trash here and their wires go all over the place. We've already had the power go out! but the Church doesn't mess around, they have a generator, so it comes back on soon.

We got to talk to a couple of people in Spanish today and it was crazy! They really do talk fast! Tomorrow we get to go to the university and talk to people!

I'd like to bear my testimony again. I know that Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father live! They live, and they know us by name. If we will but be obedient to them, WE CANNOT FAIL! what great joy and confidence this can bring into our lives! We cannot fail, light will ALWAYS TRIUMPH OVER EVIL. We cannot be defeated with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father on our sides! He lives, and He blesses us every day. Fear truly is of the devil. Heavenly Father doesn't want us to fear, and we have nothing to fear with Heavenly Father on our side. HE won't give us something that we can't do. with him, all things are possible. I have to apply that in my life more. In 2 Nephi chapter 4, Nephi recognizes that his soul is drooping in sin for no reason. He know in who he has trusted! He knows that heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are with us. How great a cause!

I love you all so much and can't wait to hear from you! I love you, and please write me all the time!

Love,
Elder DeSpain