I Met The Other Elder DeSpain!

Bon nochi!

This was great week, another busy one.  We are starting the process of looking for new houses for the new missionaries that will be coming in in the next transfer, and we got to go out to a place called Quisqueya on Saturday, and then we got to go out to La Romana from there because we needed to look for some things that were in the house of the zone leaders there.  I love getting to be able to see all of the place that are here in the mission, that is a big blessing from the Lord.  We will also be getting to go back out to La Romana on Friday, and I think that we will be moving all of the things for the house in Quisqueya that day as well.  We are going out there in the first  place for Zone Conference.  I think that that will be in La Romana.  In this round of Zone Conferences, me and Elder De La Rosa get to talk a little bit.  We are going to give a little presentation or "refresher" so that we can be sure that everyone knows about the different procedures and rules that there are in the finances and housing department.  I'm excited, it should be fun!

The meeting with Bishop McMullin was great.  He gave a great talk on how we can find true happiness through reading the Book of Mormon.  I think that three of the zones from the West Mission were invited, so I got to see a lot of different elders that were in my same group in the MTC here in the DR who I spent six weeks with at the beginning of my mission.  That was awesome.  And, get this, I met the other Elder Despain (they spell theirs without capitalizing the S), who serves in the West Mission, and this is the crazy part, he is Elder Clayton's cousin!  His dad is Rob DeSpain, who I asked Dad to do the genealogy on.  I could not believe it.  I thought it was way cool that we are related!  I think that he must have like 6 months or so in the mission, and one of the elders who was in my group here in the MTC actually trained him, and he is from Arizona.  His name is Elder Jordan Holt.  He is a great guy, and he is a great missionary.  I also got to see the other elder from Arizona that was in my group in the MTC in the DR, his name is Elder Klein.  He went to Mountain View and Elder Holt went to Red Mountain. We were actually at some of the same ballgames and stuff before the mission without knowing it.  Small world!  

Everything here is going great.  We were able to set a baptismal date with James for the the 3rd of March.  He is a great guy, and he will be a great Priesthood holder.  We have several other people who we are teaching as well who are progressing, but the only other one who has a baptismal date right now is a girl that has been attending church with a friend who I believe is her cousin.  The girl with the baptismal date's name is Noelia.  She has been coming to church for like 4 months already, and she is doing well.  She has a baptismal date for the 10th of March.

This morning we were walking out the door to go play baseball when we got a call from the Mission President's Wife.  She needed us to go and help one of the sisters who was sick and in the hospital for the night last night.  It was actually Sister Ward from Ft. Thomas.  We share our area with her and her companion.  We went to the hospital and finished up paying for everything there and then we took them to get her medicine.  The first pharmacy didn't have the medicine she needed so we went to another one and they had it.  Then we took them back home.  She is doing great now.  By the time we were able to get them to their apartment it was already noon, but lucky for us there were still some elders playing basketball at the church.  We played some 4 on 4 basketball with them.  That was a way fun and a tender mercy of the Lord!  We also got to go to Pizza Hut for lunch and it was awesome, a great P-Day!  

 

Wow, I can't believe that Scott's team won the championship!  That is awesome, man, he sounds like he is tearing it up!  He is going to end up playing ball in high school.  It sounds like he's the player out of all of us.  That is awesome.  Is he still interested in playing basketball and baseball too?  I would tell him to play all of them that he can in Junior High, he sounds like he will tear it up.  (We told Jeff in our email this week that Scott's flag football team won the championship for his division this past Saturday!  Out of 22 teams his team came out on top!  Fun!  We knew Jeff would enjoy that!) 

Dad asked me what I think is one of the biggest lessons/personality changes that I have had in my life while I have been on my mission.  I think it is probably that of learning to be patient, diligent, and persistent in the Gospel.  I think that I have learned to really be patient and rely on the Lord and have faith in His Plan and trust Him when the times are hard and I just don't know why, or when my trials will end.  I have learned that if we just keep on pressing forward, whatever our trial may be, and however hopeless we may feel, that just as one of the Apostle's said in the past, "Sunday will come".  Everything will turn out for our good if we just trust in the Lord and keep on walking.  I know that He will keep His promises, He knows where we are, what we are going through, and how we feel, but sometimes I have learned that He helps us grow by not giving us what we want or are waiting for in the moment that we want it.  Sometimes He helps us even more by making us go a little farther or endure a little bit longer before we get our relief.  I am so grateful for His perfect Plan, Love, and direction in my life.  

 

I love you all, keep being good examples for everyone!

Elder DeSpain