Week 2

Hey hey hey!!!!

I’m still alive! So that’s good. This place is just more and more amazing everyday! They’re adding new things every day, like water dispensers, and hot water in the sinks in our home. A couple days ago there was a camera crew and so we had table cloths on our tables for dinner, and it was much more organized. We think that they were filming for the World Report in between sessions of conference, maybe for October! So make sure to watch if I’m in it! But that day I wasn’t feeling very good, I think I have some kind of pollution sickness. My head was killing me, and I felt like I was going to cough up my lungs. I’m feeling much better now, and when I was teaching lessons I didn’t notice as much, so that helped! 

We get about 100 new people a week from los Estados Unidos, and maybe about that many Latinos every 2 weeks. It’s getting harder to know everyone, but I’m glad I can say I was here early enough to be able to know most of the people at the CCM.

When we got here, each of us got a debit card, and we get 120 pesos every Monday (the Elders only get 100, hehe!) There’s a little tienda on campus where we can buy soap stuff, and also book stuff. I bought the 4 missionary books in Spanish! (True to the Faith, Our Search for Happiness, Our Heritage, and Jesus the Christ). There’s lots of other stuff that I want, so I’m trying to save up so that I can get what I want before I leave. It’s so cheap here! Those books were about $145, which is like $14 in US dollars? I don’t remember the conversion, but I know it’s a good deal!

The food is awesome!!! They mostly do Mexican foods like empañadas, tortillas with everything, and tamales. All of the desserts are made from gelatin, which is much cheaper than jello, and tastes healthier. Whenever they have chocolate or ice cream, it’s a good day! We even had Costco pizza the other day, I think because all the Latinos left that day for their missions, so they could give the Americanos their real food.

BUGS HERE ARE WEIRD!!!!! We just call them Mexican bugs. The crickets are scary! They kinda look like silverfish, and they can jump like 2 feet. There was one in our room one night and me and Hma. Marley freaked out. Hma. Newbill was in the shower and she came out because she thought we were dying! But we didn’t. I smashed it with a shoe, and Hma. Marley got TP to put it in the trash.  

IF YOU WANT TO SEND ME MAIL!!!!! It’s best to use the pouch from Salt Lake. It usually gets here in about a week. If you need to send me something in a package, use DHL, and not the USPS, it gets here faster. Also! If you send something to the pouch, it leaves Salt Lake early Monday morning, so try to get it there by then, or else I won’t get it for another week.

It’s funny how people are learning Spanish here, some kids are starting to forget words in English!  I don’t think I’m quite there yet, but hopefully soon! We just got new Latinas in our house, and we decided to start having Casa Oraciòn (house prayer). It’s fun to get to know them a little better, and speak Spanish with them. I definitely understand it better!

I really learned this week how important the First Vision is. That is what sets this church apart from all the others. Because Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ almost 200 years ago, we have the fullness of Christ’s Gospel on the earth again! That is why we teach that in the first lesson, because if people believe that that happened, then everything else in this church is TRUE!!! Yo se que Josè Smith veò Padre Celestial y Jesucristo. Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es la verdadera. Yo se que tenemos una profeta hoy, y su nombre es Thomas S. Monson. Yo se que el Señor guia este iglesia hoy, por medio de su profeta. Este es mi testimonio, y es muy importante para mi. (Hopefully that makes a little bit of sense...)

We watch a devotional on Sunday from Elder Holland. It was given back on February 28, 2012. If you need something to do, and want to know why I’m serving and what I’m doing, WATCH THAT DEVOTIONAL. Or just watch it anyway. Ese hombre es una apostla de Dios. Me amo èl con toda de mi corizon. 

Here’s a fun fact: Pres. Pratt, the CCM president, is the Great-Great Grandson of Parley P. Pratt!!!

One last thing: Charity is a verb! That is what missionaries are, CHARITY! Put your name into Moroni 7:43-48 instead of the word charity, and you will know how to live life!!!

I love you all a lot, and I’m very grateful for your prayers. Thanks for your support, I don’t know if I could do this without you!! Please keep me updated on your lives, I love hearing about everything. 

urrah for Israel, Brothers and Sisters. Don’t ever forget who you are, where you came from, and where we are going.

Hermana Despain

P.S. This place is nothing like Provo from what I’ve heard. I’ve heard Provo feels like a prison, from the food and from not being outside much. That is not the case here!! We study outside, our classrooms are normal high school classroom size, and the food is great!!! I’m a little worried about gaining weight... But we also have a great gym with good equipment and lots of activities for a good workout.

Until next week!!

Hermana Despain

 This is an emergency meeting point. They`re all over campus, and we saw a couple in the city too. I think it`s a Mexican thing...

This is my cuarto!!! (room) My bed is on the bottom far side. We have closets to the right and a bathroom that you can`t see.

Pictures of campus. It`s so beautiful here!

This is how we do laundry here! We have washers and dryers, but they`re a little bit sketch. I wash some things in the sink, and we hang most things up to dry. It`s fun!!!!

Week 1 (plus some...)

HELLLLLOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

It has been a very long time since I got to email you, my P-day is on Thursdays, and I haven’t emailed since last Tuesday. I hope no one was freaking out!

This place is so amazing! I don’t think my description is going to do it any justice. The CCM (Centro de Capacitaciòn Misional) is SO SMART!!!! It use to be a prep school (or a high school) that was a boarding school for those kids who didn’t live in Mexico City. There are dorms and houses that the students lived in. It covers 90 acres!!! Which makes it the largest MTC geographically, and by the end of the summer it will be the 2nd largest MTC by population. Last January, a lot of general authorities (I think there were about 9, including Elder Holland) came here to Mexico and had a live broadcast for the whole country to  announce that the school would be closed at the end of the school year and reopened as an MTC. I’m sure it was very hard for the people to give up this beautiful place, but I’m very glad they did!

The Hermanas live in the houses: 5 bedrooms, with 2 bunkbeds, so about 20 hermanas in each house. In my house, there are about half and half of Americanas and Latinas. The Latinos are only here at the MTC for 12 days, while the Americanos are here for about 6 weeks. It is so fun to live with the Latinas because we can practice our Spanish with them, and they can learn a little English. All of the Latinas are serving in Mexico, or other Spanish speaking countries, and a lot of the Americanos are serving in other countries also.

I have 2 companions!! Hermana Newbill from Olympia, WA is going to be serving in Tampa with me! And Hermana Marley from Idaho (near Pocotello) is going to be serving in Honduras. They are so great! I love them to death! I really can’t imagine having better companions, but I’m sure there will be other great ones someday. Hma. Newbill is 20, and she went to BYU, and Hma. Marley is 21 and went to Utah State. Both are amazing women and I’m learning a lot from them.

Well, learning began on Wednesday, and hasn't stopped. At this MTC, each class has a teacher from Provo and a native teacher. My class has Hma. McKay and Hmo. Garcia. They are so great!!! Hma. McKay served in Arizona and got home a couple years ago. Hmo. Garcia served in Tijuana and got back about 6 months ago. He’s 20 because Mexico is one of the countries that has a military thing, so they had to serve missions earlier than 19. He’s really shy, and Hma. McKay is really loud and excited, so they balance each other out really well. I love them both so much!

The third day, we started teaching an "investigator", who’s really one of the teachers pretending to be one of the investigators they had on their mission. My companions and I are teaching Amanda Herrea. We’ve taught her 4 times, and tonight will be the last time. On the 2nd lesson, we really wanted her to pray. The lesson before, she just refused, so we didn’t push it too much. But we really wanted her to pray! When we asked her again in the 2nd lesson, I had an impression that we should each take turns praying, and she would be the last one to pray. She agreed to that, so we all knelt down, each of us said a simple prayer, and then it was Amanda’s turn. She said the most beautiful prayer I’ve ever heard (BTW, this was ALL in Spanish). She said she was glad we met with her, and that she wanted help from us, that she was glad she could talk to Him (God), and that she wanted to change her life. After that lesson I knew that this is what I want to do. I’m so excited to help real investigators build relationships with their Heavenly Father. He wants to have a relationship with each of us, but WE have to be the ones who start it. We have to make an effort, and He WILL return it. I have felt that in my life, especially here.

We got to go to the temple today. It was all in Spanish again, but that was even better. It built my testimony of temples, because it’s all the same in a different country or a different language. Of course we all needed a lot of help because we didn’t understand everything that was being said, but that’s ok! I am so glad we got to go. We might get to go one more time, but it closes the first 2 weeks of August, so we can’t go then.

I’m not gonna lie, this is already the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But I’ve already learned that as long as I just forget myself and focus on the work, it’s not hard, I don’t miss you all as much, and I helps me more than I can imagine.

If there’s any advice I can give to anyone and everyone right now it is that we have a Father in Heaven, and He wants to have a relationship with each of us. Just like my mom and dad want me to stay in touch with them and do what they expect of me, Heavenly Father wants the same thing! We need to build our relationship with Him by praying, reading His words in the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon), and by keeping our baptismal and temple covenants. If anyone needs help with this, ask me, your bishop, my parents, or your Heavenly Father. I know that any of those people can and will help!

Oh! I forgot. Almost every day there is a big thunder storm right before dinner that lasts quite a while. Sometimes it passes by us, but some days, like today, it’s right on top of us! The second day my companion and I saw the lightning right in front of us as we were walking home! It was pretty awesome, and also very scary.

I love this place so much. I love the people! The Latinos are so welcoming to us, and love to hear us try to speak Spanish with them!  I love it! This gospel is so true, it blesses anyone who wants to be blessed by it. I can’t imagine life without it. Thank you all for all your support and prayers, it really means a lot!

Hermana Despain

PS the food here is AMAZING!!!!!! I'll describe it more next week. Also, I don't know how the snail mail works here, so maybe don`t worry about that.

Thanks!!

There`s me with the welcome sign

me with my companions after a huge storm!

my hand after that storm ( I slipped a little and grabbed a nearby drinking fountain, and it kinda cut my hand. But it`s all good!)

pictures of the city on our way to the temple

me and my companions at the Mexico City Temple!

the Elders in my branch on the bus. They`re pretty cool guys!

Chrysta's First Email! She is Officially in Mexico!

I made it to the Mexico MTC!!!!! I met up with about 25 other missionaries in LAX, 5 of which were hermanas. The city is really big!!! From the plane I could not see the end of the city, it is that big. (I do not know where the apostraphy ìs on this spanish keyboard, so that is why this sounds weird.)

We start a full day tomorrow, and we are not going to get enough sleep tonight, so that is fun!

It is so awesome to be here, the missionaries I have already met are amazing. But we are just kids! I am glad the Lord trusts us to do His work, because I do not know if I would.

It is very weird to not be with you all, and not gonna lie, it is really hard. I miss you all a lot. But I know that I need to be here. I have eternity with you, so 18 months is nothing. And like what Aunt Judy said, if I did not do this, I would not have the experiences or change the lives that I am suppose to .

Thank you for everything! And I hope all is well.

Te Amo!

Hermana Despain

All the Addresses and Ways to Contact Chrysta

Different ways you can contact Chrysta while she is in Mexico:

Chrysta's MTC address is 

Sister Chrysta Despain

Carretera Tenayuca-Chalmita #828
Colonia Zona Escolar
Gustavo A. Madero
07230 Mexico, Distrito Federal
Mexico

You can save money and use the pouch system. You only need a regular 46 cent or forever stamp (only works for letters and not packages):

Pouch Mailing Address:
Sister Chrysta Despain
Mexico MTC
P.O. Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

Or even cheaper (free) is the dearelder.com option. Simply go to www.dearelder.com and select "Mexico MTC" from the dropdown menu and type a message. There are also instructions with more details.

Chrysta leaves for Tampa, Florida August 19th. After that date, her mission address is:

Hermana Chrysta Despain

Florida Tampa Mission

13153 N Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 109

Tampa, FL 33618-2410

Chrysta is pretty sure letters and packages both go to this address but if I find out differently I'll let you know.