Elder Derek Vincent: My first week

Hey everyone!

I hope you have had a good week, mine has felt like forever. In all honesty, I was so scared right after saying goodbye to my family at the airport. I have been used to being away from my family since being up at BYU, but never without the ability to call or text them whenever I want.

I was so nervous about being by myself for about two seconds. In the security line, a middle-aged couple tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was leaving for my mission. I told them I was and they said their son got back a couple years ago and they remember it like it was yesterday. That helped me feel a little more comfortable. The guy in front of me overheard us talking and he turned around and said that he wasn't a member but that his best friend went on a mission and he thought it was the coolest and most impressive thing. I got to the front of the security line and the guy who took my boarding pass and passport gave me a nudge and said "looking sharp elder" and once I got through security this massive dude came up to me and asked why I was all dressed up. I told him I was going to serve a mission for my church for 2 years and he gave me a fist bump and said "that's what's up!"

Checking in at el CCM

I ran into a missionary coming home from his mission at my gate and he gave me a ton of good advice. I was the only missionary on the plane down here to Mexico and once I got in my seat another guy was walking down the aisle to his seat and as he passed me he said "that was an emotional goodbye with your family, where are you going?" I told him what I was doing and he said he had massive respect and the people in the surrounding seats all kind of said something like wow or congratulations to me. I have never talked to random people in the airport before. I know that all of these things were not coincidences. It was heavenly father answering my prayers. So I guess my message from this week is that even when we feel lonely, we are never alone. Heavenly Father is always watching out for us and protecting us. He answers ALL of our prayers.

Half asleep on the first day

So here is what a normal day looks like here in el CCM:

I wake up at 6:30, shower, work out and eat breakfast. Class starts around 8:00am. We study the scriptures, the Spanish language, learn how to teach, etc. We get one lunch break and a dinner break. Both for 30 minutes. Class ends at 9:00pm. We have an hour and a half of personal time to do whatever, like write in journals,work out, do laundry, etc. Lights out at 10:30 and do the same thing 8 hours later.

It's definitely a grind but I love it. The first few days were tough but I'm used to it and its awesome. My Spanish has improved so much already. I got called as district leader which is an extra responsibility but I'm happy to do my part.

This mission has already been the greatest blessing in my life. It is a privilege to be out here serving. It's honestly so tough but there's nothing I'd rather be doing with my life. I love this gospel so much. I am so grateful that it is in my life and that I get the opportunity to share it with the world. I can't wait to see what the next two years have in store.

I love you all so much! Thank you for the endless love and support, it has gone a long way.

Mark 9:23

All my love,

Elder Vincent