June 8, 2011

Yo Nicki! What's up?

 

Good to hear from you! I'm just happy that you got to e-mail me this week no matter how long your e-mail is. Good to hear that you are doing well. I'm doing great this week. Just got done with playing basketball this morning and also we had a zone activity. We have a birthday/"funeral" for some of the missionaries in our zone because some were going home in two weeks. It was really fun because the theme was "weird things you eat on your mission." So we all brought weird things we've eaten on our mission just things that we've come up with. It was interesting! We had things like Cottage Cheese and Doritos and other weird things like Indian food in Romaijin lettuce. It was actually really good! It was a fun time. We're still here in the church just e-mailing in the family history center. Another cool thing is that the church will be starting an ad campaign here in New York! They will be posting ads for mormon.org all over New York. On tops of taxis, in subway cars and in places like Times Square! They will be on big digital screens and we will be working in places like Times Square to support the ads! It's going to be so cool! We were all really excited for that when they introduced that yesterday! I got chills just seeing what will happen here in New York. It will most definitely help in some effect for our missionary work. We're excited to see the results of it. Already we've had some people coming up to us talking to us because there is a broadway play called "The Book of Mormon." It was made by the creators of South Park and it kind of makes fun of religion. I guess it's a coincidence that we're starting this ad campaign around the time this broadway play got popular. We're really excited for the things to come!

 

That's so cool you started your nanny job! I'm glad that you're enjoying it!! I hope it continues well. With that job you'll be able to do lots and pay for your schooling in the fall. Keep it up! That's good the family is nice too.

 

I want a cool camera so I can take awesome pictures here in New York. The place is just awesome for taking pictures. Specially since I'm in Manhattan. We have lots of good opportunities to take fun pictures! Hopefully they will send me one! The camera I have is good but lots of the pictures come out blurry unfortunately. So I am never able to take lots of good pictures. It's so tough. So maybe you can convince them to send me one if funds permit! Thanks a ton! :)

 

I think for my education I want to pursue Journalism. Like entertainment journalism. You and everyone at home knows I love music, games and movies. What better than to write about them! I love writing too so it all fits together. I want to go to a place where they have a good writing program and hopefully can get a job in entertainment journalism. I think that really fits me. I've been thinking about it a lot. I know before I was saying I want to do a job with computers but I feel really good about going into journalism.

 

I'm happy for you. Keep up the good work and you'll be set for school in the fall. I miss you and I love you little sister! Take care of things at home and help mom and dad all that you can. Write me again next week! Have fun at work and enjoy!

 

Love,

Your big brother Elder Derrick Joseph Castro

June 1, 2011

Hey Nicki!

What is up my sister?! I miss you a lot and I'm happy you finally found time to e-mail me! Geez, you're just so busy nowadays huh? Haha. Just joking. It's alright I know even though you're home you're really busy trying to find work and get things in order for school and stuff. Seems like all is going well though for you. You think adjusting from coming back from school is hard? How about me trying to adjust when I come back home. Sometimes I think about it and I'm like "Dude, I'm excited but I know it will suck at the same time because I won't be used to it." Scary thought just going back to "normal" life. Haha. Will be interesting to see how it ends up when I am actually back. It seems like so much is changing already back home. It seems like everyone is getting married these days. Lots of the missionaries I know who have already completed their missions are back home and engaged now. So fast! Getting married is something I definitely want to happen but I know I wouldn't feel good about myself if I didn't have a way to support my wife. So it's like, getting a job, finding a place to further my education. Definitely seems like a lot to do. But as with all that's been happening, life doesn't stop so we have to enjoy everyday the best that we can. It's great that you finally found a job. Seems like a pretty easy gig. I mean watching kids isn't all that hard. It's just like being at home having to watch Danica and Danielle when they were younger, lol. There was this one girl from Utah who came here to nanny as well. She enjoys it. There's lots of girls who are members who come here to nanny come to think of it. That's good you were able to get a job though and now you're earning money!

That's good you're enjoying the Singles Branch. That's cool you are having lots of fun with them and stuff. Who is the branch president? Maybe I'll try going when I'm back. Haha. Seems like you are enjoying it so it can't be all that bad right? I'm jealous you went to a Padres game. I remember back in 09 I bought a Padres jacket because I wanted to go to a game but I never did end up going to a game. Never bought a ticket or had anyone to go with so I didn't but that's my goal! To wear that jacket to a game when I come back! Haha! Glad you're having fun too though.

Finally! Way to go! You finally watched the Star Wars movies! Good for you! They are amazing huh? We were both kind of late though watching them. I only had watched them right before I left for my mission but they are great as you say. Happy that you enjoyed them. Those R2D2 Mickey ears look awesome!

The work is going fine here. It's tough working in Manhattan just because there aren't many members of the deaf branch there. In the ASL program we work through the members to find people to teach and that's where our biggest success lies but we haven't been too lucky as of late. Hopefully we can pick things up soon enough. We teach ASL to a few stake specialists who are called in the branch to help out. I think it would help a lot if they knew it so it's good they've taken such a great interest in wanting to learn the language. Our branch President is moving to England soon, at the end of June so hopefully we can keep the branch afloat as it goes through this transition. Summer is almost here and it's so hot! Man, step into the sun and it's instant sweat! It stinks! Our AC is on pretty much 24/7 for that fact. It's like a nice cool ice box in our apartment so it feels good when we go to sleep at night. We're getting new mattresses soon because we have a bed bug problem. It's not cool because I got bites all up and down my arm. They're itchy! We just need to give our place a good cleaning!

Thanks for all the pictures you sent. It's good to see you are doing fine and are having fun and enjoying your time back home. No pictures this week from me. Nothing exciting has been happening. Soon though! You should convince mom to send me one of those nice cameras like a Cannon so I can take amazing pictures of the places in New York. Haha. But I will continue to take pictures and hopefully soon I will send them to you.

Thanks again for writing me this week. It's always good to hear from you Nicki! Keep writing me! Don't forget! Continue to help out mom and dad and look out for your sisters and I will talk to you again soon! I miss you and I love you. Have fun and take care!

Love always,

Your big bro Elder Derrick Joseph Castro

May 24, 2011

Hey mom!

I'm doing great this week! Great to hear from you! I have been doing better with my allergies. No more am I feeling affected by them as I had been before. I feel much more healthy.

Thanks so much for sending all the pictures you did this week! There was a ton! It was good to see that Cha Cha and auntie Annie Grace had so much fun in San Diego. Good that they were able to go to all the good places to see in San Diego. Looks like they had lots of fun. Yeah, hopefully they will come back and go around more to see more places and to visit again. And the garage sale! That looked like awesome fun and I'm sad that I missed it! Oh well.. Glad to see everyone having fun helping the young women go to girls camp. It's a good way to come together and build good friendships while working for a common goal. It's always good to do such activities in the church to build up the branch/ward. That was a very good idea and it looked very well planned out. Be sure to send me pictures for the next sale they will have so I can see how that goes. I think I told you already but the stake here did something similar. It was cool. They also sold food too so that's also a good draw to those kinds of sales. I can't believe they raised so much already! Hope they reach their goal. It's just good to see them working so hard for something they want to go and do. Glad to see everyone have fun and have a dip in the pool afterwards. That seemed good because it looks like it was hot that day. It's been hot here lately. Signs of weather soon to come in summer. Not looking forward to it but we get by. Will probably have to replace some clothes after summer just because they will get nasty from summer sweat.

Wow, I can't believe Danielle will be promoting to middle school now! That's crazy to believe both young girls are growing up so fast. Good to hear Danica is doing so well too. Good for her that she is doing well taking care of herself and doing well in school. Both of them are really smart and will go far in their schooling. It's crazy when I see pictures of them and seeing how much they have grown.

Haha, I'm probably more busy than you on Sundays during church. I teach, I interpret both sign and speak. It's sometimes overwhelming because we're so relied on more than usual. It's tough because so many people are leaving the branch that really help the branch run so it's going through a changing phase. It's wonderful to see though because recently so many less actives have been come back to church! That's a good sign. Many people that I haven't met before are coming back to church and that's a really good thing. Hopefully more will decide to come back and we will continue our efforts to bring people back. I think that's cool you will be working with the youth. I think you will do a good job. The branch youth are good.

Still enjoy being here despite the tough schedule we have. We had stake conference last weekend and it was good. We interpreted for the meetings on Saturday night and the Sunday morning session was a broadcast from SLC and Elder Eyring was there presiding so we got to hear from him. Lots of the meeting was focused on service once again. I love the topic and seeing the church band together to help each other out is just amazing and cool. I really want to do all I can to serve people where I can when I come back home. It just feels good to do so. I always love conferences because we hear great messages from speakers and our stake leaders.

Dad is a machine! I don't know how he does it. He works hard just to support the family. It's like he never runs out of steam but I know he has us backing him up as a motivation. Dad is definitely someone I want to be like for my family. Hard working in every way to support my family so they can live and be raised in a good environment. I know it won't be easy but is anything ever easy? I just know I will have my family as a support for me as it is currently with our family now. Dad and you are great. I love you both.

I hope you feel better! I hope your week is going to be better! Continue to take pictures so I can see all the things you guys do there. I will do a better job of taking pictures. I always forget to take pictures which makes me sad because I am never able to capture a moment. But I will hopefully remember to take pictures where I can so I can send them to you. Thanks mom for writing me this week! I miss you and I love you so much! Again, feel better and have a good week and I will talk to you again next week! Talk to you then.. Take care!

Love always,

Your son Elder Derrick Joseph Castro

May 18, 2011 - Pictures

May 4, 2011

Hey everyone!

Sure I will do that we're really busy today so I don't have much time to sit and write out e-mail so I will fill you guys in on Sunday when I call about what's been going on. Just in short, I've been having allergies but I'm taking medicine. I will most likely transfer next week. I will find out Monday for sure. We are still hard at work and we helped the sisters in our district achieve a high goal of contacting 531 people in the week. They ended up receiving an Applebees gift card for their hard work because we had a zone competition. It's for $50 and we are going there tomorrow to eat! I'm still doing good. Fighting the bad weather that is still ever so changing. It is raining today after it had been sunny for the past 4 days.


It looks like you guys enjoyed this past weeks events with Mel's wedding and all. Looks like there were tons of people there. That's good that Mel got married. It looked like it was fun and I'm sad that I missed it. But i felt right there with all the pictures you took so thank you so much for those mom!


We're headed off to go bowling now. I have tons of pictures I have to send you guys. I will send those for sure next week! I can't wait to talk to you all again. I hope all continues good this week. Mom I'm sending you something for mothers day so I hope you get it on time. I am also planning to send a special message for you too. So I hope that works out. I love you and I miss you all!! Wait for my call in the morning! I will call you at around 7 your time. So keep on the look out for that. I will talk to you all then!!

Love you all!
Elder Derrick Joseph Castro

April 27, 2011

Hey mom!

 

Great to hear from you once again this week. Today was a great day. In the morning our district went to the temple! It was great to go and do a session again after such a long time of not attending. We just don't get as much opportunity here as we did back in the MTC. We are only allowed a temple trip every 3 months. It was a great time there. The senior couple that works in our area here was working in the temple today so it was cool to see them during that time. We all had much fun. After that we went to Chipotle and ate burritos. They were soo good. It's probably my favorite place to go and eat but here it is way more expensive than back home. It's all the taxes that they charge you. It stinks but I guess that's the price you have to pay in New York.

 

The weather has been wonderful lately! Very San Diego-like. It was pretty humid today. I kind of have a headache from the weather. It's really crazy how the weather is just ever changing here. One time it can be rainy and then the next day it will be sunny and warm. Definitely been hard to adjust to. It will get hotter with summer around the corner. It's already pretty hot nowadays and it's only spring! Hoping to beat the heat any way we can. It is very hot in the apartment. Our air conditioner is broken so we're only using fans. Not really helping.

 

This past week was great once again. Sunday was very special. Easter was great because so many less actives showed up to church and all. It's weird how holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas bring more people back to church. Unfortunately it's only for one Sunday. Hopefully they were able to feel the spirit strong enough to want to come back and be more active in the church once again. We had a special meeting after Sacrament where we all stayed together and we talked about Jesus Christ. A sister led the discussion about Elder Holland's talk back in 2009 conference entitled, "None Were With Him." It is such a wonderful talk that really describes how Christ did what he did all on his own. Even down to the point where in order for him to fufill his purpose Heavenly Father had to leave his Only Begotten Son. Hearing the talk brought tears to my eyes. He knew intelliectually what he was getting into but Elder Holland goes on to say that he didn't comprehend the spiritual and physical pain he would feel. How grateful I am for Christ and his Atonement. He has given us all hope that one day we will live in the Celestial Kingdom with Heavenly Father again. After that discussion we watched the movie "The Testaments." Remember that movie? I really love that movie because of how it is portrayed and how the father of the film had so much faith in the exsistence of the Lord and about the true gospel. I don't think I can have dry eyes by the end of that movie. After church a sister invited all of us over to her house for an Easter dinner. She cooked ham, sweet potatoes, biscuts and other things. It was delicious! Sunday was a very spiritual day.

 

Tomorrow we will be having a multi-zone conference once again. My last as an English missionary I'm pretty sure. There's a 99.9% that I will be back in the ASL program in two weeks. I'm excited to go back. I love multi-zone conferences because we are able to receive counsel from our mission president, President Smith. He is very wise and I know he enjoys being a mission president because he didn't serve a mission before. He was a convert and now this is his first mission. He enjoys being here and we love having him as our mission president.

 

Thank you once again for the many pictures you sent this past week! I loved all the pictures from the camping you sent. Looks like there was a good turn out and every one seemed to have so much fun! That's really good! I miss going camping with everyone. I remember way back when we would camp a lot with the members before. We would go so much and we always had so much fun. I can't wait to go back and go camping with you all again. I know I have to do better at sending pictures. I hope I can get on the computer in the church and send pictures then. I can't really send them on the library computers. It's really hard becasuse the time on the computers is timed and so I only have a short time to e-mail you all individually. So soon I promise lots of pictures for you all at home! I have taken lots here so I wil lbe sure to send them when I can.

 

That is great that there are so many missionaries now! It seems like everyone is leaving. Who will be home when I come back?! Haha, that's good though that everyone is going out to serve the Lord. They will truly feel blessed for their lives. I know I have experienced so many great things here on my mission and have had so many experiences that I will be able to look back on in the future. Here's to hoping more will continue to "bring the world His truth."

 

Mother's Day is fast approaching! My district will sing a special number on Mother's Day in sacrament meeting. We are singing "Love Is Spoken Here" from the Children's song book. I at the same time will be signing the song. It's such a good song and we really made it special with the way we're going to sing it. I'm going to sing my best so I know you will be able to hear the song in your heart on that day. I also can't wait to call you guys! It will definitely be amazing to hear all your voices again. I hope you are all excited as I am! I have missed all of you so much! You should tell me what time of day will be good to call you guys so I know when I can call and we can have time to talk.

 

Well mom, I think that's it for this week. Got to finish writing the rest of the family. I miss you and I love you so much mom! Thanks for writing me this week and again thanks for sending so many pictures! Continue to send lots and I hope to send lots back soon! Hope your week goes well and I hope you all continue to have fun times at home. Take care mom! I will talk to you again next week!

 

Love always,

Your son Elder Derrick Joseph Castro

Yo sis!

 

Sup? Haha. Good to hear from you again! I miss you! You didn't write me last week? Busy much? I'm asking a lot of questions! Hope all is going well with you back at home. Are you enjoying being home? Relaxing and looking for work? Anyways, hope that is going good. I'm going back to the ASL program soon to answer your question. I am very excited to go back so I can use sign a lot again. I still practice everyday so I will be ready when I go back. I missed being in the ASL program and teaching people in sign. I just love the language and it's been such a special experience to teach it in ASL. So they always get Jared and I mixed up? Funny because the only other Filipino in this mission, Elder Gervacio, he is an ASL missionary too, yeah, everyone gets us mixed up! It's crazy. Everyone thinks we're brothers, everyone says we're twins. I think it's funny. So I thought that was funny how they got Jared and I mixed up. :P

 

Very cool that you are digging the Singles Branch. I wonder if I would enjoy it. :P I don't know. Maybe we'll have to see if I decide to go when I come back, haha. But it's good that you are enjoying things there. That's good that they have so many activities. But that's good to hear the singles branch is so strong there. Unlike here, there aren't many active YSA. It stinks because this girl who is nannying here from Utah is the YSA "leader" I guess you can call it here in the ward and she holds a FHE every Monday night and we're lucky to get two people to come to it. We're trying out best to reactivate the less active. I mean what better way than that? They've already accepted the gospel. So why not keep those in the gospel going strong again. Not saying we aren't diligent going out and finding news but we're going on a strong push to bring those less actives back!

 

That's good that you are getting working opportunities wherever you can. It's important you try to earn as much money as you can so you can continue your schooling. It's very important and good to hear that you are so dedicated to it all. That is very good that's what you are focused on. It's been said to obtain as much education as possible and I see you are diligently doing so. I've kind of been thinking of that too. I think I'm really leaning on wanting to get into Journalism. I've been talking to different members here about it and they all tell me to come back to New York and go to NYU because they have a good journalism program but I don't know if I want to come back here and live here, on top of that it's expensive! Yikes! Definitely something to think about and research when I go back home. Journalism sounds super fun and it involves all that I love. You know me being all tech savy and wanting to know about anything and everything music and movies. What better way than writing about those things? Cool eh? You should research journalism for me a bit.

 

How was Easter? Ours was good here. Our sacrament and classes after were great. All us missionaries sang with the ward choir. It was fun. We sung "This is The Christ." A very great song about the Lord. There's a line in that song where I almost break out into tears. You should look it up and learn it on the piano. It's pretty simple. Practice! :) We also that day watched "The Testaments." Love that movie. Such a great fun movie with such emotion throughout. Definitely one of my favorite church movies.

 

Anyways, I hope all is well with you. I'm doing bad at sending pictures I know!! But I will send them soon! It's hard to send them from the library because the time on the computer is always limited (boo!) but I will once I get more time and a chance to. I promise! I have lots of pictures to send!

 

I hope all continues goooood and hope all your dating is going gooood too! Like I always say, don't want you getting married yet. I'm not home to see it! Haha, just joking with you but just enjoy and be safe. I love you little sister. Do good and take care of the young ones. :) I'll talk to you soon!

 

Love always,

Big brother Elder Derrick Joseph Castro

April 20, 2011

Hey mom!

 

How are things at home? Must be good to have Nicki home. It is so great that she was able to get the counselor's job for the Girl's Retreat! That is awesome! It will be a great time and a great blessing for her to be able to participate in such an activity. Plus on top of that she will get paid for it from what Nicki told me in her last e-mail. That is good because she will be able to get money for her schooling so that will lighten the load a bit for you guys to help her out in her schooling. Hope that when she goes back she can go obtain a scholarship so she can get another semester done there. She is really doing good things and I hope I'll be able to catch up soon enough. Still don't know what I want to do when I get back, what I want to pursue is really up in the air. I feel really good about being some sort of writer. I like to write and I think I'm good at it so it may be something I want to do. Don't know yet but it's been something I've been thinking about a lot talking with lots of missionaries that are going home soon. They are happy/scared because they just get dumped back into life and they have to start all over again. I hope I can get off the right foot when I come back but for now I know it is so important I focus on the work out here. Maybe through it I will be able to see what I might go to pursue.

 

Thank you so much for sending so many pictures this week! Like I've said before it is always great to see the things you've been up to and I'm very thankful that you've taken so many pictures to make me feel like I'm there with you. I think I should do a better job of taking pictures here. Need to capture more moments here in New York before they are just gone. I just realized that the other day. I need to do a better job of that. Maybe you can send me one of those nice Cannon cameras that the professionals use? Haha just kidding. :) Maybe. :D But I am thankful for the many photos you've sent to me. Thank you for that.

 

It's been a very Easter centered past week and a half here. With ward activites about Easter and the Easter program going on this weekend at church and our many dinners with members it is such a great time. We had an early Easter breakfast the other day at the house of the senior couple that are serving in this area, the Wilhite's. They are a great couple and are very kind. The house they live in is also the bishops store house so we do service there. After service the other day they made us an awesome breakfast and then afterwards we sung Easter songs and we shared our testimonies about the Savior. I was the first to get up and I couldn't help but get teary eyed speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. We really can't comprehend the sacrifice that he gave for us. It was the ultimate sacrifice of love and for that I am thankful. I think that thought in my mind also plays in part as to why when I feel like things are getting hard I just don't give up. Because Christ didn't give up on us. He was left alone and bled from every pore because he loves us and when we feel like life is hard we can't really give reasons as to why we can't do it because Christ did it all. He went through so much more and he was perfect! He truly showed us the way and we have no better example for us than that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of the songs we will be singing in the choir for Easter Sunday is called, "This is the Christ." There is a line in there that says, "How many drops of blood were spilled for me?" Really how many drops of blood were spilled? I get chills every time I sing that line because I know his Atonement is true! He lives and he will guide us through and through. His great plan of Salvation has provided me with so much. He has provided me with a great family with loving parents, dad and you to help me through this life. Mom, I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for Jesus Christ and I'm thankful to serve the Lord and wear His name on my heart.

 

Being a missionary is truly and blessing and it's great to see that so many are joining the ranks of being a messenger of God and helping those around the world hear His great restored message of the gospel. This is such a great work and I thankful to be apart of it. I'm thankful for the year that has passed and only hope to go on to do bigger and greater things as time passes here on my mission. In the mornings I am very tired but I get up knowing there's just another great day ahead of me.

 

I miss you and I love you mom. I'm thankful for everything dad and you have done for me and for the girls too. I have been raised right and I hope I can continue to make you guys proud. Tell everyone I miss them and I love them and I hope to hear from them in e-mail. I will continue to update you every week of my going ons and will continue to keep you all in my prayers. Take care and have a great week. I will talk to you again next week! Until then..

 

Love always,

Your son Elder Derrick Joseph Castro