Email: Feeling the Savior Guiding Me

Dear everyone,
                         How is everyone doing back in freezing Utah? Are the computers even still working with how cold and snowy it is? haha  It sounds like there has been a lot going on back home, just like every week I guess. That was a really sweet story about Hannah. I really appreciate you sharing that with me it helps me to know and feel how blessed and loved I am. Hannah I hope you know that I love you as well. Also that is a huge bummer that the bears lost. It sounds like it was a real heart breaker. I'm sure they will bounce back though and turn out just fine. I am really glad that dad liked my card i definitely put a lot of thought into that one and gave it my own personal touch if you couldn't tell. When I saw it in the store I was just like man that is definitely right up dads alley. Oh yeah make sure you aren't wrecking that truck, haha I still really like that thing and I would like to return with it still in one piece, however that sounds just like dad though gotta push  it to the limit. So as far as Staci goes wow I cant believe there are only like 4 weeks left. That is insane! Don't fret too much Staci, you are going to be an excellent mother.
                              So a little bit about what has been going on out here in good ole' California. As I'm sure you know it has been a chilly 65 degrees out here. Some days it is so chilly I even have to think about putting on a jacket. Whew Life is tough! haha So this past week has been a great improvement from the week previous. It started out kind of slow, with not finding many people home and a few cancelled appointments but towards the end it definitely took off. So this past Wednesday was an amazing day. We had a lesson with Juanita and Mario where we went over the Plan of Salvation and their Book of Mormon reading and they were taking it in so well. Everyone about the Plan of Salvation just rang so well in their ears. She was a little worried that she wasn't really going to be able to know who her mother was in heaven so we shared Alma 34: 32-34 with her and she was absolutely amazed. Just simply that we are the same people on the other side of the veil as we are here, and if we do our best and live correctly we can live with our families forever. She was so happy to hear all of that, and wow the Spirit was so strong in that meeting. We also talked about both of their Book of Mormon reading so far and in a week and a half she had read 70 pages. I was absolutely shocked when she told us that, the reason being is that we have had such a hard time getting her to read. We set a goal with both of them to finish 2nd Nephi and then come to church. Well they both agreed and so hopefully they will be coming very soon.  So later that night we had a little scheduling conflict, we had to decide between dinner and a lesson with our recent converts or dinner and a lesson with one of our investigators, so we did what any missionary would do and went to both. So we had a lesson at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30 at our recent converts, where we taught them the Plan of Salvation. Then at 7:30 we walked about 4 houses down and had dinner about 10 minutes later. As you can all imagine I was quite stuffed because of course I don't want to be rude and not take very much at one house. So I ended up stuffing myself to the point I thought I was going to pop, no joke my belly had to have been as big as Staci's! Only the problem is, mine was only a food baby, not a real baby. We had a really good Restoration with our investigator. Everything went well and he is progressing slowly. The rest of the week was pretty slow, nothing to special ever. As soon as Saturday hit, however, things just exploded! We went on exchanges, elder Holbrook in the other area and me in mine, and we absolutely tore up the town. We were able to find 3 new investigators before noon. One through potentials, one through a referral, and one through just plain tracting. It was such an amazing morning and I could definitely see the lords hand in it. Two of the three that morning were people that we had tried multiple times as well but could never get an answer. Oh but wait there is more later on in the day I just really felt like we should go try this couple, who we had tried multiple times, but had never been home. Well guess what? We found them home, and they were extremely open to learning more. That day was such a blessing to be able to to really feel the Savior next to me guiding me and helping me a long. So that was pretty much our week. There were many miracles and many blessing pour out upon us here in which I am so very grateful.
                               I was able to read this scripture this past week and I just really want to share it with you all. It is Romans 5:19 "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."  I just loved how well this stated things. It constantly amazes me how powerful an example is. Just like this scripture states examples are so important. No matter who we are or where we come from people are always watching us, so be the example that our Heavenly Father would be proud of. Thank you all for all you do and all of the support you give me. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Love Elder Payne

Email: Work Progresses

Hello family, friends, and all you other people,
               Well I sure hope every ones week has gone well. It sounds like from moms email things are starting to get very busy with preparing for Staci's shower. Its crazy how close she is to being due. Time goes so fast, It seems like just yesterday that I was getting an email saying that Staci was pregnant and now she is very close. That's pretty exciting stuff. That's also so cool that Kate got asked to Prom. Was she excited? I don't think I have ever heard of the kid so hopefully he isn't a weirdo. ha ha Also I better not forget but Happy Birthday dad! In just a couple of days at least. I hope you get my card. I just want to thank you for the amazing example that you have been to me and always helping me to set the bar high for myself. I was having a little bit of a hard time this week just with stuff that has been going on and the phrase that you and Kurt Rees have told me multiple times kept popping in my head, "Don't worry about all of that other stuff going on out there, You are Superman!". So thank you for all of the encouragement and support that you have shown me. I hope you have a great birthday. Oh and also I cont believe that Calvin and Nancy have already finished their mission, that seemed like it went by pretty quickly.
                 So a little about what has been going on this week. It has been kind of a rough week. First off we had to drop one of our investigators, Rodney. He is someone that has been taught for a very long time. In my time here i have set 4 different baptismal dates with him and he has not kept one of them. He hasn't been keeping any of the commitments we give him and just is really stuck in his ways. So for the time being he has been dropped from our teaching pool. Also we had quite a few set appointments throughout the week and most of them fell through to we ended up having to just go out and do finding. We were able to find about 3 new investigators, so that was awesome. Probably the coolest one that we picked up was this big, huge black guy who is in the air force. We had helped his roommate move a few weeks ago and so we were just going over to see him again and see if he would be interested in hearing more about the gospel. Well we knocked on the door, it was pretty dark outside, and he opened it looking super wary like, "What are you guys doing here?" Well we told him who we are and that we had helped them move and he just opened right up to us and invited us in. It was pretty cool we got to talk to him a little bit about what he believed. We mentioned to him that we had noticed his standard works while we were helping them move and we were just curious how he got it. So now we are going to be having a lesson with him tomorrow which should be awesome. Unfortunately he might fall under the age range of the singles ward, so we would have to pass him off to other missionaries. We will just have to see how it goes though. Another interesting guy we met as well was a former investigator that we just dropped by and visited again. His name is Dale, and no dad it wasn't Dale Carter. He is a 7th day Adventist and is kinda strange, he was sorta the male equivalent of the crazy cat lady. He was a nice guy though and we were able to talk to him for a little while. He is pretty stuck in his ways though and we are having a hard time getting through to him. Well that has pretty much been the highlights of the week. Nothing else too crazy has happened. Sorry this email was kinda boring but this week we basically just did a lot of finding. Have a great week everyone and I love you all.

Love Elder Payne

Email: Most Wonderful Day on My Mission

Dear Family,
                  Well this past week has been crazy and extremely busy but amazing as well. This past Saturday I had probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was able to step down into a baptismal font and assist someone in one of the most important saving ordinances that we can perform. I had the opportunity to baptize a young man named Tyler. His sister, Hailey, was able to do the same as well. That was the most wonderful day that I have had out on my mission so far, to not only witness it but to be able to participate in it.  It was such a beautiful and sacred experience. Then Sunday I was able to do one of the confirmations. I was able to confirm Hailey a member of the church and give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. That was extremely nerve racking. I was really quite nervous going into it, but right before the confirmations i said a little prayer for comfort and counsel and every little nerve and fear just washed away. Wow it just amazes me how much our Heavenly Father loves us. He wants to assist us, all we have to do is ask Him. Something kind of funny but kind of bad at the same time, I accidentally locked my knees during the blessing. So while i was speaking all of a sudden I started to get light headed. I just kind of figured it was the spirit effecting me really, really strong. haha Then I realized what I was doing and unlocked them. It definitely made giving the rest of the blessing much easier. So I guess on a less great note, Rodney dropped his baptismal date again. What is even worse is he has been attending a few other churches, so we are going to take a step back with him and reassess where he is at. However i do have more good news. We have started teaching a mother and daughter who are like 74 and 45 and they have been taking everything in very well. We should be able to set a baptismal date with them very soon. They both are just so happy all the time. I love teaching them because of the truths we are able to bring to them. The mother has suffered a lot of hardships in her life, so I know that the things we can teach her specifically concerning the Plan of Salvation can be such a comfort in her life. 
                       So we got our transfer calls yesterday and I am staying put. There wasn't too much change in my zone, a few guys that I am really close to are heading places. Like Elder McMurray is heading clear up to the top of the mission. It kinda sucks because me and him got to be pretty close. Oh also we found out recently that this coming transfer is only 5 weeks long, so that  means I come home a week earlier than previously planned. That's pretty crazy right? Also at the end of this coming transfer we are getting 31 new missionaries. That will be a huge bump in missionaries! I am very excited for all of the new guys coming out, they will give a huge boost to the work. 
                      Well I want to give a huge birthday shout out to Lindsay so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I hope you have a wonderful B-day and I really hope you get my card. Make sure and do something fun/relaxing for your birthday. Well I hope everything is going well for everyone back home. Things are great out here. I love you all and have a great week. 

Love Elder Payne

Email: Updates on Investigators/ Slow Week

Hello family,
                   Well I hope that things are starting to slow down for you all. It sounded like there has been a ton of stuff going on back home. Lots of craziness. sickness, and fun. I cant believe that both Staci and Drake went so long with a pretty serious illness without getting it checked out. I hope that you are all sort of on the mend.
                 Well things have been a little slow this past week. It has still been a little difficult to get in a talk to anyone because they are all still really busy with vacation stuff. Hopefully the coming weeks will be better now that everyone is kind of getting into more of a regular schedule. So this past week I actually havent been feeling the best. I have been feeling kind of dizzy and have had some headaches and kinda nauseous. I dont n=really know what it is but I am feeling much better lately. So we were not able to meet with Jerry and Jolene this week. He was kind of sick so we didnt go over. We are hoping we can meet with them some time this week. Rodney has been doing alright. We found out recently that he has been talking to some other people from other churches, like this Pastor guy at a church that his brother attends. We are still working with him, so hopefully things begin to improve there. Hailey and Tyler the two that are getting baptized are doing great. Everything is on track for this Saturday. We haave one more lesson with them on Tuesday and then  they have a baptismal interview on Thrusday. On Tuesday we will be teaching them the Word of Wisdom The law of Chastity, and The law of the Tithe. It shouldnt be too difficult because they are very smart kids and take everything in very well. I am so happy to see someone that I have been able to teach from start to almost finish preparing to get baptized. Those kids carry an amazing spirit about them and I can feel it everytime we are with them. The other Hailey is going through a bit of a rough patch. She is having to decide whether or not she should move in with her mom or stay with her dad. The only problem is her dads is not the safest envirnoment for a 14 year old girl. We have really been trying to get her to seek counsel from her Heavenly Father. It just makes me more and more grateful that i was able to grow up in a family that is so amazing and for that i thank you all.
                Lastly I sure hope you have all been keeping up with your Book of Mormon reading. I know that it has definitely been such a blessing being able to go through the Book of Mormon knowing that there are many others that are right there with me. So i encourage you all to continue on. It can and will bless your life. I love the Book of Mormon with all my Heart. I love you all and I hope you all have a great week.

Love Elder Payne

Who says it doesn't snow in California?

Email: Christmas Week

Hello Family,
                 Well it sure sounds like if there was any one year to be away from home for Christmas it was this year. I cant believe that basically all of you got sick, that is horrible. To answer your question, no I have not gotten sick out here. There has been a bug going around but I have been blessed and haven't caught anything yet. It was really great getting to see you all and talk to you for so long. I am glad that you all were feeling well enough to be able to talk to me. That also really sucks that there is no Perry New Years Eve party. We haven't skipped that party in a long time. So I guess a little about what I did after skyping with you all. Elder Holbrook and I just headed back to our apartment and cleaned a bit.(I know sounds like an awesome Christmas day activity)ha ha anyways we headed to dinner at a member of the ward about 5. They had a ton of family over, which was a little awkward because we didn't really know anyone that well. They had us play some games with them, which was really fun. Then we ate and took off for the church. There we played basketball for about 4 or 5 hours. It was a blast! We had a whole bunch of missionaries and so there always a game going. So that was basically what we did all Christmas day. A lot of food, a lot of basketball, and a lot of fun. Also to answer your other question, no neither of us were all that homesick. We didn't really have much time to be homesick. So don't worry we were doing just fine.
                     The rest of the week was pretty lame. It was really hard to meet with anyone. Mainly because, basically no one could meet up with us. We spent one day out for about 4 hours  and even with all of the doors that we knocked only like 2 people answered. As you can imagine that was a very long day. Things should start to improve soon though, especially with everyone getting back onto more of a set schedule. There were a few good things that came out of this past week. We were able to start meeting with Juanita and Mario again. They are doing really well and have really recommitted to reading the Book of Mormon and searching out the truth. We are going to be taking them on a chapel tour this week. We also met a new couple, Jerry and Jolene. They are a part member family, Jolene is a member and Jerry is not. We are going to begin teaching them very soon. We were also able to reset Rodney's baptism date for the 19th of January. We are extremely excited for that, and really praying hard that it will go through. Other than that nothing else has really been going on. I guess the only other thing is I hit my 7 month mark yesterday. Pretty weird stuff , it feels like I hit 6 months just last week.
                        I'm sorry that this email is so boring but that kind of how this week has gone. Anyways everything is going great my suits are holding up well, my shoes are still holding in there, and my shirts are great too. Oh and to answer your other question, no we do not ride our bikes in the rain. We actually do not ride our bikes very much at all. Mainly because our area is quite small so we don't really have to, plus it really really sucks riding bikes in the rain. Well that's all for this week I love you all so very much. I think I have noticed that more this past week than I have in a long time. Also thank you for all of the love you have been sending my way. In all of the various forms. Once again I love you all and I hope you have a Happy New Year! Love Elder Payne

Skyping with Elder Payne

Email: Skype Tomorrow!

Hello Family,
                    Well its a little crazy to think that in just a few short hours I get to talk to you all. I was reading your email and it sounds like there are going to be quite a few people there. So I am officially going to be skyping at 9 o'clock my time so 10 o'clock your time. I can probably Skype for about 2-3 hours. we are just at our Ward mission leaders house and there is nothing else going on for the rest of the day. They are giving us a full P-day. Today however is only a half P-day, so we have to be out doing stuff at 2. What is funny though is that they said they don't want us proselyting or doing anything like that, which brings up the question, What are we supposed to do? haha so I guess we will figure something out. I got the big package you sent me but I haven't gotten the little one that is supposed to be for today yet. I hope it shows up soon. Anyways I wont tell you too much about what has been going on so I can talk about it tomorrow. I love you all and cant wait to see and talk to you all tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh ya and aren't you glad the world didn't end this past week haha
        Love Elder Payne

Email: "Ask the Missionaries! They can Help You!"

Hi Family,
              Well I sure hope you all are having a great week. From the email that mom sent me it sounds like everyone is doing very well and that you all are keeping busy. So I will fill you in on everything that has been going on in just a sec but I have to answer questions before I go on so I don't forget. So being Senior companion is great. I really like being able to lead and be that kind of missionary rather than one that follows. i am just one that likes to lead rather than have to be lead around not knowing where i am going, so I feel a lot more comfortable as Senior companion. Elder Holbrook is great. We have been getting along very well. He is starting to feel a lot more comfortable around me and other missionaries, so he is opening up quite a bit more. He isn't afraid to call me out on stuff now and I am not afraid to do the same. We argue a bit but it is all in fun and it makes it so we don't hold anything in. So yes things are going well.
                                 Yes we did find some new investigators, unfortunately they cant really meet until the first of the year. That's OK though it gives us something to look forward to. We also were able to get a referral for a family that we picked up just last night, and let me tell you they look very promising. The mother is actually a less active member. She hasn't come to church for a very long time, close to 12 years. She just randomly started coming to church last week and saw an immediate increase in blessings. They were having severe financial difficulties and about to go under when they came to church. The week after she was able to get a job and get a bunch of legal stuff worked out. It was amazing to hear her story and how our Heavenly Father had blessed her so abundantly. Her daughter who is 12 and son who is 17 are very interested in being baptized. The daughter literally asked one of the members of the ward,"How do I get prepared to get baptized?" My immediate thought went to Russel M. Nelsons talk, "Ask the missionaries they can help you!" So we are meeting with them this week and hopefully we can get the two kids baptized by the end of the year!
                             So about skyping. We will be at our Ward mission leaders house to skype around 9 o'clock, hopefully. Which would be about 10 where you guys are.I will probably have about as much time as I want. That will be really cool to have it up on the big screen. That way everyone can see. Whats going on. So I am sorry I don't have any more information about it, that's all I know.
                           So yes i did get your package and thank you so much for it. It was much needed. I was having an absolutely horrible week. The man who was supposed to be baptized called Thursday morning and told us that he wasn't ready to become a Mormon. Man that hit hard. It was very disheartening because we have been working with him for quite a while. We went over Friday to talk with him and we found out that a bunch of anti-Mormon people that came and basically talked him out of it. That pretty much sucked, but we will keep working with him and hopefully get him another date soon. So like I said that package was much needed and yes I have been following the rules. It is much more fun that way, because now i get to open one everyday and spread the fun throughout the days. Anyways that has pretty much been my week.
                            It sounds like there is a lot of great stuff going on back home. That's exciting that Rob, linds and drake all get to be there for Christmas. I sent Drake a package for his birthday I hope it got there before they left. If not it will be there when you return. haha

Well I love you all and I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Love Elder Payne

Email: Senior Companion

Well hello to all,
                         Well this has been an absolutely insane week filled with a lot of change. Just to start things off, Tuesday Elder Newcomb packed up everything and headed down south a little ways to what is called Antelope. He was sad to leave this area but I was definitely ready to see him go. It is kind of strange that now I am going to be senior companion all of the time. Especially with only having been in this area for 6 weeks, but I am up for the challenge. So Tuesday afternoon me and another Elder that is training headed down to Antelope to a meeting with President Weston. All of the trainers got together and President Weston gave us some instruction on everything that will be going on as far as training goes and what he expects of us. He told us that the elders that are 6 weeks out right now and the ones that are just getting here are the two most important groups to come out, because they are going to be the ones to train the brand new influx of missionaries this coming spring. So that was really neat to hear. So Wednesday morning was the day that we actually got paired up with our companions. My new companions name is Elder Holbrook. He is from Meridian, ID so I give him a hard time about being from Idaho all the time. haha He is 19 years old and graduated in 2012. He is really smart and knows his stuff really well. He has great greeney fire so he likes to work really hard. I really believe that we are going to be able to get some really great things done in this area.

                        So as far as the people in this area that we are currently teaching. Hailey is still doing really well. She has been going through a bit of a rough patch as far as transitioning from old ways and old friends and old habits to doing positive and good things. She is a strong girl though and I know she is going to do just fine. The couple with the twins, well that is kind of a sad spot right now. They have split up. It doesn't look like there is much hope for them to get back together either. It is so sad to see a family torn apart like that, but that just shows you how easy it is to walk away when you are not married. We are still teaching him and hopefully things will improve in his life. The man being baptized his name is Rodney. He is in his 50's. We are really excited for it because he has been taught for quite a while. There has been a huge change in his life and in his countenance over the past month and a half. So very exciting news Elder Holbrook and I found 3 new investigators this past week. One is a guy named Manny, the other two are a mother and daughter who are about 77 and 40 something. They seem really interested and I know that the things we teach them will bless their lives. They have both gone through many hard times with loss of family and many trials so I know that they will be comforted by what we have to say. This past Friday we had this really awesome program go on. It was called the Holy Night. It was a big program that was all just singing and musical parts praising Christ's birth. It was such an amazing experience to go and feel the spirit there. Just like you were saying mom, there is a special spirit in the air with music. Anyways what it was, was a big stake choir that sang for about 45 minutes. We were able to get about 4 investigators there, which was great. It was so neat to hear the choir and see the love that they were proclaiming through song. This coming week should be a busy one. We have a lot of people to visit and a lot to do.

                            For all of you that don't know my family sent me and awesome Christmas package, filled with all kinds of goodies and decorations of every sort. I love the Christmas season so it was fun to decorate the apartment up a bit. My pride and joy is the tree that they sent me. I personally think it looks fantastic and definitely gets me in the Christmas spirit. I also got to help a family in my ward decorate their tree it was a lot of fun and made me feel like I was back home decorating the tree their. Unfortunately the tree was a little tall for one of the guys to put the star on top so I helped him out by letting him sit on my shoulders and then climbing the ladder. haha oh what fun!

                             So that is about all I have for this week. Things are going great and I am loving it out here. I love you all and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

 Love Elder Payne

Email: I'm going to be training!

Hello family,
                   So I may have forgotten to mention but this week is transfer week. It is crazy this past transfer has absolutely flown by. Who woulda thunk that 6 weeks can go by so stinkin fast. Well I guess I will get down to business and let you know what is going on for transfers.......Drumroll please......blubb blubb blubbb, rrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr JOY TO THE WORLD! I am going to be training!!!!!! I'm really excited. I was kinda hoping I was going to be able to be training soon so I am really glad that I am getting to now. So I don't know who I am getting yet I will find out in the next couple of days, so I will let you know next week who I get and how they are. Elder Newcomb is heading down south a little bit and is going to be the District leader there.
                 So this past week was kind of slow because there was a ton of rain. I mean we got absolutely dumped on. There was a little bit of flooding in places so it was kind of scary. Luckily nobody in the ward got flooded too bad. Other than that it was a pretty regular week. I am really excited for the Christmas holiday coming up. I absolutely love Christmas. Like I told you last week I have been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving. haha So I hope everything is going well back home. I'm sure the girls are excited for the Christmas break coming up. Well anyways I don't have much to comment on from back home because I guess you haven't sent your email yet. That's ok though I still Love you haha Oh one last thing the Book of Mormon challenge is awesome Thank you Lindsay for making that template it is hanging on my wall. I hope you all have been able to start and are enjoying it. Well I love you all

Love Elder Payne

Well it totally slipped my mind that I hit 6 months last friday haha Yes I got the package thank you so much for that. It was absolutely awesome. Yes i was able to burn a tie. Isn't it crazy that I am at 6 months already I don't know about all of you but it has absolutely flown by for me. Thank you for all of the love and support you always send my way . I love you all

6 month Book of Mormon Challenge

Hunter has asked our family to participate in a 6-month Book of Mormon challenge to countdown his 1 year mark of being on his mission on May 30th. We will start reading the book of Mormon this Friday (November 30th) and we are so excited to support him in this and of course, to read the Book of Mormon together as a family.

 

We'd like to invite any and all to join us!

 

I put together this chart to follow to stay on track to finish in time. If you are interested, please comment below with your email and I will send you an email with this chart in a Word document (The picture quality on this is quite blurry).

 

HAPPY READING!

Email: Thanksgiving and Temple!

 Dear everyone,

                      Well I hope you were all able to have a very Happy Thanksgiving. I heard that there were quite a few places that you were all going so I am sure it was very busy but very great.
So for Thanksgiving we woke up and then went and played flag football for a couple of hours. It was an absolute blast! It was really muddy but I didn't mind it just added to the fun. It was really cool come to find out we had been playing with Mrs. Udy's brother or brother-in-law I can't remember. It was funny so later on in the week we went and visited her. She said she was going to be sending those pictures to you so hopefully she did. After we played football we went and had a zone breakfast. We also played a bunch of basketball. After all of that was done we went to dinner around 4. They had a lot of really great food. The best by far was they got a banana cream pie for me. After dinner we just went back to the church and played some more basketball and some card games. That was basically our Thanksgiving day.

Then definitely the best part of the week was when we got to go to the temple. Oh man that was so amazing! We went early Saturday morning and took pictures before our session. It was absolutely packed in there. It was by far the most spiritual experiences I have had at the temple so far. I just absolutely love the temple, the spirit is always so strong there.

Oh I also got your package that you sent me. Thank you so much for that. It really meant a lot to get that. I especially loved the cookies. Make sure and keep those coming my way. Isn't it crazy that this is the last week of the transfer already! By the next time I email I will know what is going on that way. Elder Newcomb thinks that he is being transferred so we will see what happens. Well I love you all and I miss you a bunch.

Love Elder Payne

Hey sorry I hope you don't take this the wrong way and I want to say this in as nice a way as possible but when you guys are coming our to visit Linds and Rob could you like just not mention it to me because it makes me kinda really homesick knowing you guys are passing like 15 minutes away from me. Thanks a ton I hope your trip to San Fran went well. Love you all.

Visiting Mrs Udy and family (his Middle School Math teacher)

Thanksgiving dinner! 

 Sacramento Temple-





Picture from a Member

Email: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello to everyone back home......and out here in California,

I hope that everyone is doing well this week. Hopefully things have slowed down a little bit since the past few weeks. It sounds like the move went well and everything has gotten unpacked and put away just fine. Also, Mom, I am SOOOO sorry I wasn't able to help you put up your Christmas decorations. I'm sure you know just how much I missed doing that. haha

So just a little bit about what has been going on out here. We have been really busy lately teaching people. It is really nice to actually have people wanting to learn about the Gospel. I'm sure you are wondering how the couple with the twins is doing. Well they are doing just great. We have taught them the whole restoration lesson and now we are moving on to the Plan of Salvation. He is definitely a big searcher of truth, which is fantastic because that makes our job a lot easier. They haven't been able to come to church yet because he is just starting out at a new job and is afraid to ask for Sundays off already, so I will continue to let you know how things are going there. Also we are hoping to be able to get them married pretty soon. We are working with the bishop to get that done. They are going to be a such a great asset to the ward and I know that the Gospel is going to bless their lives so much.

Hailey is still doing well. Pretty much same old, same old. We just continue to work with her and strengthen her faith. She is a very smart girl and has a lot of questions. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach someone like her. We were actually finally able to find her mom home. We just went over and talked to her a little bit and resolved any concerns she has. Unfortunately she is still very hard in her heart and is still not open at all to what her daughter is learning. It is so tough because we want to help them both but the mother just wont let us. So we are just going to keep trying and hope that things will work out.

This past week we had our Zone conference. We had the mission president and the AP's come and speak to us. We were there from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, so yes it was a very long meeting. It was absolutely amazing though and I learned so much. President Weston talked to us a lot about the importance of the Book of Mormon. He then challenged us to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days or less. So from Thursday to the 15th to February we will be reading the Book of Mormon. Which is awesome because we will be reading it as well, starting the 30th of this month.

So, you asked for a bit more info. So I just think, just to go at your own pace.If you go by pages it is about 3 pages a day. So that isn't to bad at all. I think it would be really cool if you all got like new paper back copies (they are only like $3) and marked anything referring to family and any Christlike attributes. I found this site that has a reading progress chart on it. Tell me if you like it or if you can think of any other way to track our progress. http://lds.about.com/od/ldsscriptures/a/scripturecharts.htm

So let me know if you like that one. If you can find one that you like better let me know we will use that.

Anyways so things have been going really well here. I'm excited for Thanksgiving coming up this week. I can't believe that it is already here. IT has come up really fast. We are going to a members house for it. It is also a full P-day so that means we can do pretty much anything. There is a pretty big tradition our here. All of the missionaries get together and have a big flag football game. It is called the Turkey bowl, because it is on thanksgiving. So as you can imagine I am really excited for that. Well I love you all and I hope you all have a great week.

Love, Elder Payne

Email: Honey's Baptism

Dear Family,

Well this past week has absolutely flown by. I swear I was just barely sending you an email. This past week has been really great actually. There has been a lot going on. It has been great we have been meeting with Hailey every day. We feel that with her current situation she really needs the daily contact. We have actually found out a lot more about her situation at home. It is a lot of stuff that for legal reasons we, as missionaries, cannot get involved. I'm sorry but I cant really tell you because it is private and sensitive stuff. Just know that she is doing great! She is learning and growing every time we meet with her. It amazes me she is already wanting to teach stuff to other people.It is really neat to see someone want to learn so much. it is interesting because she does want to learn so much so quickly. We kind of have to tell her to slow down a little. She has to get the basics down before she can dig into some of the deeper stuff. In our reading with her we came across 2nd Nephi 28:30 "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."

It applied really well to her situation and I really think it will help her. Keep praying for her. She is really one that needs the support. It was really cool, Elder Newcomb had an extra set of really nice leather bound scriptures, so we had Sister Nielson take them and have her name put on them and we gave them to her. She was so excited to get them. She loves them so much she doesn't even want to use them in fear she will mess them up. She is such a sweet person and has such a sweet spirit, i really hope things work out for her.

So the other big main point of this week was Honey Greenshield's baptism. It was so awesome getting to go and see someone that I had taught be baptized. So Saturday afternoon we headed down to Citrus Heights to meet up with the other Elders. We had someone from our ward in Lincoln drop us off in C-Heights. It was really great because I got to see Elder Halle again as well. So we all met up and headed to her Baptism. It was an amazing experience. She was so happy and was just absolutely glowing. Her husband Will was just as excited if not more. Side note he has some medical issues he has to work out before he gets baptized. Anyways it was really great because Honey asked both Elder Halle and myself to participate in the baptismal service. She asked us both to be witnesses. I was so happy to see her making such important steps in her personal progression. That was definitely one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. i don't think I have ever seen somebody that happy and that sure in what they were doing, it was just fantastic. (Oh yeah in her picture, she had a tumor removed from her brain and it caused partial paralysis in a side of her face.) I was just so grateful that I was able to be a part of her life, even though it might have been in a small way, I am still grateful.

 

It sounds like there has been a lot going on back home. It is definitely that time of year and things will continue to be crazy. I am really glad that the move went well with Linds and Rob. The pictures you sent me of that were great. I really hope they like where they are. It looks like a beautifl area, and it sounds like the people are really great as well. I cant believe how far along staci is. Also it is hard to believe how big the baby is as well. It sounds like she has been growing fast.Tell Tyler good luck with the rest of school coming up. Katey i sure hope everything is going well for you. I sent the family a letter and I mentioned a little bit about you and your situation. Dont worry I will be sending you a better and longer one soon. Last but not least Hannah I am sorry you were so upset. It sounds like you have got a good new friend that is awesome. I am really happy for you . It is so important to have good friends.

So about the Book of Mormon challenge, I am glad you all liked the idea. I have a paper I need to send you that can help mark your progress. I will get it to you. Linds maybe you could do something on the blog that helps mark the progress. Im not sure if you can do that but just let me know. Well I think that is pretty much all I have for you. I love you all. Have a great week.

 

Love Elder Payne

 

And, here's a picture that was texted to my mom from a member sometime last week. It's of Elder Payne and his comp at a Birthday party at the church. 

 

Email: 6 month BOM challenge

Hello to everyone,
                    Well I hope everyone is finding some time to rest after this past week. It sounded like things were pretty crazy everywhere. I saw on Lindsay's blog that you all made it alright and didn't have the usual mishap of some kind that accompanies big moves in our family. How is the new house looking? Are you enjoying the beautiful Northern California weather? I really hope everything is going well for you. Staci have there been any new updates with the baby? How big is she now? How did the bears do this past weekend? I heard they were playing to see if they would go to play at Rice-Eccles stadium so hopefully they won. Thank you very much as well for the package you sent me. I baked the cake and it ended up looking pretty cool.
                     Well now that I got most of my questions out of the way let me fill you in on what has been going on here in Cali. This past week has been a very tiring one. We were out a ton and were able to teach quite a few lessons. I'm not sure if i told you about Hailey Duncan so if i did i will just retell you about her. So Hailey is a 14 year old girl who they started teaching only about a week before I got here. She is really smart and loves learning about the Gospel. She really wants to be baptized as well. Unfortunately her parents are extremely against her getting baptized. Her father is an extreme alcoholic who is drunk every day by noon. Her mom is just super anti-Mormon and wants nothing to do with her daughter.it is just such a hard situation and I feel just terrible for her. she has such a tender heart and has probably cried 9 or 10 times during lessons. Right now we are just reading through the Book of Mormon. If she cant get permission from her parents to be baptized she has to wait until she is 18. So we just keep working with her as much as we can. She actually wants to meet with us like every single day! Its really great because she is one that really needs daily contact. The man we had a baptismal date with actually dropped us so we are no longer teaching him right now. It sucks but hopefully he will realize how much this gospel can help him. We set two more baptismal dates on Friday for December 8th. A husband and wife named Juanita and Mario. They are really searching for the truth and we are trying to help them find it. Some of you might be wondering how Halloween went. It was alright. It sucked because we had to be in by 6 because they don't want any of us getting in trouble. Those are just kind of the main updates of this week. We have a few more people that we are teaching but they aren't as mentionable as the ones I put down. This area is really great and i am really happy to be here. Oh also another thing that i found out that is really cool. Honey Greenshield is getting baptized this coming Saturday. Elder Halle told me and I was so excited. I immediately called my mission president to get permission to go to it. He told me I could so i am really excited to go watch her be baptized this coming Saturday. I will make sure and let you know how it goes. So that is the update from this week. Things are going really well and i am really happy here.
                                          Something I have been thinking about doing. I want to do a 6 month Book of Mormon challenge. On the build up from 6 months to a year for me being out here. It would be about 1 chapter a day for 6 months. Starting on the 30th of November. It would end about the 30th of May.(my year mark) Let me know what you think. I think it might be kind of fun to do. Just let me know what you think about it. I hope you all have a great week. I love you all very much.

                                                                                              Love Elder Payne

I hope you like the pictures!

Email: New Area/New Companion/New Address

Elder Payne's New Address:

174 S. O Street #73

Lincoln, CA 95648

Dear Family,
                    Well hello everyone. I hope this email finds everyone doing great. Things have been awesome here in my new area. I am really loving the work that is going on. There is so much more going on here than my last area. It is a refreshing change of pace to actually have people that want to be taught. We currently have about 5 or 6 really solid investigators currently. I explained Hailey in pretty good detail in my letter that you should be getting. We met her everyday last week and it looks like we will be doing the same this week.  We also have a man named Dennis. We actually invited him to be baptized last Friday and he accepted. It was pretty awesome and a great lesson. He has a baptismal date for the 1st of December. We are both really excited for him. I haven't met to many of the other investigators because we haven't had lessons with them since I got here. We should be having lessons with them in the coming week. I really love the area. It actually reminds me a little bit of home. It has a bit of inner city but it is only like 2 minutes to get out into the country. The place is prettier and smells a lot better than Citrus Heights. haha I have really been enjoying my new companion as well. He is a lot different than Elder Halle. It is great because he really likes to work hard so it fits me. With Elder Halle I was doing most of the pushing, because he is so close to going home. So I really enjoy that. He is from Las Vegas and has been out 20 months. So I get another old missionary. It is awesome because this coming week we have a lot of lessons set up. So it should be a great week. It is crazy that Halloween is this week! it has come up pretty fast. We have to be in by 6 that night so unfortunately no Trick-or-treating for us. We will probably end up getting tons of candy from members though so don't worry about that. Well I apologize that this is a really short email but I gotta run. I hope everything goes well for you all in this coming week. Especially with the big move coming up. I love you all. Happy Halloween.
                               
 Love Elder Payne

Pictures Galore! (Sept-Oct)

The memory card is back and we have many pictures to share! Enjoy!

Pictures from 7/28/12-10/17/12

(with Hunter's captions)

Pioneer Day Celebration

 Creepy spiders I saw-

Awesome picture I made- 

 Somebody's cool dog-

 The Triple Burger- I ate a triple, then a double, then a single. Yes, I was very sick after.

 Pretty flower-

 Last P-day before transfers-

 Last time with Elder Woolley-

New companion, Elder Halle/ We got new chairs!-

Nathan and Renton, the two coolest kids in the ward-

My little trick I do-

 Ultimate Plan of Salvation chart-

 Brolympics (ward party)-

Nasty pie with almonds, olives, and prunes (he won the pie eating contest)

 Jousting, I was the overall champion- (with red helmet)

 Bouncy velcro wall-

 Sweet rifle-

 Monkey bread!

 Sister Funua-

 Announcement 18 year olds can now go on missions!

 Elder Rodriguez, Spanish Elder-

 Daddy Daves, Part II

 We are Awesome!

(Elder Halle)

 Last of the district-