Week Five 8-31-15

This is hard for me to believe that it has been over a month since I left. it feels like I have been here forever but also like I just left. I know it is true that the time will fly by...

The people here are absolutely amazing and so loving. yes I have had some moments where people slammed the door in our face, (we had one person say they had a restraining order against Mormons. My first thought was, "That's great, well we are missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!" but that wouldn't work...) however there has been a vast amount you are just really nice. sure some say they are not interested but they are still so nice.

The work is moving forward at a steady pace and it is really exciting. just last week we had 5 new people start investigating with 6 others who might start!!!

I am learning so many things that are amazing tools for life. and if you thought I liked to talk a lot before, you should see me now!!! I am so thankful for the chance to be here and I hope and pray that all is well at home!!! May you all have an amazing week!!!!

With Great Love

Elder Logan G. Payne

Week Four 8-24-15

     Well here we go! First full week in Iowa and it was a blast. It has had so many ups and downs it makes any roller coaster look like a kiddie ride!!! i am so happy to be here!!!

     We have done a lot of tracking trying to find some new people and have meet a wide variety. We have had some slightly interested, some of the " appreciate what you do but no," some of I have my faith but let's talk about anything, and only minimal slam door in face. overall the work is slow but about to speed up.

     Just the other day we were out knocking on doors and it started to pour rain on us yet we were halfway done with the road. I looked at my companion as we both are completely soaked (we left our umbrellas because it was sunny 20 minutes ago..) and we say, Well know it won't be a bad smell that causes them to not invite us in!!!!! hahaha I love Elder Hamelin as he is great to turn to and laugh. I feel bad though because he has not seen me at my craziest yet!!

      Last week we hunted geodes and I found quite a few. This week we decided to go to the temple.

     I love the Nauvoo temple. It is absolutely beautiful to be in and just around. I am so glad to be serving so close!! I love this area so much and can't wait to see what the next week has in store!!

       With Love
                 Elder Logan G. Payne

Nauvoo Temple, Geode Hunting, Wildlife, Tidy Room, Elder HAmelin Working Hard, Surprise Visit from Elder and Sister Hendricks.

Week Three 8-17-15

Well I have made it to Iowa and it is green! I am surprised to see that there is actually a lot of hills here, because I was told it was so flat. It has been great. My last times at the MTC were amazing and it was sad to go separate ways from a lot of people there. I know I only knew them for two weeks but we were so close. I made it into Iowa and had a great time at the mission home before transfers. I spent most of my time talking to the senior couples there than any of the younger ones.... I then was able to stay the night with the assistant to the presidents instead of at the mission home and they were a blast!! The next day we drove to Iowa City to meet our companions. It was a long drive with no leg room but we had a blast.
My new companion is named Elder Hamelin and when we first saw him everyone knew he was just like me. It turns out that he loves the theater and all things Disney... sounds very familiar!! We have got along so well and will work greatly together. I found out that I was to go to Keokuk Iowa and that it was a half hour from Nauvoo!! I was so excited to hear that. One of the biggest things was that the Elders were moving places and moved before I came as to keep me from having to unpack and then pack again in a week. Well the apartment is not finished and is an adventure but it is still nice.Today was actually my first day to have warm water to shower.
One other fun thing about Keokuk it that there are spiders all over the place....... and I hate spiders!!!! It is always scary going to sleep but apparently soon you will just not think about it..... The people in this place are really nice and full of love. We have had a few people turn us down but never rudely. I am excited to be here and to fulfill the work in this area!!!

MTC Pictures Finally

 Logan hadn't been able to upload pictures before today so I finally got pictures from the MTC.

Elder Payne and Elder Dunn together again at the MTC!

Mission Angels 8-16-15

Yesterday I got a text from a number I didn't recognize.  The sweet message was from a Sister Lyman that is serving in the Family History Center in Nauvoo.  She sent me this picture of Elder Payne and Elder Hamelin.  What a sweet surprise!

Then today I got this picture on Facebook from Sister Olsen in the Keokuk Branch.  She said, Elder Payne I am sister Olsen.  I have already talked to your mom and I need to send her a picture!  She said Logan was pretty surprised.  It was probably because he was trying to figuare out how I had already stalked his area enough to find people to send me pictures!

 These sweet ladies have no idea how much they made my heart smile!

History Lesson 8-13-15

We are so excited about where Elder Logan Grady Payne​ got assigned for his first area.  The Keokuk Iowa Branch in the Nauvoo Stake.
It is exciting to see how close he is to Nauvoo and Carthage Illinois, such amazing areas in church history! 
Nauvoo is where the early saint fled to in 1838-1839 when the governor of the state of Missouri made an extermination order on all Mormons and ordered that all Mormons be killed.
Over the next few years 16,000 Latter-day Saints moved to the area.
Carthage was where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother were held in Jail.  On June 27 1844 an angry mob stormed the Carthage Jail and killed the Prophet Josph Smith and is brother.
After that the saints were forced out of the area and between February and September of 1846 most of them left the area and began their journey West.  While in Nauvoo the Saints built a beautiful Temple which the mobs burnt to the ground when they left. In Oct of 1999 the LDS Church began to rebuild the LDS Temple in Nauvoo trying to stay as true to the original design as they could.
I hope this brief history lesson can help you all to see how significant this area is to us and why we are so excited that Logan gets to serve here.

Keokuk Iowa Branch 8-13-15

So we just found out that Elder Payne's first area will be in Keokuk Iowa Branch, in the Nauvoo Stake. Keokuk is right on the Iowa - Illinois boarder. A branch is similar to ward just a smaller congregation of people. It appears that his companion will be an Elder Hamelin from Clinton Utah. I have facebooked just for a second with Elder Hamelin's mom and am so excited about this companionship. Elder Hamlin loves theater and singing. Sounds like they will get along great!
I have already had a sweet Sister Debbie Anderson Olsen contact me to let me know she heard he was going to be serving there. Makes a mommas heart so happy to hear from people!

I'm leaving on a Jet Plane... 8-12-15

Elder Payne and 22 other new missionaries made it safely to the Mission Home in Des Moines today. Now the fun can begin!

Am I Being a Payne? 8-12-15

We received a call from Logan this morning.  He was at  the airport getting ready to fly to Iowa.  Boy, was it good to hear his voice.  He sounded great but is so ready to get out into the mission field.  I reordered our conversation so that when I am missing him I can play it back and hear his voice.  Logan's favorite thing to say is, Am I being a Payne?  So I asked him to say it before he hung up.  As I was asking him to he kept saying What? What? so I said Hello? and Joe said, Can you hear us? and he replies. Yeah, I can hear you!  I was just being a Payne!  He is such a funny kid!  He makes my heart smile! The recording is pretty hard to hear but I wanted to share it with you!

And I saw his face...8-12-15

I got some pictures of Elder Logan Payne from the Mission Home.  Logan was 1 of 23 new missionaries to arrive in Des Moines on 8-12-15.  In the picture above are the 19 missionaries who flew from the MTC in Provo and President and Sister Jensen

Week Two 8-10-15

What a week! It doesn't feel like I have been here for just two weeks. The time is going by so fast and yet it feels like I have been here forever. I cannot believe that in 2 days I will be in Iowa!!!!!
This week has been insane with many ups and downs. For starts I have had a cold all week so I have a stuffed nose. It sucks because I cannot sing..... also at the beginning of the week I lost a very personal object while doing service. it has been sad not having it with me but nothing to ruin the mission!! But while it has its bad moments it was great. We were able to hear from President Neilson as he came for the devotional!! I also have been able to go to the temple twice, last Monday and then today!!!! I am learning so much and continue to grow.. literally. since I have been here I have put on 10 pounds. I know weigh 135 pounds. but more importantly the spirit is strong and has helped my testimony to grow strong. I can't wait to go and serve in Iowa!! Also it was great because a certain Elder Dunn got to the MTC and is in the room right next to me at the residence!!! Thank you all for all of the love and support! you are amazing!
Elder Payne

Week One 8-3-15

Hello one and all!!! This is my first P-day here in the MTC and I love it. My new companion and I are so close and we work well together. It is amazing how close my entire district has grown so close together. In my district there is four of us going to Iowa and the others head off elsewhere. It is sad to know that we will split ways because of how close we have gotten. Oh, one fun fact is that there is an Elder in my district that is six feet nine inches...... I feel so short. My companion and I are sorta the leaders of the district as he was called to be district leader and I keep everyone in line. In fact I have been called Elder Momma.... Not to sure about that one. My favorite new name is because of one fact, the spirit is so strong here. It is known that I do talk a lot and now with the spirit being so strong it is even worse.. The words just flow through my mouth and it astounds even me. A couple of the elders in my district started to call me Spirit because when practicing I would make them feel ashamed. I know for a fact that it is the spirit that blesses me and all we have to do is talk and the spirit will do the rest.

 I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here serving the Lord and I know that he loves each of us. And that is the central point of everything that we have. God loves us and we must love all others even if we do not know them. God's love is why we have this Earth and our lives, and the love of the Savior is so we can live together forever. It is the least we can do to help spread that love to all we come in contact with.

Yours truly,

Elder Logan G. Payne