Week Eighteen 11-30-15

Well as the subject says... yesterday was my four month mark.... it is so crazy how time has flown by!! it feels like i just barely left home, but it feels like i have been here forever!

this was a very interesting week with not much to report on.. but one fun thing was doing service for someone on Tuesday. they needed help cleaning their yard off all the fallen branches. Elder Jenkins and I put them in a pile and then was told to light it on fire!! he had a nice little bonfire going that was so much fun.... unfortunately Elder Jenkins now thinks i am a Pyromaniac.... i blame it on my dad fighting fires and coming home smelling like smoke!! 

Then all through the week we had plans fall through so it was a lot of service and knocking on doors... sadly the snow left and we just have really cold rain... so we get quite wet and muddy as well as freeze.... but the work must go on!

Thanksgiving was a good day but quite strange. We had meals with two member families and they both were so nice and so amazing! it was weird because i noticed little traditions in my family that were missing but it was nice to have a new experience! also i believe i have put on so much weight.... so much food!! after the meals we still had time so we went to go door to door. it was weird to do that on a holiday so we drove to a small town in our are to see what was there!

Friday i spent time with another Elder in Warsaw and all we did all day was go door to door... we talked to 53 people that day.. it was crazy. sadly none of those 53 really showed any interest....

Saturday was interviews with my mission president and it was amazing.... however he informed me that i probably will leave Keokuk in the next few weeks.... it is sad to think i only have 3 more weeks here but i am excited to see a new place and meet a bunch more people to sere! but with the knowledge of possibly leaving it made church hard... i can't imagine not seeing these people every Sunday.. but i just have to make the best out of these last Sundays!

once again i grew a larger testimony of the spirit. yesterday we had a hard experience and i asked another elder to give me a blessing. in the blessing he covered every little point i needed. even things he didn't know i needed. the spirit is so amazing and it know what we need!

Well i hope you all have an amazing week full of amazing experiences! 

You all are the best

With Love

Elder Payne

Week Seventeen 11-23-15

What a week! Monday afternoon it rained like crazy and i started to feel sick so had to end the day early.... 

then the next day we walked in the rain some more.... we were soaked! but we were able to talk to quite a few people!

Wednesday the sun came out and no Rain! so we stayed in the car and went to all town that our area covers to see what was there. there was one town and we drove past the cemetery and that was all. THERE WAS NO TOWN! the cemetery had a higher population then the town..... so we didn't even stop the car...

the rest of the week we spent a lot of time just walking around town trying to talk to people. he would say hi to all we say! one moment we saw people on bikes so we said hello. they responded looked at each other, then proceded to exchange the drugs, and rode off. They did a drug deal in the middle of the road in front of two missionaries! it was crazy! 

Then we had our first snow of the year and it was cold! but it didn't last and we are wearing short sleeve again today... oh well!

Well sorry this week was not as interesting, weather and sickness put a damper on the week. (haha get it,  DAMP-er, because it rained......... okay i am done.)

Love you all!

Elder Payne

Week Sixteen 11-16-15

Well there is not much to report on for this week. it was a somewhat normal week. we did a lot of service this week for a family that just moved in so that took up a portion of our time but still had a great week of missionary work!

sadly this week we had to drop one of our investigators. we went to visit her and all the people in the house told us off and she came out and quietly said that not she didn't want us wasting her time.. it was so sad to see someone turn away but again we all have our agency to chose! Hopefully one day she will start looking again but for now we had to drop her. But all is well because right after that we went and found a brand new investigator who is more willing to learn than she was! that is just proof that god will lead us to the people that need and are willing. it may be hard to do some things but you will be blessed if you act on faith!

Now I am actually laughing because I have heard so much of the snow back home.. we have not had a single flake fall thus far! I am so thankful that we have had fairly nice weather. however we have had our own funky weather..... RAIN! one day we were told that it would rain and thunder but it was clear most of the day. at about 6:00 we were at one doorstep and walked away into a downpour!! it was raining so hard that in just the short distance to the car, my pants were SOAKED!!! We got back to our apartment to dry and put on better rain clothes when I noticed my nametag (a magnet one) fell off..... I had to go out in the rain again to find it.. long story short we said a prayer and I then remembered putting my Book of Mormon in my coat to keep it dry. so we went to where I did that at and behold my tag was there!!!! PRAYER WORKS!!!!!!

Also this week we took a grand tour of the Keokuk branch area boundaries and see the small towns.... well they were small! we knocked every door in 3 of these towns in one day!! it was some small places but a nice drive!!

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week and that all goes well. in closing I would have you know that I love you all so much! you all are amazing!!!

Love

Elder Payne

Week Fifteen 11-9-15

This has been one week for sure! Tuesday we got up in the morning and drove to Iowa City for our transfer meeting. Elder Hamelin was to be going home and I was to get a new companion. We sat in the meeting and I was listening to the group behind me and their comments about the new companionships. I looked at the one and thought he would be fun to serve with. Then they called out to announce the Elders in Keokuk with my name first since i was staying in the area. I got up to go hug my new companion and sure enough it was the elder sitting behind me! So my new companion is Elder Jenkins from Rexburg Idaho!! He is a great guy and a lot of fun! We spent part of the day and went to a museum in Iowa City that was really neat. It had a Mormon pioneer exhibit and a bunch of old cars!
 

We spent most of the week getting situated as a new companionship and still had a lot of success.
Here in Iowa the weather has been fairly nice. It has gotten cold but still not too bad, in fact I am still wearing a short sleeve shirt today. I know that snow is coming and I am scared to death for its arrival but so far so good! It is weird to think that it is already into November. Just today at the store they had a sign saying 46 days till Christmas..... I didn't believe it at first! Time has gone by!
My major spiritual moment this week was when we had one lesson with an investigator and the spirit was so strong. half way through the spirit basically took over and we were saying the words that Sammy needed to hear. At one part we just stopped and knelt down to say a prayer. I offered the first prayer and then asked him to say one after me. The emotions in the room was so strong and we all were in tears! It was amazing!!
I love you all so much!
Elder Payne

Brother and Sister Smith are remodeling the apartment that the Elders live in and they found this paper in the closet

 

Week Fourteen 11-2-15

Home Away From Home

Wow time is flying by..... i can't believe it. This is going way faster than i would like. This is my companions last week as a missionary and seeing in him has truly expressed that it will end. before you want it to. there is so many blessings about missionary work that you don't want it to end! it is now so clear how fast the time will pass you!

well this week was a slow one... it rained a lot here and so it made finding fun! then it was just a hectic week all together. 

Wednesday night we had the branch trunk-or-treat chili cook-off! so that ended our night of work early to have the moment for branch unity and hopefully investigators to come! At the cook-off the missionaries were in charge of judging the chili. Seeing how Sister Goring has her food allergies and Elder Hamelin does not like spicy foods it was left to Sister Bagley and I to judge! There was so many good chili's it was so hard to judge. 

Then Friday night was a thing called Begger's night.. it is a night for the kids since Halloween is more for the adults here in the Midwest. so that night we were inside by 6:30. however we had a member of the branch receive her endowments so we were able to attend!

Then Halloween night we were told to be inside at 6:30 again so we were at a members house for a Halloween Party!

Sunday was hectic.....     Elder Hamelin was saying goodbye to everyone and we had to teach Gospel Principles. Then right after we rushed over to Nauvoo. once there I had the privilege to baptize Emilie Inman. (the other elder's investigator who bonded with me so well) It was a beautiful day and after the baptism was the happiest we have ever seen her!

Then today i was able to attend the temple once more! i love being so close to it! It is truly a blessing to be able to attend the House of the Lord! 

Baptisim, His Mission District,  The Forresters and the Parks. The Members take great care of the Missionaries there!

Love the big smile, Mr. Serious, and Hopefully just a Halloween Prank