WEEK #19

Hello friends and family!

Well things are going pretty good here in Big Sky Country. We have 3
investigators now, we had to drop some of our investigators. We are
now in finding mode, we are trying to find more investigators but so
far we haven't had any luck. We have tracted out the whole town now
haha and it looked like we might have a few potential investigators
but they were mostly just being polite and didn't want us to come
back.

We had one investigator at church yesterday so that's pretty good.
Better than nothing haha :) Elder Manufekai and I taught Gospel
Principles class yesterday. It's funny how much you learn while
teaching others. It has been really hot! Unusually hot for Montana
they say. We are out of miles on our truck for this month so we have
been riding bikes to and from town. We live like 6 miles outside of
actual Lincoln so that has been pretty fun to ride... not! My butt is
so sore haha. We have been doing the Insanity Program as well for the
past week or so. OOOOHHH MY GOSHHHHH! I thought I was in pretty decent
shape but now I'm not so sure! Haha these workouts are kicking my
trash. I feel like I have more energy throughout the day though. The
most important thing is nutrition, but it's hard to buy healthy foods
when you only get $135 per month. Plus we don't have the time to
prepare big meals. But oh well we make it work :)

We weren't able to teach many lessons this past week, mostly because
we don't have many investigators! But hopefully that will change soon.
We find out if we're getting transferred next Monday, so we'll see
what happens.

This past week I have been studying 3rd Nephi. This is one of my
favorite parts in the book of Mormon. It is where Christ comes and
teaches the people. There are so many solid scriptures and principles
found in this book, so I go pretty crazy highlighting the verses haha.
Oh, have you ever heard of people putting mayonnaise on jello?
Apparently it's the thing to do up here in Montana! It's disgusting!
People just get a nice plate of jello, and plop a whopping spoonful of
mayo on it. They're ruining perfectly good jello! haha.

STILL no word on my Visa. I'm going crazy. haha. On Saturday we had a
Pioneer Day celebration in East Helena, that was fun we had a lot of
good food and met some new people from the stake. We weren't able to
get any referrals for Lincoln though.

I have really come to appreciate a lot of simple things and luxuries
in life that I didn't even realize I had until I came out on my
mission. I often took my own family for granted, because I always had
to be out doing something fun or exciting. My family was always there
but I didn't think anything of it. But now more than ever I realize
just how important family is and I am so grateful for the wonderful
family Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I hope to be able to use
the things I'm learning on my mission in my life in the future and to
continually learn and progress. Probably the thing that has stuck out
to me the most the past few weeks is that Heavenly Father gives us
trials and hardships to challenge us and help us reach our full
potential. Trials will come our way regardless, but it's up to us how
we react and overcome adversity.One of my favorite quotes is by Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy."

I know that everything that happens to us is for our own good, and God
is always watching out for us. He knows what's best!

Well everyone I hope you have a wonderful week! Work hard and stay busy! :)

Love you much,
Elder Kyle Payne

Pictures!

Elder Payne Posing

Elder Manufekai, Logan, and Elder Payne on Logan's Baptism Day

Elder Manufekai and Elder Payne

Logan and Elder Payne

Another Bat in the house! (this is the one we killed)

Dead bat



Double Rainbow!

Feeding Deer

Hideous Shaved Cat

Helena Capitol Building



Ready for P-Day Hike







WEEK #18

Hello everyone!

Well this week has been an adventure! Probably the most frustrating week of my mission. But I have learned a lot from it.

The Jones backed out of their Baptism. It is a really long story but basically they didn't want to live the Word of Wisdom because they all love their coffee and Sweet Tea. And their dad and brother was really discouraging them. It is heartbreaking because we worked so hard with them and got our hopes up but they didn't follow through. We will keep trying though. I just keep feeling bad because I'm not sure if I did something wrong, or if I could have done more. I sort of feel personally responsible, but it is a learning experience. We have had problems with our truck, the clamp connecting one of the hoses to the heat valve broke so our engine was overheating and spraying coolant everywhere. So that has been fun trying to fix, since the closest place to get it fixed is 60 miles away in Helena. It has been really hot here but that's alright.

We have been trying to find new investigators because we desperately need them! The problem is Lincoln is so tiny and it is our only area. We have tracted out the area multiple times, most people are tired of us trying to talk to them. And honestly I'm tired of trying to talk to them too haha! We had an interesting conversation with a guy on Wednesday. He was a referral from our branch president but they weren't interested at all. We talked to his wife at the door, she politely said no thank you and we were walking down the driveway and he stopped and yelled at us to come back. He then continued to tell us that we are a cult and that everything we believe is false. He kept telling us that he has multiple DVD's and programs that "prove" that Mormonism is false and that everything we believe is a lie to try to get money. We testified to him and he just shot us down and attacked us personally saying he has zero respect for all Mormons. I immediately got mad but I just bit my tongue haha. I didn't want to cause any more problems, but he kept bring up things and trying to dispute doctrine. I was more frustrated at how miss-informed he was. He was like "i know you guys pass around a tray every Sunday to collect money and you just keep all the money for the church!" he said it was a scam for money. Oh well, hopefully his heart will be softened.

We just got back from a 10+ mile hike today. We went with a potential investigator named Ryan. He took us up to a place called Heart Lake. It is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen! The water is so blue and clear and it's in the middle of a thick green forest. But guess who's an idiot and forgot his camera? ME. haha. If i took a picture it probably could have been put on a calender or something.

My MTC companion said that he has 4 dots on his online Visa application, which means it has been processed and is ready for pickup. I checked mine and I only have 1 dot which means it has been received by the consulate. WOW!!! hopefully mine comes this week. I'm tired of being a Visa-waiter haha I just want to go to Brazil already. Transfers are on August 5, so I'm not sure if I'm staying in Lincoln for another 6 weeks or going. I've been here for 3 months now. I kind of have a feeling I'm getting transferred. Lincoln is a really small place so I'm surprised I haven't gone crazy yet! Maybe I have.... just kidding ;)

Well, being on a mission really does help me realize how truly blessed I am. We should never take the things we have for granted. The Lord has given us so much, it's up to us to make the most of what we have and to be happy. I never thought I'd say it, but I am so grateful for trials and challenges. Going through rough times and trials really do make us stronger. Everything happens for a reason, we just have to trust in The Lord to take care of us. He always will.

I hope you all have a great week and I hope to hear from you soon! Write me or email me, missionaries love getting mail :) Tchau!

Much love,

Elder Payne

WEEK #17

Hello everyone! :)

 

Things are going really well here. We had Logan's baptism on Saturday! It was awesome! It was both mine and Elder Manufekai's first baptism, so it was a really neat and memorable experience. Elder Manufekai received some bad news that his auntie who has cancer most likely isn't going to make it, the chemo didn't work so she doesn't have too long left. He was going through a hard time and I felt like he should baptize Logan, since he's been out longer and everything. So he performed the baptism and I confirmed Logan on Sunday. That was awesome as well!

 

This week has been really tough but really good. We've been super busy, but it has just been a roller coaster! So the Jones were supposed to get baptized this coming Saturday, but Dakota backed out because she said she isn't ready. Matthew is still getting baptized but we had to push his date back to the 23rd, so that'snext Tuesday. I will baptize him on that day, if everything goes to plan and things work out :)

 

Oh, we had another stupid bat in our cabin! This one was more aggressive and it kept us up all night! haha just when we would fall asleep it would flutter past our heads and freak us out. We finally caught it in a box yesterday, but in the process of catching it we hurt its wing, so it was unable to fly. It died this morning on the grass. I don't feel bad though, it pooped everywhere and terrorized us for a whole night!

 

I can't believe it's the middle of July! Time is going so fast. Ken and Julie, congrats on the new baby! That is so exciting. I will write you more when I have time, today is so crazy.

 

Like I said I'm short on time and these computers don't let me send pictures so I will find another way to send them soon :) Other than that things are pretty much the same old story haha. the gospel is true, i love Montana, I can't wait for Brazil, still no Visa, I'm always tired and hungry. haha I love you all so much and hope to hear from you soon. Tchau! Te amo!

 

Elder Kyle Payne

Lots of Pictures!

ELDER PAYNE'S FIRST VISION

Coldest spot in continental united states. 

BRRR!!  (It was actually really warm)

 Kyle's companion Elder Manufekai's breakfast.

 Elder Manufekai getting a massage.

 Golf Course

 Cows!  :)

 Yummy food at Moose Joose!

 Kyle with the France family who visited at the Lodge

 Having fun on the Teeter Totter!

 River by Elders' house

 BAT inside the house!

 Beautiful lake.

 House on an island.

Companions asleep. 

WEEK #16

Hello all!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. What a blessing it is to live in this free country. I am so grateful for all those that sacrificed their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today. Don't take it for granted! :)

Things have been going really well! We have been working hard and....... we set another baptismal date! Her name is Dakota, we're super excited for her. She is part of the Jones family we have been teaching. We are sure that this will be a great example for her parents and brothers, and that they will want to be baptized as well. The date she chose isAugust 10, possibly sooner. I can't believe it! We're so excited.

The Lord truly has his hand in this work. Now I know what missionaries are talking about when they say that the spirit converts people. Because we sure as heck don't convert them! Haha. All we do is teach, help them feel and recognize the spirit, and invite them to keep commitments. It's amazing to watch somebody grow and make changes in their life that draw them nearer to the Savior. I wish everyone could serve a mission and experience what I'm experiencing. Some days are harder than others, that's for sure. But you can always learn something from those hard days and become a stronger individual.

Funny story, we had a bat in our cottage! Elder Wilson (another visa waiter) came up and stayed with us for a few days, but all of the sudden we see something fly above our heads, and we were like was that a big moth or what? but then it started screeching! so we took pictures of it and videos. We threw stuff at it to try to get it to move but it didn't. Then finally I climbed up in the loft and hit it with a flip flop and it started flapping above my head! I was so scared it was gonna bite me and I would get rabies! haha we were all screaming and running around the cabin with this demon bat flying above us and finally it flew out the window. crazy!!! We're sissies I know ;)

I got to go golfing last week! It was so nice. It was so great to be out golfing again and just relax. I played pretty well and the course was beautiful, it's called Double Arrow resort in Seeley Lakes, MT. I'm definitely going to come back after my mission and visit Lincoln and go play that course again!

So our baptism with Logan is this Saturday and we're super stoked. It looks like everything is going to work out and it should go great.

Well as usual there is still no word on my visa haha. A couple elders got their visa's last week but they were here in Montana for 11 weeks. So I'm due pretty soon I hope! My time will come I just know it! haha :) I will be so sad to leave though. I love these people and it will be hard to say goodbye to our investigators, the members, the missionaries, and other friends I've made here.

Well everyone, remember how much the Lord has blessed you and thank him every day. He has given us so much. I feel especially blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. The least I can do to repay my heavenly father and Savior is to serve a mission. I'm so glad I'm out here on my mission and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I love you all so much and hope to hear from you soon.

Tenha um bom semana!

Love,

Elder Kyle Payne

WEEK #15

Dear Family and Friends,

Another great week here in Montana! Things are going really well. We have been teaching Logan and the Jones, as well as Roxy and Doc. We have fellowshipped an awesome kid named Ryan, he is the same age as me and he works in town at the gas station. We play basketball and work out throughout the week with him and he really likes us! He says he's pretty comfortable where he's at religiously, but he said he wouldn't mind learning a little more about what we believe because he has a friend on a mission in Arizona.

 

Anyways, I have suuuuuper good news, I'm going golfing today!!!!! :) I'm so excited! Haha I've been dying to play the weather has been so nice. A family is taking us. It's pretty crazy how we met this family! So there is this Lodge really close to where we live. It's like a vacation lodge thing and people come from everywhere during the summer and rent it out for family reunions and stuff. But Judy (our neighbor) runs the lodge, and she told us that there was a family reunion going on there, so on Saturday we thought we would go and introduce ourselves and meet the family (and hopefully get some food) haha. Turns out, the family is Mormon! haha. They are awesome. Some of them are from St George and Kanab area. The parents are awesome, there is a senior couple, and all their kids and grand kids staying there. They remind me a lot of my family! We really enjoy spending time and playing games with them at the lodge. Anyways, we met them on Saturday and invited them to church on Sunday, and they gave us a ride on Sunday to church. There were tons of them! The branch president, instead of giving talks and stuff, just made it a fast and testimony meeting and all the adults that came went up and bore there testimonies. It was so cool to have them all there, it was the most people I've ever seen at the Lincoln Branch. The spirit was so strong they are such a great family. Also it's pretty cool, Bro. and Sis. France (the senior couple) just returned home from a mission in Finland, and we started talking about their mission and I told them that I had a good friend named Greg Waite serving there and they actually knew him! They worked in the office in Helsinki and they said they knew Elder Waite. Small world huh?

 

Still no word on the Visa, but I just made up my mind I'm not even going to worry about it anymore haha. The worst thing I can do is worry about things and worry how things will turn out. But over time I have realized that there is no point in worrying. As long as we are doing what we should, the Lord will take care of us in his own time.

 

Anyways, Elder Manufekai and I are working super hard and things are going good. There is no AC in our cottage so it gets really hot in the day but it's all good! I like the heat :) My challenge for you all this week is to serve one another. Service is such a huge blessing. When we serve others, we are blessed just as much as the people we are serving. I noticed something in the Book of Mormon a little bit ago. When Ammon and his brethren go and start preaching to the Lamanites, Aaron first goes and preaches but he is thrown into Jail for a long time. However, Ammon tells the king that he just wants to be his servant and help him. Well, after Ammon defends the king's sheep, he immediately goes back to working and doing his duties as a servant. The king is astonished by Ammon's loyalty, and trust him a lot. Then Ammon had the opportunity to preach to the King and teach him the Gospel. The key thing is that he served the king first and was his friend. Only after he served and was loyal, the opportunity came to share the gospel. We can learn a lot from this story. It is so important to serve people. We can't just go and make people change, or do what we want right away, but we CAN serve them and be their friend. It is so important to befriend people as missionaries and serve them and love them. I know as you all serve one another the Lord will bless you and you will also feel the satisfaction and happiness that comes from lending a helping hand.

 

Well, I love you all so very much and I can't wait to hear from you. I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!!

 

Com muito amor,

Elder Kyle Payne