2 weeks 'til the PHILIPPINES - July 28, 2017

Don't get me wrong, I love it here in the MTC. But there is a country called the Philippines that I really just want to dive into! The more I learn Tagalog and here amazing stories from my incredible teachers Sister Spencer and Brother West the more I want to just jump into the field! But it's still crazy to think that I have been gone for a month already! Nothing too spectacular happened this week though the MTC here is PACKED!!! When I first got here on June 28th there was hardly any lines in the cafeteria, the devotionals had empty seats (not a lot but a few) and for gym time there was always an extra basketball hoop to play on. NOW we have lines that stretch out of not only the cafeteria but well beyond the doors of the building, devotionals have an overflow gym where they have about 600 missionaries go when the actual devotional gym is full (that was before we got 800 new missionaries this Wednesday), and gym time is always insanely packed! We are way over capacity here but I'd say "too many missionaries" is a good problem to have!  This week has been a great week of learning Tagalog and having an increased desire to serve those I have been called to serve! I'm sure I'm going to just close my eyes for a second and then wake up in the Philippines! Alam ko po na totoo ang Ebanghelyo ni Jesucristo at Ang Aklat ni Mormon din. Dahil ang Pagbabayad-sala ni Jesucristo ng mga pamilya are walang-hanggang. Nagmamahal ng  Diyos ng lahat ng anak niya! Totoo ng autoridad ng priesthood ng Diyos. I have felt the kapangyarihan of iyang priesthood first hand. It is real and it is powerful in blessing the lives of others. Love and miss you all! Stay posted for some cheesy pictures of some hardworking mga misionaryo! 

Mahal,

Elder Payne

Halfway Done in the MTC- Week 3 ends - July 20, 2017

     So this week has been crazy! I'll start off with Sunday.  This Sunday was the day where we were assigned new district leaders, zone leaders, and district training leaders. You don't know if you have been assigned until you are in the meeting. So my companion and I got to the room we have met in for sacrament since the first week we got here about ten minutes early. When we showed up the lights were off and the door was closed which was weird so we started searching the floor for other people in my zone. We didn't find anyone on our floor and sacrament was starting soon so we just went to the 6th floor and started checking every room on each floor. We didn't find them so we decided to just go back to the room we normally meet in and just have our own meeting. We walked into our room to find a note on the board that said we were meeting in a different building... We rushed to our meeting and showed up like 15 minutes late. When I walked in one of the Elders sitting in front of me turned around and told me I was made a district leader! I had showed up late to my own calling... I thought that was pretty funny! 

     So that was Sunday, then Tuesday my district was assigned to help with the MTC tours that are beginning to happen. We were assigned a three hour shift that went straight through the devotional we had that night! It wouldn't have been a big deal expect two people in my district had auditioned and made it to play a musical number in that meeting for all the missionaries! They were still able to perform but the rest of my district couldn't even watch them! That was kind of sad but hosting was still way fun! I got to see all sorts of people and kids which I loved! Kids are just the best!!! I learned this week that Filipino children love to "hang out" with the missionaries and I can't wait for that! Any ways hosting for the tours was a lot of fun! 

     Then my district was assigned to help host on Wednesday for the new missionaries arriving in the MTC. We got 650 new missionaries Wednesday!!! It was crazy! In fact, they set up a new system where people would drop off their missionaries in the parking garage of T-4. It was weird but seemed to work pretty well paro hindi ko alam for sure. It was fun to meet all sorts of new missionaries! I definitely had some flash backs of when I got dropped off so that was strange. I had to miss half of my afternoon class for it which was a bummer since I still don't know Tagalog yet... Oh well! It was still a blast! 

     Then this morning my district was assigned to clean the Provo Temple which has been closed since I got here. It was an amazing experience! I was able to clean furniture, move marami furniture, move art work, and clean toys in the waiting room where kids wait to be sealed to their families. It was an amazing experience and that temple is just so beautiful! I can't wait to have an opportunity to do a session in it when it reopens next week! Also this week... we lost the older members of our zone, they flew out to the Philippines yesterday and they are probably still on a plane! I'm really going to miss them! They were really cool people! Any ways, its crazy to think I am half way done in the MTC! I really do love it here but each day I get more and more excited to be in the Philippines! Love and miss you all so very much! 

Mahal,

Elder Payne

Elder Payne and Elder Blotter

Elder Anderton and Elder Payne

  

Week 3 Begins- July 13, 2017

This week has been a lot of work but a lot of fun too! I have been able to have some really cool experiences. I've been able to teach 5 more lessons in Tagalog and they seem to have been going well. I say seem because its a little difficult to know how a lesson in another language goes when you don't speak it... haha I'm getting better but things aren't getting any easier. It really is fun to learn a new language and teaching in Tagalog does a really good job at teaching you about what you are and aren't good at. I'm beginning to understand a lot more conversations and can even say some of my thoughts though responding is much harder than understanding. It's been really fun for me to see a ton of friends around! I haven't seen Ty yet but I run into Elder Parker Lund a lot and Elder Mckay Lund's residence is right across from mine! It is crazy to think I have already been here two weeks! I love it here and I have already learned more than I ever thought I could in this amount of time. I also got to get out of the MTC today to what we call "The Real World" because my permanent retainer broke so my companion and I went to the orthodontist to get it fixed. It was fun to hear "real" music again if it was for just a few minutes haha. I hope everyone is doing well and I love and miss all of you! 

                                    Love,

                                                  Elder Payne

P.S.  I hope the picture with Jesus isn't too bad... We just thought it was hilarious that on the T.V's around the MTC it looked like Jesus was presenting us with an update alert box ​​

Elder Payne and Elder Bernhardt

Elder M. Lund, Elder Payne, Elder P. Lund

Elder P. Lund and Elder Payne

Elder Payne and Elder M. Lund

Elder Payne and Elder Boehme

Elder Payne and Elder Bryan

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Elder Anderton and Elder Payne

I Love Being A Missionary - July 6, 2017

I am so glad it is finally P-Day and I can write to you all! Time in the MTC is funny, each day seems like a week but each week feels like a day. Some days are hard but that makes the great days that much sweeter! So like 10 minutes after my family dropped me off on June 28th I was in Tagalog class where my teacher (Sister Spencer) speaks 95% Tagalog so ya... That was a bit of a shock! But she is a great teacher and I have love her class and  learning Tagalog. My companion and I have already taught 5 lessons in Tagalog!!! Each one being 20+ minutes! Our "investigators" name is Ronald and he speaks like 98% Tagalog. Lets make this clear Ronald speaks 98% Tagalog, Sister Spencer now speaks around 70% Tagalog (which is nice) and I speak about .0001% Tagalog...  In other words this is hard!!! But I absolutely love it! I am beginning to understand and speak a lot more Tagalog and I know it is because of ang kaloob ng mga wika (the gift of tongues). Alam ko po na (I know that) totoo ang kaloob ng mga wika!!! (the gift of tongues is true) In the short time that I have been in the MTC I have already learned how to Pray in Tagalog, Teach in Tagalog, and give my testimony in Tagalog! I am constantly learning (and eating) and loving it in the MTC!!! My first companion had to go home with medical problems which was devastating for him and I was devastated for him but before he left I was able to give him a blessing and ang kapangyarihan ng Diyos (the power of God) is real!!!! I felt it so strong and was so grateful to be able to use the Priesthood! I've been able to see Elder Brenchley, Elder Boehme, Elder Bernhardt, and both Elder Lunds! It is so fun to see everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and I love you all!!!

Marami pag-ibig (much love),

Elder Payne

Elder Payne and his first companion, Elder T.

Elder Payne and his temporary companion, Elder B.

Andy's First E-Mail Home: 30 minutes into his MTC Experience

Communication between the missionaries and their family & friends is very limited to allow the missionaries to focus on serving others full-time.  The missionaries are allowed to call home on Mother's Day and Christmas.  The rest of the communication home is usually through written letters or weekly emails.  We happily received Andy's first e-mail before we were even home from dropping him off at the MTC.  

I made it here safe and well. I already found Sister Spencer as she is one of my teachers. I also ran into Brother Spencer as well. They speak mostly Tagalog and I do not so... But I am excited to learn and I am glad that is what they mostly speak. 

Much love!

                                                                                                  -Elder Payne

Let us explain whom Andy is referring to in his email.  The Spencers are an amazing family from our area.  Two of the Spencer children, Hannah and Danny, previously served an LDS mission in the Philippines.  Both have returned from their missions and now teach Tagalog in the Provo MTC.  Andy, Elizabeth, and Christian were in a play with Hannah many years ago.  We were so impressed with the kindness that Hannah showed our children and loved getting to know her wonderful family.  Andy hasn't been in contact with Hannah since their time together in the play, but Jullie was fortunate enough to teach her younger brother Adam while he was in 5th grade.  We love this family and were excited that Andy might have an opportunity to interact with Danny or Hannah while in the MTC.  We were really pleased to read in his first email that Hannah would be one of his teachers.

We want to share a "THEN" and "NOW" picture because both Hannah and Andy 

have grown up a bit since the last time they worked together. ;)

                                    

THEN
The Unicorn Theatre cast of Jackie and the Chili Stalk:
Lee Daily, Hannah Spencer, Emma, Andy Payne, Elizabeth Payne, Christian Payne
2005

NOW
Elder Andrew Payne and Sister Hannah Spencer
Provo MTC July 2017

 

JUST BECAUSE
Christian and Hannah
2005 

ONE LAST ONE
Elizabeth, Andy, and Christian
2005

The "Drop Off" at the Provo MTC

Andy was scheduled to report to the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Wednesday, June 28th at 1:15 pm.  He will spend 7 weeks in the MTC to receive instruction to help him understand his responsibilities while serving in the Philippines for the next two years.  He'll also begin to learn to speak the Tagalog language.

We drove to Provo as a family on Wednesday with everyone but , Ryan, Elizabeth's husband, who wasn't able to come to Utah before Andy left.  In route to Provo, we stopped for a quick visit with family, grabbed some lunch, and made a stop at Deseret Book before Andy reported to the MTC.  

We visited with my sister Jene', her husband Charles, and their boys, Wyatt and Caleb.  

                                 

After lunch and the stop at Deseret Book, we went to the LDS Provo City Center Temple 
to spend a few minutes as a family to say our goodbyes for a little while. 

                                       

                       
                                                                 

                                                                

After our goodbyes, we drove to the MTC where we found A LOT of other families in their cars 

also trying to get into the MTC parking lot to drop off new missionaries.  

Andy said the MTC parking lot felt as crowded as Disneyland. 

It was a nice comparison that lightened the mood a bit and gave us time for a few final pictures  

while we waited for our turn to pull up to the drop off spot.  

             

And then it was time for him go.  

You will be missed, Elder Payne, but we are so excited for you and those that will get to work with you.  

                                                                             With Love, 

                                                                                         Your Family