News from the Faayi Chuuk District via Snail Mail

Dear Family                                                   September 4, 2015

Well this past little while had been interestging for sure.  Since the last letter I wrote I have been kinda sick, just my stomach hurting like crazy and wanting to do nothing but sleep every few days, haha.  I remember this happening to Elder Kleven as well while I was with him and it turned out that he had two 6 inch worms inside, haha.  So we will see what happens because at the end of my mission the give us the "bomb" where it kills every thing and flushes the system. Ohh those will be some fun days, haha.  Well besides that I am doing good.

I am the District Leader of Faayi Chuuk district. Basically a District Leader just gets the weekly lesson count and gives it to the Zone Leaders.  I also give training once a week to the district and get to do exchanges.  That's about it, not much but still a blessing for sure.

Well, sorry I don't have a lot to write about this week but I will try. So here we go.  First, some background...

This transfer Chuuk got 6 new missionaries.  The trainers are Elders Beard, Leota, White, Moughn, Fili.  Elder Nielson and Kjar are joint trainers.. haha forgot why I was writing this...  oh well, it's gone.  We have 3 new Elders in Faayi Chuuk to help and an old area that was reopened so we have tons of owrk to do and lots of exciting things to do.  The new missionaries names are Elder Gibson from Utah (but he is Marshalese and was adopted by a Utah family), Elder Kiapen from Vanauatu and Elder Marshman from Georgia.  They are all pretty cool and super funny and they always accidentally say something bad when they speak Chuukese.  It is super funny, haha.

So in Monday I went on exchanges Elder Beard but he ended up being sick for most of the time, so I had time for lots of studying, haha.  Tuesday he felt good enough to get out and go. So we walked the hour to his area and visited a young man who will be baptized this Saturday and went over the baptismal questions with him. Elder Beard started feeling bad again so we walked back to the house.  On Wednesday we had District Meeting here in Faayi Chuuk. We have District Meetings at a members house in Pata and she feeds us and then we have the meeting.  It works out well but usually takes all of Wednesday because the boat doesn't us up until 1 or 2 oclock.  The meeting can be anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 hours and then travel time makes it 5 or 5:30 when we get back to Romalum.

Well I better wrap it up now.

I love you all and thank you all with all my heart.  I am good and that chili you guys sent was AWESOME!! Well, I will see you guys in 4 more months.  Oh that reminds me.  You remember how I wasn't sure if I should try to come home a little early or not?  Well on my calendar I wrote down transfers wrong so the December transfer is not Christmas week it is the week after.  So if everything goes to plan I can be home January 1, 2016. So I thought, what the heck, that would be cool and make it exactly  2 years from when I went into the MTC to coming to you guys at the airport.

Well, so there is the plan, I think the itenerary will come out in the next couple of months. We will know for sure.

Stay safe and prepare a piece of plywood for me, haha.

Love Elder Jeff Payne

Parent's notes:
We received Elder Payne's travel itinerary from the LDS travel office.  He will be home for Christmas!!  Jeff hasn't had much access to his e-mail so I don't think he knows that the travel arrangements have been made.   :)

More News from Romulum

Dear Family,                                                                                August 12, 2015

Well I am doing well, no complaints, and after eating Ramen as most meals, certainly no constipation haha.  Thank you guys for your eingino rei (sorry can't spell in English anymore so if this happens more just call Simpson).  Thank you for your faith and prayers in my behalf.  But seriously things have been good and Elder Dann and I are having a blast here in Romulum.  I'll admit that when I first got called to Romulum I was kind of worried and bummed because across from the Mwan chapel there is a house where all the chon Romulum stay when they are in Mwan and because of past times (long long time ago) the local kids would come to the Elder's house at all hours and nothing ever got done and stuff was getting stolen and all in all complete and utter chaos ruled...  Well I guess I was worried that it would be like that all the time here and it kind of was but then I realized that the only reason it is like that in Mwan is because the kids are away from their parents haha.  But here in Romulum they are more or less surrounded by parents and family so the problems gets slowed some haha.  I have met some cool people here and have seen some fruits from the labors of the past and some of my own and over all it has been a fantastic few months and really I can see myself finishing off here.  With who?  I don't know, but we will find out on Sunday August 23.  The longest I have stayed in one area has been three transfers and that was Wichap the first time and the rest of the areas were 2 or 1 transfers... List time
3 Wichap - Elder Peck
2 Nantaku - Elder Simpson
1 Uman - Elder Fermanis
2 Guam (Denedo South) - Elder Rice
2 Michitiw - Elder Kleven
2 Wichap - Elder Matavao
2 (+ 1 week) Romulum - Elder Dann

So if keeping with this streak I will be moving, but again I don't know so we will see...

I am super blessed to have been called to the Micronesia Guam Mission.  As much as I wanted to go somewhere like Alaska or Europe, I definitely would not pick anywhere else now.  Living in a 15x15 box and showering out of a bucket and every little thing.  I love it so much and have a hard time accepting that it will end in 5 short months. But at the same time excited to see you all again.  You guys plan out the first couple of days as long as it involves stopping by my old McDonalds at least 2 or 3 times, haha.

I'll wrap it up with my testinomy. That I knkow the church is true and I also knkow that our work is necessary to all people so that all can see eternal life. If we help but one of our friends come unto Christ it's worth it. Sometimes our work isn't easy , we drift from what we're supposed to do when the Lord tells us or, and we simply go and find the things God wants us to do. God really knows us. We're children of heaven. Like David and Goliath, David wasn't afraid and he just believed in the power of God. Therefore, we should make efforts like David and the Lord will absolutely help us to be happy. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you all, have fun, read the scriptures and pray every day!

Ren tong seni towan - Elder Jeffery Payne
ika Enter chev Bein (haha)

Random Truk trivia!!
Ulaln: the old spelling of Romalum.  How it changed I dont know but it did.

Untranslated testimony from above:
Iwe I think I will wrap it up ren ai kapasen pwarata.  Pwe ngang ua sinei ewe Mwichifenen Sises Kraist ren Aramas mo Pin non Fansoun Soponon mi ellet me na pwan sinei pwe ach ei angung mi namwat ngeni aramas meinisin ika sipwe weri manau ese much me numwen sia anisi emon chinach sia anisi emon nge feito me ren Kraist.  Fan akoch och angung ese mecheres ika a toulan seni ach kokot me nupwen wew samol a apasa pwe sipwe feinno sipwe chok shiweri pwan feinno esop wor mettoch fan netipan Kot an epwe asukosuk mananach ida sin fen tipetekison mwen mesan kot.  Semach  wen Nang mi sinei keih pun kich noun at me nangen. Um sinei pwe epwe efeiachu kich ren ekkewe mettoch sai niit.  Ussun Dafit mwen Golieth Dafit ese noukus me a chok nuku non ewe Samol epwe anisi Kicheno pwe sipwe pwapwa.  Iei ha apasta ekki mettoch fan itan Sises Kraist Amen