Jeff's first transfer and some pictures

Dear Family and friends,

Well as you know transfers were last week and I did get transferred! I am still in Chuuk, I am now in the city of Nantaku and I am with Elder Simpson. I kind of told you about him, but he is from Canada and is super fun and a really good missionary. I am going to learn a ton from him and from the members because in Nantaku a lot of people know at least some English and a few can speak it really well, so they are going to help me learn more Chuukese. I am already really enjoying it here.

That is super cool about Kevin Payne getting his mission call to the California Redlands Mission, I am really glad he decided to go and would love to email him and write to him so if someone would be so kind as to send me that information when they find it out I would be very appreciative.

JAY YOUR GETTING OLD HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So are you Kris don't grow up to quick and savor the good times, they go fast.

Really good to hear that Dan and Rochelle got an offer on their house. Let me know their address when they go so I can write them and get me an email address as well so I can talk to them.  And yell at Dalton for me and tell him to write me or email me or something so I can know what is happening with him.

Nooooo!!! ... DONT SEND ME CROCS! They are not effective in chuuk, they die, really fast. Please heed my warnings. The scriptures say "don't spend money on things that are of no worth". Crocs fall under the category of "no worth". But thank you for the goodies they are really good and do enjoy them thoroughly. But please, I would rather you spend $17 to send food to me. I would just give the Crocks to someone who needs them.

Well I love you all and I want you to all look at life and whatever isn't what is taught in the gospel and "nikitano", or throw it away in Chuukese, it will bless you as you bring your life closer to Christ's and try and make his will your will.

Well I love you all and want you to have the best life possible.

Love,
Elder Jeff Payne

We already sent a pair of Keens shoes - which we have heard are much better. Also received a package with some gifts for the family and an SD card with pictures.  See below...

Using the natural resources for an umbrella

The view from one of the Elder's investigators home.

View from an investigator's home.

Elder Payne, Elder Peck and friends.  (Jeff will have to send us more details)

Kidamwe - peaceful or at peace

May 1, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this past week has been cool.  We had a Zone Conference on April 18.  I got to watch some General Conference... in Chuukese and didn't understand a word of it.  So I will wait until you guys send the Ensign if it isn't too much trouble.  If it's not too much trouble, could you guys download General Conference onto a thumb drive and send it with the next box so we here in Chuuk that speak English can watch it?

So this past week we taught a guy who is a pastor at another church.  But we didn't know he was a pastor until recently, but anywho, we saw him back in March and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon.  Then we couldn't meet with him (Oh his name is Aaron) for a long time because he was sick and/or busy.  But then we ran into him on the way to another appointment so we asked him how he was doing.  He said he was doing good and that he was almost done reading the Book of Mormon!  Elder Peck and I were shocked. We asked him when we could meet with him and he said Wednesday. So we went yesterday and we get to his house and he is home.  So we go in and get done with the pleasentrys and we ask him how he is doing with the Book of Mormon.  He says that he finished it.  Then as Elder Peck was going to ask him something else Aaron says in English, "I want to join God's true church."  Elder Peck and I were absolutely stunned!  We didn't know what to say.  So he went on to say that while he read the Book of Mormon he felt "kidamwe", which is peaceful or at peace in Chuukese.  He said that the head of the church which he was a pastor at was changing their standards and stuff like that.  So he prayed alot to know what to do and felt that he needed to join the true church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the true church.  So he will be baptized on the 24th of May.

Well I will close with my testimony of the Book of Mormon. There is a reason that it is the keystone of our religion because it is the best teaching tool in our 'missionary arsenal'.  If we can get people to read the Book of Mormon and pray as to whether it is true or not, and they pray really wanting to know the answer. The answer they receive will ALWAYS be that it is true and that person will want to change their lives to bring the blessings of God more abundantly into their lives.  This I can testify of because I have seen it happen more than a couple of times in the four months I have been here and will see it more in the coming years.  I say these things in the name fo Jesus Christ, amen.

Love
Elder Jeff Payne

Birthday Page!!
So I have decided to send a Happy Birthday to all that are in the month, these are the ones on the Albuquerque Temple calendar from Grandpa and Grandma. So for May we have - 
On the 2nd  we have Nyla Payne.
On the 3rd is Aunt Julie!
On the 6th is Uncle Bruce!
The 9th is Jennifer Smith!
The 13th is Joshua Payne who turns 4!
Then the 14th is Josh Smith!
Then we have Joseph Payne on the 22nd!
On the 24th is Santana Smith!
Then lastly we got my little brother Jay Payne on the 26th!!!!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE!!!

Letter from April 24, 2014

April 24, 2014

Dear Family,

So far this week things are going pretty well.  So to start, I SENT MY SD CARD a little bit ago, it was in a letter protected by some card board.  Yes some new shoes, Keens, would be nice.  Elder Peck was saying that the ones he has now have lasted his whole mission, so they might be good.

General Conference sounds like it was a good one, we don't get it until about a month later because they translate it into all the different Island languages. That takes a while.  We will get the disk this weekend so it should be really good.

Love
Elder Payne

If anybody want's to send him copies of the Ensign, New Era, Friend, etc  send them to:

Elder Jeffery Payne
P.O. Box 861
Moen Chuuk FSM
                     96942

Be sure the package is well wrapped (sometimes things get wet).  He would like anything - especially copies he can give to investigators or members that don't have the resources to get them.

Happy Easter

Hand written letter receive by post mail today!

April 20, 2014   HAPPY EASTER

Dear Family + Freinds (ha ha spelled friends wrong!)

Well this past week was really nothing special.  On the 18th President Mecham came in for Zone Conference + it was super good.  He talked alot about obedience because that's what the Chuuk Zone really struggles with. Only because the president is 300 miles away + can't watch over us all the time. But that is why we (or I) as missionaries learn about being self-disciplined + honest with ourselves.

Well Saturday was really cool because we went up to a Mima, (pronounced Mee-mah) which is Chuukese for a funeral, because a member asked us to go.  So we did and got there really early and kind of hung out with these two guys. One of them said, "let's do something to pass the time" and asked us if we had a Bible (which of course we did). So Elder Peck hands him the Bible and he turns to Matthew 28:1-10 and kind of just asks us questions about it.

Then Elder Peck pulls out a copy of the Book of Mormon and asks if the man has ever seen or had one.  The man (sorry I can't remember his name) says that he hasn't seen a copy of the Book of Mormon.  So we begin to explain about it whe he cuts in and asks how Elder Peck came to have faith in this religion. Elder Peck describes how when he was younger he went to church because his parents made him go and he just went through all the motions to make his parents happy. Then one day he read Moroni 10:3-5 and decided to give the promise a try and gained a super strong testimony.  That's why he is was on a mission.  Them commited the man to try it out and "find out for himself if these things aren't true".  The man said he would and we could all feel the Spirit SUPER strong.  It was a really good lesson and we are planning on going and finding him again on Tuesday the 22nd.

That was about it for last week but we had a beautiful, sunny Easter today.

You guys let me know how everything is at home.

Love,
Elder Payne

Here are some more pictures from the SD card received in April...

Group Picture

Who is a Womporong?

Dear Fams and friends,

Omasado tipis (pronounced OH-MA-SADO TEE-PEES and means "forgive me") for not writing for a couple of weeks the internet is down and I haven't had a chance to go and hit the post office.  Well Sounds like everything is going good back home, I was excited to hear about Tristan Thompson being baptized and what is more exciting is they can all now be sealed  as an eternal
family and enjoy all the blessings and comforts that this brings.

I wish Chuuk had a temple closer than the Philippines but if us missionaries work hard we could put in a request for a temple in Guam NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!! THATS CRAZY! but first Chuuk Needs to become a stake and that will make the necessary 3 stakes for temple requirement
it would be super cool to see that happen... OHHH and that reminds me tell Uncle Rus that Pohnpei, a couple of weeks ago, became a stake he will be super excited about that.

Well I can honestly say that I have no information on mothers day except that we will probably call this Wednesday or Thursday to set up something and please pray that the internet is working because I would rather Skype than just call but we will see what happens.

Well on to things here in Chuuk, I am still in Wichap with Elder Peck and we are seeing some crazy huge miracles happen this transfer, so a little back story, the Wichap Branch isn't exactly a very strong branch but this could all change with a few people... One: our recent convert, Apar, is going to be super solid and we are thinking he could be a counselor for our Branch President. Second we started teaching a Wamporong (pronounced WOMP-O-RONG and don't forget to roll the r) or sort of like the equivalent of a Stake President.  So here in Chuuk it goes like this, you join a church and you stay faithful and read the bible and do everything your supposed to and you kind of earn these titles of sorts.  I am not sure on all of them, but it goes 'church goer', Sopatek,  then Womporong. Again I might be missing some but got off subject... So Womporong is super high up in Church here and means you have been a member basically your whole life and you would do almost anything for your church.  So we kind of taught This Womporong's, Aron, daughter. Aron really liked us and always had a question or two for us, so we gave him a Book of Mormon. Then he kind of fell off the face of the Earth for a month and a half, then we ran into him on the road last week and first thing he apologizes for not seeing us because he was sick and his family was super busy. Then he asks if we remember giving him "that book" and we were like "yeah" then what he said next startled us. He said he was almost done with it! So we asked if we could come meet and he said Tuesday. So we go in expecting to have a good discussion about Ewe Puken Mormon but the first thing he says after the prayer is, "I am want to be baptized." Elder Peck and I were absolutely flabbergasted. We really had no idea what to say so we said. "met?" which is "what" in Chuukese and so he said "I want to be baptized into the true church of God." So we recover from our initial shock and commence in telling him some of the requirements that we have for baptism. Just the things like, you have to come to church 3 times and a little on the word of wisdom stuff like that. He is all in for it so we are going to teach him a bunch these next weeks. Super huge miracle and all from a book translated by a farm kid in New York.
Crazy.

Well I will wrap up with a testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon that it can touch and change the lives of even leaders of other faiths if they are honest seekers of truth and are humble enough to accept things they learn are true.  It will change their lives and then they can affect the lives of those they have come in contact with before.  I love to see people love the Book of Mormon and apply the teachings contained in it. The power is incredible and it is real and will bless our lives.

Well I love you guys and hope the best for all of you.

Love,
Elder Jeff Payne

Here a a few more pictures from the SD card Jeff sent.  Some sort of service project - we never heard what they were filling sand bags for...

Reading 'Jesus the Christ' and new pictures

March 19, 2014

Dear Family,

Well this past week has been long and hard but I will start with exciting news, last Wednesday I finished reading the Book of Mormon.  I started it in the MTC but then restarted it when I arrived in Chuuk which was Jan 17th. It took me a transfer and a half but I did it! My favorite parts are when both the Nephites and Lamanites are at peace and the church is established through the land, it is too bad that happens so few times and lasts so few years.

So I have started to read Jesus the Christ.  It is a super good book that you need a dictionary to read effectively.  But it has brought some cool things and thoughts that I haven't relized before.  Like there is this part where it talks about miracles in general. Talmage talks about how miracles are phenomena that cannot be explained. By definition God knows everything which we do not. So we need to recognize and remember that we do not know everything so we have to look to the One that does know everything for guidance and revelation in our lives.  So that we can best help and serve those around us.  Also remember to read the scriptures every day and look for and mark anything that has to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, or the Gathering of Israel.  Mark these as you read in 3 separate colors (so you can tell them apart) and it wil surprise you how many  of each there are.

Well I will wrap it up for this letter by saying, I love you guys and want periodic reports on your guys testimonies because I need them as continual witnesses of the Atonement.  I love you guys and send me pictures of stuff (I need a good one of Cocoa)!

With Love,
The Elder Jeff Payne

We received pictures with this letter!!

A few current photos from President Mecham's FB post

I think the Chuuk Internet was down one week, we didn't get any letters. The next week Jeff wrote short letters to Jay and Kristen.

So we will live with pictures from Zone Conference. :)

Elder Peck and Elder Payne

Elder Peck and Elder Payne role play

Practice... Practice... Practice

The Micronesia Guam Mission - Chuuk Zone

Jeff received packages and is waiting on news about transfers...

Hey Fams and friends,

So this week has been a good week.  This is transfers week and I am pretty sure Elder Peck and I will stay in Wichap, but the Chuuk Zone needs 3 new elders.

There is no need to worry about me I am okay.

Well we will have a baptism on Wednesday on the TINY!!! island of Etan it is between Tonoas and Wichap.  We honestly believe that this man will be the next Wichap Branch President so it will be very good for our little branch.

I have received some boxes that had a bunch of cookies and what-nots and was really good.  One thing I got (and I would like to get every once in a while) is a big Ziploc baggy of the condiment packets you get from restaurants. Stuff and that is super nice to have because condiments are expensive here in Chuuk, so I thank those who sent it to me.

Well I will wrap it up with a testimony of the blessings of being faithful and have unwavering doubt in God.  I know that all of your prayers and fasting for us missionaries do work and we do receive blessings from those prayers.  Please continue to pray and fast for us.  We do feel your love and want to return all that we can back to you guys.

Well I love you all and enjoy receiving letters from you guys and I will try and reply when I have money to send them.  Thanks and I Love you all and we do pray for you guys.

Love Elder Jeff Payne

P.S. Ya so we will call you guys a couple of days before Mother's day and set up a good time to skype (if the internet is working). But if all else fails I will be able to call because the Mwan Chapel has a land line so we will see what happens when it comes up.

P.S.S Pops,
So we had a sort of Zone Confrence to kind of talk about events and get feelings out.  We ate at Blue Lagoon Hotel because that is the nicest resort here in Chuuk.  The Letters have been taking about 2 weeksish and it dependes on when the ZL's can get the mail.  And I have written quite a few so hopefully it gets to you soon. Well I love you guys and will email later.

Love you guys and miss you so much and am super stoaked to talk to you guys on Mothers day. We will call a couple days ahead of time to set a call.
Love you,
Elder Payne

Picture from Elder Hunter's blog

Pictures from Elder Hunter's blog - a few with Jeff !!

Jeffery is in a few pictures in Elder Hunter's blog:
Elder Hunter in Micronesia Guam Mission
March 2014 - Random pictures from SD card.
Jeff is in a few about half way down the page.  But if you look at all the pictures you can see how life is in the Chuuk Zone.  I don't know what island these were taken on. 

Thanks Brother Hunter for making these available!

Visit to the doctor

Letter sent by regular mail - dated March 9, 2014

Dear family,

Well first I want to say sorry for not e-mailing last week, the Internet was down all day Monday so hopefully it will be up tomorrow.  If it is you will hear from me, if not, I'm not dead Mom so don't worry.

And in other news.  Not much has been happening out here in Chuuk.  Wichap is a very difficult area because everyone who want's to hear the Gospel has and now no one really wants to hear the message we have except for Mr. A.  So I don't know what we will do once he gets baptized if we can't find any new investigators.  But best not to worry about it right now.

Oh another interesting thing is Friday (the 7th) I woke up with this super weird rash that just itches like crazy.  I first noticed it that morning when I went to take a shower.  I took off my shirt and noticed some red bumps on my chest and I was like, "What the heck?".  So I turn to look on my back and it is all over my back and butt.  So after my cold shower I go in and tell Elder Peck.  Ha ha.  He looks and says, "You're becoming a Chuuk Elder!", because this is my first strange rash, ha ha.  No then he says let let it go for today then we can call the Zone Leaders and see what they want us to do.  Well, we call them and they say that they are going to take Elder Simpson to the hospital anyway and they will come pick us up.  Well, they pick us up and we head over to the hospital and I am scared out of my mind because I have seen the rest of poor Chuuk and am wondering what the hospital will be like.  What I am imagining is an old, rusty, 1800's hospital where all the equipment is archaic and barely working like you would see in some horror film. Then we get there and the place is empty, completely devoid of human life and we have to yell to get someone to the front desk. The lady tells us to go to the Emergency Room, so we walk down this hallway and turn left (and this is all about 8:30pm and that's when a lot of the hospital closes) and we are walking toward this large door and through the window on the door it is just completely dark except for the... wait for it... flickering fluorescent light!  I nearly wet myself.  Luckily Elder Obray turns and opens another door to our left and we walk in and there is a doctor sitting in the ER.  He looks and asks in English, "What's wrong?".  So we tell him and he looks for a second at my back and says it looks like the beginning of a skin infection and prescribes me some antibiotics ans some anti-itch cream.  He leaves the room for a little bit and comes back to tell me that I have to come back on Monday to get my medicine.  Now here I am Sunday night trying not to itch my brains out and just all together being driven insane by it.  But unfortunately it has gotten worse and spread to my thighs.  So tomorrow morning we are going to drive straight to the hospital and tell them that it has gotten worse and we will see from there.  But all in all if I am dying I will call you guys and talk to you one last time...  But it probably wont come to that because if it gets worse from there they will fly me to Guam where they have a really good hospital. Plus I am assured that I won't die because in my Patriarchal Blessing it says I will get married, ha ha.  Also because Alma and the Sons of Mosiah were promised that even though they would be afflicted with all manner of afflictions but that they would not die.  So both you and it can take comfort in.

Well I will wrap it up with a testimony of prayer.  Our only true is trying to quit smoking and we told him that every time he has the urge to smoke that he should pray and ask if Christ would take that urge away from him, and it is, it truly is because he is asking in full faith that Christ, our savior and redeemer, will take that urge from him. So to all that are struggling  whether it be addiction or pain or you just want to talk to someone who truly knows what we are going through, get on you knees and pray with your whole soul, in faith, Christ will help you.  I know these things to be true, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remember Christ is always there and his angels are on your right hand and your left.  Never forget that!

Love,
Elder Jeff Payne

More about Chuuk and Wichap

Letter sent by regular mail, dated February 28, 2014

Dear Mom, Dad, Kris + Jay

Well its raining again here in Chuuk, but it has rained pretty much everyday for 2 weeks now + its harder to go out proselyting when its raining because people here just sleep when it rains and  when they aren't sleeping they don't want to let us into their houses because our feet are all muddy, so Elder Peck + I try to wait until it stops raining. But oh well, it always stops eventually.  Anywho, my week has been good, nothing interesting going on here in good ol' Wichap.  We are teaching some people (it's hard because pretty much everyone who has wanted to hear the Gospel has, so we only have a few investigators + the rest are less active members.  One of our investigators is super cool and is liking the Gospel but is having a hard time coming to church because it is a long walk to get to the mwichefen (church in Chuukese, pronounced mwee-chee-fen).

So let me tell you about more about this hot, humid, tropical paradise that I am in.  So to start the State of Chuuk is super, super poor. Basically the only income is tourism and there isn't a lot of that either. The only attraction there is that there was a WWII battle that happened here so there are a bunch of ship wrecks and airplane wrecks out in the lagoon that people can dive to but other than there is absolutely nothing interesting in the Chuuk Lagoon.

So with tourism being the only income and the only thing people have to pay for is electricity (so a lot of people don't have that) not very many people have jobs.  But they also don't need a job because if they are smart they will grow their own food.  Ha ha, even our branch president doesn't have a job.

Now to Elder Payne with the weather...   Well it stays a balmy 80 degrees year round with about 80 percent humidity and it looks like we have a 300% chance of rain today.  But the good news is that number is lower than it has been in the last couple of weeks, ha ha ha.  Other than that not much change in the weather this week.

Back to you Elder Payne...

Well just want you guys to know that I love you all and hope that you all learn to love the Church and understand its teachings.  I have an assignment (Yay, homework!!).  I want each of you, on your own, then  as a family, read and discuss the first paragraph and the last 2 of the introduction to the Book of Mormon.  Then read Moroni 10:3-5 and try it, really try it.  Even when we grow up in the church we still need our own testimony of the truth, otherwise people can dispute everything we say.  On page 199 of Preach My Gospel it states, "People may sometimes intellectually question what you teach, but it is difficult  (but I wrote in, impossible, instead of difficult) to question a sincere, heartfelt testimony."  Now I want a full report from each one of you on how this went.  Now I can't grade you on this because it is a very personal thing to do, but this will help you stay 'petchik coon' (ha ha that's 'strong') in the Gospel anytime you feel like your testimony is questioned. Go and do this activity again and re-strengthen your testimony.  And I want a good 5 sentence paragraph or more when you report. (Yes Jay, I'm looking at you!  ha ha).  But in all seriousness this will help you personally make decisions that others, without a testimony, struggle greatly with.  A testimony, even a simple one, is one of the greatest gifts God has given us.  Ok, I will really actually wrap this up this time.

I love you Jay, I love you Kristen, I love you Dad and I love you Mom.  Stay strong and loyal to one another and never give up on one another, EVER!!!!

Well, love you guys bunches,

Elder Jeff Payne

P.S. The mosquitoes are bug-spray resistant!

Pictures of Elder Payne with his zone.

President Mecham posted some great pictures of Jeff on the Mission FaceBook page.  I copied them to Jeff's blog so the friends and family could see them too.

Great looking group of Elders enjoying a meal with Jeff.

Elder and Sister Crisp. They are taking great care of our Elders in Chuuk Zone.

Elder Peck and Elder Payne.  Elder Peck is Jeff's trainer in Chuuk.

That's an awfully small boat... look how far the other islands are!

Thank you President Mecham for keeping FaceBook up to date.