New Return Home Date

From: Kendall Payne
Date: 2015-06-29 2:58 AM
To: Luana Payne;
Subject:Re: Photo with Elder Robbins

hey Family!!

This past week was again great! My companion and i were in the mission office a few times and sister poelman (who is in charge of incoming and outgoing elders) called me over and said “Elder Payne i have something i want to tell you! Because your group is ending their missions so close to december we are going to be sending you home on either the Seventh of December or The Fourteenth. Doesnt that sound wonderful?” At first when i heard it it sounded more the the dentist coming in and saying “Oh Elder Payne! We just got your xrays back from the Physicians and it looks like we are going to have to remove your wisdom teeth again! Doesnt that sound wonderful?” Haha so in essence what i am trying to say is even though i know it has to happen, it is still going to be very sad and almost painful to me. I love my mission and i hold it very sacred to me. I wish that there was some way that i could continue to be a missionary here in South Africa. But at some point i must return home.

We have had some great opportunities this week. My companion and i made contact with a man who has been around the church for the past twelve years and made the decision to get baptized. He is married to a member and has been attending our church for the past twelve years without going to his old church. It was quite an interesting experience. Also it really does seem like new people are just coming out of the wood work for us to teach. The Lord is really blessing my companion and i for the labour we are doing and it is wonderful.

Yesterday as well we had a very good lesson with two of our young men whom we are currently working with. One of the brothers expressed how he loved sacrament and young mens class but despised sunday school. Upon him saying that i got the impression that he really needs to talk with the branch president about his situation. After a little more discussing he did admit to us that he had done something that he wanted to move away from, but my companion told him that he could not get rid of his guilt unless he talked with president. He mentioned to us that other members had told him the same thing but he was still hesitant about it. Inwardly it made me sad cause i know the difference that could happen in his life.

… (personal notes to family members)

Have a good week! I love you all!!

Elder Payne

We Need Both Legs!

Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 04:48:38 -0700
Subject: Re: Photo with Elder Robbins
From: kendall.payne
To: cardstonmomma

Hey Family!!

This past week was really great. We had a zone conference with elder stanley G. Ellis of the first quorum of the seventy. He taught us about how we need to be more faithful and know that the Lord will guide us and protect us. I loved the Conference. At one point he asked for volunteers and i agreed to be one. Unbeknownst to me i was going to be an example to other missionaries. He picked another missionary to help out as well. He asked us to go to the back of the chapel, then asked the first elder to walk back to the front. He then was very complimentary in how effortlessly he walked to the front. Then he asked me to walk to the front, BUT, i could only use one leg. Luckily i didnt fall as i hopped to the front of the chapel. Then he used the example of when we as missionaries use members then the work becomes effortless almost. We can still do missionary work by ourselves, But its a little bit harder to do. So it helped us learn alot.

Also yesterday i had the opportunity to confirm the woman who we baptized last week which was a very big blessing to me. I could feel that she would be a very strong and powerful member and have very many great moments within the church. Then i also had the privilege of providing blessings for two members in the ward. One was really stressed about her situation with school and needed more peace and the second was a member who had a rotten tooth and it was paining her quite badly. I was very grateful that i held the priesthood and could minister to these three individuals. It made me quite happy haha.

Also i received my birthday package today! Thanks for the presents! I will enjoy them thoroughly… Especially the Cupcakes.

I know that Heavenly Father will continue to protect me and guide me to do whats right. He helps me every day.

I love you all!!

Elder Payne

It’s Not Too Late to Change!

Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:38:50 +0200
Subject: Re: Photo with Elder Robbins
From: kendall.payne
To: cardstonmomma

Dear Family

This past week was pretty awesome! Our district got approved by our mission president to attend a soccer game saturday evening which was super exciting especially since it was the first game i have attended in a big stadium. It was South Africa’s national team (Bafana Bafana) versus the Gambian National team. Sadly though no one scored but it was still a great experience. Maybe when i get home i will attend some more soccer matches.

Our week with the work went really good as well. It feels like my companion and i are being blessed with everything that we do. This sunday we had another two investigators walk into church and say that they were ready to start receiving lessons. One of them stayed for our baptismal service which my companion and i held after church and he told us that he wants to be baptized as soon as possible. Again i am super grateful for all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with.

Also we had a baptism this week but sadly we had no time to take any pictures. But it was super interesting because the woman who we baptized is 78 years old. One of her grandsons was giving the talk on baptism before the actual ordinance and he said in his talk “i never thought that you gogo (grandma in zulu) would be baptized in your old age!” I wanted to laugh a little but again i didnt think it was a very funny joke. People are entitled to change at any point in their lives, so really it doesnt matter at what point they receive the gospel, They just have to receive it with a willing heart. Also because of her age i was asked to help my companion with the baptism which again was a blessing. As he baptized her my job was to stand behind, catch her by the back and make sure she can stand up on her feet. I loved it haha! So now when i speak of that baptism i can say my companion and i both literally baptized her.

But im still doing great. Tomorrow at 7 am we have a zone conference with Elder Stanly G. Ellis of the First quorum of the seventy which i am looking forward to.

I hope you people have a good week!!

Elder Payne

The soccer stadium at night, lit up for the big game!

Elders Payne and Ncube at the game!

South Africa’s national soccer team (Bafana Bafana – yellow and green jerseys) versus the Gambian National team on the soccer field.

An Awesome Investigator!

Hey Family!

Things this past week were pretty powerful concluding with a powerful sunday service yesterday. In my first week with Elder Ncube we tracted into a young man by the name of Brendon who said he was interested in what we had to say, but had no desire to show up to our Church service. After sometime of teaching with him he told us that we would be seeing him this sunday at church. And he held to his word. When we walked into the chapel Our District Leader approached us and asked if we knew a young man named brendon. We replied in the affirmative and he said “well he has been waiting for you guys since almost Half past eight!” We then quickly found him in the chapel and sat next to him during Fast and testimony meeting which was jam packed full of grest and wonderful testimonies of many members. Finally just as the meeting was about to close he leaned over to my companion and asked if he could bear his testimony. My companion said yes and the Brendon took his seat on the stand. When he reached the pulpit he said “Hello everyone. My name is Brendon. Im new to this church so not many of you know me yet. But i wanted to thank all of you for being so kind to me already. As i walked into the chapel this morning though it wasnt the kind smiling faces that i met, or the beautiful walls of this place that makes me want to come back. It was a sudden warmth, peace and comfort that i felt that will bring me back. I love you all. Amen”

His testimony was Power and i can easily say it was one of my favourite sundays probably ever in my whole life.

Later when we had an appointment with him we asked him how church was and he said “In a way… Awesome! the church was so great and i really loved it. I feel a real sense of belonging unlike any other church i have attended in my life.” We as well committed him to baptismal date and he told us “I would love to! I have wanted to get baptized my whole life and now it seems like the time when i should get baptized.” Again straight power.

As my companion and i talked about him later he said to me ” I feel like the Lord has prepared this man for us to bring into the church.” And i as well felt that this young man will bring many souls unto christ using his powerful testimony of the Lord. And i wanted to bear my testimony to you as well, the Lord can do his own work and does prepare people for us to find and bring into the church. All that we have to do is some hard work, and then the Lord will provide the rest.

I wanted to thank you (mom and dad) For teaching me to work hard at home. It really has paid off in missionary work. Not to toot my own horn, but i have been told Some leaders i have had on mission and also other missionaries tell me, That my companion and i are Probably the two hardest working missionaries that they have ever seen. It doesnt matter who my companion is, but we are dedicated to working hard and being obedient at that as well.

I love you guys and i am glad that the week at home went good. Give some props to Janessa for making Cheer Captain!!

Elder Payne

New Area and Companion!

Date: Sun, 31 May 2015 20:30:46 -1200
Subject: Re: Photo with Elder Robbins
From: kendall.payne
To: cardstonmomma

Hey family!!

I was so sad to hear about Elder Perry’s passing, but it was his time i think. He was one of my favourite apostles because of his warm smile. As for the birthday package… nothing. But i am still hopeful it will come! Im sad but happy for shaelyn to move away from home. Hopefully she will be well looked after by the siblings up there. Also three weeks ago i finished my book of mormon and am now in 1 nephi 13. I think i can finish before the end of september.

So right now i am serving in an area called Kwamashu which is a big township ten minutes away from Durban. In fact its so big they have it split into two branches already with four missionaries in each branch. Its pretty awesome and i love it alot. Its a little different from Thaba Nchu but its still great. My companion right now is Elder Ncube from Johannesburg, so he is my second south african comp which is still amazing!

Well nothing much else happened this week. Still working hard and doing my best. I love you guys!!

Elder Payne