Friday, September 21, 2012

Week 8 - September 20, 2012


LAST WEEK IN THE MTC!

Wow what a crazy week! I have so much that I need to do before Monday! Anyways, this last week has been weird! It is all becomming so real! I cannot believe I will be in Mexico in 4 days! I am so excited though! Last Friday, I got my travel plans and I leave the MTC at 5 AM on Monday. We fly to Dallas and then to Guadalajara. We are supposed to get into Guadalajara at around 5 PM on Monday. I can't believe how fast it has gone! I have been out for almost 2 months already! The days are so long but then you look back and it just feels like time is flying! I seriously get butterflies just thinking about Mexico, I am so stoked! My trainer better be ready to work!

On Monday, I got 19 letters and 2 packages!! haha that was the funniest night ever! They played the under/over game and someone guessed 14 and then Elder Murdock goes "Okay this isn''t going to happen again. It''s Mike Payne but he doesn''t have THAT many people that love him." and then when I got 19, I have never heard elder Murdock yell louder hahaha!! It is going to be so weird getting like one or two letters a week in Mexico!! You guys all better keep it up! I''m sure I will be having some rough days out there where I will be needing some letters! :)  I also heard if you guys put pictures of Mary or Mother Theresa on packages and letters it goes through safely. There are tons of Catholics in Mexico and they all respect catholic icons haha but don''t send anything to valuable until we make sure I''m getting your packages and letters! 
Yesterday I was a host again....it was the WORST!!! Dad why did you have to give me emotional genes! hahaha We have a joke in our district that it's impossible for me to #1-bare my testimony without talking about my family and #2- Bare my testimony about my family without crying! Anyways, I had to watch more innocent missionaries be taken away from their families. Whenever we had a "cryer" (as I would call them) stop at our spot, I had a different elder host because I wasn't about to go through that torture again! Luckily this time I was assigned to spot 6...and I hosted these two guys who pretty much ran out of the car with their bags! I was so happy about that because it wasn't emotional at all! It was awesome hosting those missionaries because they were just so excited to be there! Then after that, at 1:45 yesterday I went to the consolate in Salt Lake City to sign everything for my Visas and to take a few pictures. It was so weird to actually go on the freeway and to see the outisde world!! It was so nice and it just made me super excited because I got to see some people that weren't missionaries!

This Sunday the Brigham City Temple is being dedicated! I am so excited because we will get to watch the dedication here! Its crazy what they do to prepare for temple dedications here in the MTC. So they try and make the gym feel like a temple so today they closed the gym and they are cleaning it for 3 days so that on Sunday it will be like mega clean...dad I think you could get hired for that one...just bring a few gallons of pledge and you would be lovin life! You thought cleaning our kitchen table was fun...imagine an entire basketball court! WOW...

Well here's my spiritual thought for the week. In John 10:17 it says "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again." It is crazy that Christ was WILLING to die and sacrifice his life for US and in the end of that verse he says "that I might take it again." Christ loves us so much that if he had to go through all that pain again and suffer for all of us again he would! It's weird to think how much God loves us! My teacher asked me the other day..."Elder Payne would you be willing to sacrifice the life of someone in your family so that a murderer could get out of jail?" My obvious response was "You're an idiot." and then he laughed and said "God loves us so much that he sent down his son so that murderers and all these other horrible people could be redeemed of their sins! Isn't that crazy?"

Estoy muy animado por esto oportunidad! Estoy muy animado a enseƱar y compartir esto mensaje acerca de esta evangelio a La gente de Mexico! Yo se que esto iglesia es verdadero y cuando nosotros buscamos por la verdad y cuando nosotros oramos a Dios, recibiremos una respuesta que La Iglesia De Jesucristo de los santos de los Ultimos Dios ES VERDADERO! Yo se que esto con todo de me corazon. Mi espanol esta una prueba en me vida y especialmente cuando yo ire a Mexico, pero con el espiritu y con Jesucristo en my vida, yo se que recibire ayudar y conocimiento. Necesito mas humildad en mi vida y esto oportunidad es perfecto for eso. Jesucristo sabe todos pruebas en nuestras vidas y nosotros necesitamos venimos mas cerca a El. Jesucrito darnos mas paz y gozo en nuestras vidas y yo estoy muy agredecido por todos bendiciones en mi vida, pero mas importante, para mi familia :) LA IGLESIA DE JESUCRISTO DE LOS SANTOS DE LOS ULTIMOS DAS ES VERDADERO!!! BUSCEN LAS PALABRAS DE CRISTO!

I Love you all so much! The next email you get will be from Mexico! That is so weird!! thank you for all the love and support! God bless you all!

Elder Mike Payne


If you want to send Mike a letter or package here is his new address!
Elder Michael Payne
Mexico Guadalajara East Mission
Calle Aguamarina #3292
Colonia Residencial Victoria
45089 Zapopan, Jalisco 
Mexico

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