Week 62 - October 21, 2013 - You know you are in Mexico when you drive an hour to eat at IHOP!

This week was a pretty good week. I am learning lots about myself and everything is going super well. In the beginning I was a little frustrated with how everything was going with my companion but it has gotten a lot better.

I talked to my companion about my feelings and why I am here. I told him that I wanted to help him finish with the best transfer he has had on the mission, whether we baptize or not. We set goals  and we talked about having fun but also about working our butts off. I told him that for these last 5 weeks for p-day (our 'personal day') that we can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants... just as long as during the week we would work as hard as we possible could. Our relationship is actually really good because we are working super hard but also having lots of fun together and laughing lots.

But this week we have been working hard with our investigators. They are all super strong. Every week we have like ten investigators at church. The good thing is that after the mish I will have some good reasons to come back...so I can see all these people get sealed in the temple.

IHOP!

Week 61 - October 14, 2013 - Half of my prayer was answered... I'll take it!

This last week has been super good! We are working really hard in our area and I am loving it here. Today we had transfers and I am still here in Estadio! I am super happy but the bad news is that Elder Rueda left. He is now in a zone called ¨Uruapan.¨ 

I don't know whether to feel happy or sad, President has put me with a new companion that is going home this next transfer.  He is from Colombia. He was in the Colombian Army! That's about all I know about him so far.

 btw- Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all my family in Canada!!!). 

It should be a fun transfer, I am going to learn lots. I like challenges and that's exactly what the mission is for. If it was easy I wouldn't learn anything!  I am going to try and be patient and love my companion as much as I can.  I just want him to end his mission on a positive note! 

Anyways, this last week was pretty good. We have been working hard and seeing lots of success. We are working hard on finding incomplete families so that we can help them get sealed. We have found three incomplete families and we are working with lots of investigators. One of our investigators has a big van and brought a bunch of our investigators to church yesterday so we were super happy to see him helping us out. 

We are also teaching the daughter of the guy we baptized 2 weeks ago. She has a pretty tough situation at home right now but we are helping her as much as we can. It's awesome how much people trust in missionaries. We sat down with their whole family and set goals with them on how they can get along better and have more love in their home. It was a pretty cool experience. She has her baptism set for next Saturday so we are going to help her out as much as we can.

We have many other super awesome investigators and I am loving this area.  Hopefully I will get to stay here until January or February. But I'm not sure, we will see what happens! 

Love you all and have an amazing week!!!

Love,

Elder Payne

Bishop's wife's birthday.  We bought her a cake :)

This is the funniest lady in the world.  She is one of the strongest members in our ward!  She is so awesome!  We love all of her stories.

Fresh chicken haha

One of our investigators who works in a tire repair shop

Elder Rueda and I found a lost dog of one of the members like a mile from her house so we walked it back to her house haha funniest thing ever!

Super funny graffiti 

Cool graffiti art in my area

With my girlfriend in the city haha

Some of our investigators 

More of our investigators and their family

Week 60 - October 7, 2013 - Normal missionary life :)

Wow what an amazing week!! One of those weeks where I am exhausted but a good exhausted...not a super stressed out exhausted!!

I love working in my area and being able to focus on just the investigators of my area. We actually haven't had a phone all week so we have been calling our zone leaders from a pay phone every night to tell them we are in our house and then we don't have to worry about phone calls the rest of the night!! I have never been so happy to not have a phone hahaha!! 

Well we now have over 20 investigators and we are working our tails off! I have never had so many people so interested. They all have trials and difficulties but I mean who doesn't?!  Out of the 20+ investigators we have, 15 of them consist of families. We are working really hard on baptizing both complete and part member families. Last week we had 27 lessons and I can't remember the last time I have loved the people like I do now.  Transfers are on Monday, so keep your fingers crossed that I get to stay here!  I would feel really sad leaving all these great people when I'm not finished teaching them!  I know the Elder who would replace me would do an awesome job.

We were able to bring many of our investigators to general conference to watch a couple sessions. It was super awesome!! They are all super interested and willing to change...just some of the cases are a little hard. Three of the families we are teaching all need to get divorced from their past husbands/wives and then remarried haha so its gunna take some time but they are willing and ready!

General conference was incredible!! I can't believe I only have one left and then I will be home!!! I think my favorite talk was from President Uchtdorf on Saturday morning. His theme was ¨Come, Join with us!¨ He talked about how many hours we put into church and our callings. He then began to list off all the blessings that we are able to receive by putting in selfless hours of service. He extended the invitation to all of those who have fallen away and all those who are investigating the church to come and join with us so that they can see why we are so happy and why we put so many hours into this church. So for all of you who read this and aren't members and who question ¨why?¨ I challenge you all as well to come and join with us. See what we do on Sundays and if you don't like it then you don't have to come back again. I promise you will feel different and that you will feel the pwoer of God more in your lives!

Thank you for everything and have an amazing week!!!

Love,

Elder Mike Payne

Martin's baptism

Martin's baptism

After my first good nights rest in 5 months.  Elder Rueda was laughing because I was so happy and took this picture at 6:40 haha I have never been so well rested in my life!

The Rojas family.  They are great!

This kid is hilarious!  He loves to be very vocal in sacrament meeting haha

I thought the air conditioner in this car was hilarious

Elder Rueda being spiderman 

Playing patty cake with the bishop's kids

One of the primary girls wrote me a letter and this is how she wrote "Elder Payne" haha so funny!

Drive through beer stores... only in Mexico haha