"Be still and know that I am God" (D&C 101:16) - June 13, 2022

Spiritual Thought 

Our hearts ache and cry out in sorrow as we read of the trials and struggles the early saints were asked to endure.  Mobs, expulsion, and extermination orders serve as the backdrop to the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The devil raged and cried out in protest as eternal truths were once again brought to life and the foundations for this latter-day miracle were laid.  The light of truth had broken through the gloom and was destined to grow brighter and brighter until the last day.  The adversary saw this and desperately attempted to extinguish this eternal light with darkness and despair.

In one of these moments, when hope seemed to be lost, the prophet Joseph sought the guidance of the Savior.  The response given was simple yet carried with it the peace and light only the Redeemer of the World could offer.  In response to the despair of a righteous man, peace and reassurance were given: "Be still and know that I am God".  

This phrase is repeated twice in scripture, once in the book of Psalms and again in the Doctrine and Covenants.  These two books were both written by prophets but are separated by thousands of years and all the changes which accompany such a span of time.  I believe there is a lesson to be learned in this.  Regardless of the time in which we are born, the location in which we live, or the social status we hold, this mortal experience is intended to test and try us in every way.  We will be stretched to the point where it is simply impossible to face another moment alone.  This is intentional and part of our Father's plan.  It will never please our Heavenly Father to see his children pass through sorrow, quite the opposite.  Never forget he is "The God who weeps".  Nevertheless he is the God who knows it is only through such moments his children can be refined and he is the God and Father who will never forsake nor fail his children.  Through all of this the healing balm we seek is the Light of the World.  It is the Savior Jesus Christ.  This truth is irrespective of time or any other qualifier.

My invitation is really very simple.  It is precisely the same as what we have been counseled in scripture to do.  It is the very same invitation our Heavenly Father still gives to us on this day: "Be still and know that I am God."  As the waves beat upon us and all hope seems lost may we look to our great Leader and King.  He is at the helm.  He is our guide and protector.  Most of all, he is our Father, who desires for his children to love him and trust that he is there when they are in need.  That each of us will truly "Be still and know that [he] is God" is my invitation.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Weekly Update 

Hello everyone,

One year ago as I prepared to begin my missionary service a reassignment was given.  Due to world conditions it was impossible to serve in the mission to which I had originally been called.  Thus, I came to Layton, Utah.  I can, in sincerity, say there were lessons I needed to learn and people I needed to meet in this reassignment.  The Lord truly does remember all people and desire them to accept the blessings he has to offer.  We often say that he remembers those "on the isles of the sea" or in the far corners of the earth.  Too often, however, we forget that this promise applies to all people.  It applies just as equally to Bountiful, Syracuse, and Kaysville as it does to any foreign country whose citizens speak a strange language.  Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world.  His arms are spread to embrace those people in foreign lands, to embrace the people on the Wasatch Front, and to embrace you.  There truly is "one fold, and one shepherd."

On Saturday President Johnson called to deliver some news.  I will be leaving for my original assignment on July 6th.  The emotions which have come with this news are difficult to articulate.  The Malagasy people have held a place in my heart I would not have previously believed possible to hold without ever meeting them.  At the same time I have grown to love serving a people and in an area which are very familiar to many members of this church.  I have longed to serve in a place thousands of miles away yet for this time the Lord needed me to serve his children who live laughably close to home.  My hope was to serve in an area where the church is young and still in its infancy.  For this time, however, the Savior required me to serve in the very heart, the headquarters of his church in order that I may learn he remembers all people and is extending the bounty if the Gospel to them.  I am grateful for the miracles I have been able to witness, the lessons I have learned, and the people I have met over this past year.  I am excited and humbled to look forward towards what the Savior has in store for me to learn in Madagascar.  The work and Gospel remain the same, only the location will be different.  One chapter is closing in order for another chapter to open.  

All or very nearly all of the Madagascar reassignments will be leaving on the 6th with me, including Elder Fergus, my MTC companion!  It will be fun to finally meet him in person rather than just his floating head over zoom.  We said we would be companions again in Madagascar and that just became a lot more likely.  I don't know a lot of details but I believe there are 8-10 missionaries leaving with me who are in nine different reassignments.  We will most likely meet somewhere such as New York or Atlanta before flying the rest of the way together.  I will keep all if you updated on the happenings over the next three weeks.

The other exciting news is transfers.  I will only be here for about half of this next transfer but I am very, very excited about those three weeks.  President Johnson asked me to accept a new assignment he is starting just this transfer.  It is called "Special assignment assistant to the president" or simply "Special Agent" to be short.  Basically we do the "dirty work" the APs used to do before President Johnson became mission president and changed things.  We don't have an assigned area and we cover the entire mission. Every night President Johnson will call us and give us our assignments for the next day.  We will then report to him when he calls the next night to give us more things to do.  There are all sorts of assignments that President Johnson might give us.  Just some examples are if a companionship isn't getting up on time we go wake them.  If a missionary is misusing their phone we device audit them.  If President Johnson suspects a missionary of being seriously disobedient (having an extra phone, having a laptop, going on dates, leaving the mission, etc.) then we go see what we can figure out and report back to President Johnson.  Essentially we are like the Special Forces of the mission who only report to President Johnson.  Sounds cheesy but I'm excited!  The best part though is that I will be companions with Elder Bringhurst!  I have wanted this to happen for months now!  He will go to his original assignment in a week so at that point I will have a new companion for my last two weeks.  I wish we could be together longer but I am looking forward to a great week!  Oh, I almost forgot the actual best part: our car is a Toyota Sienna!  I know!  I'm so excited to look like the stereotypical Mormon Dad as I drive my Sienna through Kaysville!

Aside from the travel date and transfers this was actually a bit of an uneventful week.  We weren't able to meet with Alenny as much as we would have liked because she broke her toe after getting it stuck in another woman's sandle (I don't know, sometimes it's easier not to ask).  She is recovering well though and was able to attend church.  

After calling about my travel date President Johnson called back a few minutes later to say he had a family of five Spanish speakers doing some work in his backyard and they had agreed to meet with the missionaries.  He asked us to come to his house to talk with them.  The thing was, it wasn't the house the church owns for the mission president, it was his secret house in Farmington that he isn't technically supposed to own.  As soon as we drove down his driveway President Johnson was waiting and said "Elders, you know nothing about this house, it doesn't exist."  We had a very good discussion with Casimiro and his family.  President Johnson invited them to his house for dinner and a lesson next weekend.  It was a little nerve racking to try and teach about the Book of Mormon to five people with the mission president watching but the good thing is that President Johnson doesn't know any Spanish.  For all he knew we could have been discussing the easiest way to sneak a Mariachi band into President Johnson's bedroom at 2 a.m.  It was a neat experience and we are excited to see these people progress.

I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Payne

We were able to do baptisms for the dead with Clotilde.  It was such a neat experience to see her enter the temple.

Another inside joke.  This is Elder Salgado.  He is one of the nicest, happiest people you'll ever meet.   He jokingly offered to buy the zone dinner at Mo Bettah's after zone service.  Now nobody will let him live it down.  He came to zone p-day with Mo Bettah's for lunch and everybody thought it was theirs.

A bird and its nest on a porch.

Our dryer completely died so we had to make a clothesline to dry our clothes.  Luckily it has been about three and a half million degrees.  I think drying our clothes this way was more of a fire hazard than the traditional way.  It was getting me ready for my orig8nal assignment where this is what I'll do every time.

I told you about my duck shirt last week.  Well, Elder Burgoyne has his own shirt now!  His shirt has a droid on it.  Why that's funny is a long story that goes back into the depths of quarantine.  Trust me though, it's funny and now we have matching shirts with our inside jokes! 

At the end of the driveway after leaving President Johnson's secret house.

We had to get paracord for the clothesline and this was the closest place that sells it.  I had to fight off trunkiness for about two hours after going in here.