"Because he can't help but believe in Him" (Neal A. Maxwell) - February 27, 2023

Spiritual Thought 

While speaking to BYU students on one occasion Elder Neal A. Maxwell said "Man does not believe in God because he can prove he exists.  Rather, he tries endlessly to prove that he exists because he can't help but believe in him."  You and I are eternal beings.  Our spirits are without beginning or end.  We were created spiritually then temporally and our future is to inherit the kingdom appropriate to us for the long span of eternity.  Prior to entering the mortal probation which we now find ourselves experiencing each of us was required to pass through a veil which obscured the memories of our time as spirits dwelling with our Father in Heaven.  However, those memories were not entirely removed.  The reality of our celestial beginnings and of our Heavenly Father's existence still are held within us.  Through a dependence upon the spirit and a connection to the light of Christ, from time to time feelings of connection to God will surface.  During particularly poignant spiritual experiences we feel as though we can briefly see beyond the veil and remember the unfathomable potential which we may claim as our own.  

As in all things, such feelings of spiritual sensitivity are dependent upon our own actions and desire to feel such things.  We must choose to place ourselves in a position to be able to receive such sacred reminders of who we are, where we are from and what we may inherit in the life to come.  Because our Heavenly Father is profoundly eager to provide us with every means possible to grow closer to him and return to his embrace.  

I testify of the reality of the plan our Father in Heaven has laid for us.  I testify of his reality, his presence in our lives and of the absolute divinity of his Only Begotten Son.  We have been blessed with an infinite number of evidences, each one testifying of the Father and Savior standing just behind the veil.  However, even if there had not been a single evidence given beyond the witness of the Spirit, my testimony would stand just as firm as it does today.  I invite each of you to seek for our Father in Heaven.  Learn of him, draw closer to him and never distance yourself from him through rebellion or transgression.  That this may be so is my prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Weekly Update

Hello everyone,

Well, howdy y'all!  Thanks for tuning in to another installment of Elder Payne's shenanigans down under (wait, is that a different island?)  This week I've slept for an average of five hours every night and driven for an average of ten hours every day.  My earliest night making it back to the apartment was 10:00 and my latest was 2:15 a.m.  We've been helping all the missionaries in Tana move into their new apartments as well as the missionaries serving outside of Tana to get to their areas after being in town for the meetings with Elder Cook.   Between that and other things that have come up I honestly think I've driven every single missionary in the mission somewhere at least once this week.  I'm starting to learn where the different apartments are.  I'm grateful for Elder Razafimanantsoa's great navigating and backing skills because I'd be completely lost without them!

We sent eight missionaries home with the end of the last transfer and replaced them with eight new American missionaries.  That means we went from ten Americans in Madagascar to eighteen.  As part of our driving we were able to pick them up their first morning and take them to the mission office.  It felt a little strange but was also very exciting to be surrounded by so many American missionaries again.  

While we're talking about the new missionaries, I've fully embraced Malagasy driving and car-packing.  It's been out of necessity to get everything done this week but I think it shocked the new missionaries.  We showed up to their apartment with our truck (imagine a Toyota Tacoma) then opened the doors and told them to load in.  Three of them sat in the back then looked at me like "alright, we can go now."  Greenies!  Next, Elder Razafimanantsoa and I started the human tetras game of strategically placing the bigger people, wedging the smaller ones wherever we could find 1.3 inches of open space and debating whether we needed someone to lay across the laps of everyone else.  We did this all in Malagasy, by the way, to give them the full experience.  Finally we were able to get four in the back.  At this point they all seemed very shocked but looked at me again like "Can we get this clown car on the road please?"  So much to learn!  Next we opened the tailgate and started rearranging suitcases to make enough room to shove the last four missionaries in the back.  We were able to get all eight missionaries and their luggage in our truck then cruised off through town, passing police officers who just smiled and waved at the four big white guys through the camper shell windows.  Welcome to Madagascar Elders!

About my area, it's…well…um…different.  Let me walk you through some key points.  I haven't seen a tree yet.  I'm not talking about a forest or nice city park, I'm talking about a single solitary tree; big, small, ugly, dead, nearly dead, anything anywhere.  Instead there are lots of square or rectangular concrete buildings shoved so close together you wonder how the construction workers had room to fit both their arms and their head in between them.  Even if 67ha is sans arboles, we do have a river.  Just remember that your brain is very good at holding onto what it sees before you stare into the water for too long.  You're probably wondering about the wildlife and let me tell you, we have some amazing things to see.  Not really King Julien and his friends that I was hanging out with in Fianarantsoa.  More like the cast of Charlotte's Web after the stress of Wilbur's brush with death drove them all to prolonged narcotics use.  Oh, and the people!  I've never seen so many people stacked on top of each other who are all very eager to borrow your belongings for indefinite periods of time!  Maybe that's why this is one of three areas in the entire mission where you are not supposed to take the phone out of your pocket in public for any reason.  Because of that, action shots of me out and about in the area might be a little sparse this transfer but I'll sneak one or two when I can so you can appreciate the scenery.  All joking aside though, this is honestly a good area with a lot of potential.  I would always choose a less than beautiful area with a lot of work over a gorgeous one where I'm getting depressed from boredom.  Views only entertain you for so long before you just want to baptize someone.  I'm excited to see what this transfer has in store.

I hope you all have a great week!  Go enjoy the American road system and some trees for me!

Elder Payne

A picture I forgot to send last week of me with Elders Flake, Damy and Razafimanantsoa before the meeting with Elder Cook.

Meeting with Elder Cook.

Somebody hitching a free ride on the back of a dump truck.

We saw these little kids dressed up for costume day at their school and decided that was just too cute to handle.  Think about what I'm going to say next from the perspective of if this happened in America.  By the time we made it over to the school they were back in class so we knocked on the window and asked if we could take a picture with them outside.  Nobody had any problem with that so four albinos as tall as the school itself started pulling all the kids out of class to take a picture of them.

Elder Kunkle bought this really neat scarf when we first came to Madagascar.  He gave it to Elder Flake a couple months back then Elder Flake gave it to me this week.

With the new Americans.  In the back L to R: Elders Dissel and Amrine.  Front row L to R: Elders Turner, Ruppell, Me, Valdivieso, Ethington, Bentley, Wood.

Packed in with some of the new missionaries.

The rest of them in the bed.

Elder Peterson finally escaped the office so he's looking like a king to celebrate.

President Rakotoarivelo bringing him more rice.

View of Antananarivo.

In the office with Elder Razafimanantsoa.

In the area with Elder Razafimanantsoa.

Elder Razafimanantsoa changed his email address.  Here's the translation: "Elder Payne is crazy and you don't need to do things like him anymore@missionary.org"