"Because of their armor" (Alma 43:21) - May 8, 2023

Spiritual Thought 

Many who read The Book of Mormon are struck by the wisdom and leadership of the Nephite general Moroni.  This righteous man was entrusted with the safety and protection of his entire nation and people at only twenty five years of age.  Over the course of the Book of Alma we read of many wars the Nephite people had with their brethren, the Lamanites.  Moroni was given the charge to ward off the attacks of the unbelieving Lamanites.  

In the first battle we read of Moroni participating in, we are told that the Nephites were largely unharmed "because of their armor" (Alma 43:21).  The Lamanites unwisely chose to rush into battle wearing nothing but a loincloth.  This obviously made them extremely vulnerable to the Nephite armies.  The righteous Nephites, however, were protected by helmets and armor which, we are told, saved the life of nearly all the soldiers of Moroni.

This account, however, is not a lesson about military strategy or equipment any more than the parables of Christ are meant to teach about sheep or oil.  As in all things, the meaning is Christ and the call to action is faith on his name.  Inasmuch as The Book of Mormon was written for our day there will always be lessons we must learn for our individual lives.  The trials and tribulations of the Book of Mormon are reminiscent of our own day to any observant reader.  My brothers and sisters, my family and friends, we must never become passive disciples who content ourselves to smile pleasantly as we lazily meander through this life while telling ourselves all is well in Zion.  We are at war, in the most terrifying and eternally significant meaning of that statement.  Our commander is the ruler of heaven and earth and our cry is "redemption through Christ crucified."  Our enemy is the father of lies and the author of misery.  The victory at stake is nothing less than the salvation of the world and the eternal exaltation of every man, woman, and child within it.  There is no escaping this offensive.  No cowering in the safety of our foxhole hoping for calm to be restored.  This struggle began before the foundation of the world and required our full, unashamed, unreserved commitment.  You and I proved faithful then.  We fought with our Savior and conquered "the dragon".  Too many of us, however, have, in this mortal arena, chosen to turn before the enemy and flee from our duty with our fellow deserters.

The armor mentioned by Moroni can be seen as symbolic and profoundly crucial if we are to survive this modern-day battle between good and evil.  Paul teaches of the Armor of God and gives explanations for what each piece represents.  The same explanation could reasonably be applied to the armor the Nephites wore.  I would like to suggest a second meaning behind this armor, however.  I believe the armor we must wear could also be defined as our covenants.  The sacred promises we make with our Father I Heaven and the protective blessings he gives in return.  Little wonder that "in the ordinances…the power of godliness is manifest" when we are surrounded at all times by "the fiery darts of the adversary".

My invitation is that we will seek, yearn for, then faithfully honor each of the covenants we make with our Heavenly Father.  Nothing can bring greater protection and blessing to our lives than these profound promises.  There will likely come a day when we are asked by those who proved less faithful how we were able to navigate the dangers of these latter-days.  When such a day comes, if we have learned to depend wholly upon our covenants, we too will be able to say "because of [my] armor".  That we may yearn to yoke ourselves more fully to the Savior through our covenants is my prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Weekly Update 

Hello everyone, 

Well…welcome back!  Time needs to slow down.  The closer my mission comes to the end the quicker the clock starts moving.  Last p-day was spent in Réunion.  That island is absolutely gorgeous!  I've never been to Hawaii but Elder Nelson has and he said Réunion is even more beautiful than that was.  I know I'm going to like a place when the first thing everyone tells you to do is go hiking.  We talked about climbing an active volcano which is also the highest mountain in the Indian Ocean.  It would have been a lot of fun but we weren't sure if we could do it before p-day ended.  Instead we went with a member family and hiked to a waterfall.  The wife is a Malagasy who moved to Réunion after marrying her husband, Johnny.  Johnny was baptized the same day we came to Réunion.  Serving in Réunion is almost identical to serving in France so the baptisms are few and far between.  It was very exciting to not only have a baptism but a middle-aged man who is now preparing to receive the priesthood and go to the temple.  The work rolls on!

Elder Razafimanantsoa and I were supposed to fly to Fort Dauphin on Saturday.  Some problems came up just before we were supposed to leave though and President Rakotoarivelo asked us to cancel the trip so those could be figured out.  I was looking forward to seeing Fort Dauphin again but it has been nice to have more time in Antananarivo.  These past two transfers are the longest stretch of time I've had in Tana and I must say that this place is growing on me.  It has its own chaotic, crowded charm and I'll be sad to say goodbye.  

One of the benefits to staying in Antananarivo is that I was able to do an exchange with Elder Damy.  It was great to party it up with him again for a day.  He's serving in the Ambohidrapeto branch which is where Elder Razafimanantsoa is from.  His dad was Bishop of the Itaosy ward until it split and few months back and now he's the branch president in Ambohidrapeto.  I was disappointed I wasn't able to meet any of Elder Razafimanantsoa's family but it was still fun to see where he lives.  During the exchange we visited one person who was…how should I say this…a little more excited than a guy should be about another guy coming over to his house…if you catch my drift…wink.  I didn't think there was anybody in Madagascar flying under that flag (the one that starts with "R" and ends with "ainbow", to be exact) but I can confirm there is at least one.  There were drinks waiting for us which were poured with trembling hands and refreshments offered with the most enticing of debonair smiles.  Anywho, you can imagine the rest.  Just let your mind work on the image of Elder Payne trying to keep his back safely against the wall at all times and Elder Damy in a silent day of reckoning as he's placed face to face for the first time with a reality he thought was merely Hollywood's creation.  Making memories kids, we're making memories.

I'm very sad to say this, but next week will be the last email in this adventure we've all been on together.  One week from tomorrow I will step onto an airplane bound for home.  I'm sure you can imagine my mix of emotions.  I'll send more thoughts next week but for now just know that I plan on giving the last ounce I have to offer and that I'm excited to see all of you very soon.

I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Payne 

Réunion 

There’s a highway on Réunion which is built entirely in the water.  I won't try to explain how it's done but it's supposed to be one of the most impressive engineering feats in the world.  

Réunion again.

After district council with the Réunion zone.

I'm not exactly sure what this part of the car is called.  My dad always referred to it as the "Oh shoot" handle when I was learning to drive.  One way or the other I grabbed it at one point during the trip and the entire thing snapped off of the roof into my hand.

With Elder Davies and Elder Peterson.

Antananarivo.

Tiny gecko.

Crazy lady who decided to sit down in between the two lanes of traffic on a busy road.  She was spread out eating lunch like there was nothing even slightly unusual about it.

I joined the Union army this week.  

The social media sisters think my last name is the funniest thing in the world and have started writing all the funny puns they think of on the giant whiteboard in the office.