Week 51-Kabowa with Elders Hunter and Mboya

UKM Mission- Dec 24th, 2018

Christmas was the best. It made me so happy to talk to the family. It made me ridiculously happy!!I'm getting transferred to Mbale to be with Elder Hall, and I think it'll be a lot of fun. That is a place I really want to see. We have a third companion, his name is Elder Asare, and he's from Ghana. I leave Kabowa on Thursday, so I've been slowly repacking my bags all week. We said bye to the members in Kabowa (I barely know any) but Elder Hunter is also leaving so there's a lot of people he wanted to see. That's really been the whole week, just spending time with members. All the people we were teaching are out of town for the holidays, so Kabowa is a ghost town. Church attendance on Sunday was in the 20's. I'm so ready for my new area!   

Week 50-Kabowa with Elder Hunter and Mboya

Where I lived in the United States, I could take a hot shower whenever I desired, turn on a sink and get clean water to drink. I've been blessed with so many things that other people around the world struggle for and even go without. Before living in Uganda, I took clean running water in our homes for granted. It's very rare for a household to have running water here, which means that one of the women's daily responsibilities is to fetch water for the family to drink, cook and bathe. Throughout the hours of the day you'll see women, of various ages, carrying water to their homes, often by balancing the fifty-pound jerry cans on their heads. While it's an impressive feat, as you can imagine it's quite hard work and extremely taxing on these women. Especially when the nearest bore hole to your home is over two miles away, which was the case for eighty-two-year-old Sister Asunta Zindia. Sister Zindia stays all alone in a humble grass roofed mud hut on the outskirts of Gulu. I became aware of her troublesome water situation when I came across her attempting to carry one of these fifty-pound jerry cans back to her home. I found out that she had been making that two-mile journey all her life but in her old age it became too rigorous for her body to handle. It was very difficult for me to see her struggle, and I felt extremely sensitive to the situation. She could only make the trip once a month which meant she had very little drinking water and couldn't bathe. She had no-one to help her. Seeing her struggle for something so necessary for survival I knew I needed to help, I told her that I would come and fetch water for her twice a week until I could come up with a more permanent solution. I continued getting her water until I found out about a man who lived only a mile away that had running water. After explaining the situation with Sister Zindia to the man he kindly gave me permission to tap his water line so as to allow Sister Zindia to have running water close to her home. However, this would mean digging a two-foot-deep trench a mile long between their two homes to lay a pipe. I happily agreed, and although the labor was hard very few things in my life have been as satisfying as it was to help Sister Zindia. It took almost a whole month of digging every other day, and it was all worth it to see Sister Zindia travel ten feet from her home to get a drink of water. I'm eternally grateful for the chance to serve her. When I first arrived in Africa, I really struggled. I missed home badly. I began to doubt that I could make it a whole two years. I counted every minute of every day, Now I'm so glad that I decided to serve a mission. The thing that really changed was I learned how to focus outward and serve other people. When I began to lose myself in the service of others time began to fly by. The true joy in missionary work comes from bringing happiness into other people’s lives. One of the blessings of being a missionary is that you get to work very closely with other people, and you learn all about the intimate details of their lives. This allows insight on what I can do to truly help them. Here in Uganda, there are so many opportunities to serve others. One thing that I've tried to do is find ways to do small acts of service daily, in between teaching appointments. These small acts of service are usually simple things such as carrying jerry cans for the women, helping someone in their garden or shucking maize. The locals often think it's funny to see a white man in a shirt and tie helping in the garden, but I can tell that they feel loved and appreciate the help. As I've studied the life of Jesus Christ and his ministry it's encouraged me to pattern my life after his. He spent so much of his life serving others and communicated the love he had for them through his service. This is something I'm striving to emulate and apply in my life and will continue to apply as I go home. I’ve had opportunities for life changing service such as helping build straw roofs on huts, digging wells, or laying the foundation for a new chapel, which is a project I recently helped to complete. I've discovered that by loving my fellow man I can communicate my love to Heavenly Father. Now, months seem like weeks and I don't find myself worried about time because I'm so engaged in showing love to others. Looking outward and the joy that comes from serving other people has caused the days to blur by. 

Week 49- Kabowa, Kampala with Elders Hunter and Mboya

My week was mostly driving. I left Gulu on Tuesday and spent all day driving to Lira, then we had to stay the night there because of a storm. It was super crazy, there was like a river on the road. Then Wednesday I drove to Kampala with this guy who works for the mission. He's like 35 but he acts like a deacon. He educated me on the prostitution rings in Uganda. In case you wondered you can get a prostitute for the equivalent of about 30 cents... He didn't want to take me to my new area that night, so I slept in a different part of Kampala, then the next day got to Kabowa at around 8 at night. The view from our apartment is super cool. The hard thing is that since I’m only going to be here a short time I don't want to unpack- so I'm living out of suit cases. My comps are cool though, I'm with Elder Hunter from Lehi and he's awesome, we get along and Elder Mboya from Kenya who barely speaks English. He's super funny though! The rest of the week I was just trying to adjust to a new style of missionary work, most of the people in Kabowa have heard of the church and just aren't interested. It’s hard to find serious people to teach here. This one girl named Jen seemed serious but, she didn't come to church. Speaking of church, Kabowa is a ward, so I spent my first Sunday in almost a year in a ward. It was nice and organized, although attendance was only about 50. That's about my whole week.
Haven't seen a real Christmas tree here, they sell small fake ones at the store. Like the one Corbin always put up. I made us a little dinky tree out of a bush tho hahaha. I've missed you loads this week. .Fun fact #1 Sacrament Meeting attendance was 131 in Gulu and 95 in Bardege. The new Branch President’s name is Lubangakene Joel. Bardege, the other branch in Gulu town, has outgrown its current building. They have been meeting in this building which was previously a home. They used two of the rooms as a chapel, but no matter how we tried, no more people could fit in the building, and people are continuing to join the church in the Bardege branch. We are building a new chapel right next to the current building. So, when it's finished, sacrament meeting can be held in the new chapel, and we can still use the current building as classrooms. It was really fun to have an opportunity to work on the new chapel when I was in Bardege.

Fun fact #2 President Collins is the church leader for all the districts and branches that are not in the stakes within our mission. There are 13 branches and 2 districts with an additional 6 branches in the districts, so he oversees a total of 19 branches in 3 countries. There are also 3 stakes in our mission, but they are presided over by stake presidents. We have 147 missionaries in three countries serving in the branches, districts and stakes. In addition, there is a unit called the mission branch. This comprises all the individuals and families who are members living in Uganda but are too far from any branches. There are over 200 members in the mission branch. These individuals and families worship in their homes. They hold sacrament meetings with their families. They pay their tithing to the mission president instead of a bishop or branch president. They can still baptize their family members and even go to the temple- (closest one is in Johannesburg, South Africa) but because they are so far away from any organized unit of the church they meet in their homes.

Corbin, Bro- I miss you! I hope you're happy right now, and that your toe is getting better. Can't wait for you to try and take me down... The scriptures are giving me old man strength, I might have lost weight, but I can still take ya don't worry! Love you!

Week 48-Bardege, with Elder Ankrah

This week I was out of my area the whole time. Tuesday was the only day in Gulu -we spent all day seeing the people we are getting ready to baptize this next Sunday. Then we left at 6pm to go to Lira for an exchange. We got caught in a storm that turns the roads to mud so we didn't get there until about 11, and then I got to sleep on a couch. Because it's a new area that just got opened, the house they are in right now is so bad. There are leaks in the roof and bugs everywhere! It was awful. The next day was sick though, one of the pros to opening a new area is that people are just lining up to be taught and get baptized. We taught a ton of lessons that day. I think this last Sunday they baptized 12 people. That night I slept on the couch again... next day we drove to Kampala to do an exchange with the assistants to the president. We got there around noon and then met up with them. But what ended up happening was they just dropped me and Ankrah off in their area and we worked there all day. It's called Kisugu and it smells like poop. I don't like it. That night we stayed with some other missionaries and I got to sleep on the couch. It was a comfy one though this time, but they lost the house key, so we didn't get into the apartment until late. The next day we went on a hike for mission leadership conference and it was pretty fun. The place we went to was out past my old area, Lugazi, so I got to see it again. MLC was so great I got to learn a lot from President Collings. Not just about missionary stuff but also about life and careers. Then we stayed in Kampala that night. The next day me and Ankrah went on like a 6-mile run with President Collings- that was super fun. We drove home that night (Saturday) and then just went straight to bed. Sunday was good, we had a lot of people come to church. Prossy, and then this other girl Patience are ready to get baptized this next week. While I was in Kampala I found out where I'll be going next transfer and who my new companion will be. But on Sunday I got a call and found out that I am going to another area in Kampala called Kabowa for the last 3 weeks of this transfer before I go to my new area. I will be in a trio. I guess the area is really hard and I’m going there to help. So, I had to pack everything up today and get ready to go. I'm a little sad, I had no idea it was my last Sunday here. But I'm sadder because Elder Ankrah has become like my best friend here and it sucks to leave him. But I'm going to make sure that he gets his Christmas presents out before I leave. I'm doing good though, excited for a change of area. More excited that I'm getting close to talking to you for Christmas. I think the two best times of the year to read the book Jesus The Christ are now and Easter. I'm so grateful for that book. And for Him of course. No news on Irene’s death or the outcome yet. The courts are so slow here. Love to you all-Elder Payne

Week 47-Bardege with Elder Ankrah

My week was pretty good. We found 12 new people to teach this week which was incredible.  Thursday, I had to do an exchange with Elder Weight. He used to live with me if you remember. It was a hard day- I was happy to be back with Elder Ankrah. We saw this lady named Rhoda and she lives next to this outdoor gym. There was this huge guy working out and he thought he was really strong, and I was teasing him. So, then he challenged me to bench press. I quit lifting heavy in high school, and it turns out he really was really strong. But I think for my body weight I put up a good fight. I’m struggling to stay at 170.

Then the next day we had baptismal interviews all day long and then baptisms for this kid named Emma. Sunday was good too, church was super spiritual. I taught a lesson on exaltation, and it was so good. Then after church we went and taught a few people and came home and played Ticket to Ride. I won, of course. You would really like that game, Bailee can tell you about it sometime.


This is Nelly, she is the member whose house got burned down. We went and helped her to clean it up. Really though mom, I can feel your love all the way around the world. Wish I could give you a hug. I'm stoked for the Christmas packages; you guys really spoil me. Anyways, love you all!

Week 46-Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

Your week sounds wonderful- I love thanksgiving just because it's such a family thing. I miss cutting down the tree! I was telling my comp about that this week, it's such a cool tradition. This week was long and hard but we also saw some great blessings. Monday, we found out a girl we baptized a while back, (she's 16 mind you) is now pregnant. It's a mess. She was going to have an abortion- since that is what most people do here.  But I think we talked her out of it as we taught the Lords perspective on the sanctity of life and the church’s position on Abortion. Her only other real option is to raise the baby herself. We're working with the relief society to see if someone has the means to adopt, but I doubt it. The wonderful thing is she has great support from the branch. Then Tuesday we got bounced ALL day long, so we went around and tried to find new people to teach but we didn't have a lot of success. It's all good though, some days are like that. Wednesday, we drove to Kampala to pick up the new missionary in the zone, and traffic was rough, so it took all day. I listened to some conference talks that I really liked though, so it wasn't a waste. That night we were invited to a member’s house in Insombia, the one who fed us last time we went down. She cooked a nice meal for us for thanksgiving. We had tacos, chicken fajitas, and then this Ghanaian dish called fufu that was super good. That night on the way home we got a call and found out that a recent convert named Irene had been brutally murdered. We do service for her every Tuesday by bringing her clean water and then teaching and playing with her kids. It kind of ruined the week. We actually spent this whole morning at her funeral, we were pretty close to her, so they had Elder Ankrah and I carry her casket. Then Thursday we spent all day waiting for our truck to get serviced. It took a long time, we had to wait for about 4 hours, then make the drive back to Gulu. By the time we got home it was about 8, so we went and saw some of the members who were taking Irene's death really hard. Friday was normal, and we had some really wonderful lessons, but we also found out there's a group of people going around in the area that we live in and robbing and beating people at night. So, we can't be out past dark now. That same group tried to burn down a member’s house on Thursday night with a Molotov, so we spent some of Friday cleaning up her house and moving the burnt furniture out. It's so impressive how the people here push through things like this. Sunday was good though, we had a ton of the people we are teaching show up to church. We had a breakthrough with this one sister who is sooooo shy and she started to open up with us Sunday. Even though there were some extremely sad things that happened this week, we were blessed with some tender mercies as well. Also, mom- I really promise that I'm totally safe.

Week 45- Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

  Monday was just a normal P-day, after emailing it stormed super hard and we went home and played cards that night. Tuesday, we got bounced by every single one of our appointments, so we went finding for new people all day long and found 5 new people to teach which was great. One of them is named Debra, she's from Rwanda and her mom is a local church leader. She's sooo funny and is totally interested in the church despite her mom. Wednesday was 80% walking and 20% teaching. Then Thursday I don't remember, so nothing special probably happened. Friday was great though, we had lots of good appointments and then that night we got invited to this virtual reality expo thing by a member and it was so cool. No one buys that stuff though here, they can't afford it. If someone has a TV, they're rich. We got to play a couple games and then we got a new investigator named Addy out of it. She's really cool, totally atheist but is willing to let us have the discussions with her. She's incredibly smart so I'm really excited to teach her. Saturday, we got our transfer news, I'll be staying here with Elder Ankrah for one more transfer. No changes for me at all, but there's two new missionaries coming to our apartment since Godfrey and Weight are both leaving. Also, our zone got bigger, it's no longer the Gulu zone it's the Uganda North Zone which is way cooler. It's because a new area got opened. Now there are missionaries in Lira and Adyel both kinda town/cities. There will be 5 new missionaries coming up here and I'm really excited for that. The new Elders that will be living with us are Elder Winiata from New Zealand and Elder Kabemba from Congo. Both good guys! Sunday was awesome, we had a few people in church and we taught about the millennium and so many people had questions.   This next week I'm teaching about exaltation and I'm super excited. Also, I finished Saints this week, I loved it way more than I thought I would.

That's sister Susan we're teaching her, and we have been for a while, but she left to her village until January. The baby is not hers, she belongs to Mary her neighbor who we are also teaching. Both awesome ladies! Yes, I have a basket on my head, but it looked like the hat Raiden wears in Mortal Kombat. That pic is for my brothers. This is my comps birthday cake! 

Week 44- Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

 My week was so so so long now that I look back, it really feels like it's been two weeks. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't good. So, Monday was my comps birthday, right? We didn't do a whole lot but the next day we threw that surprise party for him and it went so well! He was so surprised, and he cried and told us no one had ever done something that thoughtful for him. It was cool and made him super happy. We had one of the missionaries who's good at baking make him this cake, it was so ugly. I'll send pics next week, because we haven't had power most of this week there's only one internet cafe open and they won't let us send pics. But the party was fun, we played card games and stuff and that made me really miss out whole family. I love doing that kind of stuff with you guys and it made me think about lake Powell. Wednesday and Thursday, we went finding and teaching. This week we taught a lot of different people, we're working with a lady named Mary and her friend Susan. Both have been to church and they're so much fun to go and visit. Really great people, and I can see their testimonies growing. We found 5 new people to teach this week which was great, but we still didn't have power and then we ran out of water too. That really sucked, it's hot here! Friday was zone conference and that was great, I gave a training on how to be more Christ-like, and then we talked a lot about revelation. The spirit was so strong. I also got my packages from you and Judy that day, and they were so awesome. You made my companion cry with that birthday gift, that was more money than anyone has ever given him before. You have no idea what that meant to him. This past week is one he'll never forget, he's never been treated like that before. There was so much stuff I loved in there, it was totally worth the wait. The book is so good. Tell Grandpa Kerr that I'm more than halfway through SAINTS already, and I love it. I never would've guessed that I would enjoy reading about church history, but I really love it. Tell Eli thank you so much for the gnarly. I'm going to have to take a cool picture with all the protein containers and my concrete weights for him. The water bottle filter was a miracle thing. Since we ran out of water, we had no way to get drinking water on Sunday. But since I had that bottle, I got some water from my neighbor we were able to drink. The weight necklace is so cool. I have it on my keys right now. I love the hammock you sent, and I've been sleeping outside since I got it because it's so hot and we don't have a fan since no power...  Saturday my comp was sick all day and then Sunday the power finally came back but still no water. Judy sends all this random stuff that me and the missionaries LOVE. Just like little toys and silly putty and stuff and it's so funny to see them all over the house.  I cut my hair today too btw. We haven't gotten our transfer news, but I'm pretty sure me and Elder Ankrah will get to stay together here one more, which we're both really excited about. I sure like that guy, he's been a great companion.
So, for Thanksgiving we're going to try and get a turkey. Me and my comp both want to do something fun for it, so that's our plan. I don't know how to cook a turkey though. 

Week 43-Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

Monday night we saw a family we have been teaching for quite a while. They were finally were baptized this weekend- so that was great. Tuesday was just a normal day, it was super-hot, and we walked really really far to see brother Oyuk that day. By the time we got back home the day was almost over and we were shot. Wednesday was good, we met these two ladies who are super awesome that we are teaching named Susan and Mary. Thursday I was on exchanges with Elder Godfrey and we had lots of fun together. That was probably the best day of the week. Friday me and my comp were out and found all these kids, more like teenagers playing soccer with a ball made from garbage bags and we played with them for FOREVER. It was so fun, even though I really stink at soccer haha. We've done small service projects, helping people move and recover from the recent storms. Also we should finish building the chapel by the end of next transfer. Then we had baptisms on the weekend!! Today is my comps birthday and we've been celebrating. He was super content with not doing anything special, but I wanted to do something fun for him, so tomorrow I set up a surprise party for him and all the missionaries in Gulu. Some members are going to come and have cake and play games. I think he'll love it. I’m so excited Corbin got the priesthood! He'd be the only person I would LOVE to do fast offerings with right now. That is going to be so great to go to the temple as a family. Can't wait to do that together when I get home. I missed Halloween at home! Love you tons!

Week 42-Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

Through personal experience I've learned that life's' greatest joys are found in the family and I believe that everyone deserves to experience this joy. In the communities that I've served in I've become more aware of the glaring need for families to come together than ever before. There isn't a strong emphasis put on family here, there is a lack of love and concern, and almost no sense of obligation to care for one another. Most children are born out of wed lock and into broken homes, and to parents who aren't committed to each other let alone children. Families are the building blocks of a community and the gospel. Without them people live a brutal tooth and nail lifestyle, constantly fighting for survival. Life can be hard here in Uganda and without the support system of a family it's that much harder. There are quite a few ways that I'm working towards uniting families one of these ways is by teaching complete abstinence before marriage. This is so that children are born to parents who are committed to each other and to nurturing their children, together. I share with groups and individuals about the joys that comes from families. As a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I present my views and beliefs on the divinity of the family unit to all who will listen and try to bring families together through the gospel of Jesus Christ and a hope for family relationships that will last long after this life. I also teach people about responsibility and accountability and encourage them to do service to build feelings of love between family members. My favorite way to bring families together is through conducting family home evenings, where we bring families together for an evening of gospel learning and unity building. As we seek to establish these home evenings I've seen people realize the love they have for each other and strengthen family relationships as they sing hymns and play games together. Gordon B. Hinckley once said that, " The strength of any nation is rooted within the walls of its homes." My hope is that as I continue to work towards bringing families together, and strengthen homes, communities will unite and life for the people of Uganda will get better.  Last Monday, after we emailed we went and taught a family. It was a good lesson, but they have mice... BAD... and they kept running around by my feet, so I couldn’t really focus. Tuesday was fantastic, we met this guy from Ghana who was really cool, and he invited us over. Turns out he was baptized while he was on vacation in England, but he's not active. We're working on reactivating him and it was cool for my comp since he's also from Ghana. It was great, and we'll get a dinner appointment this week from it. Really excited because all the food I've had from Ghana has been really good. Wednesday, I scratched my eyeball when a giant bug flew into my eye. I have no idea how it got there since I wear glasses, but ya my eye hurts so bad. We found a super powerful lady that day, and she came to church Sunday. Her name is Mourine, I think she'll get baptized soon. We also had a huge breakthrough that day with this lady named Christine that we've been working with forever. She finally decided she wants to be baptized so her and her children should get baptized this coming week. Thursday, I got sick. Friday, also sick, most of the day I sat in the truck with the heat on lol. But I thought about Corb a lot, and how it was kinda fitting that I was sick on his birthday since he was so sick when he was first born lol.  Saturday I was fine, but it rained like all day long. Then Sunday was awesome, we had a ton of people come to church. Overall there were lots of good and bad this week. We found 14 new people to teach so that's wonderful. Two funny things that happened. First, one morning, I can't remember what day, we went outside to teach for the day and ended up having a balancing competition. We were doing a tree pose and seeing who could hold it the longest. Me and my comp went for 14 minutes before we gave up and called it a tie. How crazy is that? Then another day while we were having lunch we were talking about pets, and I asked my comp if he would rather have a dog or a cat. All of the Africans said they would rather have cat, and it was only me and one other American who said we'd rather have a dog... A few seconds later and I realized they all thought that I was talking about for food.. not for a pet!
Love you all-Elder Payne

Week 41- In Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

 My week went by fast. Tuesday was a normal day, and we actually had a really good day that day. We found 6 new investigators that day which is good because it ended up being our only full day in our area. We started teaching this members Grandma, we call her Jaja, and she's the coolest lady ever. I love going over and seeing her, she always makes us laugh super hard and treats us good. She loves fishing too! Her and grandma would get along really nice. She's one of my favorite people I've met here without a doubt. Wednesday, we got a call in the morning from the AP's, they wanted us to drive down that day, so we could go on exchanges Thursday before MLC. So, we did, we drove all day Wednesday and then ran some errands in Kampala in the evening. The next day we spent all day working with the AP's and had a lot of fun. I don't mind working with them, they're good guys but it makes it kind of hard to get work done in our own area. I don't like where they proselyte, it's in the slums, and I don't like the slums-they are sad.  I worked with Elder Gwatdizo, it was my first time working with him and I love the guy. We both really like business, and finance, and the stock market and stuff like that. We also worked with Sister Jannett, and she just returned from serving a mission in England -She's in the second picture. That day we got to go see Mama BuFatty, the lady who smacked Elder Gilbert for laughing during the prayer the last time I went on exchanges with him. That's me and her in the first picture. She fed us sweet potatoes and ground nut sauce, which is one of my favorite dishes here. Friday was MLC, and we talked a lot about following the example set by Jesus Christ which I liked. I had the impression I needed to read Jesus the Christ again and study his life more. We tried to drive home that night, but we couldn't because traffic was so bad. I've never seen anything like that in my life. It took us over three hours to make it 6 miles. We had to come back to Kampala that night and stay again. We left the next morning, Saturday, and drove all day and then went and saw members that night. The next day we finally got to watch conference and there was a lot that I loved about it. I think the Sunday session was one of my favorite sessions of all time. I again had the impression I needed to study the life of Jesus Christ more as the brethren talked and encouraged us to follow His example and become more Christ-Like. I had a lot of favorites. I loved the talk by the guy from the 70 about the attributes of Heavenly Father. And President Eyrings talk as well. When he talked about is wife it hit me hard. I love when the brethren talk about their wives. I also loved Hollands talk. The prophets talk was good, I loved how bold it was. It was a good correction and kind of funny. After it happened I realized that it made sense and wondered what took so long. I have realized that sometimes the Lord waits until we ask to send revelation. We need to do everything we can, then ask, and we'll get our answers. Kind of like Joseph Smith and the word of wisdom. I loved how much focus there was on Jesus Christ. I came out of conference wanting to follow his example and become more like him. That's what I loved so much about it!  Corbin! Hey buddy, I miss you a ton. I can't believe your birthday is so close. I'll celebrate for you here. I have been thinking about you a lot since your birthday is coming, and I hope you know how proud I am of you and how much I love you. I wish more than anything you were here with me. Dude, I would love to play card games with you right now, that sounds so fun. Remember WarJack? hahaha. I'm happy that you're enjoying school. keep up the good work. I'm super excited for you to get the priesthood Corb. You're a man now. I love you buddy, I can't wait to see you. 

Week 40- in Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

This week was better than I hoped, even though it was long. We stayed so long in Kampala because transfers weren't until Thursday, but we had to take McLain down on Monday. We stayed with Elder Corbridge and Elder Asante the zone leaders there. Asante is coming back with us to Gulu this transfer, and he's from Ghana. He's huge and kind of a goofy guy. Corbridge is from American Fork. It ended up being super nice staying in Kampala. I loved the area that I stayed in and really wish I would get to serve there. It was called Insombia, and it seems like one of the wealthier parts of Kampala. The ward is great, and life seems super nice. So, we got to relax a bit while we were there, one day we worked the area with the zone leaders and did an exchange, so we got to meet the ward. The church is a lot stronger there, and the people are really cool. We got fed by an Embassy family in the ward on Wednesday before we left, and I think it was the most enjoyable night of my month. The Dad of the family is from Provo, and the mom is from Ghana, so we got food from home and from Ghana. It was so good, and a super fun night. It reminded me of being with our family. A lot of fun. They took really good care of us. We also got a chance to go to the supermarket there in Kampala and that was heavenly. I'm not a big fan of grocery shopping, but I could've just stayed there all day. Thursday, we picked up the new missionaries coming to the zone and then drove home. By the time we got back it was late so we just all went to bed. A lot of driving this week. On Saturday we got to go to lira again and do interviews, but things didn't work out super well. The branch president is struggling so interviews didn't work out. Then we checked on the branches, took them supplies, and visited members. But we got a rabbit from a member there and took it home for dinner. I'm not a huge fan of rabbit I found out, but rabbit liver is wayyyy better than beef or chicken liver.  We didn't get to work in our area hardly at all because of all the other things we had to do.  I pulled the money and payed for the packages, but I haven't got them so I'll get them hopefully at MLC this coming Friday. I'll probably go down on Wednesday or Thursday. I'm not sure yet.  What is in the packages? They've never had something get taxed so bad before. Or was it just the size of them? My health is fine right now, I'm doing really good actually. I'm missing home big time still, and some days are better than others but for the most part I'm doing great. How are you doing though? I'm as worried about you guys as you are about me. The computer that I'm emailing on right now shocks me every few seconds hahaha, How awesome is that? 

Week 39- Bardege Gulu with Ankrah

Sorry my email is so late, it's been a really long day. We had to drive down for transfers this morning since Elder Mclain is leaving. It was hard to see him go. I've become good friends with him. We had some great spiritual experiences this week. We had an awesome lesson about the word of wisdom. After the lesson Oyuk told us that some of his coworkers were talking bad about the church and said that he should fear us. He told them," if you fear them then you should fear me too, because now I am with them." I love how proud and happy he is to be a part of the church. He was baptized on Sunday. He's the oldest person I’ve seen baptized here, he's 66 years old. I watched part of the morning session of conference and got to hear the big announcement (which I love btw) and then went home because I wasn't doing good. Sunday, I went to sacrament and then went home, still sick... Everyone gets sick from time to time but I do seem to get sick a lot. Some missionaries just have health problems the whole time they're here, it's not uncommon. Today I drove ALL day, so it hasn't been a very relaxing p- day. We'll be in Kampala all week long for transfers. Mclain is the only one leaving our district and Elder Weight will be coming to be Godfrey's new companion. So, me and Ankrah are still comps. I'm so glad for that too. I really like him, and I'll miss him like crazy when we get transferred.
I love the changes announced in conference! I’m excited-next week we'll watch it all at the chapel.  I hope that the boys understand them and apply them. I'm excited, I know it will help me when I come home too. I think my Sundays will be really different. I hope you guys had fun celebrating Dads birthday. Happy birthday dad, I sent you a handwritten letter.
Charles is ready for baptism we just need to figure out his marriage situation with him this week. Sorry, no pictures this week.  We're staying in a place called Insombia. I've never been here before. I love you all so much! Thanks for being so supportive 

Week 38-Bardege, Gulu with Ankrah

  I Definitely won't get to watch General Conference live. It will probably be a week late, but I'm going to try and get us missionaries a copy of it on a disc so that we can watch it at the church. I still wish I was going to get to watch it with you guys. I think conference makes me miss you as much as any holiday! you did good when it came to conference traditions, I'll forever have fond memories of conference. I want to see pictures of Baylor at homecoming!! Did he have fun at the dance? I'm glad that he went. How's he doing? And how is Corbin doing? Baylor took the boat out all by himself? That is so fun, what a stud.
We found 14 new people to teach this week, so we felt extremely busy. I’d say 14 is a lot to find, Gulu is a little bit tough. If you don't work, nothing will happen haha. Tuesday, I had exchanges with Elder Godfrey and was sick most of the day. I was throwing up in the morning but by evening I was fine. Exchanges were fun, I like Godfrey a lot, he's a great guy. I end up listening on exchanges and learning. We went out and taught this guy named Mouritz, who is a super neat. They baptized him on Saturday! Wednesday was a slow day, I was recovering a little bit, but we met this man named Charles and had a really great lesson with him. He's ex-military and probably in his late 60's. It's often hard to teach people here that are older because they're usually not interested in change at all. But he responded well to the lesson. The only problem was he can barely walk. So, I didn't think that he'd ever be able to make it to church because it's a bit of a walk from his house. I was pleasantly surprised on Sunday when he showed up. The rest of the week was lots of missionary work. We had to stop teaching this girl named Irene who was progressing really well because her father didn't like us. Sad. Sunday was great though, Oyuk made my day. He beat us to church. He'll get baptized for sure this week. He's an amazing person, always so happy and humble. He's also already got a strong testimony of the church and Jesus Christ. He'd give up anything to be baptized. I heard that new church history book is so good! I watched the face to face where Elder Cook introduced it. I’m trying hard to learn to budget well and only use my allotment. It's tough sometimes but I want to get the hang of it. I’m still trying to find new options and figure out the area a little bit. I found a great place to get fish this past week and it's affordable so I'm going to eat a lot more of that. Sure love you guys! Hugs to you all- Elder Payne

Week 37- Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

Your week has been super fun, I can tell. You'll have to tell me more details, but I love all the pictures. I wish I could've been with you guys. My week was not nearly as exciting as yours was. I spent most of my week in Kampala. We drove down on Tuesday and didn't get back until Friday evening. We stayed with some other missionaries this time in a place in Kampala called Entinda. We had a lot to do, errands, getting stuff for the zone, more working fund, then exchanges and interviews. Part of the reason we stayed so long was because we were there for two full days to do things, but then we had to stay two other nights because of travel. We had interviews with President Collings, and then Elder Ankrah and I went on exchanges with the assistants to the president. It was good but going down always makes me realize how much I like Gulu. While we were down there we mostly proselyted in the slums of Kampala. I don't love their area but the people there are really great. There were two lessons that we had that I really enjoyed, one was super spiritual and the other was just funny. One was with a sister named Irene and we taught her the plan of salvation. Because we must teach so simply it makes some of the most beautiful points of the gospel crystal clear. Talking about how we're all literally children of our Heavenly Father, and about how badly he wants us to return to live with him really made feeling the spirit easy. I really enjoyed the lesson. The other lesson was with a sister named "Mama Buffatti" and it's said just like it sounds... it's also very fitting… or not so fitting... sorry those are some thick puns. She was just super funny, and she kept making us laugh. The elder I was with couldn't stop laughing while we were trying to pray so she hit him so hard and it just made it that much funnier. She's a wild lady. Btw while we were there I met a returned sister missionary who served with Elder Draper in England. Small world. Then we came home, and overnight Gulu got SO hot.  Saturday, we WALKED. We went out and saw this guy named Oyuk, and he lives a good 45-minute walk from our apartment. We felt like zombies all day. People think we're crazy because we walk during that time of the day. It was worth it though because he came to church Sunday and I know without a doubt he'll be baptized in the next 2 weeks. We had a baptism for John on Saturday as well and then he was confirmed Sunday. He'll be a powerful member here. I'm really happy for him. And that’s the week. Physically I'm good, really tired though. Sometimes I feel like I could sleep all day and then still sleep through the night hahaha. I forgot my camera at home today! I'm so sorry. I don't mind being a zone leader, I like that it makes me feel obligated to set an example and work hard. At the same time, it'll be really nice to be a regular missionary again sometime. These days I'm driving slow though. Like a grandpa... My driving really isn't crazy, I'm super safe. I promise. Driving here in general is just scary!! I can't wait to see all the little cousins again- Tell everyone I love them-Elder Payne

Week 36, Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

  Monday night was super fun though, I'm trying to learn Arabic now and while we were visiting with this one family they were teaching me a little and helping correct my grammar. Anyways they have a little boy who's about 5 years old staying with them and he's from Juba (South Sudan) so he speaks Arabic really well and he was teaching me all these phrases and casually throws in curse words while he does it and of course me being the immature young adult I am, I laughed my head off at it the first time. Then we had to explain to him not to say that. I realized some words are absolutely universal. Then Tuesday we had a terrible day because guy we were teaching, Dennis, told us he doesn't want us to come back anymore. The thing that bothered me was that I know he felt something while we were teaching him. Super sad, I hope that somewhere along the line he accepts the gospel. I wish I was going to be around when he does. Wednesday was better, but that night we had a bunch of kids throw rocks at our car. They didn't realize that I know where they lived, so later that night I went to their house and explained what happened to their Mom. She was actually gonna beat them, but instead I just told her that the kids could wash our truck the next day. I thought it was a fitting punishment. hahaha. The next day they washed the truck while we went and worked on the new chapel that is being built in Bardege. Sheesh it was hard work. Imagine doing construction work without any tools or tractors or anything.  I got to break rock for the foundation with a HUGE hammer and then help lay it. It'll be cool to come back though and see it and be able to say that I helped to build it.  I'm really glad that I'm getting to work on it. It feels cool to sacrifice to build something like that, I can only imagine how building a temple would feel. Later that day we met this guy named Oyuk, and he's such a kind guy. He has such a genuine interest in the things that we've been sharing with him and it just felt good to be appreciated. I can tell that he'll take the initiative to act on the message of the restoration of the gospel. He really wants a testimony. It was a really good teaching experience! But the highlight of the week was on Saturday... We ate cat… Hahaha it's not that good. I don't think I'd ever eat it again. It tastes like really tough chicken. Most days I eat chicken and small amounts of rice. Lots of veggies and eggs. And LOTS of bananas. Not a whole lot of variety. I keep forgetting to tell you, if you want to see what the slums of Kampala look like you can look up Unforgettable by French Montana and watch the music video. BUT turn the sound OFF. It’s not a good song. It was filmed in the slums of Kampala city, and it shows exactly what they're like. And actually, I lied, Sunday was the highlight. Sunday was great! We were able to baptize this guy Jimmy that we've been working with for a while and he shared a great testimony after. One thing that I love that I have realized here is that the people are willing to sacrifice for the gospel. They give up a lot sometimes, and I think it takes a lot of faith. The biggest sacrifice is the change of life style. The norm is partying here, so they give up a lot of friends to join the church. Another big sacrifice is travel. Some people walk REALLY far to get to church. Then the members here really sacrifice time. Opio is a missionary for fun. He shares the gospel with his friends all the time. Everyone here sacrifices something to be a member. In this branch I haven't had to do anything on Sunday except teach the investigators class. They're a lot more organized than Lugazi was.
Me and John, a guy we are teaching who is progressing well. He asks us all these deep questions and sometimes they're tough to answer. He wanted to know about the seer stones that Joseph Smith used to translate the book of Mormon last time we met. Paul is also progressing and will hopefully get baptized this week and then Opio is a member that I really like. 

Week 35, Bardege, Gulu with Elder Ankrah

  

  
My hip is a lot better. It hasn't been bothering me much, so I didn't end up getting it checked out. I'm all good.  I can't believe Dad caught himself on fire! That's nuts! I'm glad that he's okay! I wish that I could hear Corbin give his talk. Will you send me a copy of the talk, so I can read it?
Monday night was pretty good we went and had family home evening with my favorite family in the branch. I don't know what to call them all because they don't have a family name, but they're from South Sudan and they're also super-duper funny and I really enjoy being around them. We had popcorn and played games. It's so humbling to see how such a small gift like popcorn makes them feel. All I did was buy them each a bag of popcorn for the night and it cost me less than one US dollar total and when I gave it to them all of them were so happy. Even the Mom, and they were so genuinely grateful for something so small. It made me feel really good. Tuesday, we traveled to Kampala which took all day.  I stayed that night in the mission home and then the next day we had a conference with Elder Koch, of the seventy. I loved mission tour and I learned a lot from what he said. We talked a lot about teaching repentance and how through repentance we can help people feel the love of the Savior.  I got myself into a sticky situation though because I wore my sandals down and forgot my other shoes. So, at the last minute I had to run back to one of the missionary apartments and borrow some shoes hahaha. Mission tour took all day and then we stayed the night again. The next day we left after I went for a run and made the drive back to Gulu. Wednesday I was so tired. I actually fell asleep during a lesson and dropped my scriptures on the ground. That was super embarrassing. Idk what's wrong with me but I can sleep like crazy lately. I'm always tired. Thursday was interesting, we did service in the morning and I learned a lot about what a stumbling block pride can be. We were trying to dig a trench for this one member, and we were going to connect a pipe so that he could get running water to his house. But we had to connect it to his neighbors tap. He and his neighbor seriously don't get along. Well he wouldn't let us connect the pipe even though it would've made his water pressure better. Because they don't like each other they wouldn't even get together to talk about it. They kept wanting the other one to come over to his house and ask for permission. So, neither of them would leave their own property. It was a joke, and because of this we had to dig a trench like three times as long and connect it somewhere else. Stupid that they couldn't just have a little humility and talk to each other about it. That day I got a couple of super nice text messages from members in the branch, and I was going to send them to you, but I forgot our phone at the apartment today. We taught some good lessons though. Dennis didn't come to church Sunday, but I think he's super serious about the gospel. (This Dennis is different than the orphanage Dennis, that one is a member) You asked if there was anything I liked about Africa. There's a lot I like! I want to tell you about something specific to Gulu. A lot of people beg for money here. Because I'm white I'm a target too, and it can get super annoying. But the people here are a little different. I had a lady approach me a few days ago and instead of asking for money she asked if I had any work that she could do to EARN money. I didn't have anything for her to do, but because she came to me and asked for work instead of money I figured out some stuff for her to do, and because she'd asked for work it made me feel a lot more generous than if she'd asked for money. I told her that and she told me that her father had taught her that it was wrong to beg, but if hard times came to ask for work, because it's important to work for our money. I thought it was interesting because it's a gospel principle. 
I'll go on exchanges every week for the rest of the transfer starting this week. So the other elders all live in Gulu town, but the zone is expanding and there will be elders in Lira and Adyel within the next couple months and they'll be in my zone as well. The tie in the picture is from Ethiopia! I traded Elder Mclain for it, I thought it was way cool. Those are baboons and you have to be really careful because they are NOT nice hahaha.