Week 77- Iganga, Uganda with Elder Bukasa

Wow it’s been a lot of change lately. After being emergency transferred out of the area, we had to move across the country staying with different missionaries while President figured out where to put all 11 of us. I am now in Iganga, Uganda training a new missionary Elder Bukasa. He is really cool, and I like him a lot. One of the hardest things was I had to leave a lot of my food-including the turkey I just bought. The shower here is rough and my area is hot and dusty. We are still looking for places to buy food and get things figured out. We met with the members; this area has not had missionaries for a long time. Overall this week was just fine. On Tuesday we worked really hard and found 8 new people to teach just on that day. and I taught maybe my favorite lesson of my mission that day. We taught this 18-year-old kid named Wasswa who has grown up a Muslim. He wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ, so the entire lesson was just focused on the Savior and it felt so good to be able to share what I know to be true about our Redeemer. That was the highlight of Tuesday. Wednesday, we went back and taught Wasswa more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants to be baptized but I don't know if we will be able to baptize him because of his Muslim family. They're super hard on people who convert, at a the very least he would be disowned and abandoned. We found some more new people to teach that day. All of our lessons were really spiritual and meaningful. That night walking home a drunk boda guy smashed into a cow right in front of us. Kind of wild. We had a really good week of finding, we taught 18 new people. (sadly, only one came to church, Wasswa.) Saturday, I spent most of the day working on my companion police report, so he doesn't get deported back to Congo. His English is improving big time. I forgot how weird it is to be with a new missionary. It's funny to see other people adjust to such a crazy country.
Some other fun things we did this week, we set up a basketball hoop in our living room and have been playing dunk ball at night. You'll be super proud knowing my team is currently undefeated. This week I have been studying the first few chapters in Alma. I've been thinking a lot about how trials help us grow, but to maximize our growth we have to handle the trials correctly. I'm working on that. Also, my testimony that happiness is found when our lives are built on the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ seems to grow every time, I read the book of Mormon. I think my mission has really changed how I look at a lot of things and what kind of person I am going to be. I know that at home many youth feel pressured to go on a mission, care about what others think if they don’t go or think they have to go because their parents expect them to go. I think a little pressure can help push them in the right direction-but more importantly I think the youth need to know that parents and Heavenly Father ONLY want them to serve because its what is best for them. It is motivated by love and a testimony that serving will bless them. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve a mission. 

Week 75 Masaka, Uganda

We won’t be hearing from Elder Payne this week. He is one of the 11 missionaries being emergency transferred out of Masaka. He briefly let us know he is fine and heading to the mission home for now. This is the letter we received from President Collings.  Please pray for him and all the missionaries in Uganda.

Dear Parents and Priesthood Leaders,

You are receiving this letter because you have a missionary serving in the Uganda Kampala Mission.  We have received news that the Ebola Virus which has been active in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has possibly crossed the border into Uganda. We have been watching this situation closely for the past several months and our missionaries have been completely safe.

The news we received today was that there have been 4 deaths in Masaka. It has not been confirmed that these deaths were actually Ebola, but we are being extremely cautious, and don’t want to risk exposure of any of our missionaries to the disease. 

The 11 missionaries serving in Masaka Town are being transferred as we speak. They will move to Kampala until we are sure there is no risk for them. These and all other missionaries are receiving training on how to keep themselves safe and how to recognize signs and symptoms of Ebola in people around them. They are being told to contact us immediately if they show any signs of illness. 

Please know that we love and care for each of our missionaries and are doing everything in our power to keep them safe. We don’t want this to alarm anyone, but feel that knowledge can bring great comfort. If you are a priesthood leader, please contact the family members of your missionary and make sure they are aware of the situation in the Uganda Kampala Mission. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and will keep you updated as appropriate.

Sincerely,

President Collings

Uganda Kampala Mission

Week 74, Masaka, Uganda with Elder Ahome'e

 
Awe man-I love President Collings and Sister Collings. I really look up to them. Sister Collings has a powerful and amazing testimony. I love the spirit that comes when she speaks. We went into Kampala for our last zone conference and interview with the Collings. Our new president will be here July 1st. I even sang in the choir for them...cringe. I got to stay with Elder Hall and Ankrah while we were in Kampala.  Both APs now and both former companions- Love em both. That was fun.
The rest of the week we taught a lot of lessons. We had a baptism for Assie scheduled on Sunday-but she didn't show up. She is the lady that had the asthma attack in church. we need to go find out what happened. Brother Wasswa is amazing-he's so old, he forgot how old he is. But he comes to church every week and blesses or passes the sacrament. He sews for a living on a pedal machine. He also had us come teach his friends and bring them some church literature. He is a good gospel teacher himself. Anyway he gave the closing prayer on Sunday and it was rather entertaining. It was a 10 minute biology lesson prayer.  So humble and thankful for Gods creations. He thanked Heavenly Father for being a scientist, for the beautiful plant, chlorophyll, oxygen, human, carbon dioxide cycle. He is only 5'1", speaks loud, doesn't close his eyes while praying but means every word of his prayer with love and gratitude and a whole lot of biology. He was even thankful that we could gather oxygen to go to space or the bottom of the ocean...
I love the kids here, they love to tease and play. They yell our names until we come talk to them or play with them. The play a game where a child stacks cups as fast as they can and another child throws a sock tied in a knot and filled with dirt at the cups trying to knock them down faster then the other kid stacking. I love playing that game with them. I took cover your assets over to Annettes's house and played it with their family. It was soooo funny-they kept calling their mom a "moobie" which means thief.  When you really get to know the people here and become their friends you come to genuinely love and care for them. It makes me think about their specific needs in the gospel and is what truly makes missionary work joyful! Love you all- Elder Payne 

Week 73-Masaka, Uganda with Elder Ahome'e

 

Week 72-Masaka, Uganda with Elder Ahome'e

My comp at a local salon.
P-Days are busy getting everything done for the week- but we like to get a little play time in too. Pool is always a favorite. Also building relationships, talking to and meeting people while sharing the gospel has become 2nd nature to me. I find some of our greatest lessons and messages shared are on p-day as we are interacting with everyone around us. Like, at the grocery store, hair salon, and pool hall.  Sharing the gospel comes naturally  and easy in everyday situations. Especially if you take time to laugh with people and ask them questions about their life.
Pauline's Grandmother has forbidden her to come to church, but is allowing us to still teach her. We told her she needs to be obedient to her grandmother- but on Sunday she snuck away while her grandmother was napping so she could take the sacrament and bear her testimony. It was so powerful-I asked her to write it down for me so I could have a copy. Can you imagine an American teen sneaking out to go to church ....?

Week 71 Masaka, Uganda with Elder Ahome’e

Before I got to my new area, I got rid of a lot of stuff. It was the coolest thing ever to be able to give all this stuff away and see how happy simple stuff makes people here. Like there's a kid about to leave on his mission and I gave him a suitcase and he said he was just going to take three backpacks because he couldn't get one, so he was so stoked. And then I gave my guard a bunch of clothes and he was so happy I think he was going to cry.
I'm adjusting pretty well. I like my companion a lot and the other missionaries I'm around are so fun. They are named Elder Malaba from Congo and Elder Kabayadondo from Zimbabwe. They're both so hilarious and good runners so I always have someone to run with. They live next door to us and they're in my district. I'm having a great time. My comp really likes to work hard but he's also a big fan of playing hard, so it's been a perfect balance. But we had a CRAZY end to our week, we had an investigator pass out at church yesterday!  In the second hour we had an investigator who had a super bad asthma attack and lost consciousness. Me and Elder Malaba ran to her house in the rain to try and find her inhaler after we gave her a blessing, but she didn't have one there, so we came back and got a truck there to take her to the hospital. We called sister Collings and she thought I was going to have to do rescue breathing- so glad she was ok. We are teaching this young woman named Pauline. She is 17 and the most spiritually prepared investigator I’ve ever taught.  After each lesson she finishes all the things we have asked her to do. She comes to church each week and writes a list of questions to ask us at the next lesson. She even called us to schedule her next lesson. She would like to get baptized but she must ask her mother, who lives in her ancestral village for permission. She is very afraid that her mother will not allow baptism. Please pray for her mother’s heart to be softened. Love you guys lots!

Week 70 - Masaka, Uganda with Elder Ahome'e

I know you're not up right now but since my companion is from Tonga, he has to email in the middle of the day so he can talk to his family Let me tell you a little about my week. On Thursday we got picked up and taken to our new areas. I'm in an area called Kijjabweni which is in Masaka. It's a super awesome area, it reminds me a lot of Lugazi except our apartment is SO nice. We have a great shower, and it's small and clean. I'm really happy here, and we're teaching a lot of great people. My companion is Elder Ahome'e from Tonga. He is a lot of fun. Thursday night we came into town and got a little bit of food and then we came back, and I unpacked. Friday, we had some appointments and we met with members. Saturday, we went out and taught all day, and it was good to get back into it. Being around new missionaries is a little bit reviving. We had Book of Mormon class that night too and that's my favorite. 
One thing about Masaka is it's a little bit chilly sometimes and I love it. It rains almost every day and that makes the weather pleasant. Sunday was good, I got to share my testimony at church. Then after lunch we went out and contacted a ton of people. The next few weeks we will be super busy with teaching. Every night this week we've been playing cover your assets with the other elders. I have lots of funny pictures, but I can't send them from the internet cafe. Some of them include my companion eating a pig’s head, him killing bugs with a homemade flame thrower, and then me and a toy lightsaber I found. I'll figure out some way to send them to you soon. I finished the Pearl of Great Price this week, and I'm going to start it again. I'm reading Mosiah in the Book of Mormon, but I forgot my scriptures, so I don't have a good spiritual thought to share from my studies but in our Book of Mormon class we read 1 Nephi chapter 6. Two things I really liked were 1 when Nephi was tied up by his brothers and left for dead, he asked God for strength to break the bands, he didn't just ask for the bands to go away. It made me think about how when we go through trials, we should ask for strength to be able to handle them, instead of just asking for our circumstances to be changed. the second thing was at the end of the chapter Nephi and his family get together and they offer sacrifices and they're thankful. I was thinking about how even in hard times we can find things to be thankful for and be happy because of our family and loved ones. That was good for me because adjusting to something new is not something I like.