'MERICA is Gonna Be OK

Well this week was pretty standard as always. We went on exchanges with the zone leaders. Our area which is already comprised of two English areas is basically being doubled as a branch in Midwood Brooklyn is being shut down. So now we can go pretty much anywhere and not get in trouble. But I still can't go pick up my mail from the mission office. Wouldn't want to lose sight of what I'm here to accomplish right? Yep.

We're focused on getting people to come to church and it's not working out too well. That is disappointing. That's what happens when people have to work Sunday's just to make ends meet. And then the rest are just lazy. Frustrating. If I sound grumpy that's just because I must have some sort of stomach virus and it's raining like crazy. Oh random story. We were in park slope and I got interviewed by a black guy named Eminem. He was going around asking people who they wanted to win the presidency. Hillary or Bernie. I said, "well are those my only choices?" Then I got a little shoutout for Cruz in there. Hopefully Eminem pushes that out to his fan base to give Cruz a little boost. Hehe Seriously how about politics these days? You get to pick from a spoiled brat that may or may not like to wear his sheets, someone that killed American operators and should be in jail, or a socialist. Yippee. How's that for the first presidential election I get to vote in. Geez don't make the choice easy there. I actually got to see a clip of Hillary when she gets asked about the Benghazi deal. I'm sorry. Even if you didn't have anything to do with it. You don't sarcastically smile and roll your eyes. Good Americans died. Take this job seriously. (Insert screaming and cussing in violent Dominican slang and Spanglish)

Alright! I feel sufficiently like an old grumpy Dominican man.

Later,

Ry

Ps. 'MERICA is gonna be ok because there are still people like this:

“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable -- and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, ‘Peace! Peace!’ -- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!” -Patrick Henry

qsc thm

Already out of subjects so email me your ideas for next weeks email!

Hey!

This week was pretty standard. We taught lessons and I worked on getting over my cold/sore throat/dread plague. We are working with a Dominican family and a Mexican family. They're both really cool, but Doms are my favorite. I'll try to get some pictures with them for next week! They have the cutest daughter. I'm trying to figure out how to adopt her. Hey mom, want a seven year old black Spanish speaking daughter? You thought dealing with Kate's hair was ridiculous... Now you could learn all about fros!

A missionary in our district lost his best friend to cancer so we went over and hung out with him for a while. He's a super cool kid from California. He's the ultimate prankster/fire starter. We love him.

District picture is in the works. Tomorrow I should have it.

Love y'all!

Elder Ry

For the record....

This is where I spent my 20th birthday as soon as I could get out of my sickbed. Anyways. Hopefully a little more celebration next week. My first real birthday in four years and I'm postponing it. Excuse my unshaven state. #rebellion

Looks like the box warehouse of laundromats! Nothing like
real life happening on your birthday...illness and dirty laundry.
Love this guy! Happy #5, Ryan.

This is Tito!

This is Tito! He's awesome. He's our best investigator right now. He loves the stories in the Book of Mormon. Here he's reading out Ammon! Ammon was a boss.

From Brick City

Sending this from my gmail because nothing else is working. Love you all! Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey everyone!

Transfer calls came this morning and I DONT HAVE TO MOVE. YAY! I was prepared for the worst to happen and it didn't. So that's just great.

This last week has been mad brick. This whole city is brick. (A little NYC slang lesson; that means cold. Very cold. When you add the word 'mad' in front of anything it magnifies it.) Windchill Saturday night got down to -25 degrees here. Not lovely out, in other words.

We taught English class. We have a student here that is from Slovakia, but he lived in Spain and taught himself Spanish. So he is learning his third language through his second. Very very smart guy. Very very communist as it turns out, but he's here now so that should change.

We are teaching the Barrionuevo family. They are great. Their kids are insane. Our favorite kid is Tito. He is ten years old and is getting close to baptism! We are all super excited for him and he is more excited than us. I wish his parents had is 1. Intelligence, and 2. His animo(excitedness?).

We've now seen two car accidents! Car came through an intersection hauling cheeks, hit a car, and then got a guy on the sidewalk. A little East New York excitement.

Forgot to mention this earlier and now it's too late but, Go Broncos!! It's about time they got a super bowl. Manning can now rest is peace.

This is Mei Wei! The best and cheapest Chinese takeout in NYC.

Week #59

Wow. Lots going on this week over there!

Not as exciting here. Same old same old. We are beating the zone leaders at their own game (numbers) and the people and members here love us. I went to a lesson with one of the ZLs and he said,"Wow I've never been able to keep their attention that long." Funny how people will pay attention to you if you pay attention to them first. Hooray. Anyways I'm writing some letters tonight and I'll get them mailed tomorrow. If I can find stamps. If not they will all take the trip with dads birthday card. I actually did get that package today. When did you send it? I feel like it took the long way around. Oh well. At least it made it!!!

That is super sad to hear about brother Stewart. He was a very quiet kind man. I don't think very many people realized how sweet he was. He is the definition of pure in heart. He will be saved because of that virtue. 

I love you all! Be on the lookout for letters! I'm finally learning how to pick up a pen. 

I have a song everyone should listen to. Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw. Check it out! Then just live it! Amen!

Cholo means gangster. Thought this was funny. Also check out those forty dollar boots. Bargain deal. 

Pictures in Williamsburg

A little history about Williamsburg and the bridge (courtesy of Wikipedia):

In 1638 the Dutch West India Company first purchased the area's land from the local Native Americans. In 1661, the company chartered the Town of Boswijck, including land that would later become Williamsburg. After the English takeover of New Netherland in 1664, the town's name was anglicized to Bushwick. During colonial times, villagers called the area "Bushwick Shore." This name lasted for about 140 years. Bushwick Shore was cut off from the other villages in Bushwick by Bushwick Creek to the north and by Cripplebush, a region of thick, boggy shrub land. Bushwick residents called Bushwick Shore "the Strand."

Farmers and gardeners from the other Bushwick villages sent their goods to Bushwick Shore to be ferried across the East River to New York City for sale via a market at present day Grand Street. Bushwick Shore's favorable location close to New York City led to the creation of several farming developments. Originally a 13-acre (53,000 m²) development within Bushwick Shore, Williamsburg rapidly expanded during the first half of the nineteenth century and eventually seceded from Bushwick and formed its own independent city.

In 1855, the City of Williamsburg, along with the adjoining Town of Bushwick, were annexed into the City of Brooklyn as the so-called Eastern District. During its period as part of Brooklyn's Eastern District, the area achieved remarkable industrial, cultural, and economic growth, and local businesses thrived. Wealthy New Yorkers such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and railroad magnate Jubilee Jim Fisk built shore-side mansions.

In 1898, Brooklyn became one of five boroughs within the City of Greater New York, and the Williamsburg neighborhood was opened to closer connections with the rest of the new city. Just five years later, the opening of theWilliamsburg Bridge in 1903 further opened up the community to thousands of upwardly mobile immigrants and second-generation Americans fleeing the overcrowded slum tenements of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Williamsburg itself soon became the most densely populated neighborhood in New York City, which in turn was the most densely populated city in the United States.

The Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges are the only suspension bridges in New York City that still carry both automobile and rail traffic

Williamsburg bridge.

Week #58

[Mom note: This one was a little more personal, but I wanted to include it since it was the most we'd heard from him since being back in the hood.]

We did actually get a lot of snow. I'll try and get some better pictures but I have one that I'll tack onto this email. 

The snacks were a life saver. No special requests, I love all snacks and food. Some Costco snacks like pistachios or choco raisins would be sweet. Do you think you could spot me a little cash here soon? I'm want to take my comp to Buffalo Wild Wings for my birthday. Let me know what you think.

I've been feeling pretty good. Any episodes that I have are spread out and very brief. Some of them feel really weird though. I'm not worried about it though. I'll just deal with it. :) if you've already paid for the meds go ahead and send them. It wouldn't be a bad backup to have. 

My companion is good. He's been pretty sick and I've been pretty sick but we deal with it. We shoveled a ton of snow yesterday. We also helped three people get unstuck. One of them was a guy from queens in a gas dodge pickup with street tires. It had four wheel drive but the tires would slip and the differential would unlock so we basically had to dig him out. It took about three hours to get him down the street to roads that had been cleared out a little. We ended up going home at about midnight. We got about 28 inches of snow. Cars were completely buried. 

We've been working with Tito. He's eleven and ready to be baptized. 

I'll get dad a happy birthday letter written. I got his first letter a few days ago. I think mail has been very very slow. Also don't ship anything that will spoil. Our zone leaders won't pick up packages for us. And we're not allowed to go pick them up ourselves. Tell dad to take care of himself. He needs to tint the glass on his car. Don't even give him the option. In Idaho you can get a prescription and you can even tint the front glass. Elder Neuenschwander (my comp) got burned really bad and he has a prescription for it in Washington. 

That's great that they're skiing. I did crash once but it was into the last gate so I didn't dq. Tell Jeff I love him too. 

Get me Kylee's email, I'd love to write her. 

This week one of the members from Brentwood came to Brooklyn and took us out to Chinese. She's so awesome. Sister Mercado. Her daughters boyfriend just got baptized!!!

Anyone want to visit NYC in the winter? 

Where do they put all of that snow -- in front of your steps
and house. Talk about being barricaded in.
 But at least there is a nice narrow escape plowed!

BRKLN

Hello family!

Well week two back in the Bush here in Brooklyn and I'm alive! Things have been really good here in our area. This week we had a weird thing happened. We were walking on the street and we heard a car accident behind us. We went back to see if everyone was alive and alright. Basically some guy blew through a stop sign at the speed of light and t-boned some random lady. The guy ditched his car and ran
before the cops got there. The lady wasn't wearing her seatbelt but she was really lucky and wasn't messed up except for her wrist was really really broken. When we ran up she was knocked out so we just made sure she stayed calm and didn't move until the cops showed up. The lady's car also had like twenty or thirty rolls of Benjamins rolling around in the back seat. It was also pretty funny the way the cops rolled into the scene of the accident. It was just a bunch of
random guys that ran in all wearing normal clothes. A guy wearing a NY Giants sweater and carrying a Glock took over and we dipped out because we didn't want to get wrapped up in the whole mess on account
of the large amount of cash in that lady's car. Seemed kinda odd.

We ate an extremely large amount of Dominican food yesterday. It was
bomb. We could barely walk ourselves home. That's the best.

My companion got super sick and we were stuck at home quite a bit.
That wasn't the best. Kinda frustrating. This week should be a lot
better.

Overall I'm doing really well and enjoying my time back in this
horrible city! This area is pretty cool but it isn't Queens! I love
you all!!

Keep the faith!
Ryry

Elder Dolor is Back in the Hood

I'm here in Bushwick with Neuenschwander!

I'm feeling pretty good. Still fighting the dang cold that I had. Not too fun because it's really really cold. My gloves also disappeared which sucks. I think that probably happened during the move. The other missionaries did pack my stuff. They tried to steal my pillow too. I was pretty ticked but I got it back. The flight back was good. Not a huge fan of flying. Also there must've been a little miscommunication because I never met up with any other missionaries.

I was in this area one day before I got moved to far rock. I've been with N before too. He's a redneck kid from Washington. He lives right on the snake river. He's from the tri cities area.

Anything you want to send me would be great. Snacks of all kinds would be greatly appreciated. I think everything is going to have to go through the mission office because we live in a really bad area. It kinda sucks because I don't trust our idiot zone leaders out here either. They're both kind of dip sticks as dad would say. I think Kate's camera battery is on or around the entertainment center up stairs. I didn't hide it I just set it down somewhere. I got the package you sent for Christmas by the way. The cookies were still really good. Thanks for that. I will be looking forward to any packages that come in the future. I think food is going to be a bit of a struggle here. Brooklyn is soooo expensive. On well. Hopefully they'll put me back out on the island eventually and I won't go hungry anymore.

Ok here's a couple of pictures. I took some with my good camera too but I don't have a way of emailing those today. I'm off to go buy a pair of shoes before I walk right out of mine.

Love to all!

Ry

We somehow found our way to the top of a 20 story project building and got a few very cool pictures looking towards Manhattan.

¡Buenas tardes!

Hey everyone!

Good week here in Brentwood. We taught lots of lessons. Teaching people about something that has the ability to change their life is quite the privilege. Helping people leave their bad habits and start new ones is very powerful. The veracity of what we teach is completely backed up by the way it changes people. Bad things and untrue things change people for the worse. Good things, true things, do the exact opposite. I've seen people with huge problems with their families and marriages and addictions and jobs and finances completely turn things around because of them making sacrifices to follow what a guy who lived about two thousand years ago taught. Principles that were taught when a donkey was the sweetest transportation around is still working in an age where we've been to the moon and beyond? Hm. Interesting.

Seems pretty true to me! Don't believe it? TRY IT. Yes that's a challenge. Give it a shot.

Keep on keepin' on!

Ryan

The little kids had a church activity and they dressed up like us weirdos! BLACK TAGS. BLACK TAGS EVERYWHERE.

Que onda!

This last week I got transferred to Brentwood! It's an area pretty close to Queens and Brooklyn but it's out on the island. There is a really big Spanish ward here. They all love to feed missionaries so I like it here, a lot. This last week is been a week of getting to know the area the roads are really messed up around here and sometimes we get really lost a lot. I have really been enjoying driving. We don't go fast ever.

My new companion is Elder Ruiz. He does a killer Bill Clinton impersonation it's pretty great. He is super white and Mexican at the same time. It's great because the members wanna feed us even more because he's a native.

We have a little tiny gym in her apartment so we work out every morning. I actually purchased a mass gainer in a pre-workout and I'm trying to gain a bunch of weight we'll see how that goes.

I'm not really sure what else to talk about because this week has just been mostly us getting lost. I love you guys I will update you on next week with awesome adventures with Elder Ruiz!

Also I will include pictures.

Peace out!

Ry

Melissa! She's hilarious. We played tag for like an hour. This is why my dress shoes are destroyed. Also. I dunno how y'all women do the hair things. It hurts. Hahaha

Until next week!

-Payne

NEW ADDRESS:  

Elder Ryan M. Payne

94 4th Ave, Unit 309

Bay Shore, NY 11706

Translados otra vez!

Me, nuenschwander, Melvin, and Morrison!

Well first of all, I'm leaving Rego Park/Corona! I will find out where I'm going tomorrow. I'm all packed up and ready to go wherever they want me to!

This week has been a great finale to the transfer. My companions are both training new missionaries here and I'm leaving. It'll be a new adventure.

This last week we were helping someone move into our boundaries. We were hauling the stuff back and forth in a uhaul truck. We were out super late (for missionaries) and we got a call from the girl missionaries saying that someone had broken into their house and that they were hiding in the second floor of their house. So we all piled into the back of the uhaul and booked it through downtown queens. It felt like we hit every pothole in the city(there are MANY of those).

We rolled up to the house and went through and made sure no one was in there. We didn't find anyone which kinda worried us but we told them to lock their door and give the girl from Mongolia a big knife.

Helped another guy change a tire. Not sure why no one here can figure that out. I've probably helped fifteen people change tires. The jack wasn't tall enough so me and the other hick here did something really ghetto and sketchy and got it done.

Well I'll know where I'm going tomorrow and I'll let y'all know next week!

Oh. Just tried balut. Not bad. Weird. Very weird.

Peace!

Ry

Everything in Queens is chained down...

MOM NOTE: Kylee Jenkins showed me what balut looks like...I recommend not looking that one up. (Apparently it is a delicacy in the Philippines.) 

Yellow Ones

Hey everyone!

Hope all is well wherever you are to be found!

This last week has been..... Interesting.

Last Sunday we were walking down the street through a sketchy part of Corona when this guy stopped us and asked us if we spoke Spanish. Nuenschwander said that we did. The guy, clearly hammered out of his mind, immediately said you don't speak Spanish, he speaks Spanish, pointing to me. He then asked me if I would buy him food because he spent all of his money on booze. I said sure and we went to this dirty Chinese place that was on the corner. We walked in, he ordered his food and I paid for it. He then told us about how God is an alien and some other really funny stuff. He asked Morrison, 'do you believe that God is huge?' Morrison said, "God is everything." The drunk dude seemed amazed at this and promptly started to blubber. Meanwhile the chino people working at this restaurant were all laughing their butts off at all of us. To be fair it was pretty funny. We were probably the oddity of the week. I asked the drunk guy where he was from. He said he was from Honduras. I said the standard response, "tu eres catracho!" He lit up and started singing a song "No Ay un pueblo mas macho que un pueblo catracho". Then he started crying again. We decided it was time to go so I told him to not drink anymore, he said no, and then we left.

We've noticed [lately] that Chinese people will gladly run you over in their cars this last little while. A whole new meaning to the quote from the movie Elf, "the yellow ones don't stop!" The other day we were crossing junction and I almost got run over I looked up and screamed "the yellow ones don't stop!" just out of pure instinct, and sure enough it was a chino dude trying to murder me.

There is only one week left of this transfer and then los tres mosqueteros will be broken up! Being in a trio is fun but it takes a lot of dedication to get everyone headed in one direction.

Can't wait to see what happens this next transfer! I hit my 8 month mark a week ago! 1/3 of the way done!

We'll keep on rockin here!

Ry

Melvin, a member here that's about to leave for Colombia Cali! Then Saul Sarmiento -- eating a sandwich. Oh and the good looking one is me.

Hey People!

Well, we've all been really sick for a week! Lots of fun being stuck at the pad and being completely unproductive. Interesting when you have three people and one bathroom!

Our apartment is small for three people. It's right above the church. I'll take pics of it today and send them next week.

The ward is huge. 150 people regularly attend. It's awesome!

Our bishop speaks fluent English. His wife gave birth to a son a few weeks ago, he was premature (don't actually know the term....)  but he's doing great and should be coming home soon.

Gotta run! Love you!

Got a haircut today! It was free, so I like it.

More next week hopefully! :)

Ry

Aloha!

Well there's lots of news because I haven't written for two weeks!
Last week my companion went home, so I got two new ones! The one in
the picture with me is Elder Neuenschwander. He's a redneck from
Washington. His life before the mission was pretty similar to mine. He
worked for a commercial custom hay outfit. He started his mission in
Mexico, but he got meningitis and a few other nasty things so he got
to take a vacation. He put in his papers again and got sent to the
best place on earth. My other companion is Elder Morrison! He is one
of the missionaries that I came out with. He's from a place in Oregon
right next to Medford. He has been diabetic since he was sixteen when
he had a crazy series of medical problems and also eats more candy
than any other person I have ever met.

I have forgotten to mention this for a long time, but we got a new
mission president a while back. He's great! His name is Gary Reynolds.
He's from Utah(surprise), he owns some huge demolition company and a
few motorcycle dealerships because he likes to ride quite a bit.
Anyways. He's about 5'8", but he did say that there was a taller side
of the Reynolds family so he is probably related to the good ones from
back home!



Pictures:

Manhattan when we went to a Morrison doctor appointment

The nectar of the gods

Mansion McDonalds

We live two minutes from the mission office so we help deliver cars

out to the island occasionally. We decided to make a pit stop at this

interesting place.

A fluing pic in a Manhattan train stop.

Another Week on the Run

Well just another week on the run!

The highlight of this week is when we crossed the Long Island Railroad
on foot! We were walking down a road to get to an appointment when it
dead ended into the LIR. There was an open gate up onto the tracks so
we just jumped through and crossed so that we wouldn't be late. The
reward came when we didn't get hit by a train and a Mexican lady on
the other side told us to not do that again and fed us tamales. Yum.

That's the fun story for the week!

We've been working really hard trying to get the members involved with
the work which means I'm gaining weight and getting fat. Wheeee!
Spanish food is great!

King of Corona!

Just one more week of fun in the hood!

It's really hot and humid here. I've never sweat so much in my life..

I'm wearing out shoes like crazy. Also my feet.

But I'm having ridiculous amounts of fun!

I <3 NYC!!!!

This week we walked a lot and taught people about Jesus. Couldn't ask for anything more! Elder Goff and I play the organ in church. That's pretty fun. I also got an..... interesting haircut.

Google Roosevelt and Junction, Corona. That's one block away from where I live.

My address! (Well, the mission office address, it's in my area so that's the best place for mail)

84-69 60th drive

Elmhurst, NY 11373

More next week!

Almost MURICA DAY

Hello everyone!

This last week has been lots of fun! We're staying busy working with the members of the church here. They are super awesome. Last night we ate dinner at Rosa Lujan's house. Then she invited us over for breakfast because she wanted to know how to make French toast. I gladly accepted that offer! I made French toast and she made this amazing omelet thing. I love food so much.

There has been a soccer tourney going on lately. Because we are in Corona, we actually get to watch most of the games as we walk down the street. Even though they are at least out for the first place spot, Colombia is now my favorite team. As it turns out soccer isn't that boring to watch! Every time a different country plays, everyone is out wearing their team jerseys. It's really cool.

I love it here! The church is great!

Love you all!

Ry