FAREWELL

Our mission is coming to a close. Our last zone conference with all the senior and junior missionaries was held in Flagstaff, Arizona, about 2 1/2 hours from Kaibeto. It was great to see our mission president and his wife and all the other missionaries. We enjoyed our last interview with President Jones. Another senior couple and us who were also going home were asked to speak to everyone. It seemed really final.

The week before we left for home, two of my Navajo sisters showed me how to make fry bread. It looked so easy for them since they had been doing it since they were 7 years old. But I didn't find it so easy. They just dump the flour and baking powder and water in a bowl and mix it around quickly with their hands. No measuring. Then they pat it back and forth in their hands and throw it in the pan. It tasted wonderful! Even though mine didn't turn out like it should, we laughed a lot and had so much fun. Now I am supposed to teach my family!

We left Kaibeto to go home on Sunday, January 8. After church our Navajo friends served us a wonderful dinner. There were many tears and hugs. They gave us beautiful jewelry and I even received a traditional white Navajo dress.

This has been such a great experience for us. We have made so many amazing friends that we will not forget. We love the Navajo people and are grateful we had this opportunity to live with them on the reservation. We have seen their lives change for the better as they have learned and progressed in the gospel.

Attached are some pictures of our Navajo brothers and sisters.

Signing off,

Elder & Sister Payne

NAVAJO NEWS

We were happy a few weeks ago to get a new counselor in our bishopric. Brother Brown and his wife also travel 45 minutes to serve in our ward, as do our bishop and his wife. The Browns both grew up in Kaibeto and their mothers attend our ward so they were happy to start coming here. (Sunday dinner at Mom's house is pretty good.) Attached is a picture of the new bishopric and their wives.

When we served our mission in Mongolia in 2007 we met a wonderful young woman whom we grew to love. She and her family were outstanding. Recently we received an email and pictures from the next couple who served in our place of the wedding of that young woman and a return missionary who was serving in Mongolia right before we returned home. They were getting married in the Idaho Falls Temple. We were so happy for them but sorry we couldn't attend their wedding. We've felt strongly since we came to the Navajo Indian Reservation that the Navajos are the "other" Mongolians since there are so many similarities in their looks and cultures.

The roads here don't seem to get any better as the weather changes. There is always mud, bumps, or dust--or all three. Last week as we were driving around we could see patches of snow on the bushes, mud on the side of the road, and dust blowing down the middle of the road full of potholes. One good thing though, we never see orange cones. No road construction here.

On the 17th of December we had 3 siblings get baptized. Then on Christmas Eve we had a "White Christmas" with another baptism. What more can missionaries ask for?

We got to be "Santa's Helpers" this year and it was really fun. On Christmas Day we heard "Silent Night" in Navajo at church. It was beautiful. Then later that day we heard our grandchildren say, "Merry Christmas Grandma Sandy and Pappy" over the phone. How sweet is that?

We heard two wonderful messages in church today for the new year. One is about moving out of our comfort zone to help someone else. The other one is how the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring us back to our Heavenly Father and his Son. We wish all of you the very best in this coming year.