Sam Payne is a singer, songwriter and storyteller — in other words, a triple threat. He has many songs and stories to share with audiences far and wide, even as far as southeastern Europe. In March 2009, he traveled to Bulgaria to share his songs and stories with orphans. Payne, along with talented singer/songwriter Mindy Gledhill, brought joy to children thirsty for hope and love. They gave that joy through music. They played concerts for orphans who probably never had seen a concert before in their lives. __IMAGE1__\"In music-time workshops right in their own orphanages, we saw the faces of toddlers as they touched a guitar for the first time, or clapped along with harmonica music.\" Payne said.In spontaneous gatherings, Payne and Bulgarian teenagers swapped pop songs from their cultures. These bright, talented \"teens (had) all kinds of songs in their heads, but no one to share them with. We held those kids in our arms and in our hearts. And as the days passed, we were struck by the power and importance of artful endeavors in lives that need lifting,\" Payne said.The trip was hosted and organized by One Heart Bulgaria, a foundation committed to improving the quality of life for Bulgarian orphans. In this eye-opening, life-changing experience, the Mormon musician rediscovered the incredible power of music to heal and brighten lives.On the your LDS radio blog, Payne wrote, \"I found myself wondering (when it came to providing service for orphans with genuine needs) if a couple of musicians were the right folks for the job. I mean, good heavens, it was a pleasure to be there as a musician, but for the same energy it took to get a couple of musicians there, they could have brought a couple of dentists, or surgeons. I wrestled often with that notion during the trip.\"But then I'd pull out my guitar, and Mindy and I would strike up a song. Sometimes it would be 'I Am a Child of God,' and sometimes it would be Mindy's lovely ballad, 'Child of Light.' Sometimes it would be something so innocuous as Bobby McFerrin's 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' (which the orphans all knew, by the way. Go figure.).\"We'd sing for the orphans, and then the orphans would sing for us Bulgarian patriotic songs, nursery rhymes or Mediterranean pop tunes,\" Payne continued. \"In those moments, as a musician, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, for a moment, the exercises of fixing teeth, mending bones and curing disease could be approached in import (not rivaled, perhaps, but at least approached) by the exercise of understanding hearts. In that endeavor, music is a crash-course.\"In his seminal 1979 address, 'The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord,' Boyd K. Packer said it this way: 'We are able to feel and learn very quickly through music, through art, through poetry some spiritual things that we would otherwise learn very slowly.' Amen to that. In Bulgaria, as musicians, we were quick learners (and teachers). To a greater degree than I might have thought possible, we get them. And they get us.\"As Payne told stories in between songs, the children were mesmerized and able to forget at least for a little while that they were orphans.Payne called this experience \"one of those out-of-the-blue flukes that (changed my) life.\" It was even more wonderful because he got to take his 15-year-old son, Skyler, with him.Since his visit to Bulgaria, Payne has been busy as the program director for yourldsradio.com and is working on new material for his next album. He also has a benefit concert coming up in March 2010 for One Heart Bulgaria. \"It's becoming more apparent to me that the Lord's dreams for us are bigger than our own,\" Payne said.Payne continues to have much to write about and share with his audience. His father, Marvin Payne, has heavily influenced his storytelling and songwriting skills. At his live performances, Sam Payne has a distinct way of introducing each song with a story. On his latest CD, \"Father to Son,\" Payne recorded a live performance with stories included.\"I'm a son of God, of the Restoration, of the settlement of the West, and of the Jell-O belt. Hopefully that all finds its way onto stage, spoken and sung,\" he said.Payne continues to make music and share it in meaningful ways with people young and old. One thing's for sure — many Bulgarian orphans will not forget how Payne's music touched them, and neither will he.
For more information, visit SamPayne.com. To get involved with One Heart Bulgaria, visit oneheart-bg.org.