1/30/12

Hello family and friends!!!!!!!!

First off, don't worry about the favela. They are my friends now haha They even offer me alcohol which is expensive. They love the missionaries and if you talk to them they love us even more hahaha. I still haven't gotten the package, and yeah it is possible that no one is there. Usually Saturday and Sunday they don't have anyone there. it should be fine it will get here. Yeah I am giving my ties away.  It is easier than anything else. Bright colors and normal colors and they don't have to be expensive. Kohls!:D 

we had another baptism this week! her name is bruna she is 17 years old, and she is the neighbor of those little girls. It is really sad there, the dad drinks and they barely have enough money to eat but we cant do anything about it. They act like we are their dad, but it is fun. 

hahaha the picture of my jeans is awesome right?! I think I grew, I don't really know but my other pants are still perfect, so maybe my jeans already were that short when I left. Not really sure, but I will try to measure. Don't send a new pair of jeans! that was the first time I wore them and that was just for a minute.
that is so sad that you guys went to classic burger without me. i don't think you have ever done there without me. that's funny.
I can't even believe that 200 days have already passed. It's fun to think of the mission in terms of weeks. Its more or less 100 weeks and its crazy because the weeks pass really fast here. Its like every two or three days when you are working hard. 

so i got the Elmonts christmas card! that was funny and a good surprise. My new comp is great! My kid in the mission! his name is elder Del Castillo, yes he speaks Spanish. for Bolivia!!!! I am already learning tons of Spanish here and it will definitely improve after these 2 transfers with him. It is really fun to lead things for a change, but I also know that it is really important that he learns how to do everything too. To make a long story short he is speaking a lot during the lessons hahaa.

we had an activity this week! it was movie theater night. We projected a movie and had popcorn and soda. Really easy and everyone loved it. We are thinking of another one to do for next Wednesday. It should be every 15 days. Nuts I know, but if you have ideas for activities I am all ears. 

we also had two service projects this week on the same day. wow it was hard. We dug up pipes and reconstructed everything. After we helped build a house, mixing cement( by hand without a machine) and carried a lot of bricks. Everything was worth it though, because I am soooo strong now! not really....

so cool story. Livia who was baptized last week has a dad that stopped going to church 12 years ago. His kids are being baptized and now he is wanting to go back to church. it is the coolest thing we can do as missionaries, is bring families together and make them more united and a lot happier. It also gives me hope that when someone leaves the church that I already baptized, they have a chance to return. 

That's all! 

love you ALL

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

1/23/12

Hello!!!
So I haven't gotten my comp yet. He comes tomorrow and I am so excited/ nervous! it still hasn't even hit me but I know when he gets here we will be working a ton.
I am glad you looked up the favela haha it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life, but its safe. Everyone there knows the missionaries and like them a lot but I still don't like to tract there. We have a member there and we visit here every 2 or 3 weeks.
so my new area is in tabuleiro, maceió. It is almost the exact same place I was before. I can almost see my old area haha. so I don't know if I told you but this is the second time following sisters. We took the sisters apartments the two times I moved and they are super clean. No need to worry.
The work here will be really good, the members are willing to help and people like me here haha. That is ridiculous that they only stay 6 weeks now! wow! that's lame but I am glad I already started my mission at least...
Natalie went to church!? that is awesome! I am so proud of her!!! haha. I hope she liked it.   Tell her that I will be back in no time and to try to keep busy while I am here:)
You can send those emails if you want, usually I look at it on byu.com since it is a church website hahaha.

so some funny stories this week... we were knocking doors this week and some lady came to the door and said "no one is here" and my comp said "you are someone" hahahaha that was ridiculous. Nothing came of it, she was just a grumpy old lady.
and this week we had a baptism!!!! a girl named Livia she is 9 years old and her sister and dad are members. The mom of the family inst a member so we will try to work with them to get married and after get her baptized to complete the family. i sent pictures. also there are pictures of other little girls shirley shirleige shirleine sheila rayanne raissa  and in the other family ligia with the dad john. It took me a few visits but i finally know who every one is haha. The names are so similar and ridiculous.
also my comp will be Bolivian! so I will come home speaking Spanish too! whooooo!
Also I need more ties so next package in a few months can you send ties? thanks:)
Love you guys and hope everything is going well!
LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS