10/22/12

Hello!

So, this week is transfers and it is craziness here. Some elders leaving earlier than they should, and one that maybe will go home today too. We were to get 12 new people on the mission and only 5 were supposed to leave, but now it looks like 8 or 9 will leave. So, the mission won't grow as much as we expected. Things are going well, just a little bit of stress dealing with some sad situations.

 We ended up finding a package from one of the kids that already left the mission.... We couldn't send it back to him so we decided to open it hahahaha. At least I took a vote of all of the people that were in the room. Everyone agreed and we ate some gushers and roll ups with peanut butter m&ms!

Not much is happening this week we have transfers, and maybe a baptism this Saturday. He is so ready, but just needs to trust a little bit more in Jesus Christ.

Don't even worry about sending the ballot, we have received some here, but there is no way that it will get to the elder in time for him to vote.

We are just finishing some last minute changes in the transfer and I just sent to copy our mission newspaper that we do every transfer.
There was a wedding and a baptism this week that we helped with. Wasn't ours, but it was fun to be there to help. They have been coming to church for a long time, just needed to get married (because they were living together) to be able to be baptized.

This week should be awesome, with the new missionaries coming in and some meetings that will happen. Also, I think we will start to plan a lot more in detail about Christmas.  

Oh, by the way, those little CTR bracelets that you sent, were perfect. We owed two sisters something for helping us with our last baptism, so I gave 2 to them and they loved it! You were inspired when you chose to put those in haha.

Anyway, hope everything is going well at home, any changes?

I am really happy to be on the mission. It is funny to think that I am so far from everything, but happy. Serving other people really does make a difference in our lives.

Love you guys!

ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

10/15/12

Hello!

Glad to hear that your trip went well. Did you see anyone else that I know?

Sad that BYU lost, homecoming always should be a win, or everyone just gets really sad.

That is cool that there are tons more interviews to go on a mission. I don't even think President is even thinking about this yet, usually its me that has to worry about these types of things for him. I will talk to him to see what he thinks, but there are tons of missions in the world, I don't think it will be that huge of a difference in each mission. Unless they aren't spread out evenly.

I don't think I would mind staying longer here, but I miss working. I miss sweating and being tired all of the time. At home I was always like this because of sports, and on the mission too from walking a ton. Now, I am in an office all day and my brain just hurts. I think I am ready to get out in the sun and work again.

Today we played volleyball for 3 hours this morning, after we did a division so Elder Bonini and I could play volleyball with Elder Pajaro (my ex comp). So we RAN to their chapel, which was 15 min or so, and we played 2 more hours of volleyball. Not sure how I am still awake, but I know I will be sore when I wake up tomorrow.

That mini preach my gospel is awesome! I haven't used it yet, but i just like to look at it haha.
Anyway, this week went well. We helped the APs with a baptism this Saturday. We did a division, to get the clothes and fill the font. The only problem is that there wasn't any water in the chapel.... You cant baptize anyone without a ton of water. So, I decided that the fire hose would be a fun try. Unfortunately it didn't have water (I really wanted to use the fire hose). So we had to think fast because there were just 2 hours until the baptism. We called the sisters (the same chapel where we played volleyball today) and they had to run to the chapel and start filling the font. The water is super slow here, so they started to fill it with buckets! hahahaha I felt so bad for them, but it was cool that they sacrificed a little bit of energy for a good cause.

At church we had a new investigator, whose mom doesn't like the church. He already tried to be baptized a year ago, but now he is back to finally do it. He already knows everyone in the church, and he played volleyball with us too! We just need to talk to his mom....

Anyway, I am happy. And I know that serving other people makes us happier than any other thing. If you ever have a hard time with something, just help someone else and you will forget all of your problems. One thing that Jesus Christ did better than anyone else.

Love you all!

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

10/8/12

Hello!

Conference was awesome! the only problem is that I was a little tired during the Sunday sessions. I think I listen with a different perspective. They spoke a ton about missionaries this time. At least 5 or 6 talked about the missionaries on Saturday. It was crazy to here that the missionaries will be even younger now. The weird part, is that it was already like that here in Brazil. The age was 18, and I think it was the same in other foreign countries. Not sure why the US wasn't allowed to do it too.

One of my favorite talks was from Robert C Gay I think.  When he talked about stealing the 20 cents that he stole at the movies. His dad burnt him saying that you would sell your soul for 20 cents? I thought about how that could have destroyed his confidence for the rest of his life, but really just taught him a lesson that he remembered for the rest of his life. and then he talked about justification. Also, the one from Jeffrey r Holland was awesome! when he talked about how Jesus asked if Peter loved him 3 times. 

Glad that I was able to watch the whole conference, but I had a hard time concentrating during the priesthood session because it was so late here. 

Anyway, things are going well, just working hard as usual. I watched it in Portuguese. 

You are going to a women's volleyball game too? that should be really fun, they are doing really well. Aren't they undefeated?
Funny that you wrote about emergency transfers, there is another one today. We aren't having more p days because of all of these transfers. Usually I don't know exactly what happened, but we always have some idea depending on who is being transferred. Everyone has a rep, and the elders that aren't the most obedient we already know what happened. This one is one of those transfers, because a zone leader is being a junior companion now. The last transfer was to help a new missionary that didn't have a trainer very enthusiastic to say the least. As secretaries we pretty much know everything that happens on the mission. 

I think a banner for the mission president is a good idea. Do you have the logo? I will send it to you anyway, but I think they would really like that. 

I haven't gotten the envelope yet, it should get here soon.

There should be a wave of incoming missionaries in a few months, maybe president will keep me here to help with the transition. 

Braydon is 17 right? I think it would be better to go right after high school, because you don't have to interrupt school. But it was really good to go for a year and start. I don't know, just glad that it doesn't affect me very much. I am already here!

I will look up the best hotel for you guys. I think it will be on the beach, because there aren't very many hotels inland. But, it will only be 10 minutes from the mission office.

This week went well, we had no time to work this week thanks to conference and the work in the office, but if everything goes well we will baptize this Saturday haha. I don't even know how we find these people, but he is a man that has 3 kids with 2 women. He was pretty lost when he was younger and said that he loved conference. The date is for this Saturday. Also, to add to all of our work, we will go to sergipe tomorrow to do a leadership meeting. That takes up two of our days, but it should be really fun. 

Forgot to tell you! the couple missionary got here on Friday. The first Brazilian couple missionary in the missions history. They will help with the district of the mission that is in lagarto, sergipe. 

Should be cool to see them work.

Anyway, love you guys and hope everything is going well with everyone. Got Crawford's email and I was laughing when I read it. Glad to know that they are still praying for me!

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

10/1/12

Bom dia!

This week went pretty well, finally we had a little calmer week, but on Friday president decide to do an emergency transfer. When we thought we would be able to do everything normally this weekend and work a little bit, we had to do the transfer. It happened today, but we had to call everyone and buy the tickets for them to get here and go back. There were 8 that were transferred. That's the biggest emergency transfer that I have had since I have gotten here. It was fun, and its cool knowing about everything that happens on the mission. 

we are teaching a man named Wellinton and he will be baptized on the 13th. He is cool, but we have only taught him once. He went to church, but works every other Sunday. We are trying to help him out.

Just got an email from Dan, he just said "I am coming home on Halloween!" haha he said he is freaking out too. 

And no.... I haven't measured since I have been here. I already know that I am way bigger than EVERYONE here and I just say that I am 210. In centimeters obviously. Maybe one day I will find a tape measure and see what I am at now. 

On the temple recommend holders, we put a picture of Jesus cleaning the apostles feet, and on the other side it has Matthew 20 28 with the mission logo. I think it should be cool. wW already ordered 300 of them.

So, this week wasn't that exciting, there was just an emergency transfer. That's always fun, and this week there will be a few meetings for the mission leaders. AND this Friday a missionary couple will come to our mission! that will be really cool because it has been so long since our mission has gotten a couple. They are from São Paulo, and they will help out the district in our mission. Should be fun to get them at the airport! 

We went to McDonalds today. I think it is better here than it is there. It was fun, it opened yesterday so there was a huge line and no one knew what was going on. 

Vou falar um pouquinho de português agora. Faz tempo que não escrevo. Sempre penso em Otav quando eu escrever em Português. Mas, estou muito feliz por estar aqui em brasil e por ter ajudado muitas pessoas. Sei que felicidade só vem através a obediência, porque Deus é o nossa fonte de alegria. Amo vocês e sou muito grato pelo apoio que vocês me dão. 

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

9/25/12

Family! and Friends!

You guys are so spoiled. Going to Hawaii and doing all those things. The weather there is probably exactly how it is here. It is always 85 and there are flashes of rain every once in a while. It's fun to live in this weather.

Was church in Hawaii different? The whole congregation sang to you guys or just the missionaries? That would be different experience serving in Hawaii. Everyone in the ward there were Samoans? Funny, it should be a lot like brazil, 2 white americans with a bunch of islanders. One thing that Brazil makes a missionary do. You HAVE to talk to everyone with a ton of energy. You guys will see the difference. It seems like Americans are so boring when you compare a Brazilian talking with you. I am sure it was a little bit like that in Argentina.

That is weird that there are tons of chickens and roosters everywhere. Are you allowed to eat them? Its free food basically. haha
One thing that they don't have here is luau. They barbecue a ton here, it just doesn't go underground like they do in Hawaii.  

Today we played volleyball in the morning, and elder pajaro (my ex comp) came with three other missionaries. Elder Willis was there who is the trainee of my trainees trainee, or I am not sure if you guys had families in your mission but my great grandchild haha. He is tall and white we ended up playing us two against everyone. He played in high school, so we were just bombing on everyone. It was the first time that I had someone at my side that could actually play well.

After, we rested a little and we just got back from an all you can eat pizza place. :) that was awesome. The pizza in the US is way better, but I don't even taste the difference anymore. I am already half Brazilian. Also not sure if I told you guys but I think I lost my phobia of hair. Since I have been in this area, my comps have cut my hair. the razor on the sides and scissors on top. Lets just say that my hair doesn't look very good, but it doesn't even matter. Actually they do well, and I have already cut some peoples hair too. It's to gain trust in our companionship I think.

This week went pretty well. Since it is a little hard to leave the office and teach, I was able to teach three people that came in. 2 of them were trying to sell internet to us and they asked me about the church. The other was a receptionist that works here, and she was pretty interested I think. We set up a time to meet and go to church with her, but I think she forgot/didn't want to go.

There were some visitors at church, but we will only teach them later this week. So many excuses we had to just mark it for later in the week.

The mail strike doesn't really affect anything here. They have less people working at the same time, but they all rotate. Really its just another way for them to have holidays. Work one day and rest 3 or something like that. We are still getting letters and packages here. There is no problem with anything. Found out that if you send anything with the price higher than 50 dollars you will have to pay a tax when the package gets here. Maybe the missionary moms would like to know that. I haven't gotten the envelope yet, but you will know when I do.  

So, some things that happened this week. We went to another chapel to help with an open house because it was being dedicated. That was fun, but there were so many homosexuals there. The young women complained to us because there aren't enough guys to date! I was shocked. haha

We are doing well here, still working the same. I designed a temple recommend holder that we will give to all the missionaries, and right now I am making a christmas cd for the mission. Some extra projects to plan.

Love you guys!

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS