4/30/12

Hello everyone!
That's funny that they are related. The work is good, a little slow because he is ending the mission and everyone gets that home sickness at the end and has a hard time working, but we are hoping on two baptisms this week. We found a house to live in, but it just has to be approved by president for us to live there.
The visit from Elder Holland changed my life! wow he is not a normal person. We all had the opportunity to shake his hand and when I passed he said" oh my gosh you're tall" hahaha  Now I know for a complete fact that those men are called of God. No doubt in my mind.
good! Thomas can write me during the meeting. Great idea!
Why does BYU always lose in the playoffs! that is so sad.
So for skyping I could be in a different area and for sure I will have a new comp. That's why I don't know when we can skype and what time. It will be about 7 at night my time I think and I haven't talked with anyone to set it up. I will get on that.
  Ialways let you know about the packages don't worry!
So one other thing really cool happened this week. We were shopping in a supermarket to get things for our trip to see Elder Holland and this almost deaf lady came up to talk to us. she was a member of the church and worked there, and  really wanted to help us. it was hard to talk to her not knowing signs (the signs here are different too) and so she took us around the entire store. She was super nice and loved trying to talk to us and help us. At the end after we picked out everything that we wanted to by she took it out of our hands and went to the cashier and bought everything! we couldn't stop her because she couldn't hear us! We didn't know what to do, but we realized that we shouldn't stop her. She demonstrated the true love of Christ and she will be blessed for it.
Also we had stake conference this week and a baptism of a man that waited 2 years to be baptized. The sisters finally got him haha.
love you all a ton and hope everything is going well in California!
LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

JAKE'S BIRTHDAY IS MAY 14th-----Please help flood his inbox with emails to wish him a happy birthday.  We will forward messages to him---just reply to this email.   For those of you who left voice messages, the recorder is still in the mail and will hopefully make it by his birthday.   Letters from home are priceless when you are on a mission so far from home.  THANK YOU!

If you want to send a letter through US mail, one piece of paper with an envelope is $.98.


Elder Jake Langlois
Brazil Maceio Mission
Av. Dom Antonio Brandao, 333 Sala 402
Ed. Work Center, Farol
Maceio-AL   57021-190  Brazil

4/23/12

Hello!

Dalton Bradshaw is his name. and his parents name Dwayne and Denise Bradshaw.  He said he thinks he knows them too. funny.

So the work is great, we have spent almost 100% of our time trying to find a house but we had a baptism this week! Gustavo is his name and he was so ready to be baptized. He stopped drinking coffee for no reason one week before he even got to know the church. Miracle for sure. We are teaching a lot , and people are opening up there doors to us. We are 4 hours from the mission home, and Elder Jeffery R Holland is coming to our mission this week! It's going to be awesome! I have never shook the hand of an apostle before. at least I don't remember haha like I didnt think I ever went to Disneyland.
We have to move because the owner of the house is ripping us off. haha We are paying way to much for the house that we have.
So only one baptism happened, and the others are trying to not happen, but we are working really hard to prepare our investigators to be baptized.
Anyway the work in this ward is going. We have 4 cities in our area. 4 times the size of any other area I have had on the mission. I will have tons of work and will never run out of doors to knock. I am sure you already found out this on the mission, but the best way to get baptisms is to just be super happy. People open doors and are so much more open about their lives.
For sure I will keep an eye out for the packages.

Sharks are terrible but that's good that I wont miss them winning:)

We will be able to Skype for mothers day, I just don't know when yet because I will have a new comp. I will have to talk to him and plan everything but I think I will try to do it Sunday, mothers day at night

My stomach is great now! everything is normal and I haven't had any issues. I am living in a cleaner place now so I have a lot less problems.

the pictures didn't work again, but it is a problem with the computer not with Costco. I will keep trying. I sent 6 during the week because I was already uploading pictures to show to President Gonzaga about the house.

This week wasn't too exciting. Every single day we looked for a house but we cant find anything cheap enough. Also our new chapel had an open house so we spent a lot of time at that too. It is huge and nicer than our chapel at home.

funny story... we played basketball today, and a member that is 40 years old or so thought he was so good. The court had a lot of dust because of the construction so he tried to pass one of the defenders and fell on his face. He thought he broke his face, but it was fine. Just a bruise. I have to keep the tradition of someone ALWAYS getting hurt when playing church basketball hahahaaha

love you guys and hope you have a good week

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

4/16/12

Hello!
Sister Gonzaga is awesome. She reminds me of you, always having everything planned perfectly and clean. haha She is always happy, and has a great personality. With the president and the wife, we talk to them during zone conference, interviews, transfers, and a few other occasions. It isn't that often, and is a lot less here in Sergipe. but we usually see them every 3 months at least.
My comp is from Beaver Utah, we get along just fine.
I was already trained by Elder Maciel. Trainer is just for the first 2 transfers in the mission. He just is  a district leader, and I think that's what I will be next so president put me with him. Also, in this district there are 4 sisters so I think I will have to take care of them. haha oh great.
So we have 3 baptisms for this week and next week. Lucia 25 years old, was a reference from another elder, Larissa 21 the first door I knocked when I got into this area  which was awesome, and Geovania 22 who was a girl that we just started to talk to. She seemed like she just wanted to flirt with us, but liked what we taught and will be baptized. Also a young man might move into our ward that has already gone to church twice so he will be baptized too! the blessings are coming finally!
so I tried to send more pictures, but I think the lan house blocked the computer. I can't get into it to send the pictures.
Thomas is jacked up! he needs to learn to like typing! at least to me!
So this week was pretty good. We are teaching a lot, and are just helping these investigators get ready for their baptisms.  We even taught a deaf person the other day. She was drunk and deaf. Not sure how, but we taught a little bit to her and at the end she was able to here a little bit. Either a miracle or she is just crazy ahaha. I don't know if I told you about the farmers market here. Every Wednesday there is a fair and tons of tables are set up, and people just come to sell fruits and vegetables. It is on our street and I took a picture of them setting up, but I couldn't send it.
also I did an exchange with Elder Maciel! my trainer and we went to the aquarium haha. We went to look at the prices and to plan an zone activity, but it is closed on Mondays. so we decided to go that day. Not sure if we were supposed to but it was really cool! there were sea horses sharks and tons of other things. Well that's about all we did this week. We are still teaching and looking for new people every day, and searching for a new house to live. Hopefully we find one this week and move!
anyway, I love all of you guys and hope you have an awesome week!
LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

4/11/12

Feliz páscoa!

So I am in Aracaju Sul in a place called Grageru II  and it is awesome. It's the other state in our mission, which means I am no longer in the poorest state in Brazil= so much cleaner, safer, and more organized. My new comp is Elder Bradshaw who leaves the mission after this transfer. I am "killing" him in the mission. I am in the Grageru II ward and there are three cities in my area. So what I was working in the past 6 months of my mission, is now tripled so there is tons more to do. The difference is more walking. about 1 hour and a half to get to the one side of our area to another. Long I know but so worth it!  We should have a lot of success in this area, we just have to work hard and help the most people we can. My trainer is my zone leader! I still haven't left his side since we got transferred. He is the best influence to me and I will never forget him.
haha Thomas is still preparing to go on a mission hilarious! but tell him the he should read the scriptures at least 5 minutes every day too!

So I got here in this area and we already had two investigators at church. More than I had my entire last area! I am pumped to work here.
I can print the emails that you send, the problem is that I don't have much time to read them. Today I read the entire book "our heritage" it isn't very long but I finished it in 4 hours or so. I have never done that in my life.
So in Brazil they have these giant chocolate eggs. That is all that they do for Easter haha.

That is awesome that Bob and Linda are serving a mission!

so I don't have anything that cool to say this week. It was my comps birthday so I made him a dessert, and he had to visit Maceió to get his passport renewed so I am in a threesome until he gets back. Next week I will have more to say and baptisms to talk about!

eu amo vocês e espero que vocês lembrerem sobre o salvador jesus cristo durante este feriado. sempre tenta fazer seus melhores para que possamos viver com Deus novamente.

LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

 

4/2/2012

Hello!
 Conference was awesome! and we got to hear every single session
 including the one that starts 9 at night here, the priesthood session.  Like you said, just listening to the
prophets and apostles speaking shows that our church is true. The
awesome feelings of peace and joy that we get show that the things
they speak are true. Also Richard G. Scott speaks portuguese so he
recorded his talk and they played that instead of the translation. It
was awesome and the spirit is so much stronger when you hear the real
voice of the apostle.
My birthday presents were awesome, they dont have to be on the day for
 it to good. I just had my birthday a little early this year.
 That is soooo awesome that you talked to the vollyball team! I am so
 jealous! Do Josue's parents speak english? Are they members yet? haha
 That is cool that they are winning almost every single game now. Maybe
 this is the year. Tell Taylor that I say hi.
 So I have to explain the pictures that I sent this week. This isn't my
 baptism, but it is in my old area in benedito. So 3 people that Ialways joked with and talked with got baptized! yesterday I got to see
 one of them get baptized and it makes me realize that you dont have to
 do the work to be apart of the work. iIwas just always joking with
 them trying to teach them, but they didnt want anything at that
 moment. The other missionaries got here and they opened up and receive
 the missinary lessons. how cool is that!
 That book sounds really fun, you don't have to send to me on the
 mission, I can wait till I get home to read it.
So I got transfered! tomorrow I find out where I am going, and who is
 my new comp. Next week I will tell you everything that happened during
 transfers. everything here is peachy, excited to leave my area and get
 to know more of brazil. eu estou muito feliz estar aqui no brasil. eu
 sei que isso é o trabalho que eu preciso fazer neste momento. eu penso
 sobre voces muito e sempre estou orando para ajudar voces.
 LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

3/26/2012

hello!
 So I got both packages this week and I already opened them both! and I already used the new shoes! haha everything I got is so cool! especially those straws that make milk chocolate and vanilla milk shake. So weird but so fun!
I wont pay for a box, I will just let it go back to you guys and I am needing more q tips, you can just put them in the next box. No rush and I will never need a new shirt again. I already have 12 haha. Also you can stop with the deodorant at the moment too but thank you!
  I don't think I want anything from the bookstore, maybe the spring addition to the BYU magazine and if they have a book called defense day. I think, in Portuguese its (dia de defesa) try to find it for me:)
What the heck! I cant believe that the girls golf team is going to Hawaii! why did we never go to Hawaii! I am mad at you Yellum haha.
We had one investigator at church! and it looks like he will be baptized this Sunday! finally and its the last week of the transfer. I think I will be leaving this time. Maybe to Sergipe the other state in our mission. I checked the wells fargo card, you guys need to do something and change the info.
That missionary that got hit by a train is the other missionary's (that is living in my house) comp from the mtc. Crazy how small the world is, hopefully he is alright.
so... some stories. We had a meeting this week with our district and we did a practice. 30min to do whatever possible to find people to teach. We talked with 22 people in 30min and opened my mind. Realizing that I can do so much better than I was doing before, and we had an investigator at church because of this!
also that cheesecake in the package was amazing. First thing to go haha
So we did service and I took pictures of my hands after. This old lady cut down her tree, so we had to move the giant branches from one side of the house to the front. It was soooo hard and everything was so heavy. We also had to cut one in half with an axe which is why my hands are jacked. Also i almost died. I was untying a rope and I touched something that felt like string. I looked and it was a spider web, but it wasn't a normal one! it was stronger than thread and the spider on it was humongous! it was a sliver backed one, and for sure was poisonous but it didn't bite me and I am alive:)
 That's all for the week, I love you guys and hope everything is going well!
todos vocês devem praticar seu portuguê para que cuando eu voltar podemos conversar!
amo vocês
LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

3/19/12

Olá!
So it might have been the weight or something like that because I had to pay,a but the mission office didn't get me the paper until it already was sent back:(
I already got one of the packages! It was awesome and has everything that I could ever want. Peanut butter, ties, cheesecake! ping pong what the heck! ha
Elise is serving in the Salt Lake Temple! that is so cool. I heard that mission is really fun, and you can visit her.
So unfortunately we had no one at church again but we taught 17 new people this week so at least we are keeping busy. Everyone we talk to is flaky even the ones that say we are answers to their prayers. It's hard but we know we are doing our best.
Please say hi to the BYU team for me! and happy birthday to Sara for me when you get there.
I got the Easter card too! which was funny and I got a card from Aimee Whitmarsh. I read it in an Australian accent to my roommates haha.
We had an activity this week that was an adventure to the three kingdoms of heaven. Everyone started in an airplane and we had sounds and special effects and everyone died. We then took them to telestial which was in the baptismal font. It's creepy in there when it is dark and empty. Then to the terrestrial which was the relief society room then to the chapel. When we brought them through the cultural hall we made towers of chairs like giant gates, and I dressed up in all white because I am the only white missionary so they said I had to be the angel hhahaha.
and something else hilarious that I thought would never happen in my life. Some guy from Chile came to our ward asking for money on Sunday. I got to practice my Spanish which was AWESOME! I can almost carry on a whole conversation, but my comp had to help me out. Anyway that's all here. I love you guys and hope everyone is doing well!
LOVE ELDER JAKE LANGLOIS

If you want to respond to this email with a letter for Jake, we will forward it on and he will respond back through email when time permits.
He would love to hear from all of you at anytime.  Letters from home are priceless when you are on a mission so far from home.  THANK YOU!

If you want to send a letter through US mail, one piece of paper with an envelope is $.98.


Elder Jake Langlois
Brazil Maceio Mission
Av. Dom Antonio Brandao, 333 Sala 402
Ed. Work Center, Farol
Maceio-AL   57021-190  Brazil