JEFF'S (ELDER LANGFORD'S LETTER)

November 26, 2012

FIRST BAPTISMS!!

Ah, Okay,  I have no time at all, because I wrote Kaitlyn about her crazy news!!! That’s sooo great that she’s going (on a mission), and I’m hoping the best for her!!!! Haha funny story real quick… the sister missionaries called, and asked to borrow some mayonnaise, but she said it with a weird accent, so it sounded like babies… so I asked, without even thinking about it, “how many babies do you want?” oh gosh… that was pretty awkward… not exactly the question to ask a sister missionary… so that was pretty funny!   XD she’s like almost old enough to be..... way older than me! So that was weird. Ha anyway…

Thanksgiving was fantastic! We definitely got fed beyond fed! Two dinners on the day, and one dinner the next day! Great, great members and investigators!

Ah wish I had more time, but remind me next week (mom) to write about Bro. Proulx! Great investigator!

PS:  Exciting News!! There’s a baptism on Wednesday for two of the Rivera children on Wednesday, and they’ve asked me to baptize them! That’s pretty supppppper exciting  :D :D :D :D  Hopefully I’ll send some good reports about that next week as well! Love you all! Sorry it’s short.   Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and is thankful for the countless blessing we have every single day! Be it the air you breathe, or the house over your head, the family tree, or the nice warm bed. Remember that it’s all a gift, from the almighty Savior, whose love is…. Swift. :D made that up on the spot. Revelation right there. Love you all!!!! Bye till next week!!!  Love, Elder Langford

Elder Langford Update:

November 19, 2012

Hello everyone,

Whew! As always, a little rushed today on the time circuit, but yeah this week’s been a little dull in comparison! Haha we’ve had some great active member lessons, but a lot of appointments have just fallen through this week for countless reasons! So we’ve really tried to find what’s going on, and have set goals and made plans to correct the effectiveness to get the work down here back to where it used to be!

We had a couple bible bashers this week as well. They’re so funny… one seemed really interested in what we  believe, but we quickly came to realize that he was trying to disprove us… haha he said “oh if only my mom was here, she’s been doing a study on Mormonism and could tell you how it all really happened”.  Good thing we actually know what we’re talking about :D God loves him too! Hopefully the static between the two of them thins over the years!

Just a side note, our district leader was transferred, and now the assistant has been moved as our new district leader! Crazy!! We’re going to learn a lot very quickly and we’re pretty excited!!

I have gotten into a siracha bowl madness! I’ve invented this awesome dish, and I actually made it for some members for a dinner! They said I should send it to ‘betty crocker’! I guess there’s hope in my culinary career ;)

 Ahhh we have to go, we’re getting moved out of the computer room here for a class. But really quick, we had awesome service project cleaning out the cages of raptors! I totally almost got my head taken off by a hawk! I’ll send pictures.  It was pretty crazy! Anyway, I love you all.  Have to go now looooveee you!!!!! Bye! You’re beautiful everyone of you!!! K Bye! Love, Elder Langford

Mountains & Valleys

Elder Langford's Update: November 12, 2012

Hello everyone!

Whew ok I have almost zero time, all the time! So it’s time to write fast!

 So first off, we have this great young marine, who is just progressing like a jet, and is soaking everything in so well, just a solid investigator to the gospel! Hahaha and we were having a lesson with him, in a family in the ward’s house with their kids, and we pull out a scripture near the beginning where Nephi’s talking about faith to his brothers, and I ask him, “I’m sure you’ve read quite a bit about Laman and Lemuel so far?” and he said, “ oh yeah, Laman and Lemuel are *** holes” :) hahahahahahahaha! Oh man it shouldn’t be funny, but it really was! In front of the whole family! We were trying so hard not to laugh! He’s a great guy, and he’s going to be baptized on the 28^th, but, haha he’s got a marine’s mouth here and there… soooo funny.

We had a great miracle one day! We had this appointment scheduled for later in the day with a less active women who hadn’t been to church in over 20 years. She said that she felt she needed help, and that Satan was getting into her life. Elder Clegg and I really wanted to prepare for this lesson, so we did a little fast, and we really tried to stay focused and full of the spirit that day. When we got there, we had a perfect lesson with her. She spilled out a life story of all sorts of trials and tribulations that were tremendous and wide spread… we gave her some scriptures at the end, blessed her home, and gave her a blessing. It was such a powerful blessing given by the spirit… it was incredible how the connection was made between what she needed to hear, and how God wanted to tell her it. If we hadn’t  fasted, we wouldn’t have been able to have such a guided lesson for her. We sang her a hymn as well as we left, (me singing… and she still wants us to come back). She bonded with the members we took with us extremely well, and is getting great fellowship.... always a great reminder to see how much God loves all his children, and is always waiting for them to come back unto him, so that he can reward them with all the blessings he has waiting in store.

Ah don’t have too much time, but this week  has been a week of many mountains and valleys… we’ve had some high points, and some low points. I’m convinced that the mission field is probably best described, as a big, tall, mountain range… It takes so much work sometimes to get to the top of a peak, but when you’re at the top, it’s all worth it everytime. When you receive for even just a moment the perspective God has for the area and the people in it, and the role that you play in that process, every single hard day or moment seems to disappear, and only add to the joy of the feeling. But, it’s not just one mountain climbed and done, it’s a mountain range, meaning that you don’t always get to that point and stay, you have to climb up and down every second of every day. It’s a non-stop thing! It’s so key in those moments to remember what’s at the top, and that, there is a top of the mountain! There’s always hope, and a purpose to every steep area, and strenuous path we take as we climb! God knows what’s at the top, and he knows that there’s no point of getting to the top, unless we have the experience of scaling the slope, and working towards it. We’ve been on the peaks and the valleys of the mountains this week, and are staying positive and upbeat about everything! Wish I had more time, but Just a quick bare of the testimony that the whole range analogy applies to each one of us in every day lives! If you feel like the climb’s just ridiculous and pointless, give a call to the man at the top (God), and ask him for directions, and I know when you do, he’ll also remind you how great it is once you get to the top of your next mountain, so hang in there! I love you all sooo much! I’m eating my veggies and staying healthy! I pulled my arm out, but it’s feeling better! Hope no one’s seriously injured! ( if so let me know :) ) LOVE YOU!!!!  

Elder Langford

ldejjLlllllllLangLangford

"Little Drummer Elder"

November 5, 2012 

Hey everyone!  Crazy week! Some of this just got erased so I've got to be super quick! So we had a 'blitz' on Tuesday, which means the zone leaders come, and Elder Clegg and I switch up, and have to both make our separate plans, and back up plans! It was crazy! But it actually went really, really well! Tell you what though, they gave us quite the chastisement! Haha! They said we're doing great, but there's this and this and this... so we've been working on fixing around the edges! It's all about being confidently humble, and being willing to take criticism when it's offered so freely!

Then for Halloween, we went to a four hour meeting, with a two hour commute. Whoot! Whoot! After we got home though, we went to an investigator's house, and found out that he had literally nothing... he had nothing to feed both him and his mom... So right as we walked out, Elder Clegg and I had the same idea instantly. We have such a packed freezer with things we'll never really get to! So we bagged it, put it on his porch, and doorbell ditched him!! We came back the next day, and he said he had a miracle from God, and it had come at a perfect time! So awesome! We were both so glad, and so humbled to be able to be a tool in his hands like that!

We also had a really good lesson on the Plan of Salvation with the Rivera family. We've really gotten close to this family, and look forward to their baptism on the 17th :D It's such a blessing to see people change, and watching them really repent, and strive to live more as Christ. That's why I'm here!  Moments and lessons like that, make every single hard moment fade in the distance!!

Ohhhhhh baby!!! Dream came true this week! We taught a less active family and LOW AND BEHOLD there was a drum set in the main room!!!! After the lesson they wanted to hear if I could play, so I got to play for like a solid ten minutes! Man that was freaking awesome! That's my guilty pleasure of the week!! We're going back for dinner sometime, so perhaps we'll have to play a little bit more. Can't argue with that! HaHa tender mercy of the Lord!

One thing that has been awesome, is the relationship we have with the ward. When I first got to the area, the people were a little bit distant with the missionaries and didn't really know us too well. Now I can easily say that we're a big part of the ward, and work extremely close with them! We have a dinner basically every day this month at a member's house (here comes the weight), and sadly, now that I only have six weeks left here (I assume),  I'm starting to miss people! You really understand what it means to love the people on your mission when you experience it, and I can really see why people would come back to their mission areas... it's all about the people you're with, never the area!

Ahhhh man. It's just been a really great week overall. Miracles are happening left and right, and we're teaching more than we ever have! I can't wait to see what happens next, and I can't wait for the Rivera's baptism!

Oh another thing I forgot to mention, a less active we've been working with has had a MIGHTY change of heart! He's one of the most active people I know, and bore such a powerful testimony yesterday! Sooooo good :) I love so much to see people changing their lives and coming to Christ! People really can change! Never give up!

PS: The primary program's next week, and I couldn't be more excited! I love you allllllll so much!!!!!!!!!! I appreciate and try my best to put all your prayers to use!!!!! God bless you!  Love, Elder Langford