"Loving the new area and companion, Strong military Members, 20 in 12, & "If you Don't get it, Live it!"

My mom asked me a bunch of questions regarding my new area.  I was transferred last Tuesday to Fort Brag, Fayetteville, so I thought I would answer them for all of you in the blog.

1. My companion and I do not live on the base of Fort Brag, but we live basically a mile away from a gate. I got a nice 3 month pass, and we can go on and off as we please. The ward we cover is completely on Fort brag, however the YSA is a double stake combined branch, which covers all of Fayettville west, and the Fayettville stakes.  We drive a nice Jetta too!  Too much fun switching to a manual  ;))

2. My new companion's name is Elder Holt! I love him to death... Haha.   We are two peas in a pod! We're already best friends! A couple times we've looked at each other and wondered... "Have we really been together only less than a week?"  We're the answer to each other's prayers. We're ready to help this zone catch on serious fire! He's got a goal of 20 baptisms in 12 weeks and we're going to make it happen!  Two our already on our way!

3. My companion is from Nevada in a small town called Caliente. He says people there have gas cans they keep just for those people that drive through and get stuck... Haha   He's so great.  I'll have to send some pictures/ take some soon!

4. Yes, I'm still a zone leader, but just over a different zone now. Just to quickly break up the leadership, (Remember every missionary is equally effective and important wherever he serves! Some just need a bit more accountability so they give them more stuff to do ;)) President - 2 assistants - 12 zone leaders - about 20 district leaders - a bunch of trainers - senior companions - junior companions.

5. Man I love the ward here! These people are so dedicated and sacrifice so much... I can't imagine what these families go through having their husbands constantly deploy... They're some of the strongest people that I've met! They're incredible! The relief society president gave a talk on Sunday, (Sister Horn, she's great! I've been mauled by her wonderful children!) She spoke about how she was pregnant, and was called to be the relief society president, all right before her husband was deployed... She's a tank. All of the families we've been to are just incredible, fantastic members that are so structured, disciplined, and just good, friendly people. I'm so spoiled to serve here! It's way too much fun!

6. I've tried to convince my companion to sing a duet w/ me in sacrament meeting, and I think I'm just going to go and tell them we'd like to sing one of these times and just see what happens... -_- I've picked up singing btw... and I get a chance to play the piano every morning at the church before exercise. I'm taking full advantage of all the time I have to make the most out of it!

7.  We have some great investigators.  We're teaching a girl.  (I guess this happened right before I got here.  They set up a booth at a college campus to talk to some people).  She came to church!  We taught her briefly after sacrament meeting, and she said she was really touched by Moroni 10:32-33 and enjoyed church a lot!  We're seeing her tonight at a huge YSA (Young Single Adult),  activity at the stake president's house.)
We're also teaching a great, skinny, Samoan.   He's been a member all his life, yet never got baptized... So that's been really good to teach him! 

8. (A side note...).  On Fort Brag, we're not allowed to proselyte at all on base, so we have to work only by referrals and less active members. It's a whole different ball game, but it's a lot of fun!  We get to work really closely with a lot of members, and they instantly know what's going on and how to be great missionaries. These people are the professionals at putting cookies on your neighbor's porch, and other co-op missions.

9. Another experience I had this week was pretty revealing, and a little crazy.... I was on an exchange with our ward mission leader, while my companion was at the temple with a convert of his.  We went to go and teach this less active member who hadn't been to church in a while... We started to talk about his daily scripture reading, and we cut to the chase. I asked him why he wouldn't be able to read the Book of Mormon on a daily basis?  He was training to be a green beret, and we met in his small little barrack.  He answered my question and he said,  "Alright, but I just don't believe that the church is true anymore. Great this, great that, but I don't believe."  We went deeper and asked, "Why not?" He went on to talk about how he believes that the word of wisdom is something that is completely off in it's course. He made a great argument, and brought up strong reasons, in which the member I was with began to spew off reasons why it was made.  How it was a law of the church for luxury, to look better in the public eye to get some money, and some also, great sounding reasons. The spirit was strong as I felt the need to testify that all of these things do NOT matter...  I told him it is having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his gospel, his revelation in which he's given us today. That is all. If Christ tells us through his prophet to jump on one leg heading towards our car on Tuesdays, you better believe I'll be doing it! Not because it makes sense to me, but because he said so, and, "His ways are not my ways" and his love is deeper than mine. It was sad to see after all of this, with a full understanding of faith, that he still held to his view of the word of wisdom. I admonished him to search for what he thought was truth, and told him, that if he read the Book of Mormon just ten minutes a day, he'd receive the answer he was looking for. He agreed. He said that we'd been pretty honest and blunt with him.  I told him that if I didn't know that it was true, than I wouldn't be so persistent, and probably wouldn't care as much. That helped him out a bit.   Great lesson!  A great testimony builder of my faith in Christ, showing us that,  "if you don't get it, live it, and it'll come, but only after you live it."  (John7:17).

Well,  time's up...  Good week  though...I love you all!!!!!  Stay strong in the faith, and act!!!

Love,  Elder Langford

"Good-bye Wilmington - Hello Fort Brag and YSA's, and Be a winning Coach and bring Souls to Christ."

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Hello everyone!!
I have two minutes to put this blog together.....

1. I'm being transferred tomorrow morning and GOING TO FAYETTVILLE!!  I'm going to the Fayetteville Fort Brag Ward plus the YSA Ward!!  It'll go great!  I'm really excited for it. It's bitter sweet, but it always happens at the right time in the Lord's eyes.

2... I've LEAVING WILMINGTON! see #1

3. I'm going to miss all of these people so much!!  They're  so great!!  I wish I could say all their names and how much so many people have done for me... Truly my cup runneth over... I was able to give two talks this Sunday  in both wards.  I didn't have any time to prepare anything, but I gave two five minutish talks about the great  blessings that we have as we share the gospel!! Think about who receives the most joy when a basketball team wins... some think it's the fans, some think it's the players, some even think it's the franchise owner, but some know, that it's the coach who recieves the most joy.  Share what you know!! :D

4. I likened my time in Wilmington to a goood time in Cici's (all you can eat restaurant). ... like a buffet that just keeps on going, but eventually, has to momentarily end!! 

I love you all so much!!  wish I could say more,  because I have  a lot to say, but I'm out of time and I'm sure next monday I'll have even more to say!! :D :D

Love you all,
Elder Langford

"Gummy Bears Against the Word of Wisdom?, Following Promptings of the Lord, the Gift of Tongues, Feeling Medically Savy, & Not in Denial."

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OK everyone!  

 

I had a fantastic15 point blog to write, but for the first time in well, many months, my mission president wrote and asked how I was doing.  Even though it looked really simple, it was a good soul searching question so I just finished answering that!  :)

 

Ok! Sorry but little time left! Here are some of the good points for the week!

1. Someone asked a great question about the atonement, (summed up), Why did Christ have to die? Summed up answer, (1 John3 :16 -not to be mistaken with, but can correspond with, John 3:16).  If you have a second, look it up!

 

2.  A less active really opened up about a prompting he recevied for another, and asked how he could receive more promptings for his family as the father of his home? We had a great discussion on the importance of being worthy for those promptings, and living our lives in a way that we're always receptive to the Holy Ghost.  We will be following up with him and his family!

 

3. On a funny note, I asked president one night, "Is it against the word of wisdom to eat 50 gummy bears in a day?"  He said, "I'd like to see you try and eat 50 carrots." Hahaha little does he know, I have.

 

4.  Alma 4:25! A great message of endurance and trusting the Lord.   It's only after all of the slaps and the smiting from everyone, everything, and everywhere, that Alma and Amulek finally catch a break of deliverance! Hang in till the end!

 

5. I shredded some skin on the top of my foot playing basketball a couple days ago, and my mom'd be so proud.  I wrapped those suckers up with cream and everything! I felt so medically savy. Good times. Note to self: Don't play basketball barefoot with the YSA's.   :D

 

6. We were at a district meeting doing a role play, and I felt to bear a powerful testimony on the redeeming love of our Savior, and it was so powerful... The elder started crying, and he didn't even speak english! What a testimony it is to me.   :)

 

7.  Ahh! Got to skip down my list, out of time! Anyway, we had a fantastic stake conference allll about missionary work and finding the one.  Directly after this meeting, I felt impressed to talk to one of the members who was there, and at first she said there wasn't really anything, and then I mentioned that I had felt prompted to speak with her.  It was really neat how she began to open up about a loved one who was inactive, and how she wanted us to come over for dinner to help her and talk about it!  Incredible thing!  :)

 
8. We went on an exchange with a brand new elder, and I was talking to him that night.  He mentioned how his testimony was wavering, and how he was struggling. I felt prompted to give him some words of counsel, and he paused and told me that I had almost quoted a good paragraph of his partriarcal blessing...

 

It's been a fantastic week, and I'm so grateful for my Savior and all that he's done for me, and the help that he's given me to bless the lives of others.  :) 

I'm so grateful to be serving and I'm SOOO GLAD I'M A YOUNG MISSIONARY NOT GOING HOME SOON! (not in denial).

 

 I love you all sooo much!!   Elder Langford

"Fish Tacos VS Tofu, Children are Perfect, Sister Missionaries are always 100% right, Awesome Coconut Birthday Cake."

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Sooo... Top ten for this week!!

1. Has anyone ever had fish tacos? They're super good! We had a lesson in a member's home, in which the investigator was vegetarian, so in result, we had both fish and tofu tacos! I tell you what, tofu tastes like.... tofu.... and that's probably why I won't have too much of it for the remainder of my days...The fish tacos were so delicious though! They tasted like the ocean, minus the excess of salt and sogginess..with your mind it doesn't make sense, but in your heart, you know what I mean!  The investigator asked a lot of good questions about infant baptism, and if those children are sinless...  We talked about how when a five year old pushes his litter sister down the stairs or steps on her foot, it's still a bad thing, and just as much a sin ask if I were to do it to my companion, (so I Don't; probably because I love him as well!) But the difference is, that Jesus Christ, being our advocate, chose to allow little children under 8, to be free of accountability from the law. As we know, with no law, comes no sin, for they are not held accountable, by the grace of Christ who's blood sufficiently covers their innocence. Though there have been times when we can question the innocence of our children, Christ doesn't, until they're eight, so sometimes we have to learn to endure till the beginning for the true remorse of conscience to kick in through disobedience to divine law.   Oh and I promised the member I'd eat a prune. To be as plain as possible, it tasted like soggy fruit leather, with a pinch of DISGUSTING. More of in the tofu food group.

2. We had a fantastic Zone meeting, in which we talked about hastening the work! It's a biiiiiig deal! The apostles say so! Which in translation says that our Savior is telling us so! It's pretty great to see that we're ready for this new revelation of how our missionary work can be enhanced. I've pondered before what revelation we'd be able to receive if we were on a more righteous plane overall throughout the world (including me!) We all could be higher!). I wonder what the brotheren would talk about... probably more doctrine, and less re-evaluating things... Anyway, we had a good talk about the importance of a teaching pool, and how the culture of finding really works. When you think of a pool, (I know my dad was a pool bibber for a while) you like to naturally think that you play in the water, until the water runs out... Anyone who's been in a pool or has worked on a pool, knows that it takes constant care and a recycling of water to maintain a successful... pool. The same applies for our teaching pools out here in the mission. we must master the usage of the chemicals we've been given through our personal efforts to understand and use the spirit, to learn how to properly clean, and maintain our teaching pools.There are those ready to be taught, that just need some extra cleansing, and there are those snicker's bars that just need to be taken out for now. It was a great meeting full of testimonies, and a great sermon on charity by our beloved sister missionaries. (By the way, anything a sister missionary says is usually 100% right, with the occasional 70-75% maybe not answers...). We love them and they've set a great example throughout the meetings. One of the sisters is a blatent image of what Hollie Looks and acts like... If hollie were to be a missionary, I think I already have agood feel of where she'd be at. pretty good :)

3. Did I say ten? Heh... trying to think off the top of my head here...
YES, the YSA has called a new ward mission leader, in who we are already near and dear to. He's told us that he's ready to take this branch to the next level, and to take it to it's potential it's been ready to reach for a while! We set some great goals, had a whole fifth sunday to talk about them, and we're interviewing every member of the branch that we can get at the meetings and activities to see what missionary work means to them... Things have been good, and it was good to report these things to the Stake President this morning via our conference call. I love being able to work alongside so many missionaries and church leadership. I've really been able to see how things work. Just as the Savior is the ultimate source of truth, light, and knowledge, allowing us to have faith, and to believe in his Hope of Eternal Glory, The more we learn about any topic the more we're able to understand the workings and functions behind it, and most importantly, the ones that are bending over backwards to make these things happen. I Hope I can have the opportunity one day to participate in some of these meetings, and to be an active force in the missionary work, and welfare of whatever branch or ward I get to serve in during and post this state of probation in the mission.

4. Well it turns out it's the top four.. .I need to go here soon! Up to a lot of things today :) I'm always grateful to be able to write y'all and I will try to get some longer more effective blogs out for the next maaany weeks, because there's wayyy tooo many to count... 

5. Hahahah PS: (5 not four today). (So of you might know I do NOT like cake of any kind.)  The ward mission leader's wife, dear Sister Maynes, baked me a whole coconut cake for my birthday! I took a nice big ol bite, and told her in detail how delicious of a combination it is when the flakes of coconut combine together with the tangy, soft and tender cake inside, being mixed together with a nice layer of icing, creating the impression of a seasoned gummy bear from the tropics! She saw right through me and said, "Someone said you didn't like cake..." Hahahaha I tried to like it!!! But we're good, and I've been forgiven! :) Ok really gotta go now! I love you all sooo much and I'll see you in a long time!!

Love, Elder Langford

#6:  (This is Kristi again.  I know Jeff wishes he had longer but today marks only 100 days left!)

"Opposums don't play dead, Amazing Area Mission Meeting, & Signing up for Another Year."

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Ok, so time's like gone!!  I'm so sorry everyone....  I keep saying that I'll fill this blog up to the brim, but just have not yet. Never enough time.  I will repent!  I'll get on it :)

We cleaned out a member's shed a couple days ago, in which no one had been into for a number of decades... Sure enough, there was a POSSUM... about 4 by 3 feet big...Haha!!  It didn't play dead! We got a box and a stick and chased it out and up a tree... Pretty crazy... Moral of the story... clean things at least once every ten years, or you may be cursed with a possum!  :-)

Also, we had a marvelous meeting with an area authority, all of the stake presidents in our mission, the Mission President, President Monson (just kidding), and all the other zone leaders... It was so incredible!  It was great to share our thoughts together in hastening the work. If you don't know what hastening the work is, I'd invite you to go onto lds.org  and look it up!  The brethren have labeled this as big as the restoration of this last dispensation, and the restoration of the priesthood to all worthy men. It's a pretty big deal.. We've doubled our baptismal goal, and had a great discussion about focusing on the one. It really sunk into my heart, enough that as we got home from dinner, I expounded and likened basically the whole meeting to a game of cornhole (beanbag toss).... We're going to be teaching our great zone of 17 companionships the things we've been taught, and I hope and pray that they can get the same understanding that we were able to feast upon!  What a great week it's been!

Now I know, I need to  be better at blogs... Next time you'll get a whole spew of new things. I love you all soooo much however, I will NOT see you soon because I've got soooooo many days left! I might as well serve another year!!!  Have a great week everyone!!!!
Love, Elder Langford

(This is Kristi. Elder Langford May not be counting but I am. As of today, only 107 days left. Elder Langford will be home on June 18!!  I think I may be looking more forward to it than he is!! 😃)