All in French this week!.. *See translation below

Elder Marv and Sister Sue Leavitt with some Togo Missionaries
who met to listen to General Conference.

The Leavitts..."We would like to note in our journal our thoughts on how difficult it is to show just one session on DVD here.  First the buildings are not equipped. They have to resort to putting up a large sheet or some kind of white fabric for a screen.  This is very hard to accomplish as they have to affix it onto a solid concrete wall.  The room albeit large has terrible acoustics and they connect everything from the laptop (which plays the DVD through a projector) to horrible speakers the size of refrigerators which squeal and belch out distorted sounds.  But, the wonderful faithful members just kept coming and coming and coming.  Most of them had to sit outside of the actual building trying to listen as they could not see the screen.  After about 20 minutes somebody tripped over one of the wires which were laid all over the floor and the sound portion was lost…but the DVD kept playing.  We think of our beautiful buildings at home and the ease and efficiency with which we present a program such as this and yet, we take it so much for granted."

"Elder Burks and I at conference... MTC buddies!" 

Bonjour ma chère famille,

     Je suis super content de vous écrire cette semaine! Parce que je vais vous écrire tout en français! Peut-être vous pouvez utiliser GOOGLE TRADUCTION ou bien quelque chose comme ça... Cette semaine c'était bien passer. Il faisait très chaud pendent tout la semaine! Il faut que vous remercier Dieu pour la neige que vous avez chez vous, pendent que je suis ici en train de souffre dans cette chaleur... Ça va aller. J'étais content lorsque j'ai vue les photos de la Turkey Shoot! Cela me manque beaucoup. Si j'étais la bas, j'aurais gagné! Pas Cam... Haha je blague. J'aime beaucoup la photo de Ben et Lucy aussi! Ça m'a fait rire beaucoup! Lucy me manque... Elle va bien? Est-elle toujours plein d’énergie? Je parie qu'elle est! Lorsque je vais rentrer, elle va m'ignorer... Vous aller voir. Mais ça ce n'est pas important. Je suis heureux d'entendre que tout le monde va bien et vous êtes tous content!

     Pour moi, c'est simple.... Comme j'ai dit au-dessus, il fait très chaud ici... Il me rappel de les premières semaines de ma mission... Mais ce n'est pas mauvais. Vous devez juste à l’embrasser, et l'aimer. Pour l'ouvre dans le secteur, on a fixé une date du baptême avec un ami qui s'appelle Felixe.  Augustin et Ghislain sont enthousiaste pour leur baptême pour le premier Décembre.  Tout les autres progresse bien, et je sais bien bien que vos prières nous aide. Et je suis tellement reconnaissent pour ça. Je sais que vous aidez l'ouvre missionnaire ici au Togo et Benin en priant. Merci beaucoup pour cela! Nous espérons d'avoir des baptêmes dans les semaines à venir.     J'étudiai Les Enseignements du Prophète Brigham Young cette semaine aussi et je suis tombé sur un citation que je veux partager avec vous. Je vais laisser ça en anglais haha. Il a dit au propos de la prière,"It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do." I am going to say this in English because I want you to for sure understand it haha. I want this quote stickerizd and put on my wall in my room! That would be a good welcome home present for sure! :) Merci beaucoup! Mais oui, lorsque j'ai lu ça, je suis tombé en amour avec elle tout de suite. Cette citation ici nous montre l'importance de la prière. Et ça nous montre aussi que Satan est toujours la pour nous dire, "Eh... ce n'est pas grave si vous ne priez pas... Vous n’êtes pas même digne a prier. Pour laisser ça et faire quelque chose autre." Mais nous devons toujours prier!!! C'est notre responsabilité. Et aussi nous ne savons pas même combien des bénédictions nous pouvons recevoir par la prière. Donc c'est ça un peu la citation que j'aime beaucoup... Je suis sérieuse au propos de la sticker... Haha. J veux aussi partager une citation que j'aime beaucoup qui vienne de "Jésus le Christ" au propos de la bonheur contre le plaisir. Talmage a dit, "Happiness includes all that is really desirable and of true worth in pleasure, and much besides. Happiness is genuine gold, pleasure but gilded brass, which corrodes in the hand, and is soon converted into poisonous verdigris. Happiness is as the genuine diamond, which, rough or polished, shines with its own inimitable luster; pleasure is as the paste imitation that glows only when artificially embellished. Happiness is as the ruby, red as the heart’s blood, hard and enduring; pleasure, as stained glass, soft, brittle, and of but transitory beauty... Happiness leaves no bad after-taste, it is followed by no depressing reaction; it calls for no repentance, brings no regret, entails no remorse; pleasure too often makes necessary repentance, contrition, and suffering; and, if indulged to the extreme, it brings degradation and destruction..." Je ne peux pas même exprimer mes sentiments de cette citation... Je l'aime trop! Peut-être vous pouvez fabriquer une plaque pour moi avec les paroles dedans! Haha je blague. Mais peut-être... Alors, c'est ça un peu que j'ai étudié et appris cette semaine! 

     Je suis désolé si vous ne pouvez pas arriver de comprendre cette e-mail... Je voulais l'essayer un fois haha. Je vous aime tous, et je vous remercie pour tout ce que vous faite pour moi. Je n'ai pas encore reçu les discoures de la Conférence... Mais je sais que ça va venir. Merci pour la lettre. Je ne peux pas vous arrêter! Je vous aime ma famille! Avoir une très bonne semaine!  

                                                                   Avec amour,
                                                                             Elder Landon Dean Layton

PS: Tell Anastasia congratulations on her mission call! She is gonna be an awesome missionary!

Pic, Elder Burks and I at conference... MTC buddies! 

GOOGLE TRANSLATION... Not a perfect translation but I hope you'll get the message even through the weird translations. Makes it kinda hard to edit out what I need to but I think I got it!

Hello my dear family,

Hot, Hot, HOT! Humidity: 89%

     I'm very happy to write you this week! Because I'll write all in French! Maybe you can use GOOGLE TRANSLATION or something like that ... This week it was passing. It was very hot all week hanging! You must thank God for the snow that you have at home, I'm hanging here currently suffering in this heat ... It's okay. I was happy when I saw the pictures of the Turkey Shoot! I miss it a lot. If I was over there, I would have won! No Cam ... Haha just kidding. I love the photo of Ben and Lucy too! It made me laugh a lot! Lucy I miss ... Is she okay? Is it still full of energy? I bet it is!When I go back, it will ignore me ... You go. But that is not important. I'm glad to hear that everyone is well and you are all happy! 

Turkey Shoot at the Gun Club

Ben and Lucy

      For me it is simple .... As I said above, it is very hot here ... It reminds me of the first few weeks of my mission ... But it is not bad. You just have to embrace it, and love it. To open in the area, we set a date of baptism with a friend called Felixe. He is progressing well. All other friends will too. Augustine and Ghislain are enthusiastic for their baptism on December 1.  Both are very nice. Everyone else is progressing well, and I know well that your prayers help us. And I'm so agree to that. I know that you are helping the missionary opens here in Togo and Benin praying.Thank you very much for this! We hope to have baptisms in the coming weeks.

     I studied the teachings of the Prophet Brigham Young this week and I also came across a quote that I want to share with you. I'll leave that in English. He told about prayer, "It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do." I am going to say this in English because i want you to Understand it for sure haha. I want this quote stickerized and put on my wall in my room! That would be a good welcome home present for sure! :) Thanks a lot! But yes, when I read it, I fell in love with it immediately. This quote here shows us the importance of prayer.And it also shows us that Satan is always there to say, "Well ... it does not matter if you do not pray ... You're not even worthy to pray. To leave it and do something other. " But we must always pray! It is our responsibility. And also we do not even know how many blessings we receive through prayer. So that's a little quote that I love ... I'm serious about the sticker ... Haha. I also want to share a quote that I love that comes from "Jesus the Christ" at about happiness against pleasure. Talmage said, "Happiness includes all that is really desirable and of true worth in pleasure, and much besides. Happiness is genuine gold, pleasure but gilded brass, which corrodes in the hand, and is soon converted into poisonous verdigris. Happiness is as the genuine diamond, which, rough or polished, shines with its own inimitable luster; pleasure is as the paste imitation that glows only when artificially embellished. Happiness is as the ruby, red as the heart’s blood, hard and enduring; pleasure, as stained glass, soft, brittle, and of but transitory beauty... Happiness leaves no bad after-taste, it is followed by no depressing reaction; it calls for no repentance, brings no regret, entails no remorse; pleasure too often makes necessary repentance, contrition, and suffering; and, if indulged to the extreme, it brings degradation and destruction..." I can not even express my feelings in this quote ... I love it too! Maybe you can make a plate for me with the words in it! Haha just kidding. But maybe ... So that's a bit that I studied and learned this week! 

     I'm sorry if you can not come to understand that e-mail ... I wanted to try one time haha. I love you all and thank you for everything you done for me. I have not yet received discoures Conference ... But I know it will come. Thank you for the letter. I love my family! Have a great week!
                                                                With love,
                                                                             Elder Dean Landon Layton
PS: Tell Anastasia congratulations on her Mission call! She is gonna be an awesome missionary!