My name is Jacob van Langen, or better known when I was in the branch as Elder van Langen or 范長老. I was in the branch from July 1996 to May 1998 with President Graff as Mission President and Presidents Foulger and Chiang. At the time I arrived in the branch, my companion was Elder Evan Smith with Elder Lincoln Bryce and Elder Phil Hanks also serving in the branch. My other companions were Elder Todd Hellyar, Elder Jeffrey Cahoon, and Elder Curtis Hellman.
It is hard to single out any one or two of my most memorable experiences while in the branch as the whole time was such a great experience for me and something I reflect back on often. To this day, the commitment and faith of the members in this branch, so willing to invite strangers in to their homes and fellowship them in the gospel or just to be a friend to them in this new country (as many of those we taught were new in this country from China, Taiwan, Hongkong or other places) is one of the most notable points that I have taken away from my time in the branch. The love and charity that the members, many of which were new members, gave to those around them has been a great example to me to this day.
Since my mission, I have had many opportunities to expand my knowledge and understanding of the Chinese language and culture. I am now (somewhat) settled down with my wife and two children in Orem, UT. My wife, Christine, is from Wuhan, Hubei, China, where we met in 1999, working together as Cruise Hosts on river boats in the Three Gorges Dam area (sailing between Wuhan and Chongqing). We have now been married 10 years and lived almost four of those years in China, where my oldest son Cory was born. Cory is now eight years old and was baptized last year. We also have a little girl, Jasmine, who is two and a half years old.
Currently, I work full time as a Product Manager in the eCommerce Division of a company called HandStands, in Bluffdale, UT. I get to work with a variety of products doing sourcing in China and managing the production and logistics of bringing in the products and getting them setup for online sales. Work does occasionally (about once a year) take me back to China, where, in addition to the work, I get to eat real Chinese food—I can’t stand Panda Express or other so called Chinese food restaurants—only the real thing for me! My wife and I also run two businesses in our “spare time” that keep us extremely busy and have been both rewarding and challenging. At this time we attend the BYU Chinese Ward (family ward) which has had multiple ties to the Montgomery Chinese Branch, whether past members, family, or members of our ward here moving in to Maryland.
I like to stay connected, so please add me on Facebook, and if you use LinkedIn, I am also registered there and am always looking to expand my network. I have a background in a variety of industries including: Cleanrooms (Electronics, Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, etc.), Construction (in relation to Cleanrooms), Teaching & Training, Tourism, Manufacturing, Import & Export, Retail, Consumer Products, Logistics, eCommerce and others. With my extensive network I am happy to introduce people to each other. Look me up if anyone makes it to Utah!
