The snow is never ending here and just when I think I’ve had enough I look out the window and witness the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets over a white covered land. It may not be ideal to always have snow but sometimes it is a beautiful reminder that even in winter things can be magnificent. | This year we have to use our own bags at the grocery store or pay 10c for the store plastic bags. I decided to just buy 5 of my own reusable bags and was pleasantly surprised when all of my groceries fit in all five without any problems. | I’m always amazed by Abby’s beauty. She asked me to take her photo one morning for her audition paperwork for the HS musical. | Madeline always likes to be the first one on the bus in the mornings. She and her friend Easton are usually the first ones to line up for the bus. | It’s been a while since I’ve made ricotta filled shells for dinner. I used dairy free cottage cheese for Emma’s shells and ricotta for the rest and they turned out really well. | For the combined youth activity tonight, we had a Bob Ross night and each of the kids learned how to paint their own Bob Ross painting. | Madeline and Easton loved eating the Mickey Mouse ice-creams that I got for them during one of their Friday playdates. | Madeline has been doing so well on her recent spelling tests. Some of the words they have to spell are pretty difficult for a first grader. | Madeline has become quite the good reader. She found her Humphrey book that we started last year and tried reading some of the sentences all by herself during dinner one night. | With all the exercising I have been doing I have found that doing compression with the Normatec has really helped me with my recovery. | Madeline got new pink snow boots and was so excited to wear them to school for the first time. | After a weekend of not feeling well, Madeline stayed home from school and watched TV all day in my bed. When I told her she should take a nap, she wasn’t too happy about it. I told her I was going to take a nap on the couch, so she got her blanket and before long she was fast asleep. | For our super combined youth activity, we went to the Planetarium at the AFA. We all had such a good time. I love our Class 2 girls. They are so fun and hilarious! | Mike and I made ratatouille for dinner, and it turned out so well. All of the girls loved it including Madeline. | Abby was cast in the high school musical Bye Bye Birdie as Randolph, and she is beyond excited for this new venture. She loves theater and her theatre friends.

​Emma’s Advanced Jazz Band was nominated by the CMEA (Colorado Music Educators Association) as one of the top 2 best jazz bands in Colorado, along with Montrose HS. It was a huge honor to be selected. They were invited to play during the CMEA weekend at the Broadmoor and had an hour-long concert where they played seven songs. It was the best high school jazz concert I had ever been to, and this was the best I had ever heard this band play. They sounded amazing and so professional. The ballroom where they performed was so beautiful and the perfect location for a classy jazz concert. I was so moved by how amazingly talented Emma and the other musicians were in this select group. 

​Mahupat Na Gabi!!!
 
Hey everyone! It’s been a crazy week full of so many good and bad moments. It’s been raining again, a lot, and so I've accepted the fact that I will spend most of the mission completely soaked. Even though the days are often hard, I have found so much joy here. The language is slowly getting better but it is still the most confusing thing ever created. 
 
An Elder brought up a very important point to me this week that I think is imperative that I share. He described how it’s hard to be a baby because when your back is itchy and you cry for help, everyone will just think you’re hungry. Can you imagine that you had an insatiable itch on your back and instead of helping you someone just shoved food down your throat? What a terrible thought. How awful it must be to exist as a baby.
 
Also, my area just got bikes but so far that has been a double-edged sword. Before getting bikes, we would spend a third to a half of our funds on travel alone. To say the least, we save a good amount of money now. It is, however, a little sketchy when riding the bikes through the jungle or on the roads. Most nights when we bike back to our apartment it is pouring rain and so we get absolutely soaked. It's pretty precarious because we're biking on a highway with very little visibility, but it's always fun, nonetheless. I'm wearing a helmet so I should be fine... hopefully. 
 
This week I had a thought when I was riding through the jungle at night. Elder Ramos, my trainer, always takes the lead because he has the light. It’s not a very bright and so only the path directly around his bike is illuminated. I have found that its essential that I focus on that small light. If I attempt to look right in front of my bike or too far ahead, I will probably fall or run into a tree. The jungle is nearly pitch black through most of the forest and so his light is the only way I am able to see. This is very alike to times in our life when the decisions we have make become hard. All around us is a pitch-black darkness and you can't even see where to turn. However, there is a light barely ahead of us. It leads us on through the darkness, guiding us in our choices no matter the terrain. We may not always understand why it’s turning, slowing down, or speeding up, but as we follow it, we will gain a testimony that it will not lead us astray. This leader is Jesus Christ and the light around him is his truth. Ether 4:12 says "I am the same that leadeth men to all good... I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world." As we follow Christ and his light, we will be led to make the right decisions. As I've strived to center my life on Christ, I've made so many better decisions, and when I make mistakes, I know I can always find my way back. I know he only leadeth men to do good and through him we will find the truth in all things. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen 
 
Again, thank you all for your emails I hope you have a great week. Hinay!!!!!
 
Elder Wilhelm

​The day after Mike got back from his reserve duty training in DC, we decided to head out on the snowshoes to one of our favorite places. We love snowshoeing and hiking at Spruce Mountain Open Space. There aren’t usually a ton of people there which is nice. The first part of our hike was filled with some sections that were a little barer than others. As we approached the top of the plateau, the view was amazing, and the snow was plentiful. Our hike was serene and peaceful! Along the way we saw a few different groups of people. We saw a few hikers, a couple of people on fat tire bikes and a group cross country skiing. Even with the occasional sighting of people, it still felt very private and quiet. We decided to not trek it all the way to the end but went out 2 miles and then turned around. We were both so happy that we didn’t try and push it too much since we were pretty spent by the time we got back to the car. Snowshoeing with Mike in the winter is one of my favorite things to do. 

​I took the girls skiing up to Breckenridge during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Emma wasn’t able to come as she is preparing for an indoor track meet at UW. For me it was a bit overwhelming since I haven't really skied Breckenridge and so it's always hard to plan when you don't know what to expect. Luckily, I planned well, and we all had a great time! The drive early in the morning getting past Woodland Park was kind of a mess but the Tesla did quite well. We decided to park at the north gondola parking lot and take the gondola up to Peak 7 since I knew Peak 9 would be a mass of people during the holiday. Although the runs off of Peak 7 were supposed to be groomed, it must have snowed early that morning because nothing, and I mean nothing, was groomed at all. I was a little worried as Madeline has only ever skied on groomed runs. We took it one run at a time and went slow and she did really well. We did several of those runs before hopping on the lift to ski Peak 6 later that morning. When we got to the top of Peak 6 it was windy and the only run that was open that wasn’t a black was Bliss. From the top it did not look like a blue at all, but I knew we were already committed so I just told Madeline to follow my turns around the powdery moguls. Madeline made it down that first steep section just fine and had fun doing it. She said that she wanted to do that run again. After lunch we did it two more times. It wasn’t long after that run that we needed to rest at the Pioneer Lodge for Madeline. Abby did two more runs by herself and then we headed down to the bottom and called it a day!

​Mahupay Nagabi everyone!

It’s been a crazy two weeks to say the least. We have spent most of our days indoors due to the intense rain we get here. It poured for basically two weeks straight and there was a lot of flooding and landslides, so we were required to stay indoors. There were a few days, however, that we were able to go out and proselyte and those were amazing! We've been preparing a lot of kids from part member families for baptism, and they are always so much fun to be around! They are so full of the spirit and have so many wonderful questions. They are truly examples to me on how to be a better student. 

The language is truly a beast to say the least. The waray spoken here really is not a full language and people mix Tagalog, Cebuano, or Bicol sentence structure or words into their speech which makes it very hard to understand. The kids are truly the best teachers because they speak in simple sentences and act out what they mean when you don’t understand. I have probably learned more from them than they have from me. I have 100% seen the gift of tongues in my life and I know with an assurity that I could not learn this language on my own and so I know every step I make to fluency is truly by the grace of God. 

This past week I was watching a chess game and one of the players talked about how each piece has a function and should be used to support the other pieces. I'm not very good at chess but from what he described, it is crucial that all of your pieces should be in positions where they are supported by other pieces. If you want to make a more advanced play it is crucial that you have a strong base and foundation rooted in your network of troops. If you don't, the enemy can easily take advantage of you and punish you for your overzealous behavior. I think this is a lot like our lives in the spiritual sense. We are to learn "line upon line, precept upon precept" even as the Lord, Jesus Christ, "continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness"(D&C 93). As we lay out these precepts that we have learned, it may prove difficult to create a connection between them in order to lay out a strong network. That is, without Christ. In chess, the queen is the best support piece because it can move in all directions and support pieces across the board. Similarly, Jesus Christ is the best way to find support in the gospel because through him, all principles across the board are connected and supported. In your scripture study I encourage all of you to ponder how the principles we learn are not tangentially, but directly related to Christ. If we center our tactic on any other piece or principle, the enemy will overtake us. Helaman 5:12 says "because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build, they cannot fall." There is a lot of complicated things in the gospel that I do not fully understand, but when I remember where my testimony should be centered, it powers me through my trials of faith. I know that the same principle applies to all of you. 

I really love getting all of your emails and I look forward to receiving them this week! Kita kites hinai kamp!!!

Love,

​Elder Wilhelm

Abby is the third of our kids to go through the swim program at Pine Creek High School. We have gone through several coaches and this year was no different. Most of the girls were relieved that coach Mark was not going to be the head coach this season. He was the worst during Peter’s senior year. He yelled at the kids and was just not a nice person at all. Coach Ken who is currently the head coach for the Rapids club team came on to be the head coach this year. He had a lot going for him because he genuinely seemed to care about the swimmers. However, his communication skills was severally lacking this season. Add that onto the fact that the Rampart pool shut down for a period of time because it was so chemically imbalanced, and he actually encouraged his athletes to attend club practices if they wanted at any time during the season. The entire dynamic of this team seemed way off and very different from when the boys swam at the high school. Even with all of that, the depth of the girls’ team was so deep and so talented that it didn’t matter that the coach wasn’t that great because those girls carried the team. The only problem with that is the fact that the slower athletes didn’t get challenged very much. Abby loved being part of a team that wasn’t her club team, and she did like swimming with the other girls. I wouldn’t say she got the best training with this team because her swim times were slower than they were when she was swimming with her club team. For Abby it wasn’t really about the times but more about the experience of being on a high school team. She made really great friends and learned a few things about her form and what she truly thinks about swimming. Abby swims because she enjoys the exercise and the camaraderie and that is just fine by me. I am so happy that she swam her very best during the entire season. She mostly swam the 50 and 100 free this season and loved those shorter events. Abby was able to swim in most of the meets but had to stop near the end of the season due to getting cast in a role for the HS musical Bye-Bye Birdie. Theatre is where her true passion lies! 
  
50 Freestyle
36.40 8th out of 12 vs FFC
35.43 158th out of 224 at Cheyenne Mtn Invite
36.08 13th out of 16 vs Doherty
 
100 Freestyle
1:25.58 5th out of 7 vs DCC
1:18.58 8th out of 9 vs Liberty
1:21.90 140th out of 140 at Cheyenne Mtn Invite
1:203.27 9th out of 13 vs Air Academy
 
100 Breaststroke
1:56.35 11th out of 11 at Lewis Palmer
 
200 Freestyle Relay
35.78 split time vs Liberty
36.76 split time vs FFC
35.73 split time vs Air Academy
 

​Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone! 

Sorry I didn't write last week I got very busy; a lot had happened in such a short time. The past two weeks have been pretty rough. I got fairly sick last week and adjusting to the Philippines has definitely been interesting, but by relying on the Savior and trying my best to improve I have found a lot of joy here.  

Most of the mission was able to attend a Christmas conference in Tacloban City and it was a blast! I was able to meet a ton of other missionaries, play basketball, and feel the spirit. Its always fun to go up to the big city because we get to buy things we usually can't get. 

After the conference I went on exchange with Elder Andrada down to Abuyog! It’s a beautiful area and was a nice change of pace. It's a biking area and is made up of around 76 Borangay which is a whole lot (Borangay loosely translates to developments... kinda).  To put it in perspective, the area I'm in only has two. Elder Andrada taught me to cook a whole bunch of food, we fought off a scorpion, went running on the beach, but the best part was the people there. They were so forgiving with my terrible Waray, and I learned so much from them in such a short amount of time.

Life is definitely different and challenging over here. Sometimes with the environment but also sometimes with my companion and other missionaries. I love what Paul wrote in Corinthians 13. It says that it is not just about being long suffering in your trials but enduring them well. It is necessary that you endure all things with charity in your heart lest they profiteth you nothing. The mission is definitely teaching me how to not only endure hard things but endure them happily and cheerfully. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of such an act. He submitted to the Father's will and drank from the cup of bitterness with a heart full of love for those he was about to save. By relying on His example and His atonement we too can find joy in our trials and the people around us. I know this to be true because I have experienced it here.

Thank you all for the emails, it really means a lot to me! I'll see you all next week. Hinay, ngan kita kites! 

Elder Wilhelm