​Mahupay na aga, na kulop, ngan na gabii tanan na mga tawo sa ini na Kalibutan! 

This week was pretty fun though I had a few misteps, literally. We spent a lot of this week finding and while it really helps me learn Waray Waray, it is most difficult. I think I can speak pretty well now but understanding is a whole other animal. They speak super fast in Calbayog and when I hear them I feel like a computer shutting down. Nevertheless my studies of Tagolog have helped a lot. We were able to hit some return appointments this week so hopefully we will have some progressing people soon.

At the beginning of the last paragraph I said I had mistepped literally. I wish to expand somewhat upon that. In the Phillipines there are some neighborhoods where the houses are built on wooden stilts. They are all connected together with small fragile wooden pathways. These patheways are similarly built on stilts and so they not very stable. All of this rests over a swamp like mud that consists of the waste from each of the houses. While attempting to cross through this week, the wood beneath me broke not once, but twice. I was luckily able to catch myself before I fell into the mud but I'm either really bad at walking or getting fat. Honestly, it is probably a combination of the two. I'm just glad the Lord has been protecting me from all my fumbles and falls because I have a lot. 

This week I was thinking about something that was pointed out to me in 2 Nephi 2: 25. The scripture says that,

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

At first glance one would think that joy means a general happiness, but upon further inspection of the footnotes you will find that another definition exists. That is "mens ability to become like God". I thought this was a very curious way to describe joy and so I went through the scriptures and sought to plug in this definition. I found that it adds a quite a lot to some scriptures. For example take the following verse from John 14: 28:

"If ye loved me, ye would rejoice"

Now, if we are to believe that joy is the ability to become like God, then the action, rejoice, must mean coming unto the Lord. If we are to follow this logic further then everytime the scriptures tell us us to rejoice, they are not just telling us to just be happy, they are telling us to come unto God. They are telling us to pray in gratitude when there are good times in our life. If we so love Him, why are we not coming unto Him? Whenever we experience happiness in this life, share it with the Father. He wants to hear all the parts of our lives, not just when its hard. He wants us to share in the joy, to come unto to Him, and through Jesus Christ it is possible. What other evidence do you need of His love, but His Son. 

I encourage all of you to search the scriptures and send me your perspectives on different scriptures with joy in it. For example:

Ecclesiastes 2:10

Original: "my heart rejoiced in all of my Labour: 

New: "My heart came unto the Lord in all of my labour" 

Warning, its literally so fun I can't stop

Elder Wilhelm 

​We love watching Peter’s air tag on his mission to see where he is. It was especially fun on this particular day when we realized that he was being transferred up north to the island of Samar. | Abby is such an amazing big sister to Madeline. After being gone at Emma’s track meet, I came home to a tea party that Abby put on for Madeline. Even Abby dressed up which was so sweet! | For the 100th day of school Madeline wanted to dress up as a 100-year-old. I pulled out the wig, glasses and pearls and we put together something so hilarious. She was so excited to show her friends at school. | Madeline had fun assembling her milkshake valentine cards this year. It was quite a bit of work to punch everything out, but she had a blast creating fun paper milkshakes for her classmates and attaching a cute curly straw to each one. | Mike out did himself for Valentine’s Day this year. I came back from my early morning run to flower petals and chocolates on my bed with a dinner invitation. He did the same for all of the girls. He took charge of serving us dinner in the dining room and made us all feel so special. It’s a Valentine’s Day we will all remember! | Stephens hot chocolate has been out of stock forever at our store and so when I saw it had finally come back in stock, I grabbed 3 cans. There really is no other hot chocolate that tastes quite as good. | It was so fun to be back in the temple again and even better to share that time with Michelle. | Emma and Abby went to an 80s dance at the high school. I let Emma borrow my letter jacket and Abby quickly came up with the most perfect outfit, big earrings, and all. The girls looked cute and had a blast. | Emma and I went prom dress shopping and had so much fun at Something New. The dresses in this store are definitely on the pricey side, but we managed to find one that was manageable. It was the most perfect dress for her figure, so we went halfsies on the dress. It was a win win for everyone! | Emma was asked to Mormon prom by her good friend Collin Bass. He was so cute when he came over to ask her. They have been good friends all school year so I knew that they would have a good time. | Madeline wasn’t feeling well so she just laid on the kitchen chairs while I cooked dinner. | Mike and I were able to go to the temple together this month. This was his first time seeing the new Endowment session. Afterwards we headed over to The White Chocolate Grill to eat dinner. We shared the veggie burger which is amazing and had fun chatting without the kids around. | Peter’s missionary plaque was finally finished and put up on the missionary wall at church. I just love the way it turned out. | I usually shy away from dinners that involve lots of cheese since Emma and I don’t tolerate it very well, but I was able to modify the shells recipe to include one batch with lactaid cottage cheese. The other batch included ricotta cheese and parmesan for the top. This has now become a family favorite again. | For Dr. Seuss week Madeline was so excited to dress up like Cindy Lou. We found something in her closet that worked, and I did a crazy hairstyle that involved a small cup and lots of hairspray. I thought it turned out super cute. 

Like most Februarys it was fairly cold the entire month. I had some amazing workouts this month with the Striders and also a few strong runs on the treadmill when the roads were not feasible to run on. My favorite runs were intervals at Monument Lake, the Bear Creek tempo loop, the Cheyenne Canyon Climb, a fun run in the Gardens with Dionne where we saw big horned sheep, and some long runs with Caryn. Any work on the bike was mostly  spent inside on the Peloton but I did brave the colder weather and went outside only once with Mike and was miserable the entire ride. Aside from running and biking I did spend some time skiing at Breckenridge. I hit the slopes twice this month and really had a blast! 

Mahupay na Adlaw kamo tanan na mga Tawo! 

This week has been pretty fun but difficult. We've been running all over our area trying to find new people to teach because we've been rejected by almost everyone from last week. We still have a few really strong families that we're working with but opening an area really makes everything much harder. I have also given up in a way and have started learning Tagalog in addition to Waray-Waray. A lot of people in the city only speak Tagalog so it is almost necessary to learn both. Its not too different so it should be easier to learn now, but learning two languages at once will really be a challange. I have faith, however, that the Lord will help me through it. 

I have also been lucky to have some funny experiences this week. One day while we taking our trash out, Elder Bosley discovered that his garbage was infested with ants. This caused us to run, quite fast, to the drop off point which was about two blocks away. I was needlessely laughing the whole time as my trash was perfectly ant-free. Sorry Elder Bosley, better luck next time. Last P-Day we also had a lot of people taking pictures of us. I don't know if it was just because it was valentines day but at one point someone pulled out a huge professional camera and started snapping shots. A member saw the photos on facebook and sent them into the ward groupchat so I'll include one down below. We also had an earthquake this week which was pretty cool. It woke us all up at around 2:00 am and we all immedietetly went back to bed. Needless to say the shenanigans have not stopped since I've left Tolosa, and the mission continues to be a super fun yet challenging experience 

Something that has been on my mind recently is the word remember. Throughout the scriptures we see the word remember a lot and I think this is for good reason. C.S Lewis describes in his book "The Screwtape Letters" that one of the most powerful tools the devil uses against us is making us forget the blessings that we have been given. When we're having a hard time or are doubting our faith it is most imperative to not only remember what God has done for you, but also what he has promised you. This weeks Come Follow Me was on the Beatitudes from the Sermant on the Mount. I've heard most people describe them as a list of things that we have to become but I also like to look at them as a list of promises. To illustrate my point I would look at the third and fourth verses from 3 Nephi 12. 

3 Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

To me, these verses are only filled with hope. Hope for those that mourn and those with a poor spirit. Is that not all of us? Do we not all grieve because of trials? We need to remember these promises because Satan would have us forget them. He would have us curse the Lord for the situation we are in, rather than give thanks for the promises he made with us. He would have us forget our covenants rather than come unto Him. In these verses the Lord has given us hope. A promise that one day, we will be comforted. That one day, we can ascend to a better place. Hope for the future. I cannot think of a better gift than that. I have faith in the Lord and His promises, and I will do my best to come unto Him. I know that if we come ubto Him, we will attain the Kingdo of Heaven.  

Elder Wilhelm 

More and more cleaning

The past two weeks have been more than a handful to say the least. From moving 8 hours away to attending a funeral, it had it all. I got transferred halfway through my training to Calbayog in the Catbalogan Zone. The people in Calbayog speak Waray Waray S and my first six weeks were in a Waray Waray H area. I understand most of what people are saying but they replace all H sounds with S. The switch is a little strange, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought. I'm also going to the province of Samar which is known in the mission to be full of crazy stories and dangerous situations. We'll see if I wander into any witch doctoes while I'm up here. It's very sad to leave an area you have grown attatched to but I've already loved my short time in Calbayog.

I had the privelage last week to baptize Jello and Joylyn. They are two kids from a partmember family, and, excitingly, it was in the ocean. Tip for those wishing to baptize in the ocean, don't. It was really hard. Way harder than a baptisimal font,  especially with young children. I held very steadfastly to them so they wouldn't be crushed in the waves. You have to say the ordinance fast, submerge them, and get out there. Despite the rushed nature it was probably the most spiritual baptism I have had so far. They were the first baptism I had where I taught them almost all of the lessons. I have grown to truly love them and now it feels like they are being ripped out of my life. They're fantastic kids and I know they will grow up to be strong in the church. I will never forget how much I learned from them and I just hope, they have learned a thing or two from me. 

While going through these changes, I like to quote a wise wizard from one of my favorite novels.

"The world is not in your books and maps, its out there." 

The world truly is 'out there' so to speak, and that includes the gospel. Sometimes I tend to forget that the gospel is not just a comforting verse or a nice thought, but it is a way of life. Everyday we have a choice on whether kr not we're going to live it. Alma 32: 28 says 

"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts;" 

Now consider the following, one buys a seed and a gardening manuel. Would the seed grow if they spent the whole day reading the book? If one left the seed on the top shelf and was perfectly content reading about all the wonderful gardening techniques contained within, would they ever be able to taste the fruit of that seed? The obvious answer is no. It is essential that we apply what we learn in the manual of the master gardner. In the midst of change and trials we have a choice. Are we going to be content with the books and maps that others have drawn from their experience? Or are we going to go on an adventure. Are we going to go into every day attempting to live the gospel. To attempy to try and fully understanding what it means. When I read the Book of Mormon I usually don't fully understand it. But when I apply its teachings, I gain a testimony. I know the gospel is true. Not just because I read it in a book, but because I am trying to live it, trying to understand it, and trying to become it. The more I try, the more I know that "all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."(D&C 122: 7) I know my Redeemer lives, and that with his Eternal Atonment he stengthens me. I know he knows me and my trials. I have faith that I will see Him one day.

I hope you all have a fantastic week, Hinai ngan Kita Kites!

Elder Wilhelm

Epic ocean baptisms

Teaching the kids simple math

Peter's new trainer, Elder Aguilar, fanning him as he worked to clean the house

Peter made banana pancakes for everyone

The Branch President took them all out to dinner at Shakey's Pizza

We celebrated Emma’s birthday as a family one week late since some of her gifts were still en route. This year she got some winter running gear from Lululemon; specifically, a nice running jacket and a new long sleeve running top. She also got the Align leggings from Lululemon that she had been eyeing in my closet. It was time for her to have her own really nice leggings. She also got a coat and a shacket from Francesca’s and a necklace from Albion that matches the one Abby and I have. Her final gift was a 5-time punch card that she can use to go climbing with her friends at the rock-climbing gym. She received lots of nice gifts that should last her through her college years. She also got a generous gift card from Buckle from her grandparents. She is officially set up with some new clothes and something fun that will help her adventurous spirit. 

We are so lucky to have Emma in our family and can't believe that she is only one year away from being an official adult and leaving the nest. She is such a joy and blessing to have in our lives and we are constantly in awe of her kindness and many, many talents. 

*Emma had a big friend party later in the month and had loads of fun with her friends eating snacks, playing games and closing the night with everyone singing happy birthday to her while eating an amazing chocolate cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes!

​It’s officially still the off season for Emma with her running but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t working hard and pushing herself towards some amazing goals for her upcoming races. Her first indoor race of the season was at AFA where she ran the one-mile race. Her performance was phenomenal even though this race was only intended to be a kick start race to get her leg turnover figured out before the next race. She ended up placing 5th and got a PR of 5:31.77 (the top 5 were all within 3 sec of each other) even though she died a bit on the last lap and lost two places. Her upper body and arms were severely tired which meant that she will need to focus more on upper body strength throughout her upcoming HS track season. Still, she learned that she has to stay mentally strong even when her body isn’t feeling it. It was a great reminder for her as she focuses her mind on track running. At the end of the day, you only become a better runner by learning from each race.