​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

​Every time it snows outside the first thing Madeline asks is if she can go outside to play in the snow and build a snowman. Up until this recent snowstorm it had always been so cold that going out to play in the snow was not a possibility. So, she convinced Andrew to go out with her to play. Then I joined them for a little while. We tried to build a snowman on the first day, but the snow was so light and airy that we could not pack it very well. So, we just made snow angels, pulled Madeline in the sled, and threw snowballs at each other. One time when Andrew was pulling Madeline in the sled, he whipped it around so fast that she flew right out and landed face first in the snow. We picked her up and brushed her off and just laughed it off. She is such a good sport! The next day the snow was still around so Abby went out with Madeline and built a snowman and pulled her in the sled. Sometimes it just takes having a little one in the house to get the rest of us to go out and enjoy the snow!  

​Christmas is over. The hustle and bustle of getting things done is over for now. Truly, I’m exhausted from the last several months of mission and holiday preparations and kid’s activities and events. But I wouldn’t change that for quiet all the time. I love my busy life. It is a good, fun, and fulfilling life. I have thought a lot about what my goals would be for this next year…physical and spiritual goals are written down. Today’s snowshoe run was exhilarating but also tough. It taught me that despite the rough conditions, if I just took it a little at a time, I could get through it. That is exactly how life was for me in 2022. It was definitely rocky at times. I do hope that this next year is a little kinder to me in some ways. And if not, I will just take it one day at a time, applying the things I learned last year to make this next year a little better than the last! So, here’s to an amazing 2023!

I started out this month strong, consistently running with the Striders and doing all of their workouts. I had just come off of a 6-week peloton power zone build so I was happy to be running and not be completely exhausted. One of my favorite workouts was the lake intervals around Prospect Lake. The sunrise that morning was amazing. Shortly after that I got sick for a week but then popped back into the workouts and did the Bear Creek Tempo loop where I wasn’t going to really tempo it. I went out easier with Caryn and Dave and did an easier tempo pace but then the last mile I picked up the pace and finished really strong. After a week of being sick that felt really good. Over the week of Christmas, I was skiing with the family and took some needed days off of running so I was all pumped up to do my annual day after Christmas run with Dionne at Garden of the Gods. It is a tradition we started a few years ago and continue to do every year. Later that week we met up for a lunchtime snowy run at Bear Creek Park. I didn’t get in as much running this month as I would’ve liked but the runs I did have were pretty great. 

​While Mike and Emma were off to Utah for Josh’s wedding, the rest of us headed to the AFA to spend an evening bowling. It was a riot watching everyone bowl, especially Madeline who started out rolling the ball between her legs until she discovered the cool ramps she could use. Abby struggled to not get gutter balls until eventually we just put up the gutter guards for her. After that her mood improved drastically and she started laughing and having fun. There was lots of laughing and joking going on as that is just what should happen when one goes bowling. Andrew did pretty well but was shocked at how many strikes I was getting. I think all of the kids were shocked that I was so good at bowling. I told them that is what I did in high school on the weekends at the American Club in Tokyo. I ended up getting one of my highest scores ever. It was a great adventure out of the house and one that we need to repeat often!

​I always love the anticipation of Christmas morning and seeing the excitement from all of my kids as they sit at the top of the stairs waiting to run down and see what Santa brought them. Although we only have one little kid in the house, it is still so much fun as the older kids still get excited. This year none of the older kids had any idea what they were getting which made their excitement more intense than usual. All Madeline wanted was a robot dog and Santa delivered big time. Her face as she turned the corner from the stairs was priceless. The older kids were so excited by their big gifts too. Andrew got a subscription to Hello Fresh, Emma got air pods and a new Garmin running watch that is similar to an apple watch but does so much more, and Abby got an epic vocal recording system. Everyone was thrilled. This year I found the little pickle, so I got to be the first one to open up a present. Even though we had 10:30am church, we ripped through the present opening so fast. The kids all got things they needed and also wanted all in one. Madeline got a new matching lunchbox, backpack and water bottle, books, a princess Lego set from Mike which she loved, a Toniebox and Disney princess characters to go with it, an art easel with paint markers and a new apron, a set of instruments, and some new clothes. Abby got new shoes, new clothes, new paints, an everywhere belt bag from Lululemon which she loved and a new necklace from Albion. Emma got new shoes, new clothes, a GHD curling iron, and a necklace from Albion that she kept stealing from me. Andrew got new lunch boxes for school, new clothes from Kuhl and Vuori that he would never buy for himself, new skis, and his mission scrapbook that I finished and had printed for him. Mike and I bought new clothes for each other, mostly from Vuori, Kuhl and Lululemon which are our favorite stores. Mike also got a new work messenger bag and also his traditional Lego set. This year I decided on the Child from the Mandalorian series. He loved it. Of all the presents we received, the best was getting on the phone with Peter that afternoon and hearing his cheerful voice. It really put things in perspective hearing his positivity knowing that things weren’t much better than the day before but seeing how a good night’s rest can change one’s mood and outlook on things. I was immediately humbled and blessed to be able to have the most wonderful conversation with Peter. We sure did miss having him in person on Christmas but video chatting with him was pretty great. Family really is the best gift anyone can have on Christmas morning. I hope that our family never forgets that. 

Reading Santa's letter thanking the kids for the cookies and milk and carrots for Rudolph

Mom found the pickle first

Everyone kept stealing my favorite white water bottles so Mike bought me more

​This Christmas Eve started out like every year. I headed down to the kitchen after sleeping just a little bit to start on the Christmas dinner. One of these years I will learn to do the pies the day before. I started on the pies and had lots of good helpers in the kitchen. Mike is the designated peeler, slicer, and cleaner of dishes. With his help and the other girls at various times we were able to get most of dinner prepped quite early. I tried something new with the apple pie this year. I did a lattice top instead of the boring top I usually do. I loved the way it turned out. I also was able to get the cinnamon rolls done earlier in the day instead of doing them at 10pm. It was still an all-day affair to get everything done but between prepping dinner, I was able to enjoy watching the girls play the Wii together amongst other shenanigans. Mike put together an amazing charcuterie board for lunch and we gobbled that down pretty fast. I pulled out the Christmas pajamas early and let everyone wear them all day. I mean why not, right? This year I made custom shirts for everyone with my new Cricut machine. I had loads of fun picking out what would go on each person's shirt. In the afternoon we were able to talk to Peter and I wish I could say it was the most uplifting call, but he was really struggling and had been sick the week before. It was so good to see and talk with him, but it left us all missing him and sad for the situation he was in. We all ate our dinner in silence and after we had scripture study Emma gave the most heartfelt prayer for Peter. It actually made us all tear up a bit. There is nothing more real on Christmas than having to rely on the very person for whom the season is focused on. The only way we would get through Christmas this year was by having faith that God would watch out for Peter and being grateful for a Savior who knew exactly what we were all feeling.

Twas the Night Before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring...except for the parents who were diligently putting things together for Christmas morning!!!

​By the third day of skiing, we were all getting a little tired but the sun for the first few runs was a nice way to start the day. Then the clouds came in and the sun went away, and we immediately felt the coldness. Still, there was fresh powder on the runs this morning which was amazing. We ventured all over the place but stuck to most of the same stuff we had been skiing the past two days. I headed back over to the East River Express with the older kids and did the black mogul Resurrection run with Emma and then the Black Eagle mogul run with Abby, Andrew, and Emma. At one point we thought we saw Madeline by herself going down a run when we were on the lift, so we waited at the top for Mike and when we didn’t see them Andrew and I flew down Lower Treasury to make sure she wasn’t at the bottom by herself. Turns out that we had just missed seeing Mike because Madeline was so fast. That Lower Treasury run was amazing and the fastest I skied all day. Even on tired legs I skied more today than I did the past two days. That was probably because Emma wanted to go back to the top after getting to the bottom with Madeline. Abby had lost her ski pass, so she and Mike were getting another copy. Andrew was tired so he took Madeline back to the condo and Emma and I went back up Silver Queen to the top and skied the Paradise bowl again. After doing that once we realized that we were also tired, so we headed back to the bottom and called it a day. We skied 14 runs with over 17 miles and 16,772 vertical ft. 

​Today was another great day on the slopes with the family. It was a tad warmer than yesterday but overall, the weather was about the same with the cold temps but nice sun in the sky. We did mostly the Paradise Bowl again today but went over to do some harder runs off the East River Lift later in the morning. Andrew, Emma, and I did a black run called Double Top Glades. The tree section is definitely my favorite before it drops off into some very steep black moguls. I made it down just fine, but it wasn’t always the prettiest watching me get through the deep mogul section. I definitely need work on learning how to navigate those better. Then we made it back up to the top and met up with Mike, Abby and Madeline who skied Lower Treasury. We all headed back to the Paradise Lodge for some lunch. We have figured out the best things to bring for lunch and it was nice that there were three of us with backpacks to share the load in carrying all the food. The favorites were the chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, snap pea crisps, clementines, and of course, the Oreos and other little treats we brought. After fueling up we did more of the Paradise Bowl before heading back down and doing one run off the Red Lady Express lift. We ended up skiing 10 runs with 13.5 miles and over 13,000 vertical ft. 

Push up challenge for Emma's running club

Just because Andrew was crazy...he got back in the hot tub really fast

​We were a little delayed getting on the slopes this morning but that was ok. Andrew needed to demo some skis and we realized that we had brought one correct boot and one incorrect boot for Madeline, so we rented boots for her. The sun was shining on the slopes at Crested Butte which was good because the temperature read 7F with a real feel of -5F. With the sun we were perfectly warm riding up Silver Queen Express lift. One of the coolest things about this lift is the view of Mt. Crested Butte right before you get off the lift. Madeline was more nervous than other years to go skiing but she did really well on that first sketchy cat trail like run to get to the Paradise bowl. We spent a good deal of the day going down the Paradise Bowl. The snow tended to be the best on this section of the mountain because we were as high up as you could go. None of the black back bowls were open so we all stuck together and skied with Madeline the entire day. Before lunch we ventured over to East River Express lift to try some of the blues over there, but it was kind of icy getting down there, so we took the lift and then headed straight back over to the Paradise lodge to eat lunch. After lunch we just hit the Paradise Bowl several more times before heading down to the bottom to try some of those runs. One of my favorite things Madeline said after finishing another run down the Paradise Bowl and the Lower Forest Queen run was, “We crushed it.” She truly did crush all of those runs and had no problems on the steeper sections. Crested Butte was practically empty today and we never had to wait in any lift lines longer than 1 minute except for when we went all the way to the bottom and had to wait in the Red Lady Express lift with all the inexperienced skiers. It was kind of a mistake to try and get on that lift, but Madeline did enjoy skiing some of those green runs, so we went up once and then called it a day. We ended up skiing a total of 11 runs with over 14 miles and 13, 776 vertical ft.