Pretty in Pink

There have been lots of sales for summer clothes in the baby department so we got a few things for Paisley since most of her clothes are either pants or long sleeves. This is one of the cute new outfits she got!! She looks so cute in it too! The shirt is a onesie and it 12 months so it is kinda big, but it is so cute I wanted her to wear it today!

James recent email

Dear Mom,

Everything is great here. Actually, the last typhoon we got just wind. Unless it is windy with stuff flying around, we are out preaching. It is fun. We have been doing really well with the work. Our baptismal pool went from seven to one. But we are working our butts off. We come home exhausted and wanting more than 8 hrs of sleep, but continue to push on. Elder peterson told me a story of how he knew an Elder that got off the plane in his home state and passed out. We literally are kept by the Strength of the Lord. I honestly believe, if the Lord did not bless us, this work would kill us. I love it though. It is hard, but somehow I hate saying it is hard. I love it. The hardships rock. I grow, push through, and the blessings afterward of peace, comfort, or finding someone is just wonderful.

Lets see. My journal is going to blow up. I keep writing in it, lol. I am hooked in it. I read in Wilford Woodruffs teachings that we will be judged by our journals. What we do here is sealed in Heaven, well, what we write here, will be written in Heaven. So I would exhort and ask the whole family to write in a journal. Even if it is two lines. Starting it is what is important. I tell you mom, I will look back upon my journals like I do my scriptures. I cant wait to show you them. You always stressed it and wow... I think I went over. I have so much stuff saved, pics, cards, stuff, I love it.

Anyways. This sunday we will be having our first investigator baptism! His name is Cai Xu Yang. He rocks! He is 15 and had to deal with some family stuff, but he rocks! He is getting baptized after 3 months of waiting. It will be wonderful to see him get baptized. He is a wonderful young man who I have come to love alot.

Have you head of Tim Tam Slams... Well, Tim tams are like twix... you bite two corners off and you drink milk through it. Tim Tam Slams! So much fun, and they are good! The milk here is pretty good. At least the milk we get. I cant remember the last time I had regular milk.

So can you believe it 3 months! Tomorrow is a month on island! Yet it seems like two years ago I left you and dad to board the plane. Crazy, huh? Oh! I had a wonderful, wonderful spiritual experience. Keep it between the family and the grandparents. So two days ago... I was reading in Ch. 10 of Preach my Gospel. Well, I was reading under the section on How to Adjust your Teachings for the Investigator. Well, one part said... Pray for the Gift of Discernment. I have never had any words really hit me hard on my mission till I read those 6 words. In my Patriarchal Blessing I am blessed with that gift. I immediatly was hit hard and I mean HARD! By the Spirit. I started to pray and ask Heavenly Father to better allow me to use this Gift. Help me to discern the Elect that are ready to hear the Gospel. As well as what they need, what I need to do, etc. The Spirit was sooo strong family! I loved it. I exhort all of you to get a Patriarchal Blessing and read it over and over. I cant believe I have not read mine alot before I left for my mission. I read it every day. I am able to see the blessings of it! I love it. So that is my Spiritual message for you all. The chinese continues to get better. Everyday the Lord continues to better it.

Well, I want to email dad, maybe he will get it at work! I love you alot. Be safe! Let me know about Jasmine. Tell her that I say hi and I am excited! I am totally excited, that is totally cool! AHHHHHHHHHHH! Lol. You still have sisters in the ward?! That is crazy, poor Jared and Shane. How is Shane? Are his papers in? Anything new with the ward, stake, family, Roxie, my book collection? Anything? I miss you all, but I focus and the Lord delievers. Love you mom! Byebye!

Always your son that Loves you!

Elder Whelchel

Baby Mohawk

Since Paisley's hair has been growing like crazy we have started experimenting with different hair styles. This one is a winner with everyone, even Paisley gives it the thumbs up!

Happy Birthday Becki!!

Happy Birthday Becki! You should go out dinner or do something fun!!! We hope you have a great birthday! What number is this??? :) We love you!

Most recent email from James

Hey! How come no one emailed me?! :-( Oh well, that is ok. So questions. Alright dad these are answers to your questions. I will be getting to know characters. After I memorize 13 scriptures in chinese, and pass of lessons, and other things. So I will come home knowing a great deal hopefully. My MTC training allows me to understand. I do know understand alot, because the language is so vast. But, the Gift of Interpetation has helped so much. It gets better each day. There are colorful birds down on the east coast, other than that, I see lots of chickens. lol. My companion at the MTC, Elder Teare accompanied me. I sung for 700 people. The copy you saw we did over because Elder Teare stopped playing at one time during the actual perfromance, lol. I have used the mike before, I held it for the redo, lol. They love baseball here! My companion loves it. He is a Diamond Backs fan. You two would get along well. Mom's Questions Yes I can speak chinese for you when I call. Or are you sending a tape recorder? I can do that than and sing too. My house is an apartment. It is an 10 story buildling. My apartment is two stories big. We have stuff like couch/desks on the 1st. Bed stuff on the 2nd. It is just me and my companion. It is big and nice. We can cook, but it is hard to find stuff to cook. I am looking for stuff today. I love the chinese breakfast shops. I am going to cook those back home for sure. Sundays. We have food at home that we eat. I have yet to eat at a members house. A typical day. Is exercise till 7. Dress, eat, shower till 8. Book of Mormon and Gospel study till 9. Companionship till 10. Chinese till 1030. Bike contacting till 12. Lunch till 1. Bike contacting, contacting on foot, tracting, ke's to teach, meetings till 5. Dinner till 6. Contacting, ke's, meetings, tracting till 9. Travel home, get bingsha, and inside before 930. Phonecalls till 10. Prayers and bed before 1030. Yep. lol. It is really humid and hot. The typhoon stunk. Lots of rain, zero terror and danger, lol. The church is just like at home, except in Chinese. My chapel is on the second floor. People look at us because we are tall. The girls go crazy. Staring and trying to flirt. We have had two take pictures of us. Little kids stare at us with awe. People go crazy when we speak chinese or Taiwanese, lol. I love it. my time is short, but I love you all. I actually baptized two people this past saturday. A little boy also go baptized. It was awesome. I have seen so many miracles of the Spirit. Last night, we were talking to this one man. He would not listen to my companion. I felt impressed to ask him for two minutes. He did, he was quiet the whole time. I bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Church. I gave the First Vision. I invited him to chruch. He accepted! I immediatly burst into tears. Reaffirming my testimony. I got his info and I am going to call him tonight to set up. That man was one of the people I was meant to find. I hope I can continue to teach him. I had zone conference yesterday. It was so powerful and awesome. Twice I felt the Spirit so strong I literally felt like I would pass out. We had pizza hut to for lunch that was delicious. I also go my officialy name tag. And I am now legal to be in Taiwan, lol. We have this beautiful family we are teaching. Oh they are so wonderful. A three member family. The dad is so awesome and the mom accepted it too! We meet them tmw night again. Well, I hope you email me for next week. You dont have to write lots of letters if you dont want to. Emails rock. Besides other missionaries give me dirty looks from the letters. I hate that they get jealous. I dont rub it in, but you know. But the letters have been nice thank you. Well, I hope you are all well. I dont know, lol. No email! Well be safe, I love you all! Keep the faith! Love always your son Elder Whelchel

A new word

Nathan has added 'Mama' to his list of spoken words. He nows says Dada, baba, and Mama... along with other babblings. It is so darling!

Lion King Tickets

Hey everyone,

Are we really having that exciting of a summer that we can't find time to make a post on the family blog? Sheesh. Talking about SLOW.

Anyway, we have some exciting news. A few years back when Lion King was here, my old boss gave me two tickets as a birthday present. Lewis and I went and vowed if we ever had the opportunity we would take the kids. Well to our good fortune, Lion King is returning to the Pantages starting Nov 16th into the early part of January. We got tickets!!! I loved this show and thought that the scenery and costumes were incredible. I can't wait to go again and share the experience with the kids.

Oh one more thing, we have ordered a cd from BYU bookstore's website called "I believe in Christ" by Chinese Hearts. Half the songs are in Mandarin the other in Cantonese. We are going to try to learn one of the hymns to sing to James friends when we pick him up. Anyone who is going with us want to join us in this little endeavor?

Gymnastics

Mialee enjoys her gymnastics class. She does somersaults, jumps on trampolines, goes down slides, walks on balance beems.... Sorry for the lighting; that was the best I could do. Nathan and I sit in the balacony and watch her every Monday morning.

Funny blonde joke

A blonde goes into a nearby store and asks a clerk if she can buy the TV in the corner. The clerk looks at her and says that he doesn't serve blondes, so she goes back home and dyes her hair black. The next day she returns to the store and asks the same thing, and again, the clerk said he doesn't serve blondes. Frustrated, the blonde goes home and dyes her hair yet again, to a shade of red. Sure that a clerk would sell her the TV this time, she returns and asks a different clerk this time. To her astonishment, this clerk also says that she doesn't serve blondes. The blonde asks the clerk, "How in the world do you know I am a blonde?" The clerk looks at her disgustedly and says,"That's not a TV -- it's a microwave!"

Girls Camp

We survived. Thank goodness its over, I am tired of driving. I usually like to drive but going up and down that mountain gets old quickly. I don't know how people commute every day from up there. Our life guard commutes up to camp from Victorville. Yuck!

The girls are glad its over as well. We had a new camp director this year and they struggled with all the changes she made. It was Lauren's last year and she was very disappointed. I thought it was different but ok. I like escaping the city and with the horrible temps that they were having it was nice being up there where it was at least 10 degrees cooler. 100+ is not my idea of fun.

Jonathan was at scout camp while we were at girls camp and earned 3 merit badges. He got his swimming, his environmental science and shooting (not sure what its called). The most merit badges earned from our troop was 4 so he did well.

We are anxiously awaiting James first email from Taiwan. We can't wait to see what he thinks and where he is located. In his phone call he mentioned that he really wants to be in some city along the coast I think on the east side of the island about half way down. I don't remember the name of the city. But some of the "investigators" (native Taiwanese people) that he dealt with in the MTC said it was a beautiful place and if possible he should see it.

We are going to Quake stadium for the 4th and fireworks. I am tired of hanging around home and just seeing what the neighbors bring home. We have avoided all of our married lives purchasing fireworks. This year we decided that the kids were missing out. Having been a military brat all of my memories include huge patriotic celebrations always topped off with a huge firework display. So, tonight they get to see one of those and hopefully this will be a new tradition for us.

What are you all doing on July 4th?