Weekend in Wayland

Hola--

The Komodo Belt

Teresa and Kara and prickly ball

The weekends get away from me somehow, so I'm determined to at least get a quick post in before it gets too late.

KOMODO.  I haven't posted any photos of Komodo lately.  Frank took him out and he was all wrapped around his middle.  Komodo is probably 5 feet long by now.

HEDGEHOG.  Our friend got a hedgehog, and the girls were dying to go see it!  They are funny creatures.  This one was "cranky" -- rolled up in a ball and hissed and chirped to let us know he was irritated with us being there!  But they are interesting creatures.

ANGELA. I haven't mentioned Angela, but it has been so neat to get to know her, and associating with her has been a great experience for our family.  She is a senior with David at Wayland High School.  Her extended family is from Taiwan, and her parents have lived here in Wayland for over 20 years.

She visited her aunt in Taiwan I think it was last summer, and met the missionaries for the first time over there.  She returned home and the Taiwan missionaries sent a referral to the missionaries here. They contacted her, and over the next few months she learned more. Her family is Buddhist.



So the first time we met her was when the missionaries asked us to give her a ride to church.  "She goes to school with David and Teresa, and lives just a few miles from you."  It turns out that David and Teresa both knew her, and did not know she was learning about the church.  We arranged to pick her up, and then when we took her home, David and I went inside to introduce ourselves to her mom.

Angela is such a smart girl.  Very sweet, and also a character so she always has people laughing.  Over the last few months we have had her over to our house for different things, and we've been there as she's participated in youth and church activities, and learned more about the gospel.

Yesterday she got baptized.  Her mom and sister came, which was huge.  They are supportive even if it's such a big change from what they are used to.  She asked Frank to baptize her (she calls him "Papa Whitesell," her church dad), and it was such a good day!  Her enthusiasm is contagious and people just like to be around her.  There must have been 50 people there to support her, including a group of school friends...she asked 6 of her senior girlfriends from high school to come.  They came, just because if it was important to Angela, it was also important to them.  It was really neat.

So, that was a weekend highlight for me.  Here are some pictures of Angela.  She has one older sister so she's the youngest, and after she graduates high school her parents are moving back to Taiwan this summer.  She has applied to BYU and wants continue her education here (U.S.)...all kinds of "leaps of faith" this girl is taking!  It has been so inspiring to watch.  We are so blessed to know her.

That's our weekend in a nutshell!  Tomorrow we have Martin Luther King Day off.  Then the high schoolers take midterms.  Good Luck, David and Teresa and Angela. :)

Kari