Brasil Missionary Training Center

We arrived at the Brasil Missionary Training Center!

 

We arrived after a very long flight from Salt Lake to Atlanta and then a nine hour flight to São Paulo.  The Synders from Provo, who serve here as the Exec. Secretary to the MTC President, greeted us and helped us get settled in our very nice apartment here at the MTC.  We arrived with a great bunch of young missionaries, several from Utah.  Among them was a Sister Gale, who we decided is a distant relative of Melinda's.  We saw Sister Barney from our home stake and a nephew, Elder Rolim, a nephew of our dear Brazilian friends who live in Curitibia.  With our arrival came changes in some of the administrative work here.  We will coordinate medical care of the missionaries and set up appointments for them with the doctors that come four hours each day.  Melinda will also help with services for the missionaries, music, and greeting new missionaries. Ted's Portuguese seems to be serving him well.  Melinda greets people, and picks up words here and there.  Today someone brought her language and grammar books and offered to help her increase her knowledge of the language (It must be evident that she needs lots of help).  We have been shopping at a mega grocery store and also shops in the neighborhood.  It has been a good few days here, even with a bit of jet-lag.

Provo MTC

 Here we are at the traditional Picture Site.

Well, We have completed our stay at the Provo MTC and will be off to Brazil! The Provo MTC is awesome with great leaders and teachers! We wish to thank them! Sister Anderson, Sister Peterson, Sister Ritchie, Sister Pugsley, and Brother Gomes our Portuguese Tutor.

Farewell Sunday

Thanks to all those that came today to share this special day with us. It was so good to see our families and friends.  We love all of you so much! It meant so much to Melinda and I to have you come. We hope that you received an uplifting message and are better for having come to hear us speak. We are very excited to begin this journey together to help build the Lord’s Kingdom here on the earth.

Mission Call

Our Mission

We have been called to serve in the Brazil Missionary Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil.

Follow us on this Blog or you could go to, www.tedwhitaker.com. we will try to keep you up to date on our adventures!

 Ted and Melinda - 2016

We send our love and greetings to you as we end this year celebrating our Savior’s birth, and we look forward to 2017 with excitement and anticipation.  We have been blessed this year with great family experiences and good friends whom we have enjoyed many fun times.  Our lives have been filled with good health as well as opportunities to serve our Heavenly Father, our wonderful children, and our friends.

As you noted from our Christmas card, we have been called to serve as missionaries at the Brazil Missionary Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil.  We will leave in March to attend the Provo MTC and then on to Brazil.  We acknowledge the many miracles that have transpired in our lives to make this opportunity possible.  We are especially grateful for the four years we spent serving the Young Single Adults in our area.  We loved those young people and know that it was a preparation for our missionary service.  We are humbled by this call and hope that we are up for the intensive Portuguese language acquisition that awaits us in the coming few months (Ted already speaks Portuguese - it is Melinda we are worried about.)

May you be close the our Savior this Christmas season and during the coming year, for we know He is the source of peace and happiness.  We express our love and appreciation to you for enriching our lives and being great examples. 

MISSION CALL !!

We have been called to be missionaries at the Brazil Missionary Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil!
We are sooo excited! We leave in March.

Price family 2015

We have had a busy year full of sports, recitals, vacations and time spent with family!  We couldn't ask for a better year!

Ryan is working for Adobe and loves it!  He is serving as the Ward Clerk in the ward! Ryan is hoping to do a lot of camping this next year.

Christa is working hard at home keeping things together and getting kids to their activities.  She is serving in primary and loves teaching the gospel to such sweet kids,

Katelyn is busy!  She enjoys doing a lot of different things.  She is playing soccer, plays the violin and piano, on student council and has recently joined a Lego league,   Kate is an excellent big sister and loves to play with Blake!

Taylor is getting more active in sports- he loves basketball and soccer.  It is fun to see him at each of his games. He works so hard and loves it!

Andrew is our comedian! He says the funniest things and is always thinking.  A couple of months ago I told Andrew that he was the best 5 year old and he said, "why? because of all of my brilliant ideas?" The answer was of course!

Blake is getting so big! He is interacting and talking more and makes us laugh every night at dinner!

We have had a very blessed year and are grateful for the associations we have with family and friends! We are truly grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the reason we celebrate this season! We hope you all have a great year ahead filled with love and happiness!

Love The Price Family

Jensen Family 2015

We have had a great year! Top Ten Highlights of 2015: (in no particular order)

1.  Brooke choosing to be baptized. After coming out of the water, she said, "Mom, I feel so warm inside."

2. McKenna learning how to play the viola and also learning Spanish. She amazes us with her musical talents. She even sang a Spanish song to me this morning.

3. Jill reading chapter books and completing her first science project. We always find her reading books about adventures and animals.

4. Brooke taking her first (hopefully) horse back riding lesson. She even got a handful of horse's hair to take with her.

5. McKenna getting a hug from Tanner Mangum (BYU Quarterback) at the BYU Women's Volleyball game. McKenna is really enjoying volleyball.

6. Tom taking off with Group Ride class at the gym. I wonder how many miles he's pedaled in that class. He really enjoys cycling.

7. Jill winning an Award of Merit in her school's Reflections contest for her drawing of a supergirl flying through the sky to rescue another girl. She was so thrilled to get a medal.

8. Moving our family from Washington State back to Utah. Tom got a wonderful job with a company he interned with.

9.  Going to the BYU Homecoming game with great friends. Cheering for BYU is one of our family's favorite things.

10. Monica enjoyed going to Girls' Camp with McKenna and embarassing her by dancing on the stage to the camp song, doing camp skits, and camp cheers. It was a wonderful experience!

Merry Christmas to everyone who is reading this! May we all try to share more love and kindness to those in our circle and especially to those who aren't. The world needs more love and kindness. Love to you all! Love, the Jensen's.

Ted and Melinda 2015

We Love Disneyland (2015)

Wow, what happened to this year?  As we look back, we see that it has been a year of changes and growth.
Our family is healthy and happy, which is a great blessing.

Monica’s daughter Brooke Jensen was baptized in March in Kennewick, Washington.  Our whole family gathered to attend the baptism and have a great time together.

In April Ted and Melinda spent spring break with friends in Rocky Point, Mexico.  We ate good food, enjoyed the warm ocean water, and took long walks along the beach.  It was a nice break from the cold weather and our busy schedules.

Melinda retired from teaching at the end of May.  She had taught a total of 27 years: in Arizona, Salt Lake, Fillmore, and 24 of the years as a first grade teacher in Alpine School District. It took months to clean out and organize files, books, and materials for the new teacher.  The school held an open house where many former students and their families came to wish Melinda well.  It was a wonderful and rewarding opportunity to help hundreds of students become literate. The memories and relationships will be treasured for the rest of her life.

Ted and Melinda were released from church service in a Young Single Adult Stake in June.  We have loved every minute of our association with those young people.  We were amazed at their intellect, depth of knowledge and testimony, and commitment to the Savior. We now have callings in our home ward.  Also, it is fun to attend church with some of our children and grandchildren.

Every summer we take our grandchildren on adventures to local venues.  We create a video every year of the exciting things we did together.  Our hope is that the grandchildren will know that we love them dearly and that spending time with them is a priority.

Tyler has a global company which means he travels a bit. He and Mandy have had some wonderful travel opportunities this year. Jordan is now a deacon and Brooklyn is singing, dancing, and creating art. 

Monica and Tom have moved from Washington state back to Utah.  They have been living with us while finding a home.  We have enjoyed having them and their cute daughters: McKenna, Brooke, and Jill in our home.

Christa and Ryan have an active little family.  We love attending their many basketball games, soccer games, and recitals. Katelyn is a great babysitter for her little brothers, Taylor, Andrew, and Blake. 

Lisa and Jon are very busy with their three little girls. They have a work schedule which allows Jon to be home with the girls on the two days Lisa works at the clinic. Jane is a great big sister to twin sisters Charlotte and Emma.

Ted is rarely idle in his retirement.  He still helps our neighbor with her limo service and is loving the work he does with SendOutCards, creating fun cards and gifts to celebrate the lives of others. He is very good at maintaining our home and yard.

Melinda is still trying to figure out “what now?”  She is working at increasing her music skills, trying to figure out where to put all the books she kept at school, and spending time with grandchildren. We are both focused on improving our health. We see some progress, but will still need to be diligent in the coming year.

We have strong testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is the center of our lives. His birth and life gives us joy and hope.  May you feel of His love this Christmas season and through 2016.

Williams Family 2014

We have had an exciting year and received many blessings!

Jon graduated from BYU in April with Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.  He started working at Adobe in Lehi as a Network Control Technician. He also serves in the Elders Quorum presidency in our ward.  Lisa is still working as a nurse practitioner at Central Utah Clinic in Dermatology.
In July we welcomed twin baby girls, Charlotte & Emma!  They are so sweet and have been a wonderful addition to our family.  Jane is a great big sister to them.  She loves her little "twinies" and likes to tell everyone about them.
This summer Jane started a dance class where she has been learning tap and ballet.  She loves to show us all the dances she is learning.  She also started preschool recently where loves show and tell and working on art projects.
We feel very blessed in our lives.  We are grateful for this time of year and for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We wish you all a Merry Christmas and we hope 2015 is a great year for us all!

Price Family 2014

We have had a great year filled with family activities!  Our youngest son, Blake was born last year at the first of December so this year it has been fun to see him grow and meet milestones.  It's probably safe to say that he is the favorite around here.  All of his older siblings love to carry him around, dress him up and play house with him.  He is truly a joy to have around!

Katelyn turned 10 this year. She loves playing the piano, playing soccer, reading and learning how to cook. She is a great babysitter and is very responsible.  She is hoping to learn to play the violin this year.

Taylor started kindergarten this year.  He loves it, especially because his teacher's name is Mrs. Taylor. He enjoys learning to read and he is anxious to go to first grade so he can have lunch at school. Soccer has become one of his favorite things.

Andrew in is preschool and is learning how to write is name.  He is always making us laugh and has many sound effects to share.  He loves to play with the big kids.

Blake is growing up so much.  He has started walking and loves to play in the toy room with the older kids.  His smile melts our hearts.

Ryan is doing well at Adobe.  He is now managing the storage team and enjoys the commute (1 1/2 miles away from our home.) He is serving as the Ward Clerk in our ward.

Christa loves being home with the kids.  She is serving as the ward compassionate service leader and loves to see how the Lord works through service.

We truly have been SO blessed this year.  It is only through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we receive our greatest blessings.  May we remember the true meaning of Christmas this year.  We love you all and feel blessed to have you in our lives.

Tyler & Mandy Whitaker 2014

We've have a great year! Mandy is busy with Jordan's school activities and Brooklyn's Dance class and joy school. Tyler's business continues to grow. He spent some time in Australia and China working with customers. We're working hard and loving life. Brooklyn is a fun spunky little girl with a lot of life and Jordan is growing up and becoming a fine young man. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ted and Melinda 2014

We have had a joyful and tender year.  Last December our eleventh grandchild, Blake Theodore Whitaker (Christa and Ryan’s child) was born.  We celebrated the New Year in Kennewick, Washington with Tom, Monica and girls.  We had a great time learning about the area and meeting some of their friends and ward members. 

On April 6^th Ted’s mother, Charlotte Hartman Whitaker passed away. She was 91 years old.  She lived an exemplary life of faith and service. We will miss her.

July 20^th Lisa gave birth to twin girls, Charlotte and Emma.  They are sweet and precious.  They, along with older sister, Jane, have kept Lisa and Jon very busy. We have loved helping out where and when we could. 

We love to spend time with our fabulous grandchildren.  We have taken them on adventures, hoping that they will have good memories of their grandparents.

Our travel this year has been to the national parks and time in San Diego.  We are still basking in the glow of our cruise across the Atlantic with time spent in Europe and Brazil in 2012. Our Brazilian Family continues to be a blessing in our lives!

Our callings with the young single adults have been a joy to us.  We appreciate the enthusiasm of this age group.  They are valiant and preparing to lead the Church in whatever part of the world they will find themselves. 

Ted enjoys retirement, but says, “There are no days off!”  He sometimes helps our neighbor with her limo service and has driven some celebrities and high profile people.  Melinda is still teaching first grade.

Life is good! We love this time of year when the world celebrates the miracle of the Savior’s birth and the hope we have in our hearts because of his life and atonement.

With warm wishes for you and your family,

Ted and Melinda

Bryce Canyon- Our favorite vacation spot!