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Happy Holidays 2018

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Dear family and friends,
2018 has been a most exciting year.  Below we share our thoughts about this past year and our wishes for the new year.

 I am grateful for my expanding family. They have truly taught me a lot, especially my two grandchildren, Blake and Sara Sofia. Children are a great blessing! I am thankful to my beloved wife, for helping me cope with my father's death and for accompanying me to Taiwan to resolve my father's business. I am grateful for the blessings of health, freedom, love, and peace.

I am grateful for all the learning opportunities in school and in real life. I am grateful for the gospel to lead and guide me. When I am home, I have all the support from my family members; I didn’t know that was the greatest strength to push me through difficulties easily. I thought it was all me who can do that all by myself. As I am here alone at night in Taiwan, I started to re-evaluate my strength. I don’t know what is ahead of me. I wish I can do this with God’s help. Here in my homeland, a familiar but strange place, memories of all the wonderful spiritual experiences with God that happened here while I was growing up, began to fill my heart. Maybe, this is another spiritual journey that God will again show His mercy and kindness to me, a rebellious soul.

It’s been a great year, full of challenges, changes, and lots of blessings! Henry was promoted in his job to a management position, Blake started kindergarten, and Jessica has been busy keeping Blake busy with swimming, ice skating, basketball, etc and also teaching piano to the neighborhood kids. There’s been a lot of physical trials (Henry’s back pain, Jessica’s surgery in March and a miscarriage in August) but we are grateful for these trials because we have learned to appreciate so much and are strengthened because of them. Life is good! Enjoy the journey!!
I started off the year with a trip to Mexico, using almost all of my vacation days within the first month. Other than the occasional weekend trip, I have been continuing to work at Pratt & Whitney full-time and have finished my first full year at the company. I am looking forward to the holiday season (and break) and the new year. Happy Holidays everyone, and all the best!
I began this year in my last semester as a BYU undergrad, working on a Capstone project, taking my final classes, performing research, and returning to play the contrabass clarinet in the BYU Wind Symphony. Things didn't fall into place until I had nearly graduated, when I was accepted to UMD and BYU's graduate mechanical engineering programs. I decided to stay at BYU to research under Dr. David Fullwood, which began immediately after a brief return to my mission in Australia in May with the Wind Symphony. Since then I have just been focusing my attention to my study and research, and enjoying every break that I can. Merry Christmas!
This year has been full of many wonderful events for our family. Javier and Melinda both graduated from their universities, majoring in International Business Management and Chemical Engineering, respectively. Javier successfully completed his internship with the Libra Group and got a full-time job at DealerOn. We welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Sara Sofia, into our family in July. We have seen the Lord's Hand guiding us as we strive to build our new family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This year has been very eventful with my sister graduating and having a baby girl, me being a senior, filling out college apps, enjoying my last year of marching band, and starting a new season of winterguard. I feel pretty relaxed for a senior; with only four classes to take, I can actually finish everything before 8:00 and sleep early if I wanted to (but it rarely happens of course). The football season and competition season for the marching band ended early this year, for which I am grateful for because of the impossible weather we had. Trying to make room for hobbies is a challenge, but somehow I have been able to start on a painting for Personal Progress, play the harp and piano (I should do it more), bake sweets, wash the dishes (not a hobby, but the time was available), go shopping, practice driving, make cards, and take naps even. I am happy to be able to do these things and to have the time to learn, work, and play. I am excited for this Christmas season and for a new year with more changes to come. Happy Holidays!

We wish each of you prosperity and happiness and peace throughout this coming year.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
The Tsai family,
Ben, Li-Fang, Jessica and Henry and Blake, Jonathan, Joshua, Melinda and Javi and Sara Sofia, and Megan

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