As you know I returned home from "the best two years" in August. I had a wonderful time serving and preaching the gospel in the spanish language in the mission Iowa Des moines! It was a time in my life that I will miss greatly, as I reflect upon the experiences, friendships, and testomony building that I enjoyed. I had the opportunity to see much success in my labors there, and watched as the Lord used me and all of the other missionaries as instruments in his hand to bring to pass a marvelous work and a wonder. I am very very greatful for all of the trials I had as they strenghthened me in ways I never could have imagined.
Anyways... just wanted to speak a bit about what I did for two years! And yes it was very cold at times and very hot and humid at other times! Well no use dwelling on the past, now it's onto the future!
So I returned home the end of August and instantly jumped right into school here at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. And I have been here studying for a degree in Spanish and Finance. I love attending the University and am learning each day how to better manage my time so that I can accomplish as much as possible!
(In case anyone is reading this and thinking "wow, Steven really needs better english skills", believe me: I KNOW!!!!! :) But I am taking english classes here at the University so don't harp my grammer too much! It really didn't help that half of my mission was in spanish as I taught and learned from the Hispanic immigrants and the other half of my mission was in often times poor-hick versions of english in the small towns of Iowa! So I blame those experiences for my less than perfect grammer!)
So I enrolled in the university and began attending classes and filling my time with homework and I knew that it was on to the next stage of my life. I began my search for an eternal companion, the kind that doesn't get transferred ;) So I went on a few dates here and there and tried to have an enjoyable time but all the while I knew that I wasn't finding the special someone that I knew was out there. But luckily the Lord didn't make it all too difficult for me! I began attending the singles branch in the Alta Mesa stake of Mesa Arizona and whoa and behold, there she was! Her calling in the ward was music chorister and though I didn't know her name, I knew that they usually print the names of the organist and chorister in the sacrament programs. So I looked inside the program and right there next to "Branch Chorister" were the words "Kristen Erickson"! "Bingo", I thought, "now that I know her name, I just need to introduce myself!" Well thankfully she was nice to me and gave me her phone number upon request. We went on a date that following week and started dating exclusively.
A few weeks ago I proposed to her in a special location near our homes that overlooks the valley. There we were on the crest of the hill as the sun was setting and I pulled out the ring and nervously popped the question. To which she replied with a yes! So as you have most likely already received word, we will be married on Saturday, May 22, 2010 in the Mesa, Arizona temple! Of course all are invited and the reception is looking to be quite the event. We are going to have it at the Windemere Hotel reception hall which is also in Mesa.
Also during this time of change as I returned home from my mission to a less than booming economy, it has been my privelage to be on the hunt for a suitable job for the last 5 months! Though the time has been difficult, it has not been without the Lords help and protection. I have had the opportunity to focus my endeavors on things of a more eternal nature and grow spiritually as I have been involved on two different commitees in my singles branch: The activities commitee and the Redeeming the dead commitee of the Elders Quorum. I have already made some amazing friendships and grown to love my singles branch tremendously! Well also a few weeks ago I received a call from the Stake executive secretary who wished to set up a meeting between the Stake President and I. This came as quite a shock to me and the usual questions went through my head "what did I do this time? ;)", "Does he want to extend a calling to me?", "Maybe he just wants to touch bases with me since I have been home for a few months now?" Anyways...he did extend a call to me, he told me that the Lord would have me be the Elders quorum president of the singles branch! Though it was not what I expected, I also knew that that was the Lords will and the following day I attended the temple for upwards of 6 hours so as to ponder and pray about who the Lord would have my councelors be. I reached my conclusion and submitted the names. Now we are a great functioning presidency in the Elders Quorum.
Well in this wonderful time of searching for a job I have filled out dozens of applications and registered with many job search engines and received e-mail's daily about new jobs and employers searching for part-time, full-time, what have you! I have attended many interviews and now would say I know just about everything you can possibly do wrong in an interview, haha, and I also know how to make a great impression with those that interview you! I decided a few months ago that I have a great desire to get involved with the insurance industry and in the midst of all the interviews and job applications, I had the opportunity to study for and take the state board exam for the life and heath insurance license. It was a gruesome class which easily took 40-50 hours of study time to cover all of the information and know what I must know to pass the exam. Luckily I took this class during the winter break and was able to attend without the stress of college courses at the same time. After all the studying, I headed downtown to the licensing exam building and took the test! I passed on the first try, and was licensed within the next day! So with my new license I continued interviewing and speaking with many companies and finally settled on the company that is the right choice for me. I am now an employee with American Republic Insurance. They specialize in health and life insurance and they are gonna be a great starting point for my career while I continue to attend school and build my experience and credibility in the financial world! And thanks to the Lord's foresight I am fluent in spanish which is only going to prove to be a huge blessing in my career.
So that's me, it has been an interesting 6 months or so, but I have learned a lot, found my future companion, continued my education, become licensed in insurance sales, found the starting point for my career, grown tremendously both spiritually and intellectually, and found a good balance to my life. They always say that the Lord helps those who help themselves, well I would say he helps us in so many numerous ways that we don't even see, but in the end it all comes together and we can see the big picture. I think I'm starting to see a little of that picture, and I know I have a long way to go, but I hope and pray that I can enjoy the ride. It's interesting how life is like a rollercoaster, lots of ups and downs, yet on a rollercoaster as we are going up we always anticipate the rush that will come when we start going down...maybe there is a lesson to be learned there. :)
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