Light and Truth

About a year ago in the summer of 2018 my wife, Bethany, and I were in the early stages of preparing to be parents. We had just found out a couple months earlier that we were expecting our first child to be born into the world. At this time, we were also in the midst of graduate school at Yale University, living very happily next to campus on Mansfield Street in New Haven, CT. Of course, learning that I would soon reach the milestone of being a father, one that for many years seemed as if it might not be a reality for me, coupled with the privilege of studying at one of the world's best universities made for quite an exciting time of life. However, we also knew very well that this was definitely a time of tight finances for us. New Haven, and Connecticut in general, was much more expensive in every way than the cost of living that we had a year earlier in Utah. Additionally, as every prospective parent eventually learns, pregnancy and childbirth are certainly not the cheapest lif...

In the early parts of 2014, one of the strongest desires of my life began to swell within me. Although I was only 21 years of age and single, a yearning to be a father one day took root in my heart and mind. Even though I cannot pinpoint the initiation of this desire to a specific event, I am quite confident that it was the cumulative effect of multiple heaven-designed experiences: seeing the light in the eyes of young children, learning of God's commandment to multiply and replenish the earth, and the Holy Ghost prompting me towards a more complete understanding of my duties in life. While it certainly did not occur overnight, I gradually came to desire the opportunity to raise children. After about two years, I was privileged to find and marry my beautiful wife Bethany in the early months of 2016, bringing my hope for being a father much closer towards reality. Knowing that all people are children of God, I knew from the beginning that if I so desired to raise children I needed...