Anxiously (and Happily) Engaged

In my last interview with my mission president, he gave me some advice that has changed my world. We were talking about marriage, and how to choose an ETERNAL companion. He told me "Sister Arave, when the Lord says jump, JUMP.!!"
I knew what he meant. When I finally meet him, and the Lord tells us to "take the plunge" we need to jump with all our might and trust in the Lord. Then, teary and emotional and NOT wanting to leave his uplifting presence, I asked one last question: If he would be there when I got sealed. He had less than a year left as a mission president, and I wasn't planning on getting married that soon! With tears in his own eyes, he replied, "IF I am there, I would be honored to be there. But don't wait for Sister Willard and I. You need to jump!"
The spirit struck me, and I knew I would be getting married before July of the next year. I knew it.

My first Tuesday home, my dear friend Karley took me to institute. I was nervous, and not comfortable being around so much ENGLISH! But there was a cute young man with long eyelashes that sat behind me... The next week he sat there again. I learned he served in Mexico. I wanted to marry someone that spoke spanish! :)
A few weeks went by, and we were talking quite often. As we began to spend more and more time together, we both were open in discussing where we thought the relationship could go. He told me that if this was going to end up in marriage, that he wanted to wait four seasons and a road trip. As soon as he told me that, I thought "Welp, if this is the one I need to marry, that'll change! And if it's not right, we wont even get that far!"
Then I gave him my own expectations: I wouldn't kiss him till we were engaged... if an engagement was in the Lord's plan for us. That was something I felt very strong about doing, and I was not about to back down. If Jarron wasn't okay with it, then I would know it wasn't right to be with him. He surprised me by telling me how impressed he was that I would be willing to wait to kiss someone. He was on board with it all. It seemed we had reached our agreement!

Needless to say, around Christmastime, as we said goodnight in the driveway, he said "I've been thinking about something... If the Lord does tell us to jump, we can forget the whole four seasons and a road trip thing."
A few weeks later, I had my answer. He had received a short time before I had received mine, and now, on February 13, 2016, here we stand, engaged in the greatest work of mankind.... The Plan of Salvation!

Here's to eternity! We both work in the temple with the Spanish session and it has been such a blessing to grow together in our service in the temple. We have chosen June 16th to be sealed for time and all eternity here in the temple we work in, the Ogden Utah Temple.
Also, that first kiss was worth the wait. ;)

Have we not GREAT reason to rejoice?