mrmarklin

Many years ago I worked in a mission office and became privy to the amount of the stipend the mission president received. It was very modest IMO.

As I write this I'm on a hunting trip in Wyoming. I own many guns, too many to list. Here in the US, the primary reason the framers of the constitution provided this right was for the ultimate defense, and potential insurrection of the citizenry against a corrupt and abusive national government. All other reasons are secondary. Guns are great sporting tools that can be used for hunting, Shooting sports, (lots of great fun competitions for those so inclined) Self defense And general "plinking" Many of these uses require specialty guns, there is a large variety of handguns and rifles as well as shotguns to serve these various markets..

First thing is to consult an attorney. You need to understand the implications of property splits, possible alimony and child support issues. You can still be the first to tell your wife about the decision.

Yes JAG, I too wasted a lot of time on my mission. I went long enough ago that we didn't have all the silly rules extant today. If I had to serve under the current set of rules I would not go.

Red iguana. Chains are open, but why?????????

As LDS myself I can certainly see the problem any Catholic would have accepting Joseph Smith's claims of a restoration. We must remember that even from LDS point of view, the Catholic church used to be the true church! While the "gates of hell" scripture is clear to me, I freely admit that it's ambiguous enough to be open to interpretation. And both religions acknowledge that Peter was the head of the ancient church. I personally believe that there have been enough doctrinal deviations from the bible in other so called Christian churches to constitute apostasy. Therefore making a restoration necessary, but of course other religions claim that their bible interpretations are correct. In the end it boils down to faith, backed by study, and prayer.

You're fine with public transportation. Buy ahead on beverages. But even so, I don't consider you're breaking the Sabbath. I'm a reprobate. Don't follow my example.

Mr Seamaster You have left off some fairly vital expenses. Not sure if you included FICA tax in your calculations. Paying for your education so you can improve this!!! You forgot some sort of health insurance. Most minimum wage jobs don't get any. I assume the 1200 you allocated was car and other insurance. And of course, you are correct in saying that your probably beater car will incur some sort of repair bill during the year sending you into credit card hell. Here in PRK I challenge you to even rent a room for $500 per month. That's not realistic. Yes here in the US we are spoiled, but that's the way we roll. Here in PRK a family of two is considered to be in poverty at a $29,420 annual income. That's slightly less that 200% of federal guidelines for the nation. So clearly some of you are deluded by the cost of living where ever you are. I realize in third world countries people live on much less, but the quality of food, housing, clothing, etc etc cannot be compared with the US lifestyle. Yeah maybe some of you don't want to lay a foundation for life when you're young, but why not> I'm a CPA and deal with successful people all the time and here's what they generally have in common: IN ORDER: 1 Education or good trade 2 Own a home. In Silicon Valley this is not nothing. 3 Married-never divorced 4 Didn't have children until they could "afford" them. Let them be the judge of affordability. But here near Silicon Valley a decent private high school is upwards of $20K per year. Public schools are very problematic in many cases. 5 Wife stays at home takes care of children 6 Have enough resources to save for retirement-no one can live off social security alone. And the program was not intended for that anyway. Of course not every one conforms to this ideal. But here in PRK I would challenge you to show me a Stake President or similar church leader who hasn't done all or most of the above. Even in other parts of the country. Why? Because only these people have the time to devote to the Lord in this extreme. Most everyone else is too busy trying to earn a living to do tthese sorts of callings. I'm sure you will all know someone who didn't conform to this but in general it's very true.

You don't but your wife does!

Seems like this whole thread as revolved around TFP trying to rationalize and justify his decisions to marry in college, take on a load of debt and (I assume) have children while doing all this! I sincerely hope you have a successful career and are able to overcome some of the burdens you have taken on for yourself. :) They were unnecessary. Most of all, I hope you're happy.

The last paragraph of your post #41 seems to downplay your debt as part of a decision to marry. Maybe you're OK with it, but I'd venture most would be very uncomfortable with students. Well, it is a national problem. I don't think its out of order to state it can be a serious consideration that should be taken into account when decidingto marry.

A lot of this is cultural. I know in Utah for example, a lot of people (Mormons) marry in college after missions, have children right away and struggle. BUT there are a lot of similar couples in the same boat, and in addition, a lot of family and community support for this lifestyle. Clearly the "advice" of the GAs over the years has led to this lifestyle as interpreted by some on this forum. Although careful reading of the quotations contain no specific injunctions to do this. From what I have read and heard over the pulpit the GAs are cautious, because everyone is different. And I don't blame them at all for the possible faulty interpretations of their counsel. People hear what they want to and what suits their desires. Clearly students are in debt statistically, nationwide. How to deal with these debt levels has been elevated to a national crisis. So to play that down as a problem is silly. I'm sure church members are not immune to national trends despite possible anecdotal evidence to the contrary. The reality is this: Financial problems are one of the three leading causes of divorce. So why would you marry before you are fully prepared? Have a plan that can at least mitigate that problem. You'll have plenty of others! :)

OP, I really don't think you need to hurry about anything. Go on a mission. It will give you a lot of needed perspective. I'm a CPA. I know what doctors make. My experience is that you won't need to actively look for anyone to marry when you get your degree. The girls will find you. You maybe need a change of scene as to where you live. I don't perceive the kind of social pressures here in NoCal that you seem to have put upon yourself.

Why would anyone answer a phone call from an unknown number. I don't answer unavailable, anonymous, or any other thing I don't recognize. Saves a lot of hassle.

I thought you were talking about our drought here in California. :)

Great article.

Around her it's 20-40 $$ per hour depending on the competence.

I really don't think that cultural bias has anything to do with whether our leaders are prophets of God. They are. But the idea that somehow they're not influenced by their life experiences in what they say is a little silly because it's so obvious.

You said it, not me.One must see that YOUR cultural bias is also in play here.:-)

I disagree. She does understand. She doesn't have honesty or good intentions. She's being deceived by satan. Maybe there is some mitigation in her letter, but I doubt it. The more members that "stay" in the church with her POV, the better s for Satan.

What I would do????? I would dial 1-800-colombia ext. hottie

Lots of the advice we get from the GAs has a huge cultural bias. These guys live largely on the East Bench (yeah, it's the good area) in SLC, go to affluent wards, rarely, if ever, see anyone there not dressed in accordance to their white bread, cultural circumstances. When they travel, which is a lot, they see largely the best foot forward-Potemkin Village stuff. So when a GA goes somewhere and sees too many earrings, non-white shirts, tattoos, piercings, beards and other non-SLC dress patterns etc. it's jarring to their sensibilities. Hence we get "advice". We need to take it all with a grain of salt IMHO. Treat this as a post in the White Shirt category as well.

I wear a white shirt almost every Sunday. It's called a Guayabera. No tie. I'm looking for other colors for this style shirt. In Latin America this style is considered formalwear. It's comfortable. The finest shirts are made of linen, and this is the kind I wear. Living near Silicon Valley I have found that it's very liberating to get away from the necktie popularized and practically invented, by Beau Brummel over 200 years ago.

Spend as much time at my summer home as possible. The whole family will be there the week of July 4th. Fishing, BBQ, swimming, riding motorcycles, hiking, and participating in local 4th events. My travel vacations are usually in the autumn or winter. Exception this year was visiting UK for Chelsea Flower and Garden show in London. Also did Portmeirion and Scotland.

Traditionally, marriage to a Catholic meant giving up rights to the Catholic spouse re: the religious education of the children. If you are having a non-denominational ceremony I guess that wouldn't apply, but you should discuss it before you marry.