my two cents

lol
 
Actually I wanted to make sure that certain lessons which contain references to government and the Constitution actually taught those principles instead of glossing over them.

Welcome to the forum!
tagging @anatess2

When I was a teen, I thought I would need to date a lot of different people in order to be selective of a spouse. That didn't really happen but it didn't matter. As long as a person is observant of all the relationships around them like I was, they can narrow things down pretty quick. 

Welcome to the forum!
tagging @anatess2

Also, this:

My own personal desire in the context of the OP and subsequent posts is to state my own approach as some others have done with theirs. I like to believe that I'm following the scriptural admonition to let my light shine as in allowing people who are in the dark to see their way amongst the rocks and the cliff-edges. This as opposed to focusing my light in their eyes so that they feel compelled to shield themselves from it. So, I imagine "my light" more as a lantern and less as a search-light used as a weapon. Since I have been exposed to both kinds of lights myself I'm trying hard not to indict anyone else (neither the blind nor the seeing) but "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" and not that they may glorify me. (I realize that one always runs the risk of inviting unintended consequences when talking about one's self.)  
 

Growing up in a single parent family, the senior elder at my church (equivalent of LDS Bishop), had me help hm on his farm. The pocket money was great but the thing i value most now was the virtues that I saw him display. It was only years after that I really valued the gift of time that he spent with me was worth.

I should clarify. My parents put God's promises to the test and 'sought first the kingdom of God' with all that entails and were blessed because of it.
Who does God’s work will get God’s pay...

At the end of the workday, we had a patient come in with broken glasses. Five minutes before we closed. The optician who helped him was a little begrudging about it. They walked out, and before I could get to the door to lock it, they came back in to see if we had contacts he could get to hold him over until his glasses came back. The last tech left had just clocked out and shut her computer down, and I apologized as I explained the situation. While she wasn't necessarily happy about it, she was moderately cheerful when she handed him the contacts. (She's normally way more cheerful.) 
Her attitude helped me see it as an act of service, and I know the patient thought so, too. (And I let our HR person know she helped off the clock, so I'm sure her time will get adjusted to reflect that.)

I think it would be just fine to reach out to the bishopric and let them know you're coming back and that you're willing to serve. It would probably be a good idea to let them know how long you'll be around as well. I also think they'd love to hear that someone would like to give a talk. I'm sure they don't hear that very often so it would be nice for a change. Welcome to the forum!

Congrats on the offer!  My parents raised all of us kids without insurance and there were rarely any issues over the years so it can be done. Look into home remedies. You might be surprised how effective (and cheap) they can be ... and without the side effects that doctors prescribe.

Don't give up, Hiker.

You're always welcome to ask :).  
Awesome!

Thank you.  it appears LDS has an app for everything.

Okay..this is my serious take (thinking what I would do if I was in that situation, using some logic here and natural human reaction)
If I like Mike but I'm dating Jason (unless Mike specifically asks me if I am dating someone) there is no way on earth that I will tell him that I'm dating someone, let alone talk with him about the possibility of me getting married to this guy, etc. I wouldn't want Mike to look elsewhere.

I apologize for being overly-defensive in my responses.  It's definitely a weakness of mine that I need to work on.

Great idea for a thread @RooTheMormon. Thanks for inviting me to the party @Larry Cotrell
The latest great acts of service that I can think of involve parents of mine and my wife's. I've been on "vacation" the last couple weeks where I go into work for clients only and then spend the remainder of my day painting the exterior of my house. The house was built in 1910 and the stucco is in desperate need of help, so the prep work has been a big ordeal getting the house even to the point where paint will adhere for more than a week and to ensure the stucco is doing a decent job of limiting moisture in the walls since it predates house wrap and we have to count on the stucco alone as our barrier against the elements. It just so happens that my dad is also in the midst of painting his house, but made up an excuse that he needed to let it dry out after some rain so that he could "justify" leaving his monster of a job to drive an hour to my city and spend a day helping me with mine. He showed up around 9:30 in the morning and said, "we have twelve hours until the sun goes down." He was serious too, when food was offered, he said we have lots to do and we'll eat when the sun is gone. So he helped me get a lot farther along in one day than I would have otherwise. He grew up on a farm and the value of a hard day's work is very much a part of him.
My father-in-law is a licenced mechanic and will not let me pay for more than parts when vehicle repairs need to be done. It's sure helpful to have an honest mechanic to do the work at an unfair price  in my favour.
Okay so I apologize if I'm retagging people who've already been called on - I didn't have time to read all of the posts.
I haven't heard from some in a while and don't know if they're around or not, while others I'm sure will be around:
@Anddenex @Wingnut @MarginOfError @Palerider @omegaseamaster75 @Bini @skalenfehl @applepansy @Seminarysnoozer

Good point... I haven't really thought it through whether I want to tell her during or after she visits.

I'm going to suggest that you don't do this in person so she's not put on the spot. The situation may be such that she'll need time to think about how best to respond.

Dude, I know it's hard to come on a forum and put a question out there that you don't want to hear the "wrong" answer to but if you're wanting our advice you at least have to take the "wrong" answers with a humble heart. No need to be defensive, people are just stating their opinions on the topic. At the end of the day it is YOUR decision and YOUR life. Do what you want to do (to me I think you already know, you just want validation which is a normal human desire, hence why you're defensive with people who don't agree with the decision you've already decided). 
 

Have you asked yourself what you have to offer this girl?  If she wants to stay home with the kids, you better have something figured out so she can do that. If you do choose to spill the beans, you better have a decent case because liking someone doesn't cut it when she's thinking ahead.

Very true! Darn Straight!

I think it would be just fine to reach out to the bishopric and let them know you're coming back and that you're willing to serve. It would probably be a good idea to let them know how long you'll be around as well. I also think they'd love to hear that someone would like to give a talk. I'm sure they don't hear that very often so it would be nice for a change. Welcome to the forum!

When I was a teen, I thought I would need to date a lot of different people in order to be selective of a spouse. That didn't really happen but it didn't matter. As long as a person is observant of all the relationships around them like I was, they can narrow things down pretty quick. 

What a great story and thanks for tagging me!
Someone was telling me a cool story yesterday. He said him and his friend used to go see a particular band every year when they came in town. But when he went off to college in Canada, he wasn't able to go because of the long drive and a test he had the next morning. So while he was sitting in his room that night, his friend skyped him and held his arms up for an over an hour so he could see the concert and "be there with him." What a great example of friendship!
I'm tagging @SpiritDragon