Miracles, a Spectacular Arizona Saints Chorale Concert, and new beginnings

 This week has been one full of crazy highs from the deepest lows (some lows we've been in for a long time, now). Sarah had scheduled my tooth extraction for Tuesday, so Monday we did our best to work all day and all night, but we were still coming up short for the $495 tooth extraction price with coupon. However, we pushed forward that night, dedicating our Family Home Evening to the modern pioneers that we were for our family, as well as honoring past pioneers. We sang You Don't have to Push a Handcart, and our version of Pioneer Children, called Pioneer Modern. We read from Doctrine and Covenants 136:28-33, and we learned about Ruth and Naomi pioneering.

We still hadn't made a dent in the rest of the bill price by the end of the night, but we had resolved to go in the morning to drive together Uber Eats. Well, when we had gotten up, I felt inspired to go check the mail for no reason but that we hadn't checked it in a while. Well, I open the mailbox and there was a miracle card in there. It was from my mom and dad, not only for my birthday, which is coming up in 9 days from today, but also for my graduation and recital. In it, we were astounded to find a $1000 check. Miracles. We were praising the Lord for an answer to much needed prayers and the debt that we had been building up. Since then we had dedicated all the money to all our overdue bills.

That, and now we could pay for my tooth extraction. With one minor snag. The money didn't come in immediately. So we borrowed money from Kirsten and almost some from Helen and Christina, and we paid them back the next day. The tooth extraction went without a hitch, besides the fact that I had to wait 8 hours to actually eat or drink anything (and then it was also only soft foods). Healing from it still. So, we have been blessed beyond all measure. We are extremely blessed again and again and all we can do is give our praises to God for His bounteous blessings that he simply pours out on us.

The Arizona Saints Chorale's Let God Prevail Spring Concert was last night. And with the completion of that, we are completely free of commitments besides ones that we make ourselves (like feeding the missionaries and work or piano teaching). In the morning I had been feeling some feelings of inadequacy creep in and speculating whether or not I was going to do a good job or just extremely botch the entire thing. Upon further reflection, the choir would not let me botch it, even if I intentionally messed  up.

But man, I was wonderfully taken aback by how moving the songs were that the choir performed and how well they stepped up to perform them. It was an extremely great concert. And all the things I was asked to do went by without a hitch. I was asked to introduce the concert with words that Forrest had come up with, and it was definitely a great mood setter the way I read it. I introduced my song with some impromptu words from the heart. And I presented the award to Seth Rogers, with a little difficulty.

After the concert, some of the choir members had an after show party at La Merced mexican restaurant. It was an extremely fun time.

So, what new beginnings am I talking about? Well, for one, I start student teaching in the fall. Well, Kirsten, just the other day, sent me an advertisement of a Music Teacher job position opening up in the Orcutt School District which is the school district near Santa Maria. I have been seriously looking into it and I am thinking about applying. It would be quite the upheaval again as we're just barely getting settled in our lives in Apache Junction, but if this is the next step, I should take it. Who knows maybe I won't be able to do it because of Ottawa University's student teaching policy. However, it is a good opportunity and I would be remiss not to take it.

Another new beginning is that I have had the desire to start a podcast with Jacob. Well, I had the idea to do the podcast on our missions and the experiences we had there. Jacob really liked the idea and we are really getting ready with the prep for it, including having a logo. It looks good. Our podcast name is the Be Good and Do Good podcast in honor of our mom's weekly words to us in her emails to us. I had Jacob do some mock-ups of a logo, and this is what we came up with, plus the Inka Cola version.

I'll probably be doing the music. We also have an email, and we are going to record through streamyard.com. I also am planning on getting a good gaming microphone sometime soon.

So, this Summer is full of new possibilities.