My life has taken an unexpected turn for the better.

Most of you may have heard already I have chosen to take a leap of faith and be the next “Mormon Bachelor” on season 4 of TMB’s online show this summer. I have prayed and fasted about the decision and I know that it is supposed to be the next chapter in my life.

For starters some general info about the show for those who are not yet informed…

You can follow everything at http://www.themormonbachelor.com (or also accessed through http://www.themormonbachelorette.com).

The show will be set up in short clips of all my dates posted to the site including rose ceremonies and more! I will move to Los Angeles for the summer and go on 12 blind first dates which the girls plan and pay for. From the 12 I will choose 6 girls to go on second dates with and I will plan and pay for the dates in LA. From there I will be going with 3 girls to their hometowns. 2 Girls will then meet my family and then I will choose 1 girl to start a committed relationship with!!! and then who knows…!?!?!?!?!?

Ladies can apply from now until April 30th to be one of the 12 dates by filling out an application found on the website and submitting a short youtube video. I am not going to lie I am a little nervous about who will actually sign up to be my dates but I am excited anyway!!! By all means if you know someone with whom you think I might connect, encourage them to sign up!

Now down to what I really want to say about this…

A lot of people have asked me why The Mormon Bachelor? And my response to them keeps coming back as WHY NOT? 

I am usually pretty good at being open to all opportunities presented to me and this is no exception. Who wouldn’t want to be set up on 12 blind dates with beautiful quality LDS girls in hopes of finding true love? I feel humbled and very fortunate to be able to live this dream. There were 12 finalists for the spot as “The Mormon Bachelor” and I was lucky enough to get picked!!!

As my journey towards finding true love begins I have already learned some very valuable lessons that I am going to take with me into the start of the season come summertime.

Everyone deserves a second chance.

Everyone deserves a second chance….even me!!! The Lord is merciful and I am humbled that he is always ready to pick us up when we fall. D&C 3:10 states, “But remember, God is merciful; therefore repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work.”

I look at The Mormon Bachelor as a second chance at seriously dating in hopes of finding true love. Despite mishaps, I am still chosen to be a part of the kingdom of God and I am still called to the Lord’s work. He will not shut us out from the kingdom before the end. Sometimes as young singles we feel left out of the kingdom, or that life is passing us by. Often we are too hard on ourselves. We need to gain courage in the mercy of the Lord and realize that all the wonderful blessings of marriage and family will be realized in the Lords time if we are faithful. We are still called to enter into an eternal marriage despite our frequent shortcomings.

I will be the first to admit that my dating life has not always been smooth sailing. There have been many reasons the road has been rough. Anyone who has read my previous post, “10 Provo Dating Concepts for Men” knows that I have some strong opinions on dating and that I left Provo bitter and jaded with respect to the subject. Although my location could have had a negative effect on me, I believe that the path to finding true love was “hedged up” (see Mosiah 7:29) simply because I was not ready to receive it.  I needed to be ready to give all of myself to someone. It wasn’t due to a lack of dating or options but had everything to do with my personal preparation for, and acceptation of, a true commitment type of love.

If I were to return to Provo dating today I would come with a new-found perspective. Upon moving to Arizona for dental school in the fall of 2011 I was determined to make personal changes. When I left Utah a close friend of mine named Tina, whose family I taught English lesson to, gave me a painting of a wild horse as a gift. When I opened it I was confused. She explained that I was the wild horse and that I needed to be tamed. She had been able to observe my dating habits over 2 years and wants me to find the true happiness of a family. I decided I would take her suggestion seriously. I have changed my dating habits and have prepared myself to find true love and enter a serious committed relationship.

Can I find this love on a reality show? Many will laugh and scoff and say YEAH RIGHT!!!

My response to that is WHY NOT? Why put a limit on love? I believe that love knows no bounds and I will get out of the show what I put into it, and what I need to put into it is my faith.

Finding true love requires a leap of faith

Eternal marriage and true love are the pinnacle of happiness in this life. Naturally in order to receive such a wonderful blessing we will have some opposition and hardship on the way. Heavenly Father often requires us to experience the bitter so that we will appreciate the sweet. None of the Lord’s greatest blessings will come easy.

The scriptures often talk about a leap of faith. The Lord’s formula of faith is that we ACT first, then we receive confirmation and assurance and then we KNOW something is true. (John 7:17). The worlds way is opposite. They want to KNOW first and receive a confirmation and then ACT…

Marriage and committed relationships require great faith. When you commit, how can you know that everything will turn out to be alright? The truth is that you don’t. That is why it is a major leap of faith. The world wants to avoid this inconvenience. An example is a couple who moves in together before getting married. They want to “be sure” of the functionality of the relationship before they jump into a serious commitment. It is understandable in a worldly perspective, but it is not the Lord’s way.

The Lord gives great blessings and promises to the faithful. D&C 52 :43 states that the Lord will crown the faithful with joy and rejoicing. Preparing myself for The Mormon Bachelor has been difficult. I am nervous about who will apply for the show. What if I don’t have a connection with anyone that I go out with? Will I be able to be myself in front of a camera? It really has been pretty scary. Mostly it is the fear and anxiety of the unknown. I have no idea what to expect. But I have come to accept the fact that I need to replace these doubts and fears with faith.

The show will be a leap of faith for me. I am preparing now by focusing on my Savior and on school. I am not going to spend time dating or worrying about girls during this time leading up to the show. I am already starting to focus and relax   and I feel so much peace. I know that if I approach the show as a leap of faith only good things will come of it. Some type of joy and rejoicing at the very least right? (see scripture above).Yet the Lord can make miracles happen if we are faithful. EVEN perhaps love on a reality show. Don’t get me wrong though. I am not going in to the show putting the pressure on myself that I must find my eternal companion… but I am not negating the possibility of it either!!! I have no idea what the Lord holds in store. I am not going to worry about a future event but i will live daily in preparation controlling the factors I can control in the here and now.

(San Diego, CA…My favorite temple)

Just to finish up this post I want to say I appreciate all of the support I have received from my friends and family up to this point. I hope that you would continue to support me and follow along as I embark on this exciting journey of potential love.  I will keep you all updated via my Facebook page on future happenings, until then stay tuned!!! This is exciting!!!

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