I returned from my mission in 1999 and was fortunate to attend BYU, where I met my wife. We met in one of the singles wards there and the rest is now history. We now have two children. Their names are Julianna (6), and Blake (3). We currently live in San Jacinto, California. I guess all those English clases in Italy rubbed off on me, because I now teach high school English in Moreno Valley, a nearby city. My wife, Kera, who also majored in English, helps to raise our kids at home and occasionaly does some online editing. We enjoy serving in our ward, where Kera serves in the Relief Society and Joel serves in Elders Quorum.
Some of the fondest memories I have from my mission are the visits I had with the Battaglia family in Milan. Anziano Derr was my companion. During one of those visits, Tecla, the mother, explained to us that she had not been in contact with her sister for a long period of time because of a certain argument that had transpired between them. We asked her if we could offer a prayer to help resolve the situation. She said we could, and then she had us follow her into another room where there was a painting of the Savior hanging on the wall. Apparently, she often prayed next to this painting. We offered a prayer, and the very next day she called to inform us that her sister had called her that day and that things were now better. We knew that it was a miracle that had come about because of the power of prayer.
