How Did God Lead You to Meet Your Husband or Your Wife?

God shows His great creativity in the many ways He brings a man and a woman together in marriage.

IN MICHIGAN
As a young man headed for ministry, I felt the need for a wife. I had noticed several Christian young ladies who seemed to be likely prospects, but no serious, lasting relationships developed from those attempts.

In the fall of 1967, I was halfway through my pursuit of a Master of Divinity degree at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, and still had no prospects for a life mate. I had begun praying that the Lord would prepare me for a life of ministry alone if that was His will.

Then she walked into the library one day when I was studying. She was a student at Grand Rapids Baptist College which shared a campus with the seminary. She was blond. She was pretty. She had my attention. Only thing was, she was somebody else's girlfriend. But shortly after that library "sighting," I discovered that she and her boyfriend had broken up. "Interesting," I thought.

We had our first date early in December of 1967, to a Grand Rapids restaurant. After Christmas break, we began dating very regularly. We became an "item" on campus. In February, 1968, I asked Linda Hubble to marry me. She said "Yes," and on December 28, 1968, we stood before family and friends at the First Baptist Church of Beech Grove, Indiana as Pastor Norm Hoag said, "I now pronounce you man and wife." It was the second best day of my life! Tom and Linda Parsons

IN PENNSYLVANIA
I met my bride of 32 years at Baptist Bible College of PA. My story: I met her over a (Whosit) board game in the lounge of her dorm. Her story, we met in the line for dinner at the cafeteria. But, her story, my (correct memory), well we will sort that out later in Heaven?

But, here is the expression I have used for 33 1/2 years: Our Lord took two kids, both growing up in/from Michigan, within 500 miles and wonderously blessed us with helping us to understand our deepest love for each other. What's so cool is that we believe we attended the same youth rallies as kids! John Haynes

IN THE PHILIPPINES
Seven years ago, after enduring a divorce I did not seek, I decided to avoid any romantic relationships with the fairer gender. My half sister, Karen, however, urged me to look into Yahoo Romance. She had met several nice guys through that medium, but I gracefully explained to her that I was not interested, and that even if I were, any one that I talked to or met would have to be a born again Christian. That was an absolute.

A few days later she called and told me about this website she had found for Christains only, called "Love and Seek." She had created an account for me, using a photo of me on my Harley. By posting a picture she was able to get a free ten day trial for me. She was very amused, and proud of herself, and urged me to just "look around" and see how many other singles there were like me out there.

Well, it was an interesting ten days. I received some interest from ladies all over the country. Some seemed normal, some, well ... a little scary. One the ninth day, I received a short note stating "I would like to meet you." When I opened this person's profile, I saw she was from the Philippines! My secretary and I laughed all morning over that one, but since I could not resist the opportunity to have some fun, I wrote to her. "Great, I would like to meet you, too, how well do you swim?" The reply came back "I swim good, but it's only fair, you will meet me halfway and swim to Hawaii!"

Thus began the communication that would alter my life in ways I had never imagined. I was forty-five at the time and Rebecca was twenty. What began as an amusing, long distance friendship grew as we talked. On Valentines day, the direction of our chats changed after Rebecca asked me if I had a valentine. I asked her the same, to which she replied "No" and I jokingly told her I would run out and see if I could find some young man for her and ship him over in a carboard box. She asked why I was not willing to be her valentine. I laughed and explained to her that in our culture, I was too old for her. She explained that in Filipino culture, age was not important. What was important was what was in one's heart. The main thing she was looking for in a husband was his relationship to Christ.

I had never been out of the USA, and had never thought of marrying someone from another country. A couple of months later, I met Rebecca's cousin Tesie, who is married to an American, and living in Ohio. It was their family mission to size me up.

In July of that year, I got on an airplane with an engagement ring in my pocket and flew to Dipolog City, Philippines. Mere words alone cannot convey the excitement in my heart as the plane banked over the edge of the beach and dropped like a rock onto that short runway. As I waited for my luggage to be unloaded onto wagons and driven up to the small terminal, I scanned all the brown faces waiting outside. I saw Rebecca's aunt Virgie, her cousin Aya, but no sign of Rebecca. Cousin Tesie from Ohio, and a girlfriend of hers had accompanied me, and Tess assured me that perhaps Rebecca, or "Tata" as she is known here, was probably still on her way from Lapayanbaha, her home. As we started down the steps to where the relatives all waited, Aunt Virgie started dancing back and forth. My bashful wife-to-be was hiding behind her, and laughing.

For two weeks, I was able to sit next to, hug and enjoy the person I knew only through words. During that time we had a chaperone, and I had to attend a Pamalaye, a ceremony in which I had to bring a roast pig, rice and other food and formally ask her stepfather permission to marry Rebecca -- in front of dozens of relatives. After my speech, Remy, her stepfather, granted permission.

Everyone clapped and started getting ready to eat, but Rebecca's mother had one question: What assurance could I give her that I would not harm or abuse her daughter. This all in broken English through a translator, as Mama spoke no English. Wow! Wife abuse and drunken beatings are very common here. Mom and Pop were not saved at this time, and Mama had endured a lot over the years.

I looked around and saw that Mama had gotten out the few good, floral glass plates that she had, and placed them on the crude wooden table on the dirt floor. They lived in a one room hut. I had a feeling those dishes were the finest possession she had. I had the translator compliment her on them, and explain that I could see how well Mama had cared for those dishes. Just as they were important to her, her daughter was much more important to me, and I would never hurt or harm her, just as Mama would never purposely destroy those dishes. That satisfied Mama and she granted her approval as well.

I flew home, leaving a tearful fiance, and applied for a fiance visa to bring her to the US. That process takes a year or more usually. I planned on going to see her again in the fall.

Her family desired a ceremony to be done in the Philippines, an exchange of vows in front of the parents that was not legally binding. They of course would not be allowed to come to the USA for our wedding. In a three way chat one night, Rebecca's aunt suggested that we have that ceremony when I came back. That way, in her words, "You no more need chaperoni ... heehee".

That raised some serious questions in my mind about what was right and proper before the Lord. Although the ceremony was performed by a pastor, there was no license. After discussing it with an Immigration Attorney and Rebecca, we decided it would be best just to get married in Dipolog, and apply for a "spousal" visa.

In late September, I flew back to Dipolog, applied for a "Certificate of Legal Capacity" at the US Embassy in Manila, and a marriage license in Polanco. On September 24th, I donned a barong, the official Filipino male wedding attire, and married the woman that God had provided for me. After a brief honeymoon, I had to get back on the plane and leave my wife, while we waited for almost a year for the spousal visa to be processed by US Immigration. Yes, immigration reform is sorely needed!

In December I came to visit and during that time I asked Rebecca's stepfather a simple question about how their services at the Catholic Church had been that day. Rebecca and I had gone to the Baptist Church, of course. He answered "fine," but was torn by guilt because he was too ashamed to admit to me that he had not gone to church that day, nor had he for many months. A week later we invited them to Metro Dipolog Baptist Church, and they both went forward during the invitation and received Christ as their Savior. Praise God, today my mother in law is the envy of her mountain area, because her husband stopped smoking, drinking, and beating on her. God can and does change lives!

After Rebecca's interview at the US Embassy in June of the following year, I was finally able to bring my wife home with me. We spent five years in the US, and moved here to Dipolog, on January, 2009. Due to the developmental issues of our middle child Matthew, and an unwritten rule by which Rebecca could lose her green card and the ability to enter the US again for being out of the country for more than two years, we are seeking to sell our house here and return to the United States. We must do this before the end of this year.

Please pray for us and our son Matthew, as he is almost three years old and does not speak any words at all. His actions, and distress at some of the simplest things seem to indicate autism as a definite possibility. God knows what is best, and we pray for His intervention and guidance in our lives. Dave and Rebecca Keiser

This space is available for the next story. It could be yours.

One of the great things God does for His people is lead them to a life mate. God did that for me in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1967. We would like to hear about how God led you to your husband or your wife.

Please write your story and email it to us at the address below. Or mail it to us at our regular mailing address. We will publish all we receive. We reserve the right to edit all entries for length and/or content as we feel is necessary.

If you have a digital wedding photo, send that along, too. We will publish one wedding photo with each story.

Thank you for participating. We look forward to hearing your story.

IN OHIO
I was thirteen years old when I fell in love. I had just moved to Ohio and joined my school's volleyball team to make some friends. After practice one day, I was sitting with my new friend, Carrie. She pointed across the gym toward a tall, blond boy who had come in with the soccer team. He was messing around with a soccer ball, rather clumsily I might add, and never seemed to stop moving.

"That's my brother, Seth." Carrie said.

Within a month, I knew I'd marry him.

We dated off and on throughout highschool. Even in the midst of teenage angst and breakups, I never doubted once that we would one day be married. I had faith God would fix it, even when all my foolish attempts failed.

And He did. We were wed on September 29, 2001. I was 19, he was 21. The journey hasn't always been easy, but still, never once have I doubted that I am married to the one God always had in mind for me. God is good. Seth and Kathy Kirtland

IN UTAH
I had a good friend who was encouraging me to go on a missions trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. I was hesitant. Finally she said to me, "Jenny, I think you are going to meet your husband on this trip." It was kind of the final nudge I needed, although I don't remember really believing her. But I decided to go.

It was February 7th of 2002 when I left for Salt Lake City. I only caught a glimpse of Christian across a crowded room of fellow mission trip attendees on that first day. Later I would find out that February 7th was his birthday. It was February 8, 2002 when we actually met for the first time. My friend wondered if Christian was a guy that her boyfriend new from college. She took me with her to go talk to him and find out. After realizing he wasn't the guy, my friend moved on, leaving Christian and I to talk alone.

We talked quite a bit throughout the rest of the trip. At one point, all of us were getting in line for the evening meal. I remember waiting until I saw Christian get in line, so that I could get in line behind him. It was pretty crafty of me, I know. I found out that he was from the Detroit, Michigan area. Only a three hour drive from my home in Columbus, Ohio. Quite an exciting discovery when you realize he could have been from anywhere in the United States.

At the end of the week we exchanged email addresses. I wondered if I'd ever hear from him again. Two days later he sent me an email. I recall that he remembered everything I told him about myself while on the trip. After that we emailed every day, multiple times a day.

Two months later, in April, Christian came to visit me in Ohio. Two months after that I went to visit him in Michigan. We started visiting each other every weekend. One weekend he'd come to my house, the next weekend I'd go to his.

On August 17, 2002, Christian asked me to marry him.

On March 29, 2003, we became husband and wife.

I'm still not sure whether to say my friend, who told me I'd meet my husband on that trip, has the gift of prophecy, but I'm convinced God used her to get me to Salt Lake City where I'd meet Christian. And I'm so glad He did.
Christian and Jennifer Miller

ON A BEAUTIFUL FALL NIGHT
It was on a beautiful fall Friday night in 1962 when Bruce, a friend of mine, and I went to an open house party given by someone in my high school. When we arrived, everyone was introduced to each other, but somehow I did not get introduced to the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was smaller than me, a feature not too common among many females, and had a glow in her angelic smile. I was stricken, but felt that she was definitely out of my league. I could not resist, however, giving her one of my "hey, baby" looks as she passed by me on her way into the house with a girlfriend. That was the last contact I had with her, and Bruce and I left the party rather early for other excitements. Unbeknownst to me, when Cloma had gone into that house, she asked her friend if she knew who that guy was giving her the eye. It just so happens that that girlfriend was Karen, a girl who was in a few of my classes in school. She told her who I was, and that she would set us up when she saw me on Monday. Would she? Or would that intention soon be forgotten like so many other ideas in the life of a teenager.

Monday was an average day in school. My mind was on my classes, or more likely, goofing around. But long about midday, Karen came up to me to tell me of a girl at the open house who liked me and wanted to go out with me. She then proceeded to describe her, as I did not know her by name. I was afraid to believe that it was really the girl that I saw there who I thought was the most beautiful one in the world. Could she really be interested in me?

When I finally became convinced that it was her, I was on cloud nine, but still felt intimidated about approaching her for a date. I first called her on a school night around nine o'clock, but her mom would not let me talk to her because it was too late. So much for the first impression on her parents. I then called on a Saturday, about an hour before I wanted to pick her up. She declined, saying she was busy, which really was not true, but it was a matter of pride and principle for her not to accept a date on so late a notice. Finally, one day at the end of school, I saw her in the hall and asked her out to the dance that the school was sponsoring. I could not remember her name, (after all, how common is the name Cloma?), but managed to stumble out an invitation to the dance. To my dismay and enjoyment, she said yes. That was the start of what has now been a forty-eight year relationship.

As for my proposal for marriage, I am sure that my wife could tell the story much better than me, but here goes. We had been dating for three years and had talked many times about marriage, children, and so on. I was home for the summer after my sophomore year at college, and Cloma's birthday was coming up in June. She felt sure I was going to give her an engagement ring as a present. So much so, she even mentioned it to her girlfriends, adding that she was not even sure that she wanted to marry me. Well, I had no intentions of doing that. In fact, I had no clue as to what to get her. On the way home from one of our dates I relayed that fact to her. She played along for a while, but then she finally caught on that I was being serious. She got so mad she got out of the car in a huff and slammed the door saying she did not want to see me again. That she had been wasting her time for the last three years. That knocked some sense into my thick skull and I followed her up to the door, begging her forgiveness and telling her that I did want to marry her.

Before we kissed goodnight, we made a pact to go out the next day ring hunting. Not very romantic, was it, but it has not seemed to affect the outcome. We set the date for May 7, 1966, about eleven months in the future, and here we are today, over forty-four years later, still united. Eric & Cloma Schneider
Cincinnati, Ohio

WHILE PLAYING SPECIAL MUSIC ON A SAW
I had been working at Shepherds Home and School in Union Grove, Wisconsin and came home for the summer break. It was August, 1975 and my first visit home since leaving in early April. It was a good visit with family and of course involved my church family at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint, Michigan.

My last Sunday night in Flint I was in the evening service, and as I practiced my saw for special music, I saw Jan, a good friend, bring in a guest. Being outgoing and friendly I went down to say, "Hi," to Jan and welcome her friend, whose name was Donna.

After the service I approached Donna and asked her if she wanted to go to Bill Knapps (a local restaurant) with the rest of the youth group. We called her father, he gave his permission and we headed out with the rest of the group. On the way over we talked, and I found out many things about her, most importantly that she was not just a Christian but had a real love for the Lord.

We hit it off and I had a wonderful evening getting to know her a little bit better. The next morning I was suppose to head back to Wisconsin, but couldn't stop thinking about Donna. I looked up her address in the phone book and gave her a call to see if I could come over for a visit before I left. She agreed, and we visited for a couple of hours in her home where I met her mother and father. Just as I was leaving I asked her if I could write her and keep in touch. Once again she agreed, and that was the beginning of our courtship. We wrote often (many times a week...remember this was before email) and over the months she came over, stayed with one of our nurses in her apartment, and visited Shepherds.

We talked about many things and learned much about each other and eventually I proposed when I came over to Flint for a visit. We knew our courtship was brief but we both agreed that if either of our parents or her pastor said we should wait a year to get married we would abide by their wishes. Needless to say all three gave their blessings and we set the date for December 27, 1975.

An unusual thing happened the week before we were to be married. We went bowling with the youth group on a Saturday night and the next morning I went to her home to pick her up for church. Her mother told me Donna was upstairs in a lot of pain. Donna's parents asked if I would take her to the doctor across the street, which, of course, I did. The doctor took one look and sent Donna to the hospital, and later that morning her appendix was removed.

The doctor was aware that Donna was getting married in less than a week and said the only way he could release her from the hospital for the wedding would be if Donna could walk the entire length of the hallway and back to her room.

All the nurses were telling us they would love to have a wedding in the hospital and they could be the bridesmaids! Well, Donna wasn't going to miss her wedding for anything, and so she made the long trek down the hallway on Friday evening. The doctor released her on Saturday morning and she just made it home in time to get ready for the wedding. Unfortunately, her hospital stay meant she didn't get a chance to attend the rehearsal or all those fun things a woman does the week before her wedding. She still was the prettiest woman I ever saw when she walked down the aisle, even though I knew she wasn't fully recovered from the surgery and was still in some pain. As a result of her surgery she had to wear slippers (white to match her dress) because she couldn't stand in her high heels. In one of our wedding pictures you can see the slippers peeking out the bottom of her dress. She also sat in a chair during the receiving line to conserve her energy.

Thirty-five years have gone by and we have been blessed by the Lord with a wonderful family and many friends. Larry and Donna Mitchell