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Our story began in January 2004 when we stumbled upon one another through electronic communication over the internet. Although we both know that it was more than a stumble, but God leading us together, holding each of our hands through a 24 year journey. Emily was finishing up her final semester at Ball State University in Muncie, student teaching, working at Red Lobster, and making job arrangements for a re-location to Texas. I had already completed college in 2002 and had been working at Joink for nearly two years. Each of our hearts desired to find "the one" whom God had in store for us. We both realized that it would take patience, faith, and complete reliance and trust in God’s perfect plan. God also showed us that happiness and true joy could not be obtained by anything of this world, but by our relationship with Him. Believe it or not, God used a Christian singles website to introduce us to one another. Through the months of January and February, our conversations were few due to our busy and hectic schedules. There were even a couple stints where we did not even e-talk for over a week. Finally, at the beginning of March, we broke free from the chains of work, school, and other priorities and began to have more extensive conversations.
The Passion of the Christ was playing in theaters and this was the topic that opened up the phone communication. One evening, we were casually talking about the movie as I mentioned that I was taking my brother to see it. That night she was going to spend the night with her sister and invited me to call her after I had watched the movie so we could discuss it. What an opportunity! After the movie, I couldn’t wait to drop Jeremy off at my parents so I could make the first call. I quickly began to punch in numbers and waited for the dial tone. Seconds later, I heard the most soft, comforting voice that I would ever hear the rest of my life. I wasn’t sure where to begin or what to say, but eased right into talking as if we had done so for years. After many hours of conversing on the telephone and the internet, we were going to finally meet and go on our first date.
On March 18th, I left work and began the first of many trips north to Muncie/Portland. With only a few more exits to go, I began to pray to the Lord that there would be even more about this girl that I would love aside from the qualities I had fallen for through our conversations. I didn’t realize it to be possible to fall in love with someone I’d never met. I pulled up to her house on Janney and gazed through the dim lighted screen door. I peered through the window and saw her leaning over the sink applying makeup or adjusting her hair. Before I knocked, it hit me that I was finally going to see the woman who had stolen my heart, the girl of my dreams, and the one God had in mind. When she heard the noise from the door, she turned from the bathroom and began walking to the door. My heart was racing with nervousness and excitement, hopeful that all of our expectations were going to be met. God had answered my prayer from the interstate for at this moment everything added up as I gazed at Emily. She was more beautiful than I had imagined with her bright brown eyes, smooth delicate skin, perfect inviting smile, and athletically toned body. If a heart’s desire could be a picture, God painted mine right before my eyes with the most heavenly colors. After a tour of her house and an out of nowhere kiss by me, we got in the car and headed for Portland. Along the way, we stopped by our first restaurant: Arby’s. Emily really wasn’t hungry, but I couldn’t hold back after the long drive from Terre Haute. I believe she was beginning to see part of me that wasn’t visible through previous conversations as I began eating a roast beef sandwich with pieces that began to fall into my lap. Despite this conduct, Emily went ahead and took at bite of my nearly devoured sandwich. We pulled up to her parents’ house in Portland and picked up her sister and a friend to go out for a night of bowling. After this, we came back and I met Bill and Kim for the first time. I was hoping that they didn’t have mixed feelings about their daughter dating someone who was from a city nearly 3 hours away. Just a couple of months later at Outback Steakhouse in Muncie, I received their approval as I asked if I could marry Emily. With no hesitation, Kim mentioned that she had been praying for me since Emily was in her womb. This was just more assurance to me that God had been working on our relationship since our first day in this world, before the beginning of time, in fact.
Emily and I both knew that we had met the person we were going to be with for the rest of our lives. We found ourselves making many driving trips back and forth to our hometowns to spend time with one another. She had graduated from Ball State and had sent out many resumes to schools in Vigo and surrounding counties. Emily’s grandmother Pat Cummins gave Emily two round-trip plane tickets to San Antonio, TX as a graduation gift. I guess after Emily had told her grandmother about me, she was not hesitant to buy that 2nd ticket for me to come along. It was very ironic to be going on a week’s vacation in a place where Emily was planning on moving just months before we met. To sum up our week in San Antonio, we spent time with her grandmother, had dinner on the famous Riverwalk, visited the Alamo, slid through one of the world’s greatest water parks, and spent a day at Corpus Christie. On our last evening at Corpus Christie, we went out for a walk on the beach as the sun was settling behind us. We knelt down to pray and afterwards I asked Emily to keep her eyes closed for I had a surprise in store. When hey eyes opened, she saw the question “Will you marry me?” written in the sand. She said Yes as tears began to fall down her face. So, on June 4th, we were finally engaged! After the proposal, we went out for a dinner celebration and later began spreading the good news to our families and friends.
Upon our return to Indiana, Emily had a message for a job interview at Community Christian School in Terre Haute. What an opportunity this was for Emily to serve the Lord in a profession to which He has called her to do. As we prayed consistenly for God's direction, He again satisfied Emily's desire for a teaching job, but even better, at a Christian school. God has been so faithful to us by providing for all our needs by bringing us the perfect love to share with one another, jobs, a new home, and the greatest families and friends. As we look back, it is evident that when your heart has a desire, only God can fulfill it and only in His time. We are patiently waiting for the best day of our lives on October 16, when we join together as one body in Christ.
Here are some of God’s promises that we remember as we await(ed) on the perfect provisioning:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:7)
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