One Year Later...

Wow! It sure is amazing to see how much change can come in just one year! Exactly one year ago today, Lindsey and I had our first picture together after an English Cafe. For that particular evening, themed "The Times of Your Life", we had both dressed alike unintentionally! I had dressed up in denim and a wig (the beard was really mine!) to imitate George Harrison of the Beatles, representing the 1960s. Lindsey had dressed in denim, but her goal had been to represent the 90s! I remember really wanting to get a picture with her, thinking that this was a really cool coincidence, wondering if it might be indicative of more. So I mustered up the courage to ask her if she'd like to take a picture together, and she said, "Yes!" However, neither of us really knew how to pose, so it was a bit awkward :-)



Now, one year to the day later, Lindsey and I have been engaged for over six weeks, and we're less than five months away from our wedding date on July 17!!! We're working on bridesmaids dresses, guest lists, invitations, and many more exciting details - quite a bit of change from a hope-she-accepts-it invitation for a picture! Posing with her now isn't awkward at all :-)


Today, the 21st, is also a very significant date to me, as it was on the 21st of December, 2003, that I first saw the WAIT tombstone. After a long and difficult first semester of my sophomore year at Olivet Nazarene University, I came home quite exhausted for the Christmas break. After a couple days of sleep and rest, I decided to take a long, quiet walk through the snowy streets of Flushing. I distinctly remember that on that particular day, the snow was so gorgeous and fresh (like the weather we've got right now in Moscow), and it created such an atmosphere of peace and joy. My heart was in need of that peace, as I was really starting to desire a girlfriend. Many of my friends and peers were in dating relationships, and some were even getting married - and here I was at 20 years old, never having dated. Up to that point, I had never really had a problem with that, but at the beginning of my third decade of life, I realized how much I desired a companion to share the journey with. So I had gone out on a long, slow walk with God to sort out my feelings and seek His guidance.

While I was praying, asking the Almighty what He wanted me to do about girls, His answer came in an unforgettable manner. I had just asked Him, "Do you want me to date? What do you want for me to do? I'll do what You want, Lord", and then a few minutes later, as I was walking up the snowy hill of Boman Street toward the old cemetery, I looked across the street and was stunned by the tombstone that seemed to have God's will for me written in stone (albeit a person's last name): WAIT. Amazing! I remember walking over to the tombstone, standing in front of it in a worshipful attitude, thanking God for being so gracious and clear to me about His will. From that point on, my heart was at rest in WAITing on God for all my needs and direction, and in WAITing patiently for the right woman to come along at just the perfect time.

Little did I know that exactly six years later, on December 21, 2009, I would have the honor and privilege of taking Lindsey on a walk through Flushing on a snowy day, leading her eventually to Boman Street, telling her the amazing story of what had transpired six years before at exactly the same place, showing her "the tombstone", which is my favorite place of worship in the world, and excitedly telling her that I've been WAITing patiently for her (I'd kept it a secret until then)! What a day that was!

Thank you, Lord God, for writing the most amazing stories and for graciously including us, Your children, as characters in Your grand story of history and love. You are incredible!