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Part 1 – The Courtship

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We Have the Love at the Right Time !

– A True Love Story (Names were changed.)

Different culture, different place, when Love speaks, it knows no boundaries.

Ben’s Story

I grew up in Colorado with my parents and mostly with my older brother Randy, as my older siblings were out of the house by then.  While in High School I started to develop an interest in photography, then attended the Colorado Institute of Art to learn more about photography.  I moved to Los Angeles and lived there for a while.  I just mostly worked while I was there and didn’t know many people , but that gave me a lot of time to think .  I moved back to Colorado and worked in the Photography businesses here.

Over the years the question of would I ever get married was on my mind, but I felt like I had to go with God ’s plan for my life . Through a lot of different situations and prayers , I became more content that if a relationship were going to happen in my life , I would know when the time and person was right.

One day , while I was at one of our official church websites I started talking to Kathlyn and that was the start of a great conversation.  I found out we had some similar experiences and similar ideas about many topics.  Over the next few days, we started talking more and more and having great discussions on all kinds of topics.  As I got to know Kathlyn more, I realized I was talking to a very impressive person , who has put so much effort and thought into her accomplishments and who she is today.  As she told me many stories about herself, although she is humble, I saw a great perseverance and dedication to finding the truth and doing her best to do what is right.  I couldn’t believe how well we understood each other and it started to seem like there was more at work than just coincidence.  During this time I was able to talk to many of her long time friends from the Philippines also.  They agreed that Kathlyn is a great person .  All I can do is give Glory To God for having my path cross with Kathlyn.  No one but God would know the right time and place for us to meet.

We planned for me to visit her in Toronto at the time of her birthday .  It was a great trip and we got along great in person also.  I got to meet so many people from Kathlyn’s family and her friends .  So many people had me into their homes and that meant so much to me.  I was able to return to Toronto again for the second time.  With the help of her friends , we planned a night to go out to dinner at the top of the CN Tower.  Then we went up even higher to the observation deck.  Here I asked Kathlyn if she wanted to be my girlfriend .  She said yes, which was a great answer to hear .  I think I remember a song being sung by me, and a video being made of it.  Good thing a lot of people haven’t seen it!  I did my best to read some sentences in Tagalog and Ilocano, which received a great deal of laughter from everyone present.  But I had a lot of fun trying.  That was where I first told Kathlyn about how I felt, how I love her so much.  I’m grateful for all my time before I met Kathlyn.  Getting to know Kathlyn has been such a great experience .   It was WORTH the WAIT!!!

Kathlyn’s Story

I grew up in the Philippines with my parents and 2 siblings ; one died at the age of 22, and one was left in the Philippines together with his family .  My parents moved to the US. The challenge of being far from each other is immense .  Life was hard back home .  My mother had to work in another country to help my father send us to school while we were growing up.  When we got the chance to be together , it was a great time .  Then I had to move to Canada and the likeliness of that experience while growing up haunted me.  I am just so grateful how much God had used that challenge to make me stay faithful to His promises.  The many things that I have learned from God and relatives ’ support, and the never-ending encouragement from friends at church , helped me stay focused along the way.

Most of my lifetime as an adult was work , ministry, and family .  Don’t get me wrong; it doesn’t mean that I never wanted to be dating or anything like that. Hahaha…  For everyone ’s information , I did have lots of male friends , but for some reasons , I was not just yet into it.  There were pressures here and there, but I thought God ’s way is what is always perfect .

When I met Ben at one of our official church websites, it was funny.  I did not know that a word, “Hey,” that sparked our communication , would change the course of my life .  We had casual talks about many issues at church , the international ministry, singlehood , bible talks, leadership and a lot more. I was blown away by how much we wanted to talk about many things that we had in common.  I started to like him, and to my amazement , after a casual invitation to visit Canada in time for my birthday , he did come.  I was encouraged by how much he wanted to get to know me and how he had introduced me to his parents even before the first time he came to visit me.  It was pretty obvious that I felt like doing the same for him, and that is why I visited him in Denver twice the same year I met him to meet his friends and family .  His ways were always wonderful and it caught my heart , and I knew I was falling in love with him.

White or black, does it matter when Love speaks?

The second time he came back to see me in Toronto, he did an amazing thing at the CN tower, singing the wonderful song, “How Did You Know ” by Gary Valenciano.  With a couple of friends along with us, he asked me to be his girlfriend , and I had no doubt that he was the one I was waiting for. The distance was never a boundary to keep us from having good communication .  It was great to know a man who respects God so much and one who would travel miles back and forth to visit me, meet relatives and friends , and who has lots of dreams for the future.  He would even talk to friends in the Philippines just to get input, and that really was a very courageous act.  We always talk about why we did not meet earlier at these many International Christian Conferences that we attended, but at the end of the day , we were so grateful that God allowed us to meet in another way.  He keeps his promises no matter how long we needed to wait for that time to happen .  The WAIT is WORTH it! – See PART 2.

HOW DID YOU KNOW

by Gary Valenciano

Lyrics

 INTRO

I remember so well
The day that you came into my life
You asked for my name
You had the most beautiful smile

My life started to change
I’d wake up each day feeling alright
With you right by my side
Makes me feel things will work out just fine

CHORUS

How did you know
I needed someone like you in my life
That there was an empty space in my heart
You came at the right time in my life

I’ll never forget
How you brought the sun to shine in my life
And took all the worries and fears that I had
I guess what I’m really trying to say
It’s not everyday that someone like you comes my way
No words can express how much I love you

Repeat Chorus

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