Our Story
A lot of phone cards
I felt the disconcerting spark of "special feelings" for Gretchen in January of 2005. I realized the complete impracticality of my infatuation but chose to convince myself that my feelings were only for friendship. I concocted multiple reasons to spend time with her before she spent two years teaching children with HIV at the Beautiful Gate in Cape Town, South Africa. Some of those crucial reasons spending time together involved teaching her to drive a manual transmission (she already knew how), doing work on her computer (which I know nothing about) and buying her dinner ("consider it a contribution to your trip...").
Alas, she left after a mere two weeks of mutual denial. I prayed for her daily and did all that I could think of to support her while she was away. I sent flowers and ecards, and even letters! I caled on the 4th of July and described how the fireworks looked. Mostly I waited... and waited... and waited... and waited... and saw her for two days while she was home on furlough. Then I went to Afghanistan. Then I saw her for two weeks in South Africa where she pointed out to me the obvious "we are so more than friends". Then I waited... and waited... and waited.
I did not fully put my heart into the relationship until Gretchen came home on January of 2007, but since her return I have fallen more and more in love with her each day. I talked to her dad, bought her a ring, clumsily made my way through a proposal and somehow suckered her into marrying me. I look forward so much to our marriage, the joy, the challenges and the refinenment that it will bring. I pray that it will bring glory and praise to Jesus Christ who in His mercy gave me the gift of this relationship.
Who is that guy???
I was standing outside of the church chopping tomatoes and handing out plates to those eating at the youth missions BBQ when I looked up and saw this guy with a scruffy beard and glasses. At that moment a thought drifted through my mind . . . who is that guy? Little did I know that three years later "that guy" would be the man I am marrying.
I didn't officially meet Mike until four months after the BBQ, and only saw him sporadically after that. But for some strange reason two weeks before I was moving to South Africa for two years we spent every day together. I was always finding some sort of excuse to need to see him. Like, I needed to learn to drive manual transmission, and well my computer needed a little boost and on and on the excuses went. I wondered to myself why on earth I was spending so much time with this guy I hardly knew and not spending any time with my close friends, but I ignored the feelings that were obvious to everyone but me.
Off I went to South Africa not expecting to hear from or see Mike until I came home for a visit. I was shocked when after only a couple of days being overseas I recieved a knock at my door telling me that Mike had called the home down the street and that he would try to call back in ten minutes. Well we didn't get to talk that night but a few nights later we did. For two years he called me nearly every Monday night to talk to me, listen, encourage, make me laugh, and slowly he became one of my best friends. He saw me through many challenging weeks and prayed for me consistently, it was amazing to know a man like him and I felt so blessed that God had brought him into my life . . . but we were just friends.
After a year and a half Mike came to visit me in South africa and during that time we realized that we were more that "just friends" and decided to see where God would lead us. It's been one year since then and I am so glad to say that I am soon to be Mrs. Mike Westwood!
