Stephen [Questioning Christian] and Grace [preacherchick99] are getting married!!!!

[Questioning Christian]

Stephen [Questioning Christian] and Grace [preacherchick99] are getting married!!!!


Well, so we're finally taking the plunge, after all this time. Thank you for every one who has supported us and prayed for us.

Special thanks go out to Hisgirl, 9-iron, The Lord is my banner, SharonL, Christina M, flyingsum0, Andry, lovesblessing, furrysmommy, probinson, Hadron, BenAdam, GQTexan, Kebisoni, msbojingles, Dave01, charityagape, JTM3, jrlinz, foadle, Oscarr, DaisyMaewHolly, wizeone, TheMatman, AudioArtist, and jeolmstead, all of whom frequent "that other forum" and who have given congratulations and support from the beginning.

Gosh, hope I didn't leave anyone out!!! If so, this line is for you, just special, all for you!!!

We have tenatively set the date for Saturday, July 19, 2008 [both my parents have their birthday on July 20], and it will be held in Orange County, California, then later that week we'll be doing a second wedding celebration in MY hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Yes, we DID meet here on CF, and yes, it HAS succeeded and prospered!!!

__________________________________


A brief of our story:


We began to get to know each other here on Christian Forums all throughout 2006 just the same way we were debating and discussing with anyone else on CF. For that entire year, nothing developed between us except Christian friendship and charity.

With the turn of the year, our friendship also began to take a slightly different turn.

It was February, and I happened to be looking at some of her online photos. "Wow", I thought to myself. I was very excited at what I saw - very excited. I really liked her a lot from what I saw. Heretofore, I had not seen her pictures, and was very impressed with them - with her.

I took a chance. I told her she was very beautiful and that I wanted to talk to her and get to know her better. She responded by giving me her phone number, to which I responded by calling her. It was really awesome talking to her. We began spending two or three hours every single night talking to each other.

There was nothing serious said during these conversations. It was a lot of fun, really, more than anything else.

The relationship was, however, not without its challenges.

She was in California.
I was in Carolina.


She had a phone curfew of 11:00.
I was in the Eastern time zone [which would mean 8:00].


She was 21.
I was 34.


It seemed unlikely - impossible, even.


Well, nonetheless, I decided to send her pictures of me, since I'd seen pictures of her. She was wowed as well with my pictures. She said she thought I looked really good in that tuxedo [a picture from when I was a groomsman for a friend of mine a few years ago]. I was sure to send her a variety of pictures, so that she could get quite a few different views of me.

So we talked on and on like that through the end of February, all through March, and on into April.

And it was then that we would meet.

She was coming through North Carolina on a layover en route to a wedding in Laurel, Mississippi. I lived in North Carolina. How perfect.

How absurdly inconvenient, rather.

• The city she was flying through on her layover - Charlotte - was four hours' driving distance from Wilmington, where I lived.
• She only had a one-hour layover. The chances we'd get more than five minutes at the gate [due to post-9/11 security measures of non-passengers meeting passengers at gates] would seem nominal at best. My aunt, who used to be a travel agent, advised me not to go, that I would be entirely wasting my time.
• There was also the chance that nothing would come of this "chance meeting", and that my time, energy, and effort of the last two months, and in the making of this entire day would prove altogether pointless and disappointing.

But when people say "don't take chances", perhaps they fail to realize the beauty of the word "chances", which dually is defined as "opportunities".

And I took my chance.

And she didn't like me when she saw me.

When I had sent her the pictures of myself, I didn't send her any of me with long hair, which I currently was sporting. She only had this imagination of me with short hair - and she did NOT like what she saw in that airport.

Maybe it was the day - maybe it was the hair - maybe it was just the downer of meeting someone in person when you've built them up in your mind, and then see who the actual person is.

But there wasn't any chemistry there for her.

For about six weeks, I put everything on hold with Grace, not sure of what would happen between us. Finally at the beginning of June, we began to talk again, once she was sure of what she wanted. We talked all through the summer, then met in the end of August, when I took a train trip to see her in Chicago. She was training for United Airlines to be a flight attendant.

I began to fly back and forth from Wilmington to Chicago several times, then a few times to Denver to see Grace once she had begun her job post-training.

I applied for, and received, a job as meter repairperson in the Denver area, which I started on January 14. From this time, we've begun planning our future together, and this is the first step.

_______________________________

Not everything has been easy. Sometimes, it's been downright difficult. But we have each other, and a belief that this is it for both of us. This has kept us through everything we have faced.

God has been good to us as we have persevered.

I would encourage anyone looking for love to hold on. I was convinced I'd never find someone who would love me. I thought I would continue dating for the rest of my life.

I was wrong.

God was always there for me, and he held me up, and kept me for this moment. Grace is what I want, and what I need, and what I love. She is so wonderful to me, and I love her so much.

You can find this fulfillment of love.

Don't ever give up. Your love may be right under your nose, or it may be far, far away, but with God, either distance is the same distance - for he is the Bridge. Love may seem hard, or it may seem easy, but to God, it is all the same. What we call "small miracles" are just as easy to God as "big miracles". All of them require His power.

Don't fail to take chances just because they may seem impossible.

Take that airplane flight.

Drive those four hours.

Wait for someone who is worth waiting for.

Never assume that any situation is beyond God's ability to materialize it.

Don't gauge a person's fit for you by their age, skin color, "level", geographical distance, personality, income level, or by any other external judgment. Some externals change - but God remains the same. God can put any person with any other person.

So don't ever give up hope. Hold on to Him.

He is your life, your help, your hope, your salvation, and the strength of your heart. He knows what you prayed for.

He answers your desire - because he put those desires in there in the first place. He did not put those desires in your heart only to frustrate himself by not fulfilling them. They are HIS desires, and the word he sends forth will not return void.

Do not give up, and do not settle on the first person who comes along to you. This took me a long time to find this happiness, and God made me wait, because [being 35 with Grace being 22] this couldn't happen even three or four years ago.

Remember that when God purposes something to happen in your life, that it happened at just the perfect moment. If God had done it one second sooner, it would be incomplete and imperfect. It would be like the puzzle you see on the coffee table that's missing the last piece - the picture is there, but the missing piece makes it just look totally wrong. He will put all the pieces in place; He will make the puzzle complete.

Then, you won't just have a perfect picture; it will be total and complete - with not a piece missing.

_________________________

Please PM me for a way to contact me!

 

[Keri]

I have no idea who either of you are, but congrats.

 

[BoarderDave]

Same here.. never heard of you, but congratulations ALL THE SAME!

 

[traingosorry]

Crazy story!

I'm afraid I don't know you personally but have seen you both in and around.

Congrats, really glad it worked out for you two.

 

[Preacherchick99]

Thank you all for your warm wishes and congrats, this has been a LOOOOOONG journey and we both are glad to take the next step.

I know I don't post in here too much but I have in the past off and on, that's probably why ya'llz don't know who we are, lol ;P

Let's see if I can fill in some gaps for ya'llz so that you can understand just HOW MUCH of a blessing this is :] Get ready for t3h dr4ma!!! lolz ;P

__________________________________________

I'll never forget the moment when I first learned that he was to be my husband. Stephen had come to visit me in Chicago while I was at the training center for United Airlines. This was to be our second meeting. Our first was in Charlotte, NC and though we had a great time, that didn't go so well, lolz.

It was so strange how it all happened--I didn't like him! >.< I was a bit disappointed too, because we had A LOT in common in soo many ways. I mean don't get me wrong, I wanted to like him, but there was just no chemistry for me.

I immediately went in deep prayer about my relationship with Stephen.

And the Lord kept pointing back to him. I remember, while I was at my best friend's wedding rehearsal, I had to run out the room because I was sooo close to tears and I didn't want ppl to think that I was bursting into tears over my best friend's wedding and then getting annoyed, lolz ;P I remember running out of the room and finding a children's school room to just be alone in for a few minutes.

"Why God?? Why?? Why don't I like him? What's going on? Why do you keep pointing back to him???" I cried out in tears in that school room. I remember leaning over the pulpit inside that school room and resting my arms on it and just crying because I didn't understand what was going on. Suddenly I looked up and what was right in front of me?

A verse of scripture. I don't remember the verse but what I DO remember is what it said. "The Lord is your strength. Let go and let the Lord be your strength." It was something along those lines.

I remember nodding my head while in conversation to the Lord.

"Okay Lord...Be my strength. But I still don't understand...." I laid my head down again and wept. After a few seconds I looked up again and whattya know....

There was a chalkboard right in front of me, and on it there were tagged different names. And guess which name was the biggest and RIGHT SMACK DAB in the middle?

STEPHEN

In big huge letters. When I saw his name something hit me hard and I began to cry harder.

"Lord...What is this?? This is strange....This can't be anything more than a coincidence...I don't understand Father! What are you trying to say??"

The Holy Spirit calmed me down and told me that the Lord was my strength and don't give up.

Alright so I went to the wedding--Fast forward.

I decided that I couldn't talk to Stephen. It wasn't right to keep on talking to him when I felt nothing for him. I told him that I needed time to think and that I had met someone.

Yes that's right ppl--I met someone. I started talking to someone else because I figured...Well, it won't work out. But this was my flesh talking.

I dated this guy named Hector for a while but while I was with him, it didn't seem right. In fact, the Holy Spirit would speak to me on different occasions and say, "Gracie--He is not the one. What are you doing? Hector is a DISTRACTION from your real husband. You shouldn't be with him."

Though I was not listening to that voice for the first few times, I wasn't exactly happy with Hector. In fact, Hector made me feel like CRAP. The Holy Spirit was still speaking to me gently, telling me that Hector was a distraction and that I needed to get away.

I finally listened and something Hector did to me was the boost that I needed to kick his sorry butt goodbye. He was not HALF the man that Stephen was, and as I left him, the Holy Spirit would whisper things to me about Stephen.

I was fighting it.

"No! There is no chemistry between us...Why are you pointing me back to Stephen??"

The Holy Spirit then spoke to me about not giving up. He told me that I needed to give Stephen another chance. He said, "Don't give up on your future with Stephen. There is something there and you don't realize it."

I was immediately humbled and after 6 weeks of no talking, I remember where I was at. I had just gotten back from church and I was sitting in the car by myself. The Holy Spirit was speaking to me and I busted out my cell phone and found Stephen's number. I stared at it for several minutes wondering what to say. I had did him wrong. I felt like I had cheated on him. Here we are talking to each other and then I go off with some other guy...I felt soo low and was wondering if Stephen even wanted to talk to me. I was pretty sure that I had lost a chance with Stephen.

"He's not gonna wanna talk to me. He probably hates me." I said aloud.

"Call him." Said the Holy Spirit.

I stared at the number again and hit the green call button on my cell phone. I felt so small as I sat in the car waiting for him to pick up.

"Hello?"

He answered the phone!!

Things picked up after that. I started to realize MORE about Stephen that I had missed. He was showing me more of himself as a person and I liked it.

But my question was..."How was this going to work? He is in North Carolina and I in California. I work at Taco Bell for crying out loud and I'm attending school full time. I don't know HOW we are going to be together."

Shortly after, I got a job as a Flight Attendant with United Airlines. That was literally the answer to ALL our problems.

And THAT was when Stephen came to see me in Chicago. It was August 25th, Stephen had taken a train from NC to Chicago. Earlier that day he had been at a wedding for one of his good friends and later on came to pick me up.

I remember sitting on the curb right behind the secured gate of the United Airlines headquarters waiting for Stephen to pull up. I called up my friend and mentor David Cueva who is also the music leader at my church and told him how I was finally waiting to meet Stephen. He reassured me that if the Holy Spirit had spoken to me, then nothing would be wrong.

We chatted for a bit and hung up. As I sat there with my purse waiting, suddenly I see a very nice black car pull up to the gate with a man who looked like Stephen except he had shorter hair!

I say to myself, "Is that Stephen?"

But the man in the car made a u-turn and I was like, "Oh...nm."

Well it turns out it was! Stephen came back around and he stopped by the gate. I was sooo nervous. I see him get out of the car and I am literally trembling. But one thing I remember thinking is how h0t he looked with his hair shorter, lolz

I come through the gate and we both look each other up and down quickly and meet face to face. "Hi!" I say, VERY happy to see him. We both hug each other tightly and well--You know the story ]

Alrighty so now for when the Lord spoke to me directly about Stephen and I being married....

We were chill'n watching a movie when we just started talking afterwards. I remember how awesome and wonderful it felt for Stephen to have his arms wrapped around me. I was on the biggest high you could imagine ;P I actually felt PEACE for the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE when I was with a man.

Every other guy I had dated, I NEVER felt peace being with them. The Lord had always spoken to me about waiting for my man of God but every guy who became my bf was NOT it. I never felt peace, I was always being asked by the Holy Spirit, "Gracie what are you doing? He is not the one I have for you."

With Stephen, you actually FELT the presence of God in the room, smiling down at us, happy that His two children had finally found each other.

We sat there talking about the future and we both knew that we would marry each other when the Lord gave me some words to say and before I could shut my mouth they came out.

I'll never forget it....

"Our marriage is going to be a marriage that will break all boundries and stereotypes."

As soon as I said that I was like, "What the heck?!? Where did that come from??"

Stephen smiled and said, "You're right." and he held me close to him.

At that moment, the Lord spoke to me and said, "He is the one."

I can't explain what I felt because I STILL don't know...But I remember being flooded with love for Stephen. I sat there with him in silence and knew that this is the man that I would love more and more each and every day for the rest of my life.

_____________________________________

It's so wonderful how our story unfolded. I am truly blessed :] In the beginning my parents kinda tripped out because of the age difference. Here Stephen is now 35 and I'm 22. They kept on telling me that he would wanna rush on having kids and that he was in a different place in his life than I was. [Trust me we've talked about kids and we both wanna wait 5 years before we try to have kids ]

My mom freaked out the worst and kept telling me that I needed to come back from California and not be with Stephen.

She didn't understand.

But now as time has went on, my parents have accepted Stephen and are happy that we are happy.

I honestly can't wait to get married, the Lord spoke to me and told me that I would be getting married soon in December of 2006. And I remember telling the Lord, "Uhhhh...Okay. Well umm....Where is he? Because I kinda need a boyfriend for that Lord and there is NO ONE that I am interested in right now." lolz

And then two months later Stephen comes along ;P

God is sooo soo good. He knew what He was doing as He orchestrated our relationship :]

I too encourage you to never give up. I remember all the crap I went through before Stephen came into my life. My dating history is a NIGHTMARE. I mean literally, the things I've gone through--If it hadn't been for the Lord, I'd probably be dead because I killed myself over the grief or something. I'm VERY serious.

Some of you know the hard times I went through as I was dating different guys. My last serious relationship before Stephen was a literally nightmare, something outta the twilight zone or something.

The Lord had been telling me to break up with him and soon because something wasn't right. But I wouldn't listen. It turns out that this young man was a CHILD MOLESTOR! And that he was molesting little boys in our church :[ I DIED that evening. Seriously. I have never been the same since. After that, the next guy I dated turned out to be a TERRORIST!! A NAZI TERRORIST!!! He even ransacked my Pastor's house and robbed the church of thousands of dollars and stole our missionary's car and was using it to try and make hits on Jewish synogogues!! I mean comon now? Where do these guys come from??

And before those two, my last bf, the Lord told me that he was going to rape me. And before that, my bf kept trying to get me in bed with him and wouldn't take no for an answer.

After the terrorist guy I threw my hands up in the air and said, "Lord--I can't do this anymore! My next bf is going to be my future husband--That's IT!! I'm tired of missing!! I'm tired of getting with the wrong guy!! You're gonna have to send him my way Father because I can't take this anymore....!!!"

And like I said--Here came Stephen.

I remember after I gave him my number in a PM on here, I said to myself, "What the heck am I doing?? Gracie you don't even know the guy! Why did you give him your number??"

But suddenly the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "It's okay..."

Like I said, God is good and great and GREATLY to be praised! :]

This is truly a match made in Heaven and I wanna encourage you all who are waiting to not give up and don't settle for second best. God will orchestrate your romance in such a way that it will be a testimony to everyone who watches and is told.

I love you all and thank you again from the bottom of my heart at what a blessing each and every one of you have been.

Especially Hisgirl. I remember talking to her one time over the phone and she told me straight out, "Gracie, I would be surprised if you didn't marry Stephen." She knew too, even though I didn't know and was unsure, she knew and it gave me the push I needed to heed the Holy Spirit.

Alrighty I think I've blabbed long enough, lolz. Love you guys--Be blessed!