Wilson:
I was setting up for kids club when I saw Ruth coming into the room, and I greeted her… the first thought I had was, “ She looks like a nice girl.” And later after ministry, the thought that kept repeating in my mind was, she seems like such a nice girl but I thought she was a distraction and I kept pushing aside my thoughts about her and prayed without words in my mind, rebuking my thoughts to myself, thinking it was from the enemy.
Ruth:
Kids club prep was in full motion when I arrived at the church and I was looking for Emele when Wilson introduced himself and helped me find her. Kids club prep can be kind of crazy and stressful and everyone was running around but I noticed right away that Wilson was working hard but calm at the same time. I always look for people of peace and he stood out to me from the very first day as a person of great peace. And he was REALLY good looking, and caught my eye. I was looking ahead to the weekend with friends in Tyler and a wedding so I was not thinking too deeply about anything. After Kids club, Wilson helped me carry my bags to Emele & Ofa’s house; and I thought…. Hmmm, he is a servant, too. After he left, Emele said, “Ruth, he is a good man.” I said, OK, but still was thinking ahead to my time in Tyler.
(a few days later)
Wilson:
I thought Ruth left for good and I was thinking to myself that I wish I could see that nice girl come back to the base sometime so I could get to know her more. I had that thought in my mind all weekend. I was praying that if God wanted me to know her more, that he would bring her back. On Tuesday, I went to Emele & Ofa’s house in the evening for some food and surprisingly, I saw Ruth in the kitchen preparing food. I had a joy in my heart and I helped her peel vegetables. We were talking the whole time about our YWAM stories and where we had come from. The next couple of days I got to know more of Ruth and I was struggling to ask her if we could go for dinner. The very last day before she flew out, I prayed and the Lord gave me boldness to go ahead and speak the very words I needed to speak to Ruth.
Ruth:
I, of course, was more then happy to have help in the kitchen! ☺ He started to grow on me over the next few days. We were both at the YWAM Dallas base for a limited time to decide about moving there so we worked on a lot of things together. Within a few days, I was really starting to notice him but was pushing aside my feelings because he was not doing anything that led me to believe he was interested in me. There are a lot of nice guys in YWAM, so I thought… he is just being nice. On Thursday, he asked me to go to lunch but I already had plans with Velda and asked if we could do dinner instead. At lunch with Velda, she asked me what I was doing before I leave and I mentioned dinner with Wilson. And then I heard myself and said, “Do you think it’s a date?” Velda said, “I don’t know, it could be. Is it OK if it is?” I said, YES! He is a great guy.
(a few hours later)
Wilson:
Ruth & I went to a Mexican restaurant near the YWAM Dallas base. We ordered some food and started talking about ministry and what we wanted to do in the future. Most of our interested were the same. During the conversation, I was trying to take my time to ask about dating her. Culturally, I was struggling because back on the island we use a third party to talk to someone about a relationship. I felt a lot of pressure to come out from my custom of dating. The pressure grew so strong that I took a break and went to the bathroom to pray. I prayed for God to give me confidence and the words to speak to Ruth directly instead of through someone else. I heard a soft voice after prayer, saying, “You are in America. Approach her the American way.” That gave me more confidence. And I came out, sat back at the table with Ruth and told her, “ I have something to say, there is an important topic I should talk to you about.” Ruth sat there peacefully and told me to go ahead and share. I told her, “ I have so much peace. I want to start a relationship with you.”
Ruth:
We walked around for a while before we settled on the Mexican restaurant. Our little dinner turned into 5 hours of conversation and we were both surprised when we saw the time. About halfway through dinner, I was thinking… OK. This is a lot of nice. If this is not going anywhere, I will be so confused. Wilson is one of the most open people I have ever met and had no problem sharing about anything I asked him about. When he finally got around to asking me if I was open to starting a relationship, I was ready to hear it. I responded that I felt the same way. But I needed to hear from God. I was hoping that God would release me back into missions but the last thing He had clearly said, was to go to Indiana. Wilson made it clear during dinner that he was called to missions long-term and I did not want to distract him from that. I was feeling drawn to Dallas but I just needed to hear from God again. I didn’t have any question about Wilson but just about whether God was taking us both in the same direction. Wilson was OK with that and since the restaurant was closing, we walked back to Emele & Ofa’s for tea and more conversation. I texted Barb and said, “I think I just had dinner with my husband.” At the end of the night we said a very sad good-bye, not knowing when we would see each other again.
I was praying the whole way home and when I was walking through the airport, I clearly heard God say: I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth. I stopped right where I was. By now, I knew that these kinds of clear messages don’t come very often and I wanted to see if God had anything else to say. YAAAAAAAY! I called Wilson and told him, “OK, I am ready to move ahead. We need to find a way to spend time together.”
Wilson:
I felt the need to spend time with Ruth to get to know her more. When she called me to come visit her in Indiana, I was so happy! I told my friends about my traveling and my new relationship and they prayerfully encouraged me to travel to Indiana. I took a train ride and Ruth was waiting for me at the train station. We had a wonderful week together. From that moment on, we were both traveling back and forth a lot visiting each other.
Ruth:
We both knew early on that this was from God and had so much peace from God about our relationship. Wilson is more then I ever thought possible and every day I am discovering new things I love about him. One of his longer visits was at the beginning of July. On July 4th, we went for lemon custard with Elmina and then down to the lakeside to watch fireworks. Wilson started telling me all the things he loves about me but he has done that before so I didn’t realize right away that it was leading up to a proposal.
Wilson:
I had a nice diamond ring in my pocket. I hugged her and was telling her the things I liked about her and I asked her, “Do you know you want to marry me? Ruth said, “Yes, I have so much peace with you”. And I asked her again, “Do you want to marry me?” And she said, “Yes, I will…. Are you asking me now?” And I got the ring out from my pocket and put it on her finger. And said, “Yes, I am proposing now.” We both were nervous for a moment during that time, knowing in our minds that this is a special moment for us, A decision to be together for the rest of our lives. We enjoyed the rest of the night, watching fireworks and taking pictures.
Ruth:
He is forgetting some of the things he said. He asked me, “Is this really what you want? This is a day about freedom. You have the freedom to do anything you want in life. This is your decision.” And I said, “Yes!”
And now we have both been traveling back and forth, and as I write I am happy to be sitting beside Wilson and wedding plans are in full swing: the date has been set, guest lists are being written, addresses gathered, decisions being made… It will be a simple wedding with close friends and family. It has been great to talk to his family online and on the phone this week. I wish they could be here… but we will do an Island wedding when we go for a visit.
After the wedding, we will be living in Dallas, working with YWAM Dallas.
