Saturday, January 30, 2016

My Redeeming Love Story

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived—
what God has prepared for those who love him.  NIV 1 Corinthians 2:9/Isaiah 64:4


Can this love be real?  Has God pulled me out of loneliness and despair and given me someone who loves me like He does?  The answer is Yes and Yes!

My love story started, like many, when I was born of two loving parents, who later divorced.  My redeeming love story began when I was 15 after I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.  My trials and triumphs in life led me down a path of my salvation and the Lord’s glory.  However, sadly, after 30 years of marriage my husband left me, the family and the ministry. My Expanded Story will fill in the details of that time.
God’s redeeming love for me endured after the divorce. For three years I perceived from the Lord and prayed for a man who will come into my life that will be a partner in marriage and ministry.  As the Lord impressed visions upon me about one particular man I wrote the affirmations down and dated each one.  I had quite an impressive list and knew it had to refer to only one man who could fulfill all of it.  One of the declarations on my list that the Spirit impressed upon me time and time again was that it will happen “suddenly”.  In other words, events would move quickly but I will have a sense they are coming so I would believe this man was from God.  I truly believed God was going to bring that man and I together.  However, during several lonely times I doubted if I really heard God correctly. 

Through a series of events beyond my control, as my Kalskag job was eliminated, I moved this past summer from Alaska to Washington.  In early October I found myself alone...again. My son moved back to Alaska and my parents moved to Hawaii for the winter. One of my girlfriend urged and “double dog dared” me (I always love a challenge) to join eHarmony, an online dating site.  I kept my parameters to a 60 mile radius of eligible men which would be between Seattle and Vancouver, Washington.  I wasn’t really interested in a long distance relationship.  On October 20th I was matched with a man from Bend, Oregon, 200 miles outside my distance parameters.  William Knight’s profile picture caught my eye but I didn’t bother to contact him because he was out of my area.  I obviously caught his eye as well, even though he was only looking for women in the Oregon area and I was150 miles outside his distance parameters.  To this day we are amazed how God put us together when we should not have been matched due to distance security on eHarmony.  William contacted me through the secured eHarmony email system.  We messaged back and forth until I felt comfortable to give him my phone number, after all, he was 300 miles away! That was a safe distance. The very first phone call he asked me many questions and at the close of our conversation asked if we could pray together.  Of Course! No other man asked that before!  I was impressed.  Then William asked if he can call me in the morning to have devotions and worship.  That was the beginning of the revelation that God was doing something with this new relationship.  It was unique… fresh… spiritual.  We have continued with prayer and devotions every morning and evening.

Sadly, seven years ago William lost his 17 year old daughter.  It was a very dark time of his life.  He will tell you he was angry at God for allowing his precious daughter to die.  His divorce transpired shortly after his daughter’s death.  But our God is a God of Love and eventually William experienced His love and he whole heartedly turned back to Jesus.  William began to earnestly pray for a Godly wife.

Through a series of events in William’s life shortly after we met, his job was phased out (very similar to mine in Kalskag).  November 4 he moved to Washington.  What happened in the next 16 days was a whirlwind of emotions, revelations and a deeper, closer walk with God.  We both knew we were the ONE God has spoken to each of us about and whom we were praying for. 

November 21, 2015 was our legal wedding in Washington with just my daughter, Valerie and her partner, Benjamin, my minister friend, Chris and his wife, Lisa.  It was a small and short service.  We planned a slightly larger formal ceremony in Alaska during Christmas break so my family and friends can be a part of it.  On December 31, 2015 we held a ceremony at Word of Faith Assembly in Wasilla with a small group of friends and family.

William speaks Spanish fluently.  One of the first things he said was, “Do you think God put us together to go on the mission field so I can interpret for us?”  Missions has always been a part of my DNA since I was saved at age 15.  It is also a strong call of William’s.  Even though we are taking 2016 off of ministry tasks to concentrate on our marriage, we will be open to where God is leading us in 2017 and beyond.  Possibly Mexico to start, but Bolivia, Peru and the Philippines seem to keep popping up.  We shall see. Truly, “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
William’s sufferings of soul and my difficulties of days have collided us into a love relationship of one for Him.  No doubt in our minds God has put William and I together for each other and for His service.  The Lord has fulfilled everything he said to me about this man, and so much more.  William romances, cherishes, adores and loves me.  He treats me like a queen. He truly is my "Knight in shining armor."  It is a liberating love story for both of us.  Our God is a God of redemption and mercy.