A Love Story That Really Happened!

Monday, January 17, 2022

Many people ask Tim and I how we met. Hmmm. It is a pretty incredible love story that caught me totally unaware. I was comfortably settled in Alberta, Canada and totally NOT seeking a relationship. I actually thought I would end up marrying a retired missionary who had lost his wife in death. Three Hills was a drawing card for many retired missionaries. Then Tim happened! He constantly teases me that he’s not a widower yet… lol. So, how did a CEF worker in Hawaii meet a CEF worker in Canada? I figure it is time I post this continuing love story on this blog. Enjoy!

It was May of 2011 and the CEF International Conference in North Carolina was looming ahead. Attending wasn’t really in the plan as neither of us had done so the last 12 years. For Tim, being the new intern director for Hawaii, the CEF Hawaii board said he was to go. For me, being a new CEF Canadian worker, Canada CEF said they were paying my way, so I went.

Our paths actually crossed BEFORE the conference. The location: A Good News Camp around a half hour away from the Conference grounds. Neither of us had stepped foot on the camp grounds before, but were at that Good News Camp due to the people we were with. My co-worker from Edmonton wanted to check out the camp and the church the camp director attended so we got to stay there for a few days. Tim was with a guy who was on deputation to be a missionary with CEF in Hawaii and had arrived the morning of the conference. Thus, we met.

We talked around 2 hours (well, mostly Tim and Annette did the talking) before his friend Matt offered to take us to the conference. Ha, would you believe, both Tim and I were secretly hoping Matt would give us ladies a ride. Furthermore, we were both secretly impressed with each other, so much so, that we were constantly looking to see where the other was. The Plan: to walk by him and say hi as often as I could. I didn’t have to seek him out because he was always close. His secret agenda: to be close by in hopes I would walk by and notice him. To put it in perspective, there were over a thousand people at the conference!

Then I got an interesting invitation. He planned a small gathering during one of the meals at the conference to share what God was doing in his life. It was a meeting of 4, which made me feel quite honored. To be honest, I was feeling such “electricity in the air” at that meeting, something I had never experienced with a guy before, not even previous boyfriends.

Toward the end of the week, dressed in my Austrian Dirndl (traditional dress), he offered to take my picture next to the Austrian flag on the platform. His motivation: if he took my picture he would get my email address to send me the photo and write, if he so decided. I considered: if he took my picture he would also have something to remember me by, if he wanted…

In spite of all this and more, I did not look for him to say goodbye at the end of the week. He was very sad. He looked for me without success. I just figured I would never see him again so why bother.

After that, it took him a month to finally get the courage to write. He had been single so long he had to convince himself, he really wanted to go this direction. Once he decided, there was no turning back. 

His first letter was very timely. A friend of mine had just committed suicide and Tim understood what that is like. He had lost a good friend a few years before due to suicide. Plus, CYIA (Christian Youth In Action) was just around the corner. I was in charge for the first time and didn’t know, half the time, what I was doing. His help and experience was a God-send. He thought he had waited till our CYIA was over… But Hawaii has a later CYIA so his timing, for me, turned out perfect. God’s timing always is!

Soon we were exchanging around 20 emails back and forth a day. Middle to end of July brought about the talk about vacation in Hawaii. Maureen, his co-worker, had said I could stay with her. I asked if I could bring a friend from Edmonton with me… an older handicapped friend who had never gone anywhere since childhood because he never had anyone to take him. Tim said that was fine. Lorenz could stay with him. Thus, we booked our flights and got the tickets.

A short time later, I was starting to wonder how long, actually, this correspondence was going to last. I was enjoying immensely the emails and phone calls but had no clue that he was thinking differently. Around the time I was mulling all this around in my mind, I got this email that blew me out of the water, if there had been any around. He confesses his feelings for me and wondered how I felt. I wasn’t closed to the idea at all. Thus, our trip would have more meaning. We would be checking each other out.

Hawaii often described as the sunshine state, colorful, gorgeous, with rainbows and Aloha spirit.  I was constantly amazed at the beauty and texture, the ocean, the people, and his friends. Tim took us everywhere, or so it seemed. It far exceeded what I had remembered. You see, I had been to Hawaii once before with my mom and youngest sister almost twenty-five years earlier. Since then, I had been trying to get back for another visit, unsuccessfully. In fact, I had even been tempted to write Tim’s parents, also CEF Missionaries in Hawaii, to see if I could stay with them for a week or two. I never did it for fear of imposing. They would have loved it, I know now, but it wasn’t God’s timing.

Like all couples, there were hurdles to jump over. Nevertheless, I knew, before leaving Hawaii, this was a relationship worth working for. I was ready to commit. Furthermore, I have never turned back nor doubted that decision.

On December 24^th, just seven months later, I got the ring during a very creative and romantic proposal. My dress and the church reservation had already been taken care of. I first thought Feb 2013 would be great not knowing Tim and his best friend were praying for March 2012… God changed my heart. There was no time in between those two dates that would have been possible due to circumstances. God knew. Now I am glad more than ever we got married when we did. I left Canada right before major changes took place there with CEF Alberta. So glad!

Furthermore, being married to Tim has been more of a blessing each day. A real treasure! I continually praise God for bringing us together. We are a perfect match. Together we are on a journey: Pursuing God’s Delicious Unknown. This adventure has already taken us places we never would have dreamed. I am so grateful for a godly man who is open to whatever God has for us.

He was well worth the wait!

So, what’s your story?

Blessings, mari