Serving While Single
I guess I started really thinking about marriage when I was about 19 years old. I can remember sitting in my dorm room with my best friend and planning our dream weddings. (Pintrest is dangerous). She wanted a more white church/country wedding, while I envisioned a winter wonderland. So when I started telling others about my move to Rwanda the question, "do you want to get married?" kind of threw me. I was 21 years old, a
single christian woman, and taking a year off to serve. In most christian circles I was what's considered in my "prime" to meet my
future husband, so leaving the country for a year seemed a bit crazy to
some. Their concerns were genuine and their hearts in the right place, but I knew God was calling me to serve, and I decided right then not make assumptions about my future or God's plans for me, but to follow blindly and faithfully in obedience wherever and whenever He called.
So four months later when I moved to Rwanda I moved with the assumption I would remain single, and honestly, I was more than OK with that. In fact, I took advantage of it. I grew closer
to God,
I had crazy adventures, I struggled, I figured things out, I grew up,
and it was all kinds of
wonderful and hard. Taking that time to work on myself, to make Christ the true center of my life, and figure out
what I wanted made everything almost easier when it came time to start dating again.
I knew I wanted to date with intention from then on. I sat down and wrote out a list of characteristics I wanted my future
husband to have. While I knew what I wanted I kind of didn't believe he
actually existed. I thought that I would have to settle and let
some things slide. I believed for a more than a split second and on
several different occasions that my expectations were unrealistic. I didn't know when or even if I would meet him, but I also knew this "list man" was what I desired. And
then I started talking to Vince.
Vince was my "list man." I started talking to him because of Rwanda. We had the opportunity to really build a special foundation being 1000's of miles apart. Vince had the opportunity to travel to Nigeria and have his own kind of wonderful hard experience. And then, after nearly a year and half of cyber talking, God brought us together. I don't doubt for a second Vince and I would not be where we are today had I not been obedient and moved to Rwanda.
In such a short amount of time I went on my first missions trip, chopped my hair off,
got pied in the face, lead my first bible study, and was a youth leader. went skydiving, bungee jumping, white water rafting, and on a safari.
I traveled to Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya. I moved to another
continent, became a pseudo mom to my sweet boy in orphanage, started a business, and met the man of my dreams. That time was filled
with more growth, hardships, tears, joy, love, and fulfillment than I
ever thought possible. I really felt like I lived life. And not because
of all the things I got to do, but because I followed God with
my whole heart. I thank God for His plans and for all the ups, and downs obedience to His will has brought. I would not change a single thing.
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