The Journey Thus Far - the story of our friendship (and subsequent courtship)

As many of you already know, the story of our relationship spans almost as many time zones as it does years. The distance is something neither of us would have chosen, but something which we have come to appreciate as God has shown Himself merciful each day. Our relationship has been dotted with joyful reunions, tearful and heart-wrenching goodbyes, long phone conversations, and, of course, many bouts of frustrating phone tag. In light of this, we are excited to see this chapter of our lives ending and look forward to being together once and for all.

The story of our journey began in the fall of 2004 when we were both in the country of Romania. Elizabeth and I ended up on the same school team, teaching and ministering together in the public schools of Bucharest, the capital city. It was my third semester of teaching in Romania and her first. Elizabeth had visited Romania during the spring semester that same year, but because we happened to be in different cities at the time, our paths never crossed.

I remember developing a very keen interest in Elizabeth during those three months and, all though she has yet to admit it, I have the suspicion that she felt the same for me. It was during those few months that we had the opportunity to see each other as we really are. Day in and day out, the good and the bad. And I can tell you from my perspective, I liked what I saw.
[Elizabeth: "Keen interest? Of course! How could I not? But I kept putting that aside, keeping in mind that John was 22, I was only 18, and even though I enjoyed his company, liked and respected him alot, there was no indication he felt the same toward me. I knew our paths would probably never cross again, and that I needed to keep my heart free. That was extreemly difficult, as John and I were together every day. I talked to God about it daily, sometimes many times a day."]

It was very difficult for me to leave Romania at the end of that semester for two reasons. The first being that God had told me it would be my last, and secondly, and the more relevant reason, was that I was leaving her. I did not realize how much I had fallen in love with Elizabeth during that semester until I was waiting in line to go through the security check point at the airport, trying to fight back the tears. I had found the woman of my dreams, but God was making it clear that the time had not yet come.

Elizabeth stayed in Romania for another semester before returning home in the spring of 2005. We stayed in touch through occasional e-mails and letters over the next year or so. It was during the middle of 2006 that our relationship was taken off life support and started to show signs of life again. E-mails became more frequent and took on a more purposeful nature.

In late October, 2006, my dad started encouraging me to "get moving," because I was "only getting older." He then said something that shocked me, "What about the girl that was on your team in Romania?" That was the only hint I needed; I knew God was moving and the time had come. So, with much prayer and consideration, I called Mr. Jacobsen about two weeks before Christmas. I asked him, out of the blue, for permission to start courting Elizabeth. He took a few days to pray about it, and to my surprise, called back three days later with an emphatic yes!

Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth and I started talking on the phone and communicating by e-mail on a daily basis. We quickly learned how important communication is in a marriage relationship, and before very long we were spending three and sometimes four hours on the phone every night. I flew out to California in mid-February of this year to visit and meet her family, and then again in mid-May. By the end of May, it had become apparent to me that this was truly the woman for me! On June 30th, 2007, I asked Mr. Jacobsen for permission to ask Elizabeth to marry me. As you all know now, he said yes!

Then came the waiting. Since Elizabeth and part of her family were planning on coming out to Indiana in August, I decided to wait the two months and propose to her then. As you have already read in the previous post, breakfast in the park was a smashing success! This joyous excitement was short lived as Elizabeth and her family had to return to Fresno a few days later.

Today, although three time zones continue to separate us, Elizabeth and I are preparing for what lies ahead, thankful for the time we have had together, and grateful for loving parents who have supported and encouraged us throughout this amazing journey. To God be the glory!