Our Love Story

It all started with an email...

In August 2010 my dad went on a three week mission trip to Cameroon, Africa. He explored all over the country, preached in churches, visited with the Cameroonian Believers, and looked for opportunities for future ministry. My parents had been seriously looking into the possibility of going into missions work since 2008, when I first went off to college, and before that their hearts always longed and dreamed about becoming missionaries. As they prayed about different ministries, countries, mission agencies, and so many other little details that go along with becoming a missionary the Lord had set their sights upon a country in West Africa---Cameroon.

So my dad began the process of exploring and checking out the possibility of moving my mom and younger siblings to this foreign country. Little did I know that this trip that my dad had embarked upon would end up changing my life forever. 

At one of my dad's stops in Cameroon, he ended up preaching at a church in Ngaoundere. While he was there he met a certain university student whose name was Fidele Daile. He was a very earnest, young man who had a deep love for the Lord, and also a deep love for people. Fidele was so impressed with my dad that he wanted to send back gifts to my entire family to thank us for letting him come...and I think to encourage them to come to Cameroon.

Fidele stayed in touch with my family, calling them every week and emailing.

In October my family made the drive from New Mexico to Seattle, Washington where I was stationed in the Coast Guard. We had a wonderful time together exploring Seattle and just enjoying each others company. During their trip, they pulled out some gifts that had my name on them. I was surprised, and I was even more surprised to find out that they were from a young man in Cameroon, Africa. The gifts that Fidele gave me included a book about Anna in the Bible, a little purse, and a beautiful card that he had made (Fidele is an amazing artist!). In his card he wrote down his email address. hmmmmmm...

And so I wanted to send this young man a "thank you" for his kindness. My sisters had already sent him emails thanking him, so I did too. Little did I know, all that would transpire in the days to follow.

After I wrote that first email to Fidele, we started writing back and forth quite regularly. Our friendship grew as we shared our lives with each other all the way from what our favorite color was to what our dreams were for the future. We enjoyed serious email conversations about the Bible and the things God was teaching us, we laughed over our favorite childhood memories, especially Fidele's story about swimming and the angry bee (you'll have to ask Fidele for that story), and we had fun finding out what each others favorite things were.

Soon after we started writing, I had to go out to sea on my boat for a three month patrol. As I was out at sea, my favorite part of the day was checking my email to see if I had a letter from Fidele. O how my world would just shine when I found an email waiting for me from Fidele, and some days just seemed to drag when I checked my email and found my inbox empty. I remember reading and rereading Fidele's emails, trying to understand completely what he was saying and maybe trying to read in between the lines a little.

I deeply cared for this man, but I had no idea if he felt anything in return. I figured that I would just enjoy his friendship as long as I could. My patrol came and went and soon I was off to training school in the Spring. I had been trying to learn French, and Fidele had an idea of how to help me...he would give me french lessons over skype! Every Saturday we would set up our skype time and work on French. Fidele didn't have a camera on his laptop, so I never got to see him, but I just loved hearing his voice. We had been friends for about eight months when he finally confessed to me what I had always hoped was true...HE LOVED ME!!

I am going to fast forward a little bit....10 months (10 months of lots of skyping, talking on the phone, emails, planning, and WAITING). At this point my family had already been living in Cameroon for almost six months with Fidele as their helper and fellow worker in their ministry. March had finally arrived and I was finally on my way to meet Fidele for the very first time in person!! I was not afraid, maybe a little nervous wondering how it would be meeting Fidele face to face; but all those nerves and questions disappeared the moment I saw Fidele and it was definitely love at first sight (really it was love before first sight)!

Those first moments in the airport as I was finally with my Love, seemed so unbelievable! We had waited for so long, and now finally we had met in real life, not just on skype or over the phone. Now we could see each other and hug each other and just be with each other. It was truly the most beautiful moment of my life. And the month that followed our first meeting was so very special. I enjoyed visiting with my family and spending time with my Love

That following weekend, Fidele surprised me by asking me to marry him...my answer: a resounding YES! He was so sweet because he secretly scouted out the most beautiful spot to ask me...it was up on a hillside surrounded with trees, and you could see the whole valley spread out before you. He picked the most perfect tree and set up a swing. So that afternoon, we went on a walk, he took me to the swing, and as He pushed me on the swing and as beautiful music played (yes, he brought his mp3 player and some speakers with us!) he suddenly stopped my swing and went down on one knee and told me that he loved me and asked me to be his wife. It was amazing!!!!

It is hard to express with words just how I felt in that moment...so special and happy and excited! I love Fidele so deeply, and I cannot see myself spending the rest of my life with anyone else. The Lord truly is the one behind our love story. There is no way that we would have ever met if the Lord had not intervened in our lives and brought us together from so far away. We are excited to face the future together because the Lord is the one who is writing our love story.



The past nine months have been really hard because skype just doesn't seem so good after having my dear Fidele in person. But I praise the Lord when the skype does work and I can hear my Loves voice. Fidele and I are pressing on through these months until his visa is approved. God is teaching us some very good, but hard lessons. Some of these lessons include: patience, waiting on the Lord, contentment in the Lord, perseverance, trusting the Lord, rejoicing even when I don't feel like it, giving thanks to the Lord, relying on the Lord for strength, loving the Lord more deeply, loving each other with true "action love", making war against selfishness, growing in our friendship, learning how to communicate, and so many other things.

Our love story is only just beginning...we both are excited to see what the future holds because God is holding us in His hands.

We are excited to start our lives together soon by God's grace. Right now we plan to move to Texas where we will both be going to school. I am planning on finishing my bachelors degree in elementary education. Fidele is planning on finishing up his bachelors degree in computer science. Fidele also would love to pursue medical training in one capcity or another to use on the mission field. But right now we are just kind of waiting to see what surprises God will bring our way.

With God we shall do valiantly!

We have set our sights on doing "impossible" things in this life, because we want the world to see that we serve a God who can do the impossible. We serve a God who has no limits...a God who is mighty, powerful, majestic, indescribable, and worthy of all our devotion and praise. The words from Philippians 4:13 echos in our hearts, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." With these words spurring us on, we press on though we cannot see very far ahead into the future...right now we are still waiting on a visa so we can even officially set our wedding date! We also step forth with the courage and joy that Proverbs 3:5-6 imparts, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your path." 

So we will take the adventure that God gives us!