Rubilyn sent me a message on christian-filipina.com on June 8th 2012. I was not a paid active member at the time. When I saw her profile pictures and saw that she was a very beautiful and a dedicated Christian, I immediately paid for a membership, so that I could communicate with her. I replied to her and gave her my contact information.
I could not sleep one night and Rubilyn happened to be at an internet café at the time. We contacted each other on yahoo instant messenger. I was immediately impressed with her and she believed that God had a plan for us since I was coincidentally awake so late at night and she was at the café at an unusual time for her.
At the time I was in communication with two other women. I told Rubilyn this and she was undaunted. I was on one of my normal runs through the mountains and praying about these relationships. I had a strong feeling at the time that Rubilyn was the best of the three women, but I wanted to discern what God’s will was. The idea came to me to start a Bible Study on 1 Corinthians 13.
As we studied scripture we got to know each other over Skype and Facebook, we both felt God’s involvement in our relationship. I felt a strong attraction to Rubilyn and decided to ask her Father’s permission to court her. I had read about Christian courtship in a book and had many discussions with a few friends about courtship. I did not know at the time that it was the Filipino tradition to ask the parent’s permission to court a woman. I believe that God had told me to ask her father and this was an indication to me of his involvement and blessing for the relationship. Her father felt very honored that I asked him to court his daughter. He gave me is enthusiastic permission to court her.
Friends urged me to visit Rubilyn soon. Though I recently started a new job I was blessed that I had vacation time already and that the 4th of July was a holiday. I left Friday June 29th 2012 and arrived Sunday July 1st 2012. I met Rubilyn at the hotel where I would be staying. She looked more beautiful to me in person than in photos. She was very affectionate. I told her for the first time that I loved her very much and she reciprocated my feelings. We ate lunch together and had difficulty eating. We could not stop looking at each other and holding hands. She sat very near me. We then walked through her city. We held hands the entire time. Later we had dinner with her family. I met her grandfather who is a retired pastor and had been praying for a long time that Rubilyn would meet someone. He was very happy to meet a man who loved his granddaughter. I asked for his advice and for him to pray for us. Even though Rubilyn’s parents are separated, they both came to dinner to see us. This made Rubilyn very happy. I enjoyed the time with her family and felt I was already a part of the family.
Since I believe that Christian courtship should involve input from our friends and family, I invited Rubilyn’s family to join us on our outings. We explored a cave and waterfall together. We rode two zip lines. Her family road a banana boat and Rubilyn and I rode a wave runner. We had lots of fun with her family. They all accepted me and were very happy to see Rubilyn so happy and so in love. They could see how much I loved Rubilyn.
I met Rubilyn’s pastor and sought his advice for our relationship. I attend a Prayer meeting and youth gathering with Rubilyn. It was great to meet her friends and to hear how they had prayed for Rubilyn to find someone. They all accepted me and were very happy for us.
Near the end of my visit, Rubilyn and I discussed a visa. When I realized it would take 6 to 8 months to get a visa, I decided to get engaged to her immediately. We both were in love and felt that God had brought us together. I knew it would be difficult for me to afford another trip and I did not want to wait much longer to marry her. I am very much in love. We went shopping for an engagement ring. I learned that I would have a very frugal wife. She was very happy to find an inexpensive ring. It was an infinity ring matching one worn by a famous Filipino couple. She was happy that the ring would symbolize that our love would last forever. As we discussed the visa more, we realized that it might be easier for her to get a marriage visa. I was prepared to marry her that weekend and we shopped for wedding rings. I purchased the rings and had them engraved with our names. However, there was not enough time for her pastor to get the necessary papers for a wedding and to give us appropriate counseling. We decided it was best just be engaged and use the waiting time for her visa to get to know each other better. I asked Rubilyn to contact her father so I could ask his permission to marry her. He came to my hotel. I asked him and he gave his enthusiastic approval. I then proposed to Rubilyn and she accepted on July 7th 2012. The next day her pastor conducted a formal engagement ceremony for us before her friends and family. I proposed to her again in front of her friends and family. They cheered. We signed an engagement document. He father and cousin signed as witnesses.
I flew home that day and she cried. Now we are eagerly waiting for her visa to be approved so we can marry and spend the rest our lives together. I could not have chosen a better woman for me than the one God chose for me. Rubilyn is the best woman for me. I love that she has an expressive, silly and fun personality. I love her devotion to Jesus. I love her beauty. I love her affection and affirmation. She shows me much love. I love her singing voice. I love her. We believe our love will last forever because God brought us together and what God has joined together nothing can separate.
