Friendly Fire

Meeting genifer

I heard about Genifer in 2007 through my best man. He was interested in her and wanted me to find out a few things about her for leverage. After many instant message conversations with Genifer, I started to develop feelings for her but wasn't courageous enough to admit it to myself (or my best man). Soon after, another friend of ours (one of the groomsmen) had expressed his feelings for Genifer and intention to court her. Before things got too messy, I decided to put a hold on my friendship with her and we went our separate ways. It wasn't until late 2010 when I reconnected with Genifer. Surprisingly, my feelings for her were still strong after so many years of on-and-off friendship. This led me to ask myself, "is she the one that I'm supposed to marry?" After a lot of prayer, conversations with my parents and spiritual director, and a blessing from her parents, we became official on March 13, 2011. 

Sweet Sixteen

meeting anton

I met Anton on my sixteenth birthday. My sister (maid of honour) had invited him over to help play guitar for an upcoming event. While I waited to be picked up by my friends, Anton started conversation with me on my living room couch. I recall him asking about my musical interests while swooning me with his talent. Little did I know that our conversation would continue well beyond that day. Although I developed feelings for Anton in 2007, we didn't begin our courtship until 2011 after years of intermittent friendship. It was as if Anton was the recurring character in the story of my life. This prompted me to discern whether God was calling me to something more than friendship with him after all these years. When Anton asked my parents for their blessing to court me, they said something I will never forget, “we’ve always known that it was him” – and that was when I realized, so did I. 

Full Circle

For all of Anton’s musical talents, he’s never once serenaded me. I recall the instances that I’d ask him to sing for me and he’d tell me that it just wasn't the right time. So as the years passed I had come to believe that the day he would finally serenade me would be the day he would propose…

First Comes Love

I knew that Genifer was "the one" early on in our relationship. However, nearing our 3 year anniversary and the beginning of 2014, I made a decision to accept full-time pastoral work with Couples for Christ in Alberta. This implied an indefinite return date to Vancouver. To some, this new path seemed to lead me away from my future, but I knew that God was asking me to pursue both my Vocation and His call to be a missionary. In my time away from home I realized that pursuing the deepest desires in my heart would lead me to love, honour, and serve God and my future family. This is when I made the decision to propose to Genifer in the second half of 2015.