(Update: Due to a computer issue, almost all the photos I had inserted into this update have gone missing...sorry for that, I don't even remember which photos I had uploaded)
Just over a year ago, on February 6th, 2016, I took a beautiful woman from Pakistan out for coffee. I was nervous, she may have been too. We spent two hours talking about anything and everything I could think of to talk about; and finally, when there was quite literally nothing left to discuss I told her the real reason I asked her for coffee:
"I like you Hannah, and I think God is leading our lives together. I am interested in courting you; not dating just for fun; but entering a relationship with the goal of getting married...You don't have to give me an answer today, you can think about it for a week or two and let me know."
After she recovered from the initial shock, she asked me a few more questions and then said she would like to pray about it and would let me know in a week.
A week later, February 13th, just before I went to bed, she sent me a text to ask a question I thought she was going to give me her answer then, but when she simply said, "Thanks, Good night"
The next day was Valentine's day, and I was not sure what to expect...I had asked her to take a week or two to think about my request, it had been eight days, so I thought maybe she was still thinking. When I first asked her to be my girlfriend, I had forgotten that Valentine's Day was a week away. After she had sent me a message on the 13th I had thought of getting a gift for her, but I did not want her to think I was trying to pressure her.
On the morning of February 14th I was standing in the parking lot of the LightHouse helping to get things ready for the kid's outreach. I heard someone yelling my name from the top floor and looked up to see one of the female students waving at me, she said, "Wait there!" and she ran downstairs. She gave me a gift from Hannah. In it was a card that Hannah had made herself (she could not find one in the store that she liked); inside the card was two messages: "YES!" and "I'm Pretty sure I didn't meet you just for nothing." We have been dating ever since. 6 months later I gave her a ring and in just over 2 months we will be saying our vows.
I have been thinking a lot about my relationship with Hannah since Christmas. While I can clearly point to February 14th 2016 as our first official date, and the 6th of February was the day I first asked her out; those events are not the whole story. In fact, our story is made up of many events, some are more significant than others, but they are all part of our story. Little things, like my driving her family to the Tiger Zoo, and than later giving them a ride to the airport, or us regularly doing room checks together. Bigger things, like her sister and brother-in-law encouraging her to consider entering a relationship with me (even before I had asked); or Pastor Sawang talking to me for 4 hours on our drive back from Cambodia about how great of a wife Hannah would be (it was that conversation that finally gave me the courage to just ask her out).
Our story is not simply one about how a girl and a boy fell in love, but about how God leads and guides those who pursue Him. He is a good father, and gives good gifts. He loves you more than you can imagine.
If you want to know more about my work in Thailand, or support our ministry, or just have questions about my life as a missionary, Please comment or reach out on this post.
Thank you,
Tyler Thompson
A Boy Wonder