OUR COURTSHIP
In September of 1995, just a week after beginning my teaching position in the Christian School at my church, Pastor Caudle came down to preach - he met me after the service and my pastor insisted that I give him a picture to take home - I reluctantly gave him the picture and two weeks later Todd came down to visit for the first time!
Of course, at first I was very skeptical because I thought Todd was very "shallow" for coming down only after seeing a picture. But we immediately became good friends - it was as though we had known eachother for years! It was easy for us to see that we had the same heart, and we prayed intensely about every step in our relationship, wanting to be sure we were following the Lord's perfect will for both our lives. It was such a blessing! We were not "dating", but we were actively seeking the Lord's will and God made Himself so real to us.
We were engaged by December of 1995 and married June 29, 1996 at my home church in Tonawanda, New York.
We had a "fairy tale" wedding and the Lord has truly blessed me with my "soulmate" - Todd is such a blessing to me and I thank the Lord all the time for sending me such a special man. I could never deserve him.
From Todd's Perspective:
In March of 1995 Eva's Pastor, Pastor Neisen, came to preach in my Dad's church. After the service he came to me and said he had a girl in his church that he wanted me to meet. When he told me her name was Eva, I thought "Helga" - it just didn't sound appealing to me, but after my Dad and Pastor Neisen pressuring me, I set a date to come down to meet her. The closer the time came for me to go down on this "blind date", the more I just dreaded going - this was not the first time I had been "set up". So I decided not to go - and I never called - just didn't show up. Nice first impression!
But things changed when my Dad came home with Eva's picture - I went from thinking "ugh, Eva" to "Wow". So I went down to meet her, September 25, 1996, but I also had some degree of skepticizm - I told everyone at church "If I don't like her, I'll be back for the evening service".
That first day I was SO nervous - I couldn't even eat! We went to a baptism together and after we went out for lunch, we spent the afternoon talking. I think I knew that first day as we were walking down that park trail that I was going to love Eva, and that she was the one God had for me. It amazed me how our hearts just seemed to be so much the same, and it was wonderful that we agreed from that first day that if God did not will for us to be married, that we would part as friends, without any hard feelings. That took the pressure off the relationship right from the very start.
We met in September and in early November I told Eva I loved her for the first time - I was expecting her to say "I love you too", but she didn't - which was disappointing. But later that month God too gave her peace and she was certain of her love and of God's will as well. From that point forward we just assumed marriage would be the next step - I officially proposed when I gave her her ring in April. That was also a blessing to me - that Eva waited until I paid the engagement ring off in full for me to give it to her. I wanted it to be hers when I gave it to her.
Our wedding day was very special, but I am so glad I don't have to go through that again! Can you believe, Eva made me sing?! I really didn't want to do it, but looking back on it, it was a special memory.
Since the day we were married, it has been a long standing joke with Eve and I that we argue over who is the best. Well, I know that I am right when I say she is the BEST (after the Lord, of course!)!!!
From Eva's Perspective
In March of 1995 my pastor had preached in Oshawa, Ontario at a missionary's church that we supported, Bro. John Caudle. My pastor came back and told me that he met a young man there that he thought I should meet and he was coming down to meet me the 20th of that month. I trusted my pastor and thought "okay" - but the day came and went and we had heard nothing from him, so I thought the Lord must have other plans for me and didn't think anymore about it.
