Aaron Cripe and Lalaine Yorobe - Married August 2017
Congratulations to Aaron and Lalaine! Below is their story leading up to their dating relationship.
Aaron: I’ve been a disciple for 14 years. After dating, breaking up, falling away, and then getting restored, I was ready to find a soul mate when signing up for DTHS. Inspired by friends, and my singles’ ministry leader, Takashi Kagawa (who got married through DTHS), I signed up in 2013.
I befriended many sisters, prayed, sought advice, and waited for God to make it clear which sister would win my heart. Through various social media and video chats, Lalaine won my heart with her kind, creative, caring, patient, wise, faithful, and loving heart. In February 2015, I flew halfway across the world to Manila, Philippines to spend time getting to know her in person, taking her on dates, and learning about her amazing country and the fantastic Filipino singles ministry. On February 15, God’s love was in the air as we started dating over a beautiful sunset in the Philippines. Loving and dating your best friend is worth all the hard work, money, time, faith, love, prayers, advice, patience, etc. It’s great to see God’s word fulfilled when we delight ourselves in the Lord, and he gives us the desires of our heart. (Ps. 37:4)
Thank you so very much DT Heart & Soul for introducing us, helping us, and loving the global singles ministry! I am excited to have such a beautiful woman of God as my girlfriend. We couldn’t have done it without you. Praise God!
Lalaine: I’ve been a disciple for 14 years and within those years I saw many of my closest friends at church start dating, get engaged, and then eventually get married. It came to a point that among the batch in my campus ministry that moved on to the singles ministry, I was the only sister left not married and not even dating. I encouraged the brothers, and I went on dates, but never got to a point that the friendships I was able to build would turn into something like a “more than friends” kind of relationship.
After the Philippine Discipleship Conference in Manila in October 2013, Quelly Reyes, a close friend and sister, convinced several single sisters in our sector to try checking out DTHS, because at that time the site offered a one month free membership. I heard about this site before, but never had the interest to check it out because I felt like it was not for me. But this sister never stopped convincing us day after day, calling, texting, until eventually I was persuaded to give it a try.
I’ve known different brothers from the site, and it’s been a wonderful chance to be able to be friends, and learn about their lives and their journeys as disciples. With many prayers and seeking advice, God revealed to me that Aaron is his answer to all my prayers from the beginning about “a special brother or favorite brother.” His love for God, kindness, godly humility, sincerity, and honesty, along with many other wonderful qualities that he naturally possessed, truly captured my heart. I am so grateful to God and overjoyed when he finally asked me to be steady dating with him on February 15, 2015. He is my first-ever dating relationship, but surely he is worth all the wait.
I believe that waiting on your heart’s desire is totally in God’s hand. He is in control of how things will work out for our good. I learned that to find God’s best in my life, I need to continually follow his lead. It’s not easy, but with God’s help, prayer, and the presence of godly people teaching, correcting, and discipling me, everything works out, and will continue to work out, as God sees best. To top off this wonderful blessing from God, I want to echo what the psalmist says, “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds,” Psalm 73:28. To DTHS, I am thankful beyond words for providing us with this site. You will always be part of our beautiful story.
