Jim and Kate - Married July 2015
Editor’s note: The story below (except for the pictures) was published shortly after they began dating in May 2014
Kate: Long before DT Heart & Soul came about, I had been praying that one day there would be a separate dating ministry–a ministry that would cater to dating issues and hopefully serve as a great tool to help brothers and sisters have godly relationships in the kingdom. And it is to the glory of God that DT Heart & Soul was finally established globally. I’m grateful for everyone who put effort and their hard work to make DTHS possible.
My story is also my love story with God. In every dating struggle I have, God reminds me that he should be my first love. I made that very clear when I confessed “Jesus is Lord” many years ago, and the love I have for any other person is secondary love. But it took me some time to understand that. It took me a while to finally grasp that the Lord is my first love.
It might be a typical story to you, but the struggles I’ve gone through in my dating life have taught me many things about my walk with God. Like the rest of the sisters, I dream to be pursued by the man I want to be with. I desired to have a godly man and a godly relationship in the kingdom. But it wasn’t easy.
Being single in Dubai was not that great. To remain pure and unpolluted by my surrounding influences has been difficult. I was constantly being paired up with men by my friends in the world, by my colleagues, by my boss at work. I basically felt the pressure from the people I worked with everyday. I was constantly in the battle from within to give in to the flesh and the pressures in front of me. As my age grew year by year I wondered if God really listened to my prayer. The temptation to give in to the pressure, knowing that my body clock was ticking, watching younger women get married first, and seeing the brother I’m interested in become interested in someone else was an enormous feeling that I couldn’t handle. I have been in the constant battle of not giving up faith and waiting for the Lord in the right time. Somewhere deep within my heart I knew that someone was out there for me, and I just didn’t know when we would meet.
In this waiting period I feel that God was molding me. He was refining my impatient character. I learned to give without expecting in return. I learned to love without being loved in return.
Waiting on God and his timing were the hardest things to do. Friends and sisters who came before and after me were getting engaged and getting married. There was a point in my life where I wondered, “Maybe dating in the kingdom is not meant for me.” That thought brought tears to my eyes because deep within me, it has been my desire to have a partner in this life journey.
The Lord’s promises in the Bible have been my constant source of faith and encouragement. Isaiah 46:11 says, “From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”
Finally, in April of this year, a brother flew to Dubai from a far away place for me. After 13 years of prayer for the one, I can now say – God has truly heard my prayer.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them. — Psalm 145:19
The intention of sharing our story is for the glory of God: to the God who created us and definitely knows what’s inside of us. He hears prayers offered in faith. This story also is for everyone who has been praying for a spouse or husband and is waiting for the Lord’s timing. Keep up your faith. Do not give up. Our God is an answering God.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever — Psalm 145:21
To God be the glory!
Jim: When I first logged onto DT Heart & Soul, Katherine was the first sister to say hi to me. I thought she had a strong love for serving the kingdom and was very cute, but I had no idea where Dubai was. Two months passed before I sent a message asking her if we were still friends, since we hadn’t talked after saying hi. A month later, she responded, and our communication was like a snowball rolling down hill. Our messages went back and forth, starting from a few sentences to long paragraphs. Eventually we started corresponding over Facebook, and exploring all the smiley face icons. Then we started talking over the phone early this year.
It was during one of our calls that she challenged me to fly over. A few times I had expressed how I wanted to travel over to see her, but my faith in going to an Arabian country was weak. Finally after that call with her, I believe the Spirit put it on my heart to ” step out of the boat, and walk on water,” so to speak. I got time off from work, obtained a passport for the first time, and flew 12 hours non-stop to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I was completely out of my comfort zone, and spent a lot of time praying while there.
Katherine was the greatest host one could ever have. She had an itinerary set up for me for the whole week: quiet times with each other at the park, quiet times with other disciples, dinners with married couples, and singles events. I really enjoyed my time with her, especially having quiet times with the Lord together; we included God in everything. In our first quiet time we read Psalm 119, and we were both moved by God’s word. I usually don’t sing during my quiet times but Katherine loves to, and what really attracted me to her was her sincere devotion to the Lord and getting the most from her time with God.
On the second to last day we went to visit the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It was on this day on the observation deck that I asked her to be my girlfriend at the top of the world! She said yes and we had the good fortune of having her brother give us a tour and take pictures. Many disciples were waiting for us at the bottom. I’m truly grateful for Katherine and we continue to see what the Lord’s will is for us.
We’re grateful the Lord surrounds us with couples like Jacob and Beena (from Sharjah) who challenged us to speak all about our past and to see if we can accept each other. We are so thankful to have Kemmy and Gbenga (another couple from Sharjah) for their input and wisdom. Lonnie and Heather Miller (from the Groton, Connecticut church), have given us input and a listening ear. Indeed, our relationship has been blessed because of them. Without them this clear picture between us would not be possible.
Honestly, money and distance are our largest obstacles. Flying half-way around the world, and long-distance phone calls, are costly! We pray and strive to come up with creative ways to overcome.
We have used every medium of communication like Skype, email, text messages and videoing just to keep ourselves up-to-date, getting to know each other more and more and growing in our love for each other and in our love for God.
We have regular prayer times thru phone calls and Skype during the weekends.
God has been pouring out His blessing to this relationship so far and we are praying that He will continue to bless us and leads us to where this relationship should be headed, for His glory!
