Mark Martin and Joanna Arnold - Married May 2017
Joanna: When I met my husband on DTHS, I had recently ended a dating relationship in my home church. Frankly, I was devastated. I was in my late twenties, and I felt ready to meet my husband.
Still, after that breakup, I felt closer to God than I had in a long time. I prayed a lot about the type of man and relationship I longed for. Specific prayers. I truly believed in what I was asking for. God answered each of those prayers and more with my husband! During that time, I got an email promoting a free month trial to DTHS, and I must admit, I was skeptical. I didn’t believe I would meet someone in this way, and worse, I wondered if it meant I was desperate if I tried. I decided to be as open as possible to anything God had for me.
It wasn’t long before I met my husband. We began talking daily, first through email, then texting, then actual phone calls. He lived in Ohio. I lived in Georgia. He flew me up for our first date, and I knew right away that I could marry him. We proceeded to date long distance for a year and a half. This relationship was unique in that it was pure. The feelings we were developing were based on what we saw in each other as partners rather than a focus on the physical. I have never felt like I needed to question this relationship. I have always felt secure.
A lot of that had to do with my husband’s testimony and his devotion and walk with God, not just how he treated me. Finally, his employer agreed to let him move to my city and work remotely. Throughout our relationship, we felt very supported by both of our church homes. We have had multiple older couples who have offered to disciple us in our relationship. We even completed our marriage counseling with one of those couples.
We were engaged in November of 2016, married in May of 2017, bought our first home together by April of 2018, and just celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We hope to build a family together in our new home.
I am incredibly grateful that I decided to give DTHS a chance because it is unlikely that I would have met Mark otherwise. He is every bit of what I prayed for, one of my life’s greatest blessings, and a constant reminder of God’s love and kindness. If you’re thinking about giving DTHS a chance, I would say…be open.
