Tyler Smith and Julie Ullagon - Married January 2017
Tyler: I became a disciple back in May 2004. Throughout my time in the church, there have been good and bad times and I’ve endured a lot of things. The one subject that has been a struggle for me for as long as I’ve been a disciple has been dating.
Back in 2010, this struggle became real as I was left to pick up the pieces after a painful breakup with a sister. During that time I felt strong insecurities about myself and wondered if I could ever find true love again.
When I first joined DTHS in October 2013, I went about it feeling that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I initially took advantage of a two-month free trial. I used that time to feel my way around and to see what was out there. At the end of those two months I felt that I needed more time, so I decided to renew for three more months.
After I renewed my membership, I saw Julie’s profile for the first time. I sent her a message to introduce myself. For the first few months we messaged on and off before beginning to communicate regularly. As the weeks and months went on, our friendship grew a lot. Once I realized that there was something with Julie, I felt led by the Spirit to take a leap of faith and fly to a place that I never thought I would go to: Dubai.
What stood out to me about Julie was her heart for God and how open and honest she was with me. As our friendship grew we both discovered that we have many similarities and think the same about a lot of things. Once I got off the plane in Dubai in February, I had no idea what to expect. When I met Julie and the disciples there, I instantly felt at home. The welcome I received was very encouraging to me. During my time there, Julie was the most incredible host you could ever want. Before I arrived she had an itinerary set up for me that included quiet times, dinners with other disciples, times with the singles and sightseeing my way around Dubai.
Near the end of my trip on February 19, 2015, overlooking the Ferris wheel at Al Qasba, I asked Julie to be my girlfriend. What made the night awesome was seeing how many of the singles and some of the marrieds came together to celebrate with us. I’m very grateful to God for Julie and to the disciples in the Dubai church for your support, love and your prayers.
I’m so very grateful to God for orchestrating everything according to His plan. Many thanks to DT Heart & Soul for introducing Julie to me. I’m very excited to have such a beautiful and God-loving woman to be my girlfriend. All thanks and praise to God.
God meets our needs in His perfect plan
Julie: Many years ago, I was used to hearing the same questions from my friends and people whom I encountered.
- Are you still single?
- But you are kind and pretty, why you waste your beauty?
- How old are you?
- What’s wrong with you? Do you have plans to get married?
- Maybe you are choosy. What is your standard?
I usually answered these questions by telling them that my true love has not yet come and I am not yet ready.
I felt fear and worry that I would be taken for granted and that I might be rejected by someone who I liked or loved.
This fear held me back from entering into a relationship for a long time. I was happy being single and I already accepted and resolved in my heart that I was OK if I remained single forever. But if God allowed me to have a boyfriend or partner in life, then amen. It would be a bonus blessing in my life.
I truly believed that God has already has a perfect plan in every happening in our life as it stated in Jeremiah 29:11-14.
For the past years of my single life, I had never been in a relationship. Many times my friends, relatives and colleagues tried to pair me up, but I never gave them a chance because they were not disciples. I was focused with my studies and after that with my work. I enjoyed my single life without having a boyfriend.
The time came when I desired to love and to be loved by someone, but unfortunately, the right guy did not come along. Most of the men who were forceful and persistent in trying to pursue me were not disciples and this made me complain and question.
“God, why do most of the men who like me are not Christians? Do I not deserve someone in the church who loves you? Why do you allow this to happen to me?” I was trying to stay faithful and protect myself, fighting for my purity not to give in or compromise to the men in the world.
My desire to be steady dating pushed me to be more specific in my prayer. I asked God to open my heart and remove my fears and prepare my heart for dating life. I decided to just give, love and encourage disciples without expecting in return. I prayed to God that I want a brother who loves God more than anything else because I believed that if he feared and loved God more than anything else then everything good will follow. I went for an encouragement date with the brothers when someone asked me for a date and I even initiated to ask them to spend time also. I just wanted to get to know them and encourage them. Through this, I started to get to know them better and appreciate the brothers more and I even liked some of them. I was told also to open myself up to the brothers in the church but unfortunately we were not in the same heart, so it did not work out.
Joining DT Heart & Soul
I was then introduced to DT Heart & Soul by Hazel, Kate and Lany, who were steady dating through the site.
They encouraged me to also subscribe. At first I was hesitant and doubtful to join, knowing that I don’t like long distance relationships. Plus, I didn’t have a credit card to pay online for the membership. But Kate lent me her credit card just wanting me to join and hopefully be steady dating in DTHS also. Out of my curiosity to know and see what was in DTHS, I agreed to subscribe for one month, last January 2014.
I never knew that through DTHS I would meet and be steady dating internationally with a handsome and awesome man of God, Tyler Smith of Tacoma, Washington. When we first met on DTHS, he sent me messages and encouragement from the Scriptures, and he even sent me audio messages from conferences that he had attended. He initiated praying together every time we spoke through Skype. Because of his awesome heart for God, I became interested in getting to know him better.
Tyler took the leap of faith to travel here to Dubai to see me and pursue me personally, and then officially asked me to be his girlfriend.
After 33 years of my single life and 15 years of faithfulness to God, this is my first time ever to be “steady dating.” I have prayed a lot and waited for it to come. Now, I understand more that God will give what we ask or give the desire of our heart when we delight our self in him and when he knows we are mature enough and ready to face the responsibility and commitment.
I am grateful to God for everything. I believed that God gives what I need and not what I want because He knows the best for me. Now, I’m happy and enjoying my dating life and we are trying our best to put God as the center of our relationship making Him the Lord of our dating life. May God’s will be done and not our will.
I want to thank our almighty God who allowed our dating life to be possible.
I want to give thanks and appreciation also to all staff and organizers of DTHS for organizing this disciples dating online. This is a great help and encouragement to some of the single disciples, especially to those who met their love life partners here.
To God be all the glory!
