Twenty-five years ago today, March 9th, I finally got a picture of the young man who had asked to write to me nearly 6 months earlier, and who had to wait three months to get a letter from me, after the first one was lost in the mail. The day was a Wednesday, and our mission field director in Ukraine had just gotten back from a business trip to the States where he had been in Colorado.
While there, Jonathan had met him and given him an envelope to bring to me in Ukraine.
The envelope contained a photo of him!
I was eagerly, and anxiously waiting for that picture.
I had been told by one person that Jonathan would probably be "semi-geeky."
I was so afraid this might be true.
I didn't care nearly as much about looks as about character, and I talked to my field director on the phone about Jonathan after he'd met him. He told me that Jonathan "was a wonderful young man."
Then I said I had been worried about what he might have told Jonathan about ME!
I wrote the following conversation in my diary:
"I told him that you were one of the best treasures a man could want," my director said.
"This is all joking aside," he went on. "I told him you had much to offer a man, that most men aren't worthy of."
Gulp, gulp. I didn't deserve those kind words!
After some of the issues we'd had with each other, my unpredictable but predictably kind field director was telling me this!
"You know this is true," he said. "You know it! I'm not just blowing sunshine at you."
I called him by name and said, "I was worried, but deep down I knew--I knew you would be nice about me!"
"How could anyone be anything else?" he said. "But I'm not going to give you Jonathan's envelope till you withdraw your resignation from this mission!"
I said, "I reckon you can keep the pictures. I'll be seeing Jonathan in just a couple weeks."
"I'll go to the airport and take him away," declared my director.
I said, "You go right ahead, [Mr. Director]. Go right ahead! I'm not a bit worried!"
But this particular evening things were looking bleak about getting my picture.
I had absolutely no idea what Jonathan looked like, and was very anxious to know!
And my coworkers thought it was great fun to give me a hard time!
The field director, who was engaged to my coworker, had been gone a while to the States, and my coworker was so eager to have some time with her fiance that she told me they did not want to lay eyes on me till about Friday!
I left my class a little early Wednesday so I could hurry home and let my coworker meet her fiance after her class all by herself--without having to lay eyes on me! I made myself a sandwich and headed out walking to my dear friends the Durfees. They were the ones who had urged me to reconsider writing to Jonathan when I didn't think we should until we had met.
Now, six months later, I still didn't even know what he looked like! I saw my field director's car arriving with his fiance to our apartment, and I stopped for a moment. I so much wanted that picture! But not until Friday---my coworker wanted her fiance all to herself. So I walked on, and I wanted very much to cry.
I wrote in my diary that it was an awful evening. I tried to copy some recipes and helped the Durfees with some Russian as I often did, and we talked. I had for some reason felt frightened that evening, something I rarely felt, and the Durfees had offered for me to stay with them. But I was afraid my coworkers would worry about me, so I went on home. My apartment was empty, and I was afraid there would be nothing for me.
But wait, on my desk were two envelopes and a tape.
But nothing from Jonathan!
I flew through the apartment, and found another envelope on the kitchen table.
In fear and anxiety, I opened it. I had been writing to this man now for a couple months back and forth, and he had even called me on Valentine's Day, so I knew he was starting out in all seriousness.
I might be going to spend the rest of my life with him.
What would he look like?
I wrote in my diary, "It took a while for that picture to sink in. Semi-geeky?"
It took a day or two for it to sink in that he was NOT geeky.
I could be proud of him!
I had a little mischief in me, too. Since my coworkers had given me such a hard time, I posted Jonathan's photo on a paper on my coworker's door with these words under it:
"I dare you to say semi-geeky!"
Now exactly 25 years later, my NON-Geeky, very handsome husband is trading out fridges for me with my 21-year-old son. Now he wears a very whiskery, but very good-looking beard which makes him look and feel even better! And the best thing is that
25 years later, after lots of trials and troubles mixed in with a lot of bliss and a lot of joy
my handsome, non-geeky husband is still taking care of the little lady that he finally met across the ocean in Ukraine in March of 1994.
Together we trust God to meet our daily needs as he works hard at remodeling and going on Mission Helps trips, and I take care of the home and school our children and try to be a good helpmeet.
And when fridges give us trouble and free ones from jobs he's working end up not doing too well, God supplies one from nearby for just $100. The men of the house trade it out, and we ladies wash and clean and restock.
And I remember--25 years ago today--the day I first saw my dark-haired suitor
and knew I could be so proud of him!
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