Hello! I know you were probably wondering where I disappeared to. :) Well, We left to the states and visited some of our churches but we are now back in Ukraine. In the next few posts I will be sharing some fun times we had while in the states. As for this post, I would like to share with you a couple testimonies from a couple in our church. I hope this will be a blessing to you. For those of you who have not found that special someone yet, I pray these testimonies will encourage you to be patient and wait for God's will.
I met Igor at church in 2004. At first we were just friends. Then we grew in knowing each other. When I asked him to share his testimony of salvation, he said that he had been a member of a church since childhood and that he got saved in Sunday school. In 2005 on March 7 he suggested we start dating and I said, "yes". We've been dating for 4 years and were going to get married but God stopped us. My parents didn't mind, they liked Igor but his parents were against it. His mom told me that he wasn't saved and if I married him my life would be miserable. It was very strange that his mom would protect me. Then Igor and I talked to the pastor – he told us that we needed to think and pray. Then when I met alone with the pastor he asked, "Are you sure that he is saved?" I said, "He said that he is saved." The pastor asked, "Do you see fruit in him? Does he grow spiritually?" My answer was No. Pastor said, "You need to think."
In 2009 we had a conference for singles. A missionary preached there and said that even if one of the parents is against it, then it's not God's will. I loved Igor very much and I realized that I had to make a very serious decision. After coming back from the conference I spoke with Igor but we didn't break up. After a little while we did break up, I hurt Igor a lot, and he suffered very deeply. I couldn't believe we were not together any more, I felt very bad and empty but I trusted God. Because of our brake up Igor suffered a lot. By God's grace on Aug. 5, 2009 he got saved. God saved him. From that point he started growing in the Lord. His countenance has changed. He became joyful, and it was obvious that Christ lived in him.
In winter of 2009-2010 I started to fellowship with Igor again. After Single's conference in spring we started praying about God's will for us to be together. To be sure, we talked to the pastor and his wife and they gave us their blessing. We were very excited because we received confirmation that it was God's will for us to get married. We spoke to our parents before we talked with the pastor and they gave their blessing. On May 16, 2010 we announced our engagement at church and started getting ready for the wedding right away. We saw God's hand in everything. How He helped us and blessed us. Because of our brake up, we are now happily married. We got married on Sept. 18, 2010 and now we happily serve God together. It is so wonderful! I'm very grateful to God that He didn't let me marry Igor before he got saved. Now the Lord has blessed us for waiting for this moment.
Igor writes...Lena and I had been dating for a long time. I was convinced that we were supposed to get married, but my parents were against it. Then Lena and I broke up because we wouldn't get permission for the marriage. It was very difficult for me. I couldn't believe we were not together any more. I started having health problems due to all my sufferings. I started having heart problems. On Aug. 5, 2009 under the roof of a house I have been building, I asked the Lord to enter into my heart. I'm grateful for the suffering I had to go through. My life has changed completely. I started growing spiritually. God started showing me and I knew for sure that Lena should be my wife. I'm grateful to God that we've waited, otherwise I would never have known Him and we wouldn't serve Him together. Praise be to God for everything. My advice to the young people – trust God! He wants only the best for your life. In choosing a wife or a husband, make sure it's His will. Talk to your pastor and parents more then one time.
Lena, Anna, & Brianna
Lena & her parents
Anna ( Jr. Brides Maid)
Nelya (Maid of Honor)
Nate (Ring Barrier) & Brianna (Flower Girl)
Lena & her father (Here comes the Bride!)
Husband & Wife!!!
It was a beautiful exit. (Rose peddles & Bubbles)
The Beautiful Bride
Bride & Groom
Their rented car for the special occasion.
Good-bye, see you later!
Brianna (enjoying the flower off the cake)
They have such a great testimony to share now! Thanks for taking the time to put this on your blog as well... I know it can be a blessing to a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteAnd, by the way, I love that picture of Brianna eating the rose too! Such a cutie... wonder who her mama is?! :)