This is what we came up for the photography contest. Adam wrote most of it and I just added some details here and there. Oh and I added the engagement story. :) Let me know what you think. I'd like to send it off this Weds.
The story of God, Adam and JasmineIn the beginning, God made Adam. Then God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18) God has definitely been instrumental in bringing Adam and Jasmine together. Here’s how it all went down.
College years
Adam and Jasmine met their sophomore year at the University of California, San Diego (Go Tritons!). Statistics was the class and Psychology was their major. It seemed improbable that they would get together since both of them were in relationships when they met. What were the chances that they would break up with their respective significant others, become good friends and then start dating? Well, God sure did have a plan because it did happen! Against all odds, Adam and Jasmine became good friends. To make it even more improbable, Adam was studying in an exchange program at Morehouse College for a semester when they first started to become friends. The chances started looking better when they both became single and involved with the Asian Pacific-Islander Student Alliance club on campus that upcoming quarter. They continued to work together on club projects and finally started dating!
God was still waiting for them to both come to Him and worship Him. Well, Adam and Jasmine did what they saw fit in their eyes and continued to do their “thing.” They continued like this and ultimately broke up after 2 ½ years.
God’s turn
After being broken up for several months, Jasmine contacted Adam to see if he wanted to go to church with her. As both of them sat down to hear Pastor Miles talk, they both knew that God was talking to them directly. It seemed like at the exact moment that they sat down, Pastor Miles began the sermon with the title of, “Love, Sex and Relationships.” God was truly speaking to them!
Both of them continued to attend church and each of them, at their God appointed time, re-dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ, making Him their Lord and Savior. They got back together and made a covenant with God to work on what they had heard in that initial sermon. Things were the best they had ever been. Now it was time for the real test… being apart for two long years.
Faith in God
Adam joined the Peace Corps after graduation and Jasmine began teaching after getting her Masters in Education and teaching credential. They embarked on a task that could only be completed by God. Adam left to serve in Jordan in the Middle East for two years, leaving Jasmine in San Diego, thousands of miles away. When it was night here, it was daytime there and vice versa. They were worlds apart. Needless to say, it was a tough time that truly tested their faith in God and their love for each other.
Each of them faced unique challenges of being apart from one another, but God used this time to draw each of them closer to Him. And it worked. Fifteen months went by and they finally got to see each other. It was magical. It felt like no time had passed at all. They professed their love for one another and also their desire to be with one another for the rest of their lives. At the end of the 26 months apart, God had increased each of their levels of faith and dependence on Him. Against all odds and all the critics, God had also strengthened their relationship providing it with a foundation that could withstand anything. What everyone once said was impossible to do, was now proven to be very possible with the help of God. Now, it was their time to finally be together.
Back Home
Adam returned to San Diego and quickly moved in with Jasmine. They spent all their time together and catching up on the years that they were apart. Still, God wanted more from them that they weren’t able to give up. God wanted Adam to move out and for them to live separately. As both of them developed more of a relationship with Christ, learning God’s Word and being baptized together, they realized what they needed to do. Finally, after about eight months of being disobedient in the matter of their living situation, they were obedient one weekend and Adam moved out. The VERY next weekend God put it on Adam’s heart to propose to Jasmine and they got engaged.
Adam had planned on proposing to Jasmine for a while now, but the timing didn’t seem right. She was finishing up her second Master’s Degree and busily working on her thesis while teaching full-time. Her final project was to present her thesis at a symposium. Adam had the idea to take Jasmine out to celebrate her finishing her Master’s degree that evening. Jasmine had no idea what was going on, but thought something was fishy. Adam drove Jasmine up to Mt. Soledad where she had once taken him for a date early on in their relationship. He set up a lovely picnic and gave Jasmine a special “gift” in small box. Jasmine immediately thought it might be a ring. When she opened it, she tried hard to hide her disappointment when she found a remote control for her camera inside of the box. Adam said it was something for her camera. So, she set up her tripod and they started to take some pictures of themselves. Little did she know Adam had a plan for the remote!
He got down on one knee and proposed! Jasmine was so shocked, the only thing that came out of her mouth was, “Are you sure?!” After realizing what was going on, she finally said yes. And the best part was, with the help of the remote, we have our whole proposal in a series of photos. What a perfect proposal!
Before and After
Some may view our relationship in many ways while throwing in words like “coincidence” or “great timing”, but we both know that it’s God’s timing and His Plan. Without Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we know that our lives and our relationship wouldn’t be as blessed as it is now.
Next Steps…God continues to want more and more of their lives and their relationship so He can direct it and bless it. Adam and Jasmine certainly have experienced a little about living for themselves and living for God. It seems like no matter what situation they find themselves in, God wants to be a part of it and bless it. So as they are in the planning stage of their wedding, many factors need to fall into place in order to make this special occasion happen. God has blessed us with a wedding reception area and we feel that if God wills, He’ll bless us through this photography contest. We don’t deserve a free photographer, we don’t deserve our gorgeous reception site, nor do we deserve the grace of God that He pours out onto our sinful hearts. However, He gives and gives and gives and even more so if we give to Him.
