Love and Marriage Series: Courtship Stories: David and Briana (Part 2)

Hasn't this been fun to hear how God brings couples together?!  As we continue today in our regular Monday series on Love and Marriage, if you're new to this blog or missed it before, go back now and read Part 1 of David and Briana's Courtship Story!

When we left Briana last, she had been alarmed at her new feelings for David, who had been a lifelong friend of the family, and whom she had staunchly resisted being thrown together with, by would-be matchmakers!  Now, going to her father for counsel, he had advised her to treat David "just as she always had" and not to dwell on thoughts of him. "What makes you think he would be interested in you now?" he queried.  Briana was finding "not dwelling on David" difficult, since everywhere she turned, there he was, or there were reminders of him! But she was determined to try not to think about him, and to let God work in His timing. Now, we continue with Part 2 in the Story of David and Briana's Courtship, in Briana's words:

Well, life kept moving right along.  I stayed busy with anything I could, especially with our church's Sunday School ministry.  My Dad would always remind me, whenever we were going to be with David and his family, to treat him as I normally did before I started liking him.  Well, all of a sudden, I couldn't remember what normal was.  How did I act when I acted normal?

My Dad and I were planning on going to Mexico on a missions trip that March.  David and three of his brothers were planning to go on this same missions trip, along with some other people from David's church. The dates were changed so now they would be going at the end of April and, due to my Dad's work, he was not going to be able to go.  My parents and I prayed about the possibility of my still going.  I remember really wanting to know it was the Lord's will for me to go, not my will to go (so I could be with David).  Well, a significant amount of my trip expenses were paid for through many gifts of money, and my parents and I really felt that this was a sign it was God's will, because I hadn't been asking for money.  So I ended up going on the missions trip to Mexico and it was a life-changing trip for me.  We went to build houses for poor families there and to serve wherever we were needed.  It made me realize that I have been given so much and yet can still complain about what I don't have.  It made a huge impact on my life.  I wanted to go back again someday, and hoped that when I had a family I could bring them back there and serve together as a family.  When we came home my Mom asked me how things had gone and I remember telling her it was a great trip and I learned a lot, but that I was sure that David and I would just remain "friends", as we always had been. Unknown to me, David had come back from the trip and told his parents that he had found his wife, and knew that I was the one for him!  At that point he had no idea what I had been thinking or what I would say if he came for me.

Nothing transpired until about a month later.  We were at a mutual friend's Graduation Open House.  David, his brother, my dad, some others and I were sitting in the living room.  My dad ended up getting up and walking away, so it was mainly David, his brother and me left there.  A friend of David's parents and my parents saw us sitting in the living room and, going outside, noticed our two sets of parents talking together.  She went up to them and said, "Is there love in the air?"  Both sets of parents began looking around and she explained, "Between your son and your daughter."  Well, needless to say, none of the parents knew what to say.  My dad came back into the living room, to make sure that I hadn't just totally lost all my self control!

The next day was Memorial Day and we had invited David's family over to our house.  They were supposed to come at 3:00 in the afternoon.  That morning David's dad told him what had happened at the Open House. Of course, David couldn't believe it!  He didn't want my dad to think that he was trying to steal my heart before he'd asked my dad's permission to win my heart. So, David didn't end up coming over that day until supper time.  When he got there he was really standoffish.  This just confirmed to me that there really wasn't anything "special" between us.  The next day my Mom filled me in on what had happened at the Open House. I remember how my heart ached. I went up to my room and cried.  I knew what kind of man David was.  I knew he would come to my Dad to clear his name, and this could mean the end of my dreams!  So, I prayed, and asked the Lord to bring him quickly to court me, or cause something to happen so I would know for sure that things would never happen, so I could move on.  I wanted to trust the Lord so much and my heart was hurting so bad.  I even remember I thought of asking my parents if I could go and stay with my grandparents in Mississippi for a month, just so I could get away from everything.

Well, that very same night that I prayed that the Lord would make things clear, David came over to pick something up at our house.  My dad went outside to help him.  David told my Dad that he had heard about what was said at the Open House.  David wanted my dad to know that it was never his intention to appear to be stealing his daughter's heart before he asked.  My dad said, "Asked what"?  David then asked for my dad's permission to court me!  My dad kept his cool and said he would have to talk with my mom and get back to him.  The next night I was away from home babysitting, thus giving my dad an opportunity to "grill" (talk to) David.  They went out and met somewhere where they could talk.  Afterward, my dad said that he would have to talk to me and let David know.

It was Thursday, June 2, 2005.  I had wanted to go get flowers for my flower garden, so we (my parents and I) were going to go buy flowers.  We ended up stopping at Subway to get something for supper and we ate at a picnic table by a lake.  After we were done eating, Mom said she had a treat in her purse.  She took out a little tray with a John Deere tractor printed on it, (David is very much a John Deere tractor guy), with Andes mints on it.  I quickly dumped the mints off the tray and asked them what it meant.  My Dad then told me that David wanted to court me!  I immediately broke into tears of joy, excitement, relief and unbelief.  God is so good!  We then went home to celebrate with ice cream sundaes, and to tell my siblings about it.  David had to work late on Friday so we didn't see each other until Saturday morning.  We went out with both sets of parents, his sister and my oldest brother.  This was the first time that each of us heard the "whole" story.

Please return to hear more of the Story of David and Briana's Courtship Next Monday in the Love and Marriage Series!