THE DAY WE MET...Bekah's side of the story

October is a very special month for Zac and I. Not only because we celebrate our anniversary, but the first time we ever met (if you would call it that) was back in October of 2007. Not to mention our favorite time of the year is FALL! So today I thought I would tell you a little bit about Oct 13th 2007. Now bare with me, because I have to tell the story from both sides or it will not make sense...even then you might be a little lost. This story is a testimony to the fact that God answers prayer and that "If you delight yourselves in the Lord He will give you the desires of your heart". Psalm 37:4

There was going to be a Perry Stone Conference in Dalton, GA and two older couples from our church were going to be attending. The conference was a week long, and they had invited me to come down for the two sessions on saturday. Now you have to understand that to the logical mind it made no sense for me to go because (1) I would be driving the 2 1/2 hours down by myself (2) I didn't even know who Perry Stone was (3) One of the couples is in their 70s and one in their 60s and (4) I had to teach sunday school the next day. But going back to my prayer journal here is what I prayed on Oct 10th 2007 3 days before I would leave:

"Lord I come to you tonight seeking guidance and direction for the next few days. Lord do I go to this conference or do I stay here in Franklin? Please give me some insight into Your will for the next few days. Lord I want to be in the place where You can use me, the place that You have already destined me to be no matter how small or big Your plans may be. Help me to be sensitve to Your voice and Your leading."

To my knowledge I have never before prayed that I wanted to be where He had DESTINED me to be, and this is the only time I have found it in my journal. That being said I remember waking up late that saturday morning and just pretty much decided that I wasn't going to go. For some reason after laying in bed a few more minutes I jumped up threw on some clothes and ran out the door (bed head and all...what did I care I didn't think I would be around anyone my age anyway). On my way down to the Conference I called Marla (one of the ladies who went to the conference) to get directions and after talking with her realized that I was even later than I thought because the session had started an hour earlier than I had planned. Also while talking to Marla she said "Bekah I need to tell you about something before you get here." Marla preceded to tell me that Harold (her husband) and Ron had met this young man that they wanted to introduce me too. Now after hearing those two things, that I was late and that they wanted to introduce me to a guy, I was ready to turn around and go back home. I had no intentions of letting people set me up (I have since learned that is how the Lord works...through people (: ).

Ron and Carol

Harold and Marla

To give you a little background, Harold (who is married to Marla) had taken it upon himself to pray for the man that I was to marry for the past 3 years, always encouraging me and telling me that the Lord had someone special for me. So I made it to the last half of the morning session and then we all decided to go to lunch at the Dalton Depo. Now by all, I mean me, Harold, Marla, Ron, Carol, Zac and a family from Florida (I will tell you about them in the next post when I share Zac's side of the story). I probably only spoke a total of 10 words to Zac the entire time, in fact I sat on the total opposite side of the table and if I am being honest tried to avoid conversation with him. I did however learn some strange and interesting things through eaves dropping on his conversation with others. For instance I learned that he attended NC Sate University (so did I...no big deal so did 35,000 other people), I learned that his dad was a park ranger (hmmm my dad is the Forest Ranger) his mom worked at the school board office (ok this is getting strange, MY mom works at the school board office) he had lived in Alaska ( I was BORN in Alaska...how many people do you know have been there?)...and other little strange coincidences but I still had my wall up. In fact I thought he was a little strange because he kept saying "Praise the Lord" and "Bless God" even when he wasn't talking about spiritual things...I started to question whether that was real or just lingo he was using (I have come to learn it is very real and that is his heart, because the bible says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks). I also learned that his real mom had died when he was 3 years old and that one of his brothers had committed suicide when he was just 16. Again if I am being honest I found myself thinking his family life was broken and I could not see myself marrying someone that wasn't from a good family (how judgemental and uncaring those thoughts were seeing how I didn't even know his family, and I have since asked the Lord to forgive me, and Zac has a wonderful family). So after lunch and after the night session they were having a banquet for those people who Partner with Perry Stone and everyone from lunch was going and they invited me to go. I of course was behind my stone wall and had determined in my heart that they were NOT going to set me up and that I was going back home, and I did. And that was the end of that...or so I thought. I never thought I would see this man again, but seven months later he shows up at my church...on my birthday (don't worry I will fill you in on that part of the story later (; ).

After eating at The Dalton Depo

Please stay tuned for Zac's side of THE DAY WE MET.