Our first conversation began online in August of 2009.  My now wife, Sharon, was living in Clearwater, Florida with her parents.  On Thanksgiving Day, I flew Sharon to Memphis, Tennessee.  We had spent approximately three to four hours per day talking for three months, getting to know one another, and strengthening one another in the Lord.  The moment I laid eyes on her I thought, “This is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”  She had this glow about her.  I gave her the keys to my condo and I stayed at a buddy’s house (for accountability purposes).  By the end of the extended weekend, I knew she was “the one.”  

The following month I went on a cruise with my parents.  I was extremely deep in prayer and was listening to a podcast in which a pastor said, “Go out and find a wife, not a girlfriend”.  He was encouraging the men to be seekers of marriage, not relationships, and was asking those that had found a God-fearing woman what they were waiting on.  It struck me!  I knew then that I was going to make this lovely, God-fearing woman my wife!  I flew her back to Tennessee on Christmas day, took communion with her, proposed, and she accepted!

We were married the following year on April 24th in Clearwater Beach, Florida.  My walk with God and my wife has been as strong as ever.  We celebrate our four year wedding anniversary next month.  However, for those reading, our story hasn’t come without a cost.  My parents have opposed my marriage since day one. They have never invited us over to this day.  My dad refuses to meet my bride.  As soon as I told them that my wife was older and had a child, they told me that this wasn’t God’s will for me. I was devastated.  My father married my mom, who was divorced and had a child.  I thought that my father would have been proud I didn’t keep a sense of entitlement even though I had never been divorced.  Instead, my parents refused to hear about the woman I was falling for.  To date, it has been two years since I’ve spoken to my Dad and 15 months since I’ve spoken to my Mom. This breaks my heart every time I think about it.  I see clearly in scripture that a man is to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. My parents had no biblical reason to refuse to accept Sharon.  I’m just thankful I didn’t allow their narrow minded viewpoints to affect my ultimate destiny to be with the love of my life.  I am thankful for my spiritual backbone and West Indian beauty and I am very proud to be called my stepson’s “D2” (Dad #2).  This experience has changed my life forever.  I hope and pray no man let’s his parents stand in front of God’s will for their lives.  

On a positive note, I may have recently discovered the reason why God put a Trinidadian (West Indian) in my life.  While visiting Florida over the holidays, the pastor of a local West Indian church invited me to speak at his church. After my second sermon, he pulled me to the side. He let me know that he was going to be stepping down and wants me to pray through taking over as pastor.  I recently graduated with my Masters in Divinity and still have no clue what God has for me.  However, I am brought to my knees to have a glimpse of what could be God’s greater purpose.  God didn’t just put this West Indian in my life because he knew we would connect and be attracted to one another.  God might just be calling me to pastor her people.  WHAT AN AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT. God loves marriage.  Don’t misunderstand me.  However, His ultimate goal isn’t to be honored only when two are united.  It appears as if God placed her in my life because this would open up avenues to minister to the West Indian people in Florida and across the world.  I embraced my wife’s culture and now I can relate, connect and minister to her people.  TO GOD AND GOD ONLY BE THE GLORY!!!!!