Carolyn “CNDUNSN’s” Story:

Living in San Diego at the time.… I registered on ChristianMingle* (CM) in February of 2013. My instructions from God were, “Be present, but do not pursue.”  All I had asked for was (1) a man that was sold out to God in actions and reactions and (2) one who understood the importance of eating right.
CM began to send me approximately 8 profiles every day, and it wasn’t long until I began to receive emails from gentlemen “pursuing” me.  I read each one, but just knew in my heart the sender was not “the one.”

THEN  SUDDENLY… on September 4th… an email from Silvertan!  My first words were, “I didn’t even ask for handsome!” I quickly responded — trying not to seem too anxious, but genuinely interested (heart pounding).  After a couple days of emails, Larry asked for my phone number, and we began talking every evening from 45 minutes to 3 hours a night!  From the very beginning, it was so easy, so fun, so real…and we both knew it!

He told me about the Compass Test CM offers to show where we each stood on very important questions, and we discussed the questions and our answers in those long talks.  He also had 100 essay questions from a well-known Christian ministry on TV that focused on marriages.  After I completed those, we discussed our answers and often thought of other side-topics and covered them, too.

On September 18th (that’s 2 weeks from the first email), Larry said, “I’ll fly out there to ask you in person, but I want to ask you now, ‘Will you marry me?’”  And I said, “Yes!”  What joy!  Beyond words!  He said, “Have a calendar handy for tomorrow night’s call, and we’ll set the date.”

On 9/19, we set the date for November 2nd (less than 2 months from first contact)!  I asked if I could tell people at work the next day.  He said, “Yes… and turn in your 30-days notice, too!”  We were so very happy… giddy… like teenagers… and he’s 66, and I am 71!

Larry flew out to San Diego on 9/28 to meet me, my grown sons, my pastor, my boss, and others where I worked.  We applied for a marriage license, picked out wedding bands, reserved the church, got his tux fitted, and made moving plans.

Our wedding was November 2nd in San Diego — unique in so many ways… all of it teaching what God designed a marriage to be!  Everyone said they’d never been to such a wonderful and beautiful wedding before!  The pastor asked us to tell this story at the end of the ceremony. What a testimony and advertisement for ChristianMingle!

You see, when God by His Holy Spirit started teaching me in the early 1980’s about the Blood Covenant, and I saw what a Covenant marriage should be, I realized I’d never been loved before… even though I’d been married twice. God gave me the desire to be loved like that. That desire became my HOPE. As I held onto it, that was FAITH. Then, suddenly, 30 years later, it came to pass. I am now loved — wholly and completely.  I am safe.  It is growing each day.  More Than Yesterday : Less Than Tomorrow.

There were 3 things God told me to do before September 4th in preparation for the wedding.  I didn’t know how much longer the manifestation would take; and after it all started happening so suddenly, I heard Father say, “I told you to do those 3 things when there was not even a cloud the size of a man’s hand on the horizon… so that when it began to unfold, you both would know of a surety that it was ME that brought you together and that I am the One orchestrating your union!”

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY 

I highly recommend ChristianMingle because it is truly user-friendly. There aren’t 600+ questions to answer about yourself (like another site advertised on TV). The profile you complete is sufficient without being invasive. The staff is knowledgeable and quick to respond. Also, when you submit a revision to your profile, they are prompt to review it and post the revision.

PS:  CNDUNSN stands for seein’ de unseen…which is FAITH

 

Larry “Silvertan’s” Story:

I registered on ChristianMingle to find a Godly woman and have God’s blessing on our relationship.  Per my request, I was sent the profiles of ladies “within 100 miles of Sarasota, Florida” (approximately 1,400 in total); and as I reviewed the profiles, none of them were a close match.  As a result, ChristianMingle began to send me profiles of candidates beyond the 100 mile radius and even in neighboring states.

Then I received a profile on 9/4/13 that was a very good match — the issue was the distance…she was in San Diego, California! When I asked how we would handle the distance, she wrote, “If the bride is alive and right, then she’s worth the drive or the flight.”  That left me with a determination to get God’s blessing on a long-distance; and after communicating with Carolyn for several days on the computer, I asked if we could talk on the phone; and she sent me her phone number.

We began to talk for several hours every evening, and we quickly realized we were very compatible.  We both took the Compass Test that ChristianMingle provides, and we discussed areas where we were not alike and came to a mutual understanding. ChristianMingle was organized and supportive along the way.

I had been listening to Jimmy and Karen Evans on their Marriage Today television program, and I had their list of 100 essay questions they give to potential couple during pre-marriage counseling.  I forwarded these questions to Carolyn, and we discussed our answers and came to a mutual agreement on each one.

On September 18th (that’s two weeks from our first contact), I proposed to Carolyn; and she said yes!  The next evening, we set the wedding date — November 2nd!  I flew to San Diego on September 28th to see my bride-to-be for the first time and to meet her sons, pastor, and close friends.  Our wedding was in San Diego, and then we drove cross-country for our honeymoon… stopping in Tennessee to meet her sisters and extended family… arriving in Sarasota on November 18th to begin our new life together. 

We have had opportunities to share our story with other singles — in fact, I introduced one of the ladies ChristianMingle sent to me to one of my pastor friends; and I was best man in their wedding just before Christmas 2013!

Thank you, ChristianMingle, for all that you’ve done and continue to do to serve the Body of Christ!

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