Ben joined ChristianMingle in November 2012. He joined because he lives in a very small town in Missouri, and he wanted to meet someone. He had tried other dating sites, but was not successful. He found he preferred ChristianMingle. I, Danielle, joined in late January of 2013. Ironically, I had never been on a dating site and didn’t really think too much of them. I had moved across the country and was having difficulty meeting anyone of any true character. One Saturday night, I was bored and saw a commercial on the TV and decided to give it a try. I met Ben online in one week’s time. We simply began with the CM emails and eventually moved to the CM chat. After some time getting comfortable with those formats, Ben asked for my personal email and he gave me his. After getting comfortable with that means of communication, he finally asked for my phone number. We enjoyed getting to know each other in this manner and at a pace that we were comfortable with. I call them ‘dating baby steps’.

After one month, we decided to meet in person. As we live 4 hours apart, we met halfway and spent the day together in a town neither of us had ever been to and had the best time. We went hiking and found some landmarks as well as visited a flea market. Before parting ways, we shared a pizza together in a local pizzeria. There really wasn’t much more I could ask for by way of the perfect first date. We decided to see each other exclusively that very day.  We found we could barely wait until we saw each other again. The next time we met, we made it a point to introduce each other to our parents and spend time with each family. Our relationship became more serious as time went on as we discovered there was something real between us.

We planned a trip to my hometown and enjoyed a road trip that was halfway across the country. During that trip, Ben told me he loved me. He said he was sitting with my dad and brother-in-law upstairs and I was downstairs with other relatives and my voice carried up at one point. When he heard it, there was just this moment when he realized he was in love with me. I didn’t doubt his words, because his actions already told me that was true. We began talking about our future and took time to pray about our relationship and if it was God’s will for us to be together. We discovered we both had a peace about it. Ben and I visited another state and were hiking several different trails. During these hikes, Ben began to tease me about proposing. And I honestly have to say, I was getting annoyed with it. But after coming out of a series of caves upon a small waterfall, I turned around to find Ben holding a ring. He proposed to me on the spot and I said yes. We will be married on October 5, 2013.

We are so thankful to ChristianMingle for helping bring us together. I don’t know how else we would have met.

I would like to note that I really enjoyed the safety I felt of online dating with ChristianMingle. I had moved cross country to get away from an abusive ex boyfriend and wasn’t overly comfortable just going out alone and meeting men. I felt ChristianMingle was a safe environment. I enjoyed the articles and safety tips that were provided for the users. Also, I liked that I was in control of the personal information that was posted or given to other users. It really afforded me the security I wanted in how much or how little to share. It was fun to visit the chat rooms and send cards and answer the weekly discussion questions as well. I enjoyed the whole experience. The minimal fee for use was definitely worth meeting my future husband – to say it was a good investment would be a gross understatement.