I met Maruyi on ChristianMingle in January 2013 and married this vibrant, Christian woman on August 2, 2013.

When I met my future wife, I did not own a smart phone and had no use for social media. I had attempted Facebook a few times because my beloved Cathy had created an account before her untimely death. She wanted me to stay in touch with our four daughters. I had a very limited social circle in a small West Texas town.  I worked long hours as a physician in the rural oil patch and went to church. But two years after Cathy passed, I began a slow recovery from depression and began to wonder about the rest of my life.

Living 300 miles away in the big city of El Paso, there was a dynamic, Christian lady. She had scriptural grounds for divorce and was working through the painful legal process. I have since met many people whose lives she touched. For example, I met a young pastor in Juarez who flows in the Spirit and worked with Maruyi in street ministry. Also, there are 3,000 young people who have attended Christian home schools that she started and poor people that she’s helped along the way.

One night in the ER, I saw a TV advertisement for ChristianMingle, and the night nurse helped me create a profile.  I had no clue about how to put a picture on the internet and still don’t.  Maruyi sent a little note and I politely responded.  As a 65 year old male with very limited computer skills, I was sure that some lady in El Paso could not be a life partner. Several nights later, I found myself pouring out my heart my heart to a woman I did not know.  When I tried to go to bed at 3 AM, the Spirit told me I could lie down, but I would not sleep.  So I finished the message and collapsed in bed.

When I awoke, I saw that she had responded. I was amazed. She said the Spirit had awakened her to read my message. She said she was happy. I was stunned that anybody could be happy reading about my mess on some internet social site.

Now, I am happily married and have a smart phone that I use daily to call and text Maruyi. We were blessed to have a beautiful ceremony and honeymoon. I could write many pages, but the short story is that a computer semi-literate senior citizen met a woman he loves. 

I am thankful for ChristianMingle, which has been a gift to me (James 1:17).