How it happened:
My interest in NYC developed in 2002 when I went on a mission trip. I spent a lot of my time crying every time Georgio came near me. It’s amazing because Georgio and I didn’t speak very much until he moved to NYC. Our friendship grew at the Men’s Getaway in 2001. When I started working at SunTrust, I started receiving paid vacations. I visited NYC in 2004 and 2005 because Georgio let me stay at his house for free. In 2005, Victoria approached me and she thanked me for serving because I helped with the tables and chairs at the Bohemian Beer Hall where the Rock of NYC met in Astoria, Queens. I saw that she was a beautiful woman so I ran away. I got back to Florida and celebrated my birthday. A few weeks later we had some division in the church. Rock UF changed and a new website was created where we could post testimonies and different things we were getting out of the word. Victoria was a part of Rock UF many years before she moved to NYC, so she posted her testimony on the site. I remember reading it and something in my spirit said YES! I saw her avatar and it spoke to me about her personality. It was a picture of a girl with her head tilted with a hat that had a flower on it. That is where it all started. In October 2005, I met with Pastor Ron about moving to NYC at the Latin Café. She was not my motivation for moving. I really liked the city and I had family in New Jersey. I didn’t even come across her path until after I wanted to move to NYC. The night before I met with Pastor Ron, he prayed and God gave him some insight. We chatted for a while and then he asked me if a girl was involved. My initial reaction was no, but then I told him about a testimony I read about a girl. He asked me if I was talking about Victoria Wolf. I was stunned! Actually, I didn’t even know her last name at that time. Pastor George did not have a peace about the decision so I canned the idea about NYC. In February 2006, I developed a friendship with a coworker at SunTrust. At first I didn’t want anything to do with her. I can remember telling her and the rest of the branch that my wife was in NYC. Maybe I was just hoping and praying that it was Victoria. In the natural it didn’t look so hot because I had no release to move and I didn’t think she would ever come back to Gainesville. Even though it looked like it would never happen, I told them a story. I have a peculiar way of speaking, so I came up with a story about the flour girl. While working at SunTrust, I had some crazy girls that liked me. I told them that I would keep myself covered in oil so that when the crazy girls tried to latch on, they would slide right off. But one day a girl would come around holding a bag of flour and run right into me. The flour would cover the oil and she would stick. That was my way of saying that the flour girl was out there and the rest of these crazy girls need to get out of my way. I never dated the girl but we communicated on a regular basis and I got distracted. In the summer of 2006, my parents were going through a tough time and dad moved out to his sister’s house in Tampa for a season. Mom was standing in faith for restoration, but it took a toll on her mental health and it placed a lot of stress on the family. I found out that the girl from work had plans on moving to Tampa. We both liked each other so it sounded like a great plan. My justification was that I could be there for mom. I found a church down there that I thought was so great. My church offended me so I was walking in a time of deception. The short part of the story involving my parents is that they did not go through with the divorce. They ended up buying a beautiful home and said that I could stay with them for a while. So in the natural I had a free place to stay, a church in Tampa that I thought had everything I was looking for, and a girl in Tampa that liked me. When you are waiting for the promise of God and you don’t see anything happening, this scenario looked pretty good to me. There have been times when I have dealt with a man pleasing spirit, so I thought I was being cool when I told Pastor Ron that I was putting my house on the market and moving to Tampa rather than seeking out his counsel. (Very dumb idea!) My house was on the market for 6 months and I never received an offer. I remember telling Eddie at The Rock’s 19th Anniversary Service that I was moving. He wasn’t very happy about that. In January 2007, the coworker from SunTrust left to work with her parents and our friendship deteriorated. She wasn’t a bad person by any means, but I thank God that it did not work out the way I wanted it because it could have destroyed my life. In February or March of 2007, I was literally a week away from moving but there was a week where something significant happened each day. On Sunday, people I didn’t normally speak to started loving on me. I was mad at God because it seemed like no one cared about me before I was leaving but now all of a sudden they are embracing me. I can’t remember what happened on Monday, but I almost broke down in tears at Tuesday morning prayer when Pastor Ron looked into my eyes because he thought I was on my way out. On Wednesday, it was 7:30PM and I was in bed reading a book by John Bevere, The Voice of One Crying. Holy Spirit said get up and go to Rock UF. It was clear as day, and I was ticked! I had 30 minutes to get dressed and get across town. The whole time I was driving asking myself what are you doing and why are you going? I left Rock UF a while ago and had no desire to go back. I remember walking in the door and seeing the look of shock on some faces because people thought I was long gone! Pastor George spoke a word that I needed to hear. I went to lunch on Thursday and decided that I did not have the peace of God and I was not going to leave. I went up to Pastor George that Sunday and told him that I was staying. It took him by surprise, but he told me that he prayed and prayed and did not have peace about it. He told me to get my butt back to serving because I stopped serving for about 6 months. I did not want to commit to a ministry because I did not know when my house was going to sell. I started to bother me because I love to serve and it went against who I was. After that, I went to tell Pastor Cheryl. As I embraced her, I whispered in her ear that I was staying. She told me that she could never get the peace about my decision to leave. She did not want to use her authority to help me make a decision, so she asked God to speak clearly to me. Since I’ve never had the opportunity to meet with Pastor George, I asked him to meet me for lunch. We met on April 19th. He asked me if I was happy about my decision to stay and I told him yes. We spoke briefly about my parents and then we talked about his life. I was able to see how much responsibility he has and the pressure he faces on a daily basis. When he dropped me back off at work, I told him that Victoria was still in my heart. At this point, she was living in Gainesville, FL. The Rock of NYC shut down and moved back to Gainesville. It was as if God brought NYC to me instead of me having to move up there. For whatever reason, I’ve always connected more with the folks who moved to NYC. I was very happy that Georgio and his family were coming back. Pastor George started telling me how wonderful she is and how God has this great purpose for her life. He actually had a birthday gift from her sitting behind my seat. It was a book she wrote for single women. How funny is that! As Pastor George was telling me great things about Victoria, I was thinking tell me something new. Tell me that God spoke to you and she is to be my wife. Well, nothing happened and we parted our ways. I can remember the first Sunday she was back. I caught a glimpse of her from across the auditorium. I went to shake her hand but she responded with a hug. She was not interested at the time. She was just happy to be back in Gainesville so she was hugging anyone she could find. That weekend Pastor George was having a Rock UF party at his house. Pastor Fabian asked me if I was going to the picnic so I decided to go. I felt funny because it was within a few weeks of me deciding to stay in Gainesville and I just returned back to Rock UF. Pastor George actually told Victoria from the pulpit that she was going. Nick Gamblin was walking around with the clipboard to get a final count of who was going to the picnic. Victoria did not know Nick Gamblin, so I told him that we were both going. Funny, huh? I kept my communication with her to a minimum because I wanted to guard my heart. Two months later, her dad was in town to help her move. Keep in mind that she was renting a room from someone living in my neighborhood! I got a call from Bijan asking if Victoria’s dad could stay at my house instead of paying for a hotel. I told Bijan that if Victoria wants him to stay at my house, she needs to call me. I was told that Victoria would never call me, so I got her cell phone number and left a message that he could stay. I saved her phone number but never called it again. Her dad ended up staying at a hotel. When she decided to move and get her own apartment, I said to myself that she should just stay with Melissa so that she won’t have very far to move after we get married. Keep in mind that I was thinking this but we were not even communicating. It was just something I believed in my heart. I also thought that it would have been funny to house my future father (I don’t like the term "in laws") because neither of them knew what was in my heart. Time went on and I usually did my best to ignore her. One Wednesday night she came up to me at Rock UF and started asking me questions. I had purposed in my heart to ignore her that night but it was hard to do that when she approached me first. The music was loud so she asked me to sit down at the table. I sat down and we discussed how we sometimes feel like we either don’t belong at Rock UF because of our age or wonder if we have anything to offer. Pastor Fabian came up and sat down. We both looked at him, but we went back to our conversation. We were not trying to be disrespectful, but we wanted to continue our conversation. I remember walking away that night feeling incredibly refreshed. It was the first time having a real conversation with her without running or ignoring her. She also said that she was going to invite Georgio’s family, Damien, and myself to her house for dinner in the future. I thought that was a cool idea. After Rock UF, she asked me if I would greet on Sunday mornings for Rock UF. I usually don’t like greeting, so I did not commit to that responsibility. Later that night I emailed her (I knew her email address because I saw it once on a Rock UF sign up sheet and logged it in my memory) and explained why I did not commit to her request. I did not want her to think that I don’t like serving. Then I went though a period where thoughts were coming back about leaving Gainesville and wondering if I made the right decision to stay. I told Damien Martin about my thoughts and he told me that I needed to meet with Pastor Ron and deal with my issues once and for all. Before I had a chance to meet with Pastor Ron, some events took place at the church I thought I was going to attend. I understand that no one is exempt from the attack of the enemy, but it made me appreciate The Rock of Gainesville, the pastors, and the people, and it helped restore the love I lost over the years for the house. As I met with Pastor Ron, we talked about some concepts explained in the Wild at Heart book. I finally admitted to Pastor Ron that the main reason why I wanted to leave Gainesville was because I had a vision to be a husband and a father but I did not see anything coming to pass. Pastor Ron knew about Victoria so he looked at me and said that if I were his son, he would ask me what I am waiting for. Pastor Ron would never say that to someone unless he believed they were ready. He encouraged me to pray and then submit it to Pastor George because it has not been brought up since April. I had this meeting with Pastor Ron in late August. We had the Rock UF fall semester kickoff on Labor Day weekend. I ended up staying late serving and was asked to drive Hector home. While I was picking him up at the administration office, Pastor Fabian jumped in my truck. He asked me to drive him home because it was raining and he drives a motorcycle. He looked at me and asked me a question that shocked me. He asked me when I was getting married. I knew that Pastor Fabian would never ask a question like that unless he believed it was time. I told him that I submitted it to Pastor Ron and Pastor George, so he said that my prophetic word was confirmed and then he changed the subject. How was I supposed to take that? I emailed Pastor George and explained that I recently skimmed through his book at Georgio’s house and recognize the value in walking out my singleness in purity. I submitted Victoria to him and part of his response said that when I was ready to take the next step (whatever that step is for me), to tell Pastor Ron and they would be my sounding board and counsel. I didn’t know what he meant by that because I know he always stressed purity. Pastor Ron told me that they planned on meeting with Victoria to see how she was adjusting to Gainesville and to see what was in her heart regarding marriage. I was given the option to let her know that I have been praying about her or to keep silent. I chose to let her know. On August 31st, I was watching a movie with some people from church and it did not sit well in my spirit so I excused myself and went home. When I walked out of the door, I knew Victoria was the one. All I could think about was her. Keep in mind that we do not regularly communicate. To my surprise, she sent an email out to a bunch of people announcing her new blog. I replied to her email and told her that I have some information about me posted on the Internet as well. I addressed her as Victoria in the email (she can explain that part of the story) and I expressed to her that I appreciate the life she lives and the love she has for people. I told her that she has blossomed from the person she was before she moved to NYC. I also told her that I recognize her value in the kingdom. I wasn’t trying to influence her. I just got to a point where I knew she was the one and I was expressing my heart. She went two days without responding so I emailed her back and apologized if it made her feel uncomfortable. She responded and said it was fine. (Read her story about the email) On September 12, I was scheduled to work 11:30-8, so I jogged at Kanapaha Park. I went home and realized I needed some things from Publix. As I approached the door, Pastor George drove in the parking lot so I waited at the door for him. He put his hand on my shoulder and gave me his half smile like only he can do and told me that he was meeting with her the very next day. I told him that it wasn’t funny and he said I was the only reason they were meeting with her. I was under the impression that he wanted to see how she was doing. I had that Friday off, so in my mind I would get the go ahead on Thursday, buy the ring on Friday, propose on Saturday, and announce it on Sunday. Thursday came and went and I had no news from Pastor George. I got an email late Thursday from Leah Winter that there were enough guys to help with the Rebuild Gainesville project on Saturday so I could stay home if I wanted. I still had plans to go regardless. On Friday, Ken asked me to take him to the library. We ended up back at my house and I got a call from Hector. He said that Pastor George needed help but he wasn’t sure the time or what I would be doing. I called Leah and got it cleared with her so I called Hector back and agreed to help. I was hanging out on the new church property on Newberry Rd looking at the stars when I got a call from Pastor George. He asked me to be at his house at 11:30. I woke up Saturday morning and took a bike ride. I was halfway between the church property and my house when I got a call from Pastor George asking me what I was doing. I told him that I was riding my bike so he almost said never mind when I asked him if he needed help. He needed me to drive a U Haul truck down to Ocala to pick some things up and I told him I would be there. My legs hurt so badly because I was rushing home to get to the Performing Arts Center in time before he left for Ocala. For those who know me, I plan on owning a U Haul truck someday just to be able to bless people. It was an honor to be able to drive the largest truck they have to rent. I had a great time driving down there with Tom. After we dropped the delivery off at Pastor George’s house, he gave us an invitation to watch the Gator game at his house. Normally I would watch the game by myself but I decided to go to his house. The game was great because we beat Tennessee. At 7:30 I said goodbye to pastor and he said to wait because he needed to talk to me. My heart almost fell to the floor. He grabbed the puppies and walked me out to the truck. He put his foot on my bumper and gave one of those smiles like only he can do. He said that I had his blessing to get engaged. He also said that the same thing was in Victoria’s heart. I wanted to jump up and down but I kept it inside because there were still a few people from church at his house. One of the first thoughts was how I was going to get the blessing from her parents because Mom lives near Tampa and Dad lives in Mexico. I was told to ask Pastor Fabian and then get back with Pastor George. Pastor Fabian suggested that Victoria and I call her parents together. When I got home, I ran over to Damien’s house and told him that I got the blessing so we needed to find a place to propose. I felt funny not having the ring because I found out so late, so I called Georgio to get his opinion. His wife, Dana, is good friends with Victoria so I figured they would have some input. He eventually asked me if he wanted Dana to call her and see what Victoria wanted. We tried that but Dana could not get Victoria on the phone. I grabbed Damien and we picked a spot in the Village Center at Haile Plantation. There is a lovely fountain there with white lights. It was really hot so we asked God to cool the temperature down. We drove to Publix to decide if we should get flowers. We decided it was best to call her first so I grabbed my phone and dialed her number. It went to voicemail and it wasn’t her! I had to call Georgio to get her phone number from Dana. I called her and got her voicemail, so Damien and I drove home. While we were upstairs, she called back. This was the first real conversation over the phone. I asked her how her day went and she said it was relaxing. I told her all about my day and then I asked her if she wanted to take a walk through Haile Plantation. It is now 9:00. No ring, I’m not showered, and I’m talking to her over the phone for the second time in my life! She responded as if I was crazy. Then it started raining at her house. Shortly after, it was raining at my house. At this time I’m a little worried because she didn’t seem too happy about doing this so late and it’s raining. That’s not a good thing when you plan on getting engaged outside. She asked me what time I wanted her to be there and I told her 9:50PM. I’m very different, so telling her 10:00 was not good enough for me. I jumped in the shower and Damien starts to iron my clothes. We prayed like Elijah and declared that it would not rain. We had to use an umbrella just to get to my truck to pick up flowers. We grabbed a dozen white roses to represent purity because we did not pursue this relationship in the flesh. The cashier told me how beautiful the roses were and I told her not as beautiful as the girl I was about to propose to. She was so excited to be a part of my special night. Damien and I drove to the spot and I figured I would need a towel to dry off the bench. I did not have a towel so I grabbed my Batman pillow that I got as a going away present when I left SunTrust earlier in the year. To my amazement there was not a drop of rain on the entire Village Center where I planned my proposal. My house is 5 minutes away and we were covered in rain. I called my parents and told them to be ready to drive to Gainesville the following morning because we were going to make a special announcement. I called Pastor George before I left my house and asked him if I could get it announced at the 20th Anniversary Service. Normally he would not allow that but he said he would consider it. I sent Damien home and I went to the SunTrust parking lot in Haile Plantation where I planned to start our walk. I wanted my proposal to be different so I did not want to do it over dinner. Besides, it was too late at night to make it happen that way. I had to call Damien back because I wanted my Bible to be sitting next to the roses by the fountain. He did as I requested and actually passed her on the road. I started the night off by telling her about the flour girl story. The story was obviously about her. Then I told a bunch of stories of how I got to this point. My story took very long. Surprise, surprise! At 11:23, she asked me if we could call her parents so we don’t have any regrets on how we got engaged. I spoke to Mom for the very first and then we called Dad in Mexico. They gave us their blessing so we end up back at the fountain. We lost track of time and needed to decide if we were going to get engaged on the 15th or the 16th. It was 11:59 so I grabbed the flowers and got on my knee and expressed the love I had in my heart for her. I apologized for not having the ring because it happened so quickly. After we embraced each other, we sat down on the bench and she began to share her part of the story. We walked back to our cars and it was about 1:20AM when we left. She found out that night that I planned on taking her to New Port Richey for my grandmother’s 75th birthday. She also found out that we were announcing it at the anniversary service. There was huge significance because it was one year prior that I announced to some people that I was leaving Gainesville. It was great to declare that I was not going anywhere and that I was getting engaged. Victoria never met my parents so I saved her a seat in their row. I was serving with the preschool kids so I did not enter the auditorium until Pastor George was preaching the word. The plan was to sit next to my dad so no one would guess what was about to happen. There was a bunch of people in his row, so I sat a few rows back. I never wanted to be sitting next to my future wife when Pastor George announces my name because it becomes obvious. When he announced my name, I got out of my seat and walked down five rows, round the front of the stage, and up to where she was standing. Victoria loves drama and theatre, so what better place is there to announce our engagement than the Center for Performing Arts at the University of Florida. This is much more than a story of two people getting together. We both went through pain, hardship, and experienced broken dreams. It is a story of trusting and honoring spiritual authority. I am thankful for the work of Holy Spirit. Without Him, none of this would be possible. He spoke to me about her separately. I did not have to try to make things happen. Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger and not your own lips. Abraham waited 25 years for the promise. I turned 25 years old this year. It reminded me of Genesis 12. God said I will bless you and make your name great. I never had to promote myself. I simply lived out my life as a giver and other people spoke well of me and she heard all of the stories. God made my name great in her eyes. I simply could not ask for more. Everything I prayed for and prophesied came to pass in Victoria. We did not know each other before we took the step of faith. We knew about each other through mutual friends, but we knew we heard from God. Now that we have stepped over to the other side, we can see how we were created for each other. As we have shared some things from the depth of our hearts, we find that we share the same heart and vision for life. There are so many significant things that are confirmation that our Father has brought us together. God literally put a love in my heart for Victoria. When God placed it in my heart, I only saw her once and forgot what she looked like. All I knew was that she had brown hair. I read her testimony and something jumped in my spirit. I can remember saying that the girl I thought was "the one" at SunTrust was the Ishmael, but Isaac was on the way. Sure enough, the promise came. I can stand in confidence knowing that I have the woman God has planned for me. Just like the Father said to Jesus, this is my Son in whom I am well pleased, before He did any miracles, Victoria does not need to do anything to earn my love. That love was placed in my heart before we became friends. Just wait until you hear her account of the story. It is a beautiful story of how God is joining two hearts together.
