Meeting Your Dad

Our first date was to Uncle Chad and Aunt Natalie's wedding!

Finding your Dad was simply God's hand in my life many years ago. In high school I dated a guy for two years. We met when I was a sophomore and dated until April of my senior year. I thought he was the one and I had told my parents the same thing. Dad always struggled with our relationship, knowing he wanted something different, something better for me. I, too, struggled with knowing deep in my heart he was not right for me. I remember sitting in church and the pastor talking about if you have red flags, doubts or fears, about your relationship, get out now. I could see the flags waving all in my face but I kept telling myself things would change and I could change him. Deep down, I knew I couldn't.


I wasn't listening to the Lord and looking back I really wasn't happy. I was in so deep and I saw no way out. April came and I remember talking to my Dad in the car about us getting married. My dad began to weep. Now, I have to tell you Dad was not a cryer and I really hadn't seen him cry much in my life. But on this Dad cried. Later, Dad told me that in the moments as he as crying about me, he gave the situation to the Lord. He let go and let God take it over.
As you will find in your life, this was extremely hard for my Dad, but he let it go.
Several days later we headed to the mountains with the family, family we do not get together with much. My cell phone wasn't working well and he wasn't calling me. I thought it was because of my cell phone but I found out it was because he just wasn't calling. Finally one night he called. Things seemed strange but I just thought it was the phone. I always found a good excuse for why he acted the way he did. The next day he called again, and this time I heard him loud and clear. He told me he didn't love me anymore and it was over. Just like that, over! I was so shocked. I didn't understand what had happened. Even though I was heartbroken, I had a indescribable peace. A peace that my heart was not broken but instead put back together.

Christmas 2005

We went home and I began to search for what was givin me this peace. I looked to the Lord but I did not seek Him with all that I was. I still felt so lonely. I remember coming home from my Senior trip and everyone was calling their boyfriends. I had no one to call. Loneliness filled my being.
Time passed and I dated several people but it wasn't until I really began to dive into Jesus that my life began to change.
I spent hours with the Lord everyday and I began to find Him in the quiet places of my heart. Peice by peice my heart began to come back together. I was experiencing true joy!
However, even though I was living in a whole new life, I longed for someone to share this life with. I struggled knowing that God should be enough for me but I still yearned for more. I knew God wanted my desires to be the same as His and that He wanted to give me the desires of mine as well. Finally, God showed me that He had put that desire in my heart and I was to pray and wait for His timing in my life. I can honestly say after this moment, I was completely content waiting for God and relying on Him to bring me who He had for me. So to remind myself of God's promise to me I bought a ring with a heart that had a cross in the middle on it. I promised God and myself that I would trust Him for my husband!


It was now September and I had been basking in God's presence in my life for 2 months now! I had found a college Bible Study that I was attending with some friends that did not start until 10 on Wednesday nights at Wynnbrook. I loved this Bible Study and I was growing leaps and bounds in my faith and we had some incredible speakers who were speaking straight to my heart!


Carrie Strickland came one night and was speaking about her struggle with moving her family to Highland. She talked but the only thing I heard was the Scripture Lamentations 3. It was as if God was giving me the free gift of hope from His Word.


Lamentations 3 says, " 
I have been deprived of peace; 

   I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸ So I say, “My splendor is gone
   and all that I had hoped from the LORD.”

 ¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
   the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
   and my soul is downcast within me.

David's Tool Shower

²¹ Yet this I call to mind
   and therefore I have hope:

 ²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.”

 ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
   to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
   while he is young.

 ²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence,
   for the LORD has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—
   there may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
   and let him be filled with disgrace.

 ³¹ For no one is cast off
   by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
   so great is his unfailing love. 

God knew exactly what I needed to hear in this time in my life. "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him." This phrase was imbedded in my mind. I would say it over and over, and I would sit quietly and wait! Oh and Abigail, the waiting was a precious time! 

I began to find myself sitting alone in silence listening and talking to the Lord more than I ever had before. I was hearing God and He was listening to my prayers. God began in this time to teach me the power of prayer and what it meant to have true zeal for Him. 

I wanted to pray for whoever it was I was waiting for but I did not really know what to pray. I heard a sermon shortly after from a man who encouraged all of us to pray specifically for what we wanted. He said he prayed for a "righteous fox" and God gave him his righteous fox. This got me thinking about what I really wanted in a husband. I thought about all sorts of ideals and characteristics I wanted, but the Lord drew me to this verse in 1 Samuel 16 (which happens to be your Dad's favorite book of the Bible) 

"He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

These were the character traits I wanted for a husband, handsome, rustic, and anointed or called by the Lord. He found favor in the eyes of Christ. Now, as you probably know, this passage is speaking of David. (Doesn't God just see all the things we cannot)

Time has passed and October came. I was at the Wednesday night Bible study and just enjoying worshipping the Lord with friends. And here he came, out of the desserts of Afghanistan, into my life. It did not really make much sense for him to be here. He was in the Army and had to be at work at 5 in the morning. Why was he at a Bible Study at 10 at night?

Deployment 3 to Iraq

I didn't think much about our meeting that night. I though it was a moment, it came and went and I thought I would never see him again. But your Dad, he though much differently. Your Dad told Brother Lewis that night, "He could date any of his friends, but Mallory is mine." 


We met again on a caving trip that Saturday. Your Dad sat behind me in the van. We didn't talk much on the way there but we spoke from time to time. When we got to the cave, we were put into separate groups. Your Dad managed to find his way into my group. ;) As you know, your dad is quite the prankster and he showed this to me from day 2. He and Brother Lewis through firecrackers down from the cave onto us. Your Dad caught my pants on fire. (sounds like him doesn't it)

Rehearsal Dinner

It was pretty cold out when we left the cave and we were all wet from the mud in the cave. The van was locked and we were stuck out in it. Your Dad found a place behind the tire and gave it to me to get out of the wind. We all talked about the trip and waited for the other group to return. By the time they finally got back we were all pretty cold. I had only brought shorts and a sweatshirt and my feet were freezing. Your Dad gave me some wool socks to warm my feet. 


We talked in the van the whole way home and I was falling for him. I wanted to believe he liked me too but it was to soon and I had to protect my heart. I remember he was talking to me and I was looking out into the night sky and all I could think was I wanted this to work, please let this one work. 


We arrived at the church and I got into my car to leave. In my mind I thought, this was a great day but all great days end. He was great but that was it. The End. But here he came. He knocked on the window and I rolled it down. He said," I really enjoyed talking to you, and I would really like to get to know you better." What? Excuse Me? Not only was he interested, he was confident. My heart leaped out of my chest. I was nervous. I had butterflys. And so it began.