Love is Patient: Sammi + Matt

I met Sammi this past summer on my mission trip to Costa Rica. She is such a natural beauty and has a heart for the Lord :) I asked Sammi, along with several other friends of mine, to share their love stories in honor of it being Valentine's Day week. Sammi and Matt's story is proof of God's everlasting, always faithful love for His children that's sure to make you smile. I'll turn it over to Sammi now!

In the spring of 2013, my sophomore year of high school, I met Matt at my church's high school youth group. I usually stand towards the entrance to greet those who walk in, especially if I see any new faces. Matt was a senior in high school about to leave to begin training as a United States Marine in the fall. He seemed hesitant to be there, so I introduced myself and did my best to make sure he felt welcome.  I was excited when he started to come weekly to both youth group and Bible study. He seemed new to the faith, and was relatively quiet in the beginning, but quickly began sharing some really insightful input when discussing faith-related topics at Bible Study. 

A few weeks after we met, I invited him to a church concert I was singing in as a soloist. Mind you, we were just acquaintances at the time, but I thought it was the friendly thing to do. At the end of the concert, I introduced him to my father, who, being very outgoing and friendly (yes, even to boys haha), spontaneously invited Matt out to dinner with us that night! Matt politely declined the offer, and I thought nothing more of it until when a few hours later he came walking into the restaurant, walked right up to my dad and respectfully apologized for previously declining the offer. My father laughed it off and again invited Matt to spend the night having dinner with my family and I.
  

That was the night that Matt and I became friends. What is very important to note is this was a season where I was very happily single. I had no desire for a relationship, and was so satisfied in my personal romance with Christ that I had no time to pray for a boyfriend. My thoughts were on the joys of the Kingdom and serving my Savior; if anything I thought a boyfriend would only hinder that pursuit. But God has His own clock, and He loves to give gifts to His children. Oh, what a beautiful gift this one is…
  

You see, Matt came from a different background than I did. He didn't grow up in a Christian family, going to church and reading his Bible; he didn't know Jesus. After enlisting in the USMC, he realized his need for a Protector, a Savior, a "Shield." The demons in his life were relentless and overwhelming, and one night, he broke. He needed a change. So he went online and googled "where to buy a Bible," and in God's providence, my church's Bible House was the first to pop up. So he drove to my church, picked up a Bible, and met one of our youth pastor's who invited him to youth group. That is where he unexpectedly met me, and, as he likes to say, fell in love at first sight. He kept coming to my church, where he knew I was heavily involved, and got to know me the best he could. In the process of getting to know me, he also got to know my Savior, and committed his life to Christ. That summer was spent learning how to drop the chains of who he used to be, to become a "new creation."
  

A few days before he left for basic training in South Carolina, I learned of his feelings for me, but I just wasn't ready for a relationship at the time. He respectfully took some steps back…but not too far. He and I wrote each other for three months before I saw him again. Basic training for the marine corps is an intense, 90-day military program where civilians are taught what it takes to become a US Marine. The recruits are not allowed any contact with family or friends other than through letters. After completing training they are rewarded ten days of leave to be home with there families. In those three months of correspondence through letters, my feelings for him began to blossom, and I found myself waiting on my front steps for the mailman to come!
  

The first time I saw Matt when he came home after training was the kind of moment people make movies about. I had invited him to watch my brother's hockey game with my family, and he showed up with a huge bouquet of lilies (my favorite flowers) in his arms. Confidently, he strolled right past the large group of fans right up to my family and I. People were cheering and clapping, and I was absolutely stunned at this boy's confidence. At this point after three months of getting to know him through letters and seeking God's counsel, I was ready to be pursued.
  

I know I was only seventeen years old at the time, but I truly believe I fell in love with this man. We have been officially dating for over a year now and it has been the best and most fruitful year of my life. Matt has been home four times in the last year; I live in New Jersey and he serves in Iwakuni, Japan where he will live for another year and four months. I haven't seen him in five months and it is the longest we've gone without seeing each other, but God has been so FAITHFUL in it all!

  

As a couple, Matt and I have gone through many hardships that most couples don't have to go through, especially at our age. The most trying point in our relationship was when we were told that Matt was being sent to Japan for two years. We were crushed. In that moment I would have to say Matt was the strong one. We had only been dating for five months and just getting past the "honeymoon" stage. I saw no hope for our relationship, how can you build a relationship with someone who lives literally half a world away? What couples do we know of have survived something like this before? Why would God allow this to happen when we've been faithful and trusting Him? But Matt's faith was as solid as a rock. He was sure his feelings for me were unwavering and in no way based on our circumstances. He asked me if I loved him, to which I replied yes I do, and he said that is all that matters, God will work out the rest. Distance is just another test. We decided to trust God that this was what was best for us and that He will continue to be faithful even when we are faithless…and now here we are eight months later, more in love and excited for the future than ever!
  

For those of you who are doubtful of a lifelong Christian to be in a dating relationship with a newly-born believer: the biggest blessing I've experienced in my relationship with Matt has been watching him grow from being a newly-born believer, to a SOLID and CONFIDENT man of Christ and spiritual leader in our relationship.
  

Of all the beautiful verses in 1 Corinthians 13, "love is patient" has been the most applicable in our unique relationship. Being away from the one your soul loves is absolutely heart-shattering. There are good days, and there are bad days. There are peaceful nights, and there are nights where you are hunched over the side of your bed with a pain in your chest that leaves you crushed and breathless...but God is there through it all. He is the God who GIVES and TAKES. He will provide for your needs! We don't know when we will see each other again, but we know that when we do, it will totally be worth the wait! Love is patient, and that is the hardest part of love, but a part of love that our relationship could not survive without.
  

The best advice Matt and I have to give to those in any relationship is to put God first, to have patience, to realize that there is more to life than just your relationship with each other. You must put your partner before yourself and leave your relationship in His capable hands, God loves you more than anyone ever can and until that is enough for you, nothing in life will ever be satisfying.

In His love,

Sammi and Matt

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." -1 Corinthians 13:4