advice and encouragement from a college friend

I hope it all works out for you guys. You have been a very upstanding woman and a good role model for other ladies, I would like to say you deserve that but we both know WE don't deserve anything. I do pray that the Lord will reward your journey with an added body who has the same convictions as you, the same desires as you and wants God's will in their lives. I really do pray it works.

Long distance is very hard, but very very very rewarding. If you guys commit like you said you have, you will never regret the hard times that will come. [He and his new wife had a long distance relationship.] We would see each other once every other month if we were lucky, it was actually more once every three months. It isn't quite the same as yours but the fact still holds true, we didn't get to see each other like the conventional dating relationship.

The best part of a long distance relationship is you get to fall in love with the person, not their habits, or their weird ways of doing things, or even the looks (although attraction is must, but that changes as you get to know someone). It is their heart, their soul, and their mind...the same things that never really leave us as we go though life. As long as we walk this earth we will have those three things. Which makes it graet thing to base your relationship on.

One thing I learned was communication is vital. Telephone was a hard way for me to communicate though, but it was vital for her and she was important to me so I learned it, and have never regretted it. Another thing I have learned is to sacrifice daily. I had to give up alot of things in preparing for this realtionship, (ex: time) it to was very important in our relationship. The whole desire of good relationship and hopefully marriage is to become more Christ like and personal sacrifice, which is not a bad thing but a very rewarding thing.

I know I am telling you things you already know, but let me finish with the biggest problems you will face.....yourselves.

First off, people dont support what they can't understand and distance relationship that is based on respect and that is God honoring is one of those things. Alot of people will down it and continually get on your case about it. DON'T give them the listening ear, only those with genuine concerns, no matter how strong you are a continual beating of this will have effects.

As the reltionship, Lord willing, develops be sure to communicate things that are troubling you, what will happen is that if they are not, it hamper your communication causing something that can easy be fixed into something that causes greater damage.

Finally if you truly commit be ready for that commitment to be tested. God-honoring realtionships is something Satan and his cronies want to destroy, because of what it represents. Long distance opens a slew of oppurtunities for them to mess with. Sometimes the commitment is one of the few things to get you though that obstical, don't waver on that.

I read Mike's blog ... some guy saying how it didn't work when they saw each other, that may of happened but it is no wise anything that should be given as wisdom to you two. [He met his wife in college but at the time they were both very different people in looks and personality. When they finally met again it was wonderful ... lilke the final chapter of a suspense novel. Yes ... she was hot ... but he says that by then in was mostly that which glowed from the inside that had won his affection.]

Sorry to be long, but I hope you see it as an encouragement. I wouldn't trade one obstacle, one problem, for anything. Does long distance work for everybdy....no. But those who choose to make it work....it is the greatest thing ever.

May God bless you two on your endevor.