Part 11- Reunion
Thomas was a little nervous about seeing Genevieve again, wondering if he would still have the same feelings. He flew to the airport she was arriving at (in a different city) to surprise her.
Genevieve wasn’t nervous to see him again. She was just excited! As she stepped into the airport and saw him, she had a moment of shock. “This person I know so well on the phone is a real person!” But it was a joyful reunion.
They spent time in the places Thomas had served. They went out on a date in one Indian city. They both dressed up Indian style, and went out to a restaurant. Feelings of awkwardness and nervousness hit them both at the same time, so Thomas asked, “Can we pray together?” As they prayed at the restaurant, the Lord inspired them to remember all He had done in the previous four months of their relationship.
The next night they cooked together. Thomas had planned to talk to her that night about their future. He had never even mentioned the word ‘marriage’ before, because he was scared that if he did, he was going to set her up for disappointment if it didn’t work out. But his mother and his spiritual director both told him, “Get over it! Push yourself and take a step forward!” So they had a beautiful conversation, where they both felt called to step forward, to serve together in the same country. They talked about engagement. It was the first time Thomas had ever talked to a woman about the possibility of spending his life with her. They didn’t have any great signs, but they both felt called to move in that direction.
The rest of their time in India was a blessed time of everyday interactions, seeing how they worked together, in the moment and not over the phone. Genevieve even enjoyed the small disagreements they had, because they were learning to work through them. In their last few days in India, they prayed and talked some more about where they should be for the rest of the year. They felt peace about Genevieve joining Thomas in India to help with the volunteer training programme, and then returning together to the US.
In June 2017, after a month together in India, it was time for Genevieve to fly back to the Philippines. Thomas stayed to help with a program in India he had committed to, and then joined her there three weeks later.
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