Andy and Ginny: Part 2, The Next Step

In my last post I shared that Andy and I were friends throughout our college years, but the friendship grew pretty deep our junior year and the boundaries became fuzzy to me.

As summer drew near, I was placed on the same summer missions project that Andy was going to attend. It was then that I realized I really liked him and that would be a major challenge. He also realized I liked him. So, our first week on the project, he sat me down and said, “I think you like me more than I like you.” Um…. Ouch!

Our friends came to visit- notice Andy's mohawk!

 I spent much of that summer grieving and trying not to manipulate and place myself in his path. I did an awkward-at-best job, but God really so sweetly gave me new friendships and both of us grew so much more in love with Jesus over the summer. Part way through the summer, I sensed a clear call from God to join staff with Campus Crusade and “give back” some of the amazing teaching, discipleship, and love God had been lavishing on me through the Crusade staff while I was a student. Later that summer, Andy also began to sense a call to join staff. Our project directors watched us and encouraged us to consider that the feelings we had for each other seemed to go beyond friendship and that God was leading and growing us very similarly. I was still very hurt from Andy’s brush off, so I waited to see what God might do to change Andy’s heart.

At the end of the summer, God nailed Andy with his feelings for me. The first was when we all went hiking one day. My friend Molly and I stayed at the top after the group started down. When we climbed down, we accidently climbed down the wrong side of the mountain! This put us in Vermont (we started in New Hampshire). It was a looong climb down and we were very lost. We didn’t make it down until dark. This was pre-cell phones, so no one knew where we were. We took a very expensive taxi ride back to the New Hampshire side of the mountain and Andy was there waiting anxiously. He barely even acknowledged Molly and quickly swept me into his car to take me home.

The second moment for Andy was when he asked me to go to Boston with him for the day. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a date (it turned out to be!) He tells the story that on our way, he remembered when a pastor we like had shared how to find your mate. He said, “Run as hard and fast towards God as you can and then look to your left and see who is running with you.” Andy says he literally looked over and realized how I was right there spiritually running towards God, too. He later shared that with me as we walked on the beach and he asked to date me. It was a sweet God moment and we enjoyed taking the next step together!

I’ll share our dating, engagement, and wedding in my next post…