Marina & John

I met Marina online in July, 2016. I was a widower and she had been married several years ago and had her marriage annulled. When I first viewed her profile I was attracted to her dedication to our Lord and the manner in which she expressed her faith. However, my first thoughts were, Bogata, Colombia -- too far." I looked at several other profiles but always came back to hers. God knows my heart and I express this in all truth: when I saw Marina's photo and read her profile I knew she was going to be my wife. I sent her a message and we began chatting. Our chats eventually evolved into a first phone contact (and I started to purchase phone cards to call her). The most IMPORTANT thing in our talks was that we always began with a prayer asking God to be the center of our conversations. Marina has a very strong devotion to Our Blessed Mother and I am a Secular Discalced Carmelite. Our relationship just blossomed. Then, one Sunday in late August it became obvious that we began having feelings for each other but had never met in person. I'm 64 and Marina is 61. We knew how we felt!. Soon thereafter, despite never actually seeing each other, I sent Marina a text telling her I could feel myself falling in love with her. She expressed the same sentiment and we left everything in Our Lords hands. Great and wonderful is our God because our love deepened. I made plans to visit Marina in late January 2017. I had never been to Colombia. We had already decided we wanted to get married (but still had never met face to face). In fact, we had already set a date of May 11, 2017 to get married in Alhambra, CA at St. Therese Parish. When I went to Colombia, the very first day I met with Marina, we attended an engagement encounter. It was at the encounter (two days) that I proposed to her in front of a statue of our Lady. I returned to the U.S. while Marina remained in Colombia. Meanwhile, the enemy tried to impose his will on our plans. Marina suffered several health problems, and I was diagnosed with a benign tumor. I returned to Colombia in late April 2017 and we had a wonderful pre-wedding reception with her family. Marina's health improved and my tumor has been followed closely by a specialist. I'm doing fine. We got married on May 11, 2017 and wake up each day giving thanks to God and knowing that our love for each other and trust in God makes all things possible. Blessed be His name forever. Our Lady has taken us under her mantle and we are hers.

All Success Stories