How did you two meet? H- Instrumental music class in high school. Girl had crush on guy. Guy oblivious even though he fed her desire with chocolate roses. Girl had to clonk guy on head w/ a clue.
Both Heather and Mark went to the same college, they were one year apart. They had the oppurtunity to serve on the mission field seperately before they were married. Then they had gotten married before they finished college, in part because they knew Heather’s Mom was diagnoses with Cancer.
What was special about your Wedding Day? H- The friends and family celebrating with us and we are now each other’s!!! M- And our relationship had been so natural from the beginning, our wedding day was just so easy & natural.
Are you more in love today than you were when you were engaged, and why? H- Yes, history together is romantic. M- That this woman still loves me after seeing what she’s seen of me, makes me love her all the more. She is my treasure, my precious little lamb, and I cherish every minute we are blessed to have together.
In their first years of marriage however, it was not the normal honeymoon years most of us experience. Heather studied (in Marks words) 21 hours a day plus dealing with her mom’s battle with cancer 2 states away. On weekends she traveled home to spend time with her mom, and during the week studied to finish her nursing degree. Heather says that she now hates long roads trips and equates that time with the time spent in the car traveling back and forth from PA to VA. (on a side note she said gas at that time was only $.46/gallon)
As if getting used to married life isn’t a challenge enough, They both were still studying for their degrees and had the stress of caring for a sick parent. But instead of tearing this young couple apart, it drew them closer together.
Although, they still had those “first year” moments of living together. Heather told me this story about one of the times she had come home from PA visiting her mother and found Mark at their off-campus house full of friends, and a kitchen full of dirty dishes. She said, that not one of the dishes in their kitchen was clean and in a cabinet. They were all dirty and piled in the kitchen sink, table, counter tops, etc… She took one look at the mess, told Mark that she was going out and hoped that all was taken care of when she got back. So… Enter Mark… He couldn’t reach the kitchen sink, so he had to start washing the dishes in the bathtub to make room in the kitchen for cleaning it. Can you imagine?
One month before graduation, Heather’s mother passed away. Heather was very grateful to have Mark as her husband throughout this time, as he was a source of strength to her. She told me that the Christian community they had surrounded themselves with also helped her get through this season of loss; Giving her the time, love and attention she needed to grieve. Mark being there for her through this season of loss helped when just recently Heather would lose another parent.
Come back tomorrow for some more of the Ferrences story.
