The Joel and Michawn Story - Part 5

So, I knew 2 things after the Panama trip:
1. God wanted me for full-time missions
2. I would marry Joel or someone just like him

The first thing I did was talk to my accountability partners when I got home. I told them all about the Joel thing. It wasn't such a big deal really...I mean, who knew if it was Joel that I would marry. Maybe it was the second option...it would be someone like him, but not him. I was excited though. I knew the call that a wife has to fully submit...to, in the end, basically give her life and all final decision-making over to her husband. Now, if that sounds doormat-ish...of course God calls a husband to love his wife as He loves the church. If a husband loves his wife in that way, that husband will lay down his life for her and obviously "work as a team" to accomplish all that is to be done in their lives. But, still...the man is the head and responsible for all decisions/directions his family takes in the end. Well, I had never actually come into contact with anyone that was the type of leader that I trusted with that call to submit. Until Joel. Seriously, just like Jesus. If I could trust Jesus, I could trust Joel. That seems extreme...obviously he's not perfect...he's not Jesus. But, that servant leadership is what I'm talking about. The kind of leadership that just makes you want to submit and please.

So, I took it to my accountability girls and we all just began to pray. We were not of the "flirting" type. We despised flirting. It was, as we had been taught, "the lowest form of communication." :) We just didn't do it. We were all very good friends. And, at times, there would be some interest or someone would think, "well maybe" about someone. But, that was always just prayed about. Most of the time if you take someone to the altar and leave them there, they never re-surface. It's amazing how that happens. Anyway, I was determined to not get in the way. As I said before, my expectations were that God would bring me my husband and get us together...it would be supernatural and nothing less. I was not going to do anything to disrupt this. So, I laid low and prayed. I didn't act different with Joel...I didn't spend more time with him or less time with him. Everything was normal and I was at total peace just relaxing in God.

Meanwhile, Joel's side of the story at this point is that he "took notice" of me in Panama too. He said that he noticed that I "held my own" there in the jungle. He had always thought of me as a "city girl." I liked to eat out (which I still do) and I slept all the time (um, I worked nights...I did tend to sleep during some of the days when he was around). :) Believe me, to a girl from Saline, "city girl" is the furthest from a compliment you can get. But, in Panama he says he saw how hard I worked and was just really impressed with my jungle abilities. ;)

He came back and in April sometime he was at the altar during worship one morning at church. He very clearly heard, "Take Michawn and go." He was startled...well, more like really freaked out. He hadn't even been thinking about me...there had been no wrestling about me, etc. He had noticed me more in Panama, but that had been the extent of it in his mind...we were still only friends. Another factor was that he was not even done with college...marriage was not on his radar quite yet. Right after Joel heard that distinct phrase, John Graves came up to him and asked him point blank, "What's going on with you and Michawn?"

Something to point out here: Nicole was part of my accountability. John was her husband. But, Nicole never told John anything that was discussed in the accountability setting. That is key in accountability. So, Nicole didn't know that John was going to ask Joel that. John probably didn't even know until right before he went up to Joel to ask him...why would he? John didn't know anything about anything that I was thinking/feeling and he didn't know anything about what was going on with Joel. It was all total prompting of the Holy Spirit alone.

As if Joel wasn't weirded out enough ("Take Michawn and go"), after John's question...yeah...he needed to pray. :)

Then...part 6.

And now for some pictures from that time period...

Joel and his family, taken at their house in Boston maybe the Christmas before Panama.
Me and Mama...right before I left to go to Panama, after Jeffery's graduation I believe.
The roommates...Brian Boyle, Alan Fuller, John Kachtik, and Joel.
Country Tavern. That's all that needs to be said, but I'll elaborate for those of you who don't know. They have the best ribs and my friends loved to go there. Here we are...our stomachs full of BBQ ribs, potato salad, baked beans, Texas toast...mmm.
Oh, good times on Harmon Drive. Joel with Brian Boyle and Daniel Ryan.
My friend Anna and I took a road trip one weekend to Baton Rouge. We stayed with my cousin, Rebecca, and her husband. Rebecca and I are only 11 days apart and are pretty close even though we've never lived close in proximity...love her!
Ahh, our big fun teddy bear...Brian Boyle.
Me with the most popular girl in Life Challenge...Hannah Banana.
Found this and even though it's not pertinent to the story and I don't even know where or when this was taken, I still felt it needed to be shared. :)
Taken just after we got back from Panama. My little brother came out to spend the weekend with me and there just happened to be a carnival in the mall parking lot. Joel, me, Tucker, and some of our friends went to check it out.