Our Love Story

I am not sure how many people know this story or have heard this story.  Justin and I met in the Fall of 1999 at the BSU at NOC in Enid.  I heard from a friend of mine at First Baptist that the BSU had a Bible study on Tuesday nights and sometimes they sang worship songs before the Bible study.  I was learning to play the guitar and could play a few worship songs, so I went to the Bible study with a guitar-playing, worship-leading friend of mine.  While we were at the Bible study and people began to arrive, in walked this guy and his friend and the guy looked pretty familiar and I knew I had seen him somewhere before.  We both looked at each other the same way, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" and then it dawned on both of us at the same time that we had gone to elementary school together at Emmanuel in 2nd grade!  So, I talked to my old schoolmate and his friend afterwards and went to many more Bible studies at the BSU.  I ended up joining a praise band at the BSU and I played rhythm guitar and wrote some songs and my old schoolmate from 2nd grade played bass guitar and keyboard.  His friend (Justin) played bass guitar and sang.  Justin and I were in the praise band for a few years and we even tried recording a CD of my originals with our band out at a studio in Ringwood.  We even did a concert at the Mark Price Arena once!

Justin and I developed our friendship over many miles together as we traveled back and forth once a week to Ponca City.  We volunteered as guest DJ's on the request hour on Thursday nights at KLVV (MyPraiseFM or TheHouseFM).  We talked and talked and talked so so much.  We had wonderful conversations about God and our relationships with Jesus.  We talked about growing up, friends, relationships, music...so so much.  We shared so much of our hearts with each other and grew to become great friends.  We laughed and laughed across those wonderful miles in that little, black pick-up truck.

In the summer of 2002, I came home from a six-month stay in California.  One of the first places I stopped was the local Christian bookstore and Justin was working there.  Later on, I went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant with my Dad and ran into Justin's parents.  I talked to his Dad at the buffet and said, "Oh, you're Justin's parents!" and he said, "Oh, you're Wendy! Justin said he's been seeing you!" and I got this look on my face like, "WHAT???" because I thought he meant Justin said he's been "seeing me" like dating me.  :)  Justin and I did start hanging out a lot.  I started leading worship again and went with our youth to Falls Creek.  Justin came to the share service and after that he started going to church with me and serving with the youth with me.  When I noticed more of a connection with him, was when I first got back from California and I went over to his house to practice worship songs with him.  He had bought all these new worship books and CD's and I thought, "Hey, he's really into this and so am I..." and I could really see his "heart for worship".  It was the common bond between us and it was the beginning building material for our foundation.  :)  I put a smiley face next to that because our entire wedding sermon from Pastor Keith was about the building materials God uses to fashion our marriage, our relationship, and our home.  :)  Ephesians 2:22 "And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit."  :)  Also, I have to add this now, but on our wedding night at the Arcadian Inn in Edmond, they had one of these verse calendar flip books and THAT VERY VERSE WAS ON IT THE NIGHT OF OUR WEDDING!!!!!!!!  How cool is that?

So, Justin and I started hanging out a lot.  On November 18, 2002, he asked me out.  He bought me a new guitar and case and brought it over to me, and then told me to sit down on the couch in my apartment because he had to talk to me.  I sat on the couch and he sat on the coffee table and he said, "People keep asking us if we're dating and I don't want to tell them 'No' anymore."  :)  On February 13, 2003 he proposed.  He took off of work early to set everything up.  He had his Dad print out a picture of the spot he wanted to ask me in Colorado with the words, "Wendy, will you marry me?" on it and he had it framed.  He set it inside a display window case at Zales at the mall along with a rose and THE ring.  He picked me up after work and said we were going to go out to eat, but first we had to go to the mall to meet his sister to pick out a Valentine's Day present for his mother.  So, we're walking around the mall looking for his sister and we kept running into people that we knew.  I wanted to walk inside Bath & Body Works and smell smellies and he wanted to walk me down to Zales to show me the display, but I had no clue.  So, finally we get down to Zales and run into our drummer from our praise band and Justin asked him, "What are you doing here?" and he said, "Just waiting on you..." and he almost blew it.  :)  Then like three more people showed up with cameras and I'm like, "What is going on?" and Justin took me over to the picture window to show me the ring and I didn't even READ the picture, look at it, or see it.  I was clueless until he went down on one knee.  He said, "Wendy Mae Johnson, you are the love of my life, will you marry me?"  I started balling and said, "YES!" and the rest is history!

We were married on Saturday, October 11, 2003.  Eight years later and we are still playing worship together, side-by-side at church and helping with the youth.  It was our common bond and it's our love for Christ and for worship that has held us together over the years.  When the Pastor said, "I now pronounce to you Mr. and Mrs. Justin Jones..." it was like he was sending us out on an adventure together.  When we came to the altar, we were two separate people, but when we left hand-in-hand it was like he was sending us off on a journey.  No doubt this journey would contain some hills, mountains, and obstacles we would have to conquer together.  How strong would our marriage be if every time we encountered a hill, mountain, obstacle, or anything hard, he let go of my hand?  What if he left me to go get help from someone else instead of leaning on me, hanging on to my hand, and conquering the obstacle together?  We are much stronger as a three-cord strand than we would ever be on our own.  Today I am thankful for the times my husband has been Jesus to me and for the times he has forgiven me and received me despite the person I am.  I love you, darling!