Date of proposal: May 31, 2013
Story Written: June 15, 2013
I’m engaged to be married to
Pablo!
It wasn’t a surprise that Pablo was going to propose,
but the surprise was going to be the when, where, how, and of course, the ring.
The truth of the matter is that Pablo unofficially
asked me to marry him even before we started dating, about two years ago. And I had said yes after having been given
time to think and pray about it. So
marriage was always in the picture – always the goal – and as time went on and we
kept getting to know each other, that goal kept being confirmed. To the praise of our Lord! God definitely knew what He was doing, thank
goodness, because Pablo and I definitely did not. Our job, which remains the same today, was to
trust God and hang on to His big toe for dear life as we grip on like tiny ants
(that’s how Pablo likes to put it). From
the beginning, we were in for a ride!
Anyways, back to the story.
Pablo wanted
the proposal to be a surprise, but realized how hard it would be to fool me (as
I’m curious, smart, and observant). So,
he told me his plan was to make me confused by telling me many things – which
worked.
First,
after he talked with my dad and received his blessing he told me that he had
everything he needed to propose. He even
told me that he had bought the ring before I had arrived to Chile in August
2012. That sure got me thinking. Second, sometimes he would tell me, “Diane,
I’m so stupid for not having proposed already!”
Then later he would tell me something along the lines of, “Honey, will
you be okay with me not proposing before you leave? … Thank you, it’s just not
possible now.” I truly believe he meant
those things, but it also sure worked in favor of his plan – his plan to
confuse me.
While
at a retreat we went to with the youth group, Pablo was talking with some girls
about his possible plans of proposal (I was at another table and Pablo told me
about their conversation later). He
mentioned to them that one of his plans was to propose to me multiple times so
that the last and real time I wouldn’t think it was real – kind of a “keep on
participating!” type of game. The girls’
reaction was quite negative and one even said that if her future fiancé did
that she would kill them. Pablo told me
that idea later as he had decided to not do that anymore. I laughed and told him that I probably would
have thought it was funny.
The
next weekend he went through with stage one of that plan anyway, despite the
girls’ opposition! He fake proposed to
me at a place on the beach (by Bravíssimo) where we had gone biking and first
realized we liked each other. It was
quite funny. We rode our bikes there and
as we laid out a blanket, he was reminding me of what this place meant to
us. Then he hugged me and pulled out a
ring-holder-rose from his sleeve behind my back. I honestly didn’t know what to think and
reserved my comments. He said, “Open
it!” I did and found a message, with
spelling error and all, saying, “Maybe nex time!” So, we laughed about it and I kept on participating.
He
tried to psych me out again, using an idea I had thought of and shared with
him. I really liked my idea and didn’t
want to tell him because I knew he wouldn’t do it if I did. He said that it wouldn’t be fair for him if I
kept it to myself and that I’d be creating unrealistic expectations and setting
myself up for disappointment…or something like that. My idea was all about the surprise factor! A weekend that we were in Viña and while I
was sleeping, he would sneak into my room (the guest room at his mom’s house)
without waking me up, and put the ring on my finger. I would wake up in the morning with the
surprise of finding an engagement ring on my finger! I’d get out of bed looking for Pablo and find
him downstairs with a beautiful breakfast set up for us (breakfast is my
favorite meal). His execution of this
plan failed when he came in and woke me up.
Because I felt him place a ring halfway on my finger I was utterly
confused as Pablo was about to just walk out!
I told him to get back here and explain to me what was going on. He responded by saying it was my early
birthday present. Then I felt there was
a string with a piece of paper on the end of it which read, “Happy Birthday,
Love u! Maybe next time!” Good thing he didn’t officially propose with
my idea, because it most likely would have been a major failure.
And now, on to the real deal –
It was Friday, May 31, 2013. I was sad as I had to say good-bye’s all week
and then that day I had said my final good-bye’s at the House of Hope. Pablo’s dad and brother, Ignacio (Nacho),
came to pick me up. Then we picked up
Pablo’s sister, Debora (Debs), and her Swedish friend, Christina. We were stuck in traffic for a long time and
the only thing I wanted was a hug from my beloved, Pablo, as he was waiting for
us to arrive at the apartment.
We had a light dinner (“once”) with his family and
Pablo volunteered for us to wash the dishes.
Pablo’s dad, Debs, and Nacho left to “rent a movie.” Then when we finished with the dishes, we
left to go on a walk, which we had talked about doing earlier that week. It was nice outside as the rain had
stopped. We walked to the park (“plaza”)
nearby the house that we had walked to many times before. Pablo started telling me that he was sorry
and really wished he could be with me for my birthday (June 20th)
and for our two-year (dating) anniversary (June 15th). He then said he had an early anniversary gift
for me, just like he gave me an early birthday present.
It was a wrapped wine box. I opened it and there was a beautiful pink
and yellow rose and Pablo’s mini speaker.
I saw something shiny and a string hanging from the blossom. I saw the ring, but was distracted by all the
emotions and what was to happen next, that I forgot about it! He explained to me that he had written me a
poem and that he had recorded it. I
pressed play and this is what I heard,
“Diane, pay attention to my words, raise
the volume, and listen. Love, we are so
close to reaching two years, and it’s difficult for me to let you go, that’s
why I wanted to record what I can’t say.
It’s been a while since I’ve written a poem. You know that I love you and that I’m sad. I love you so much more than before – you
know the sincerity of my love. I’ll now
tell you the poem. But first, my real
gift is behind you. Look! I love you.”
I
turned around and saw a huge sign that read, “Would You Marry Me?” Pablo got down on one knee, held the flower
with the ring inside of it up to me, and I said, “Of course!” At this point my tears of sadness and saying
good bye were wiped away by a smile I couldn’t control. He took the string off the ring and placed it
on my finger – it was beautiful. Debs
and Nacho, holding the sign, wrapped Pablo and I in it as Pablo’s dad took
pictures. A couple sitting on a nearby
bench cheered and clapped. It was
perfect timing and the best surprise.
After
that we went back to the apartment to call my parents. Pablo had told them earlier in the week of
his plan, but they were happy to hear the news.
I called my sister, Sarah, and left a message on her voicemail. We then dropped Debs off at the metro
(Tobalaba) and Pablo and I went walking and talking, hand-in-hand. The ring was just a little big and since it
was cold, it was even looser. He held
onto my hand to keep the ring from falling.
We
walked, talked, hugged, and enjoyed our last night together in
Chile. He told me the story of how he
got the ring and how he planned out the proposal. The ring was a gift from the Lord for me (and
Pablo) as he got it from a missionary friend for a good deal for what it is
worth. It’s white gold – strong and will
last. It has five diamonds – representing
our pure relationship alongside God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s everything I could have asked for, but
not something I ever imagined. It’s
beautiful, practical, simple, unique, elegant, etc. Lastly, it represents God’s faithfulness. It’s a
symbol of how God introduced us to each other, brought us together, and kept us
together, even with the odds against us.
We continue to trust God and His perfect timing as we trust Him to keep
us together in the future.
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one
separate.”
Mark 10:9
God is
faithful. Thank you, Jesus.
