Along the way, I felt a huge peace in my heart about my friendship with Stuart. I was being cautious because of everything that had happened that summer and really that whole year. I was also thinking about going to seminary or possibly heading back to Charlotte to live and work. So having a boyfriend at this point was less than idyllic.
I shared my predicaments with my Bible Study girls whom I am so thankful for because they really held me accountable with my heart. More so my sweet roomie LD/Sexy Turtle (Congratulations on your Engagement) kept reminding me that I deserved to be pursued. In fact yesterday I found a card that she made for me that had lost of wisdom about relationships in general--that I was worth the wait, worth being pursued, worth feeling special.
After our first "hang-out/date" I told LD that I didn't want to date Stuart but that I could see myself marrying him. It was THAT clear to me that if I ever did end up with someone, it would either be Stuart or someone REALLY like Stuart. And it wasn't ONE particular thing about him...it was EVERYTHING about him.
My impression of Stuart was that he was very sure of who he was in Christ and why he was in Spartanburg of all places (he moved from Asheville to California to Raleigh to Florida to Spartanburg). He loved serving (worship) and was/is HYSTERICAL. No better way to win a woman's heart than through humor. I also had great respect and admiration for him. Sure it was weird that he loved shoes and jackets...but it was so great that he wasn't trying to be macho and try to impress me. From the very beginning, Stuart was completely honest about who he was and that was SO refreshing for me.
From the day that we met on the Hopepoint stage, Stuart and I hit it off but we were both at a point in our lives where we knew that relationships were a SERIOUS thing. They were worth taking the time to build and worth the effort and prayer. There were no games in our friendship, no expectations and honestly no worries. I trusted him immediately because he was a believer and because I knew in my heart that he would be seeking the Lord about us just as much as I was freaking out about us. See, Stuart does the smart and practical things while I freak out and THEN remember I need to consult the Creator of the World =)
So how did Stuart pursue me?
Through his writing.
We wrote messages like the ones I posted, FOREVER, even when we DID start hanging out and seeing each other more. When he finally got my number, we talked every night and he even bought me a cell phone when he moved to Lake Bowen so that I could talk to him on the phone when I walked from the parking lot to my dorm.
But things weren't always easy. The day he decided to have the DTR (Define The Relationship) talk, I was a mess. But that's for the next post.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Chapter 8 Part II:Turning Points
So as Stuart and I exchanged many conversations over Facebook, I tried to convince myself that this was pretty normal girl-boy conversations. There were times where my heart would skip MANY beats...not because he was being flirty or romantical (at this point I don't think we really liked each other like that yet) but because of his sincere care for me and his pursuit of Christ. Here are some of my favorite messages that he sent to me whilst I was in need of a Godly friend. All of these conversations happened in September 2007, a year and 2 months before we got married =) I hope you enjoy!
- I did just take a great nap, but it might have been too late. I feel like I'm getting sick already. Plus it was cold in VA and I don't think that helped. Hopefully it won't get too bad.
You do type ahh! a lot. It's funny. I type haha too much I think.
I will definitely keep you in prayer about grad school. In fact I will do that right after I send this. I'm not trying to play my age card, but I know what you're facing right now. It's scary and hard, but so exciting. And as long as you're spending time with God and giving it all to Him it's going to be right. Whatever happens. I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but it's so good to be reminded. I took so much comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 when I was going through career changes and moving and all that. Anyway, I'm going to pray, watch football, and cook some dinner with Daniel. Go Pamfa's!- I'm sorry you're having an ahhhh! moment. Sometimes you can learn a lot from those. Those are the times we need to rely on the Lord the most. I'm kind of having one because I just met with my YL team and we planned out club tomorrow night even though we don't have a place to have it yet. Hopefully something will come up, if not I guess we'll just hang out with kids at Bruster's. Anyway, I'm trying to remain calm and know that whatever we do we're going to hang out with Boiling Springs kids tomorrow night and get to know them and be apart of their lives. It sounds cheesy but the devil always attacks during times like this. He wants us to be discouraged and feel like we can't do it. He wants us to give up and fail. Anyway, now I'm rambling. I'm glad we can ramble to each other.
Have a great night. Be patient.- Why do I need aim when I can read awesome long messages like that. We could put our conversations in a book and sell it. People would laugh at us, but we could sell a few copies. You don't have to worry about messaging me if you're busy. I mean I do love the messages, they help me get through the day. But no pressure. haha. I'm glad for your revelation today. It's cool that you can learn a lot about yourself from one simple conversation. Daniel and I were actually talking about how cool you were after you played at church with us. I mean you were the only girl at practice, the youngest, didn't know us (except Josh) and you were really fun and fit right in. That's really strong to me. I'm always quiet and shy when I meet new people. It takes me a while to warm up and come out of my shell.
Okay so I just got the new Jimmy Eat World cd today. It is so good. I love them. They just have the best, most fun sound. I want to go driving somewhere with a good view and just blast it. haha. My favorite thing is going on road trips and listening to good music while enjoying the view of God's creation pass by. Cheesy I know, but I love it. When I drove across the country and back I saw so many awesome landscapes and places. And I had a soundtrack right there in my car along the way. That's usually what I do in the car. Praying is good to do in the car too. As long as you don't close your eyes. haha. That's a bad idea. Alright I think I'm going to start making my way towards bed.
You def. earned big points for cheering for the Pirates. I like NC State, but when ECU plays them I'm cheering for ECU. You're awesome. Goodnight!
Chapter 8: Love Notes via Facebook
I hate to admit this but Stuart and I started out our friendship ALOT online. From 1 Facebook message to 2 or 3 a day to over 1000 by the time we got married. Here are our first conversations:
- i'm refraining from msging u on ur wall coz now it just looks like i'm desperate...ahhh! that's cool...Grant and i aren't that close but he's a good guy...great with kids do u have AIM?
September 30, 2007Stuart Campbell Hansen- I don't have AIM anymore. I mean I live right around the corner from Converse though. You could probably walk like 50 feet and so could I and then we could just talk for real. Haha.
September 30, 2007Rachel Ng Hansen- awww...how sweet...no serious...next time i'm up for a night walk, i'll msg u u can be my bodyguard against the bad squirrels and falling branches. deal?
September 30, 2007Stuart Campbell Hansen- It's a deal except my two biggest fears are squirrels and falling branches. So I watch your back you watch mine? Haha. Night walks are cool, but if you have a bike, night bike rides are real fun. Okay maybe not pitch black night rides, but when it's cool and the sun is starting to go down but it's safe and cars can still see you. That's fun. I love riding my bike through Converse heights. Anyway, maybe that was too much information, sorry. But yeah it's a deal.
do u have AIM?
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