People come in and out of our life, and we are quite unconscious of the roles a new acquaintance may play in our lives down the road. An example of a person randomly crossing my path to later play a big role in my life is the story of how I met my friend Janelle. We met on an American Airlines flight from Bolivia to Miami. It turned out she was a Christian and was from Alberta, Canada. We exchanged contact information, and little did I realize that down the road we would both move down to Bolivia and both end up living in the same city and even in the same house! Our story has God’s fingerprints all over it!
As individuals with an inbuilt desire to find someone to share our lives with, the propensity is to be on the look out for Mr. or Mrs. Right. On meeting someone new of the male variety, my tendency was to wonder whether he might be “The One.” It’s interesting to see how seldom “Mr. Right” enters the scene with a big bang or ceremony. God seems to often sneak him in when we’re most oblivious. At least, that’s the way it was for me...
It was the first days of July. The year was 2004. My family had just made the long and gruelling two-day trip down from the Andean mountain city of Potosi, which was my home, to the hot and tropical lowland city of Santa Cruz. My brother Jonathan and I were on our way to the States for three months of conferences and courses with a team of international students.
In Santa Cruz we arrived at Hotel California where we met and were warmly welcomed by Ruth, the beautiful Christian woman who owned the hotel. We also met her son, Junior (Adolfo), who had studied business administration in California and who now helped administrate the hotel. That stay marked the beginning of many visits to Hotel California on our way through Santa Cruz. It also marked the beginning of a friendship with Ruth. We both shared a love of hospitality and would often dream of one day working together.
It has often been noted that first impressions miss the mark. I first perceived Adolfo to be much older and very serious. The first time I had a glimpse to the contrary was in January of 2007. My brother Jonathan and I were returning to our Bible College in the States after spending our Christmas break with our family in Bolivia. We, along with my good friend Joy who also grew up in Bolivia and was a student at the same college, spent one night at Hotel California, and the following morning Adolfo drove us out to the airport and waited with us as we checked in. We had our first real conversation. I remember him talking about wanting buy a cattle ranch, and I remember him teasing me for being Canadian. It was there I discovered he liked to tease and banter. That day at the Viru Viru International Airport, I little imagined I was speaking to my future boyfriend, fiancee, and even husband!
As individuals with an inbuilt desire to find someone to share our lives with, the propensity is to be on the look out for Mr. or Mrs. Right. On meeting someone new of the male variety, my tendency was to wonder whether he might be “The One.” It’s interesting to see how seldom “Mr. Right” enters the scene with a big bang or ceremony. God seems to often sneak him in when we’re most oblivious. At least, that’s the way it was for me...
It was the first days of July. The year was 2004. My family had just made the long and gruelling two-day trip down from the Andean mountain city of Potosi, which was my home, to the hot and tropical lowland city of Santa Cruz. My brother Jonathan and I were on our way to the States for three months of conferences and courses with a team of international students.
In Santa Cruz we arrived at Hotel California where we met and were warmly welcomed by Ruth, the beautiful Christian woman who owned the hotel. We also met her son, Junior (Adolfo), who had studied business administration in California and who now helped administrate the hotel. That stay marked the beginning of many visits to Hotel California on our way through Santa Cruz. It also marked the beginning of a friendship with Ruth. We both shared a love of hospitality and would often dream of one day working together.
It has often been noted that first impressions miss the mark. I first perceived Adolfo to be much older and very serious. The first time I had a glimpse to the contrary was in January of 2007. My brother Jonathan and I were returning to our Bible College in the States after spending our Christmas break with our family in Bolivia. We, along with my good friend Joy who also grew up in Bolivia and was a student at the same college, spent one night at Hotel California, and the following morning Adolfo drove us out to the airport and waited with us as we checked in. We had our first real conversation. I remember him talking about wanting buy a cattle ranch, and I remember him teasing me for being Canadian. It was there I discovered he liked to tease and banter. That day at the Viru Viru International Airport, I little imagined I was speaking to my future boyfriend, fiancee, and even husband!
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