Our daughter has found the love of her life! It is an exciting time around the Reishes. Ray and I are thrilled that Cami has fallen in love (and vice versa) with such a self-less, character-filled young man. The little boys are thrilled to have another guy around. And Cami...well, she is not really all here anymore! tee hee

This is the second of our seven children to find his/her love. Joshua has been married to his one and only girlfriend for 3 1/2 years now. I can still remember when we found out that J and Lisa were in love. We were at a restaurant, and Joshua told us that he wanted to court, and eventually marry Lisa. I was so happy that I went into the bathroom, shut the stall door, and danced and danced. And I didn't even know how to dance (hadn't had any ballroom dance lessons yet!!). I was so happy.

There is something incredible about seeing your children in love--especially when it is a pure, true love that has not been defiled by other "loves" (that you later discover were not loves at all). Joshua and Cami had not had a girl friend or boyfriend prior to the "one." They saved their hearts for the one who would have the entire thing their entire lives.

One of my greatest prayers and desires is that my children will have the marriage that I have had the privilege of having for the past twenty-seven years. I want them to have selfless mates; to be cherished and respected; to raise a family for the Lord--and to be WILDLY, MADLY, CRAZILY in love their entire lives. I want them to get to have the intimacy, transparency, and love that I have had. Oh, I want this for them so badly.

So when Joseph called Ray to tell him that he had feelings for Cami and wanted to know if he could court her, I was overjoyed with Joseph--and secretly prayed that Cami would fall in love with him...and she did! I saw something in Joseph that I thought would complement Cami--he is so much like Ray--diligent, kind, selfless, responsible, empathetic, loving, intimate, emotional--all of the things that I have loved and enjoyed in my husband. It only took a couple of weeks after Ray told her Joseph had feelings for her--then Cami fell in love with all of those qualities that Ray and I saw in Joseph--and in love with him as a person too. (Cami and Joseph had been good friends for  year and a half, so she knew him well--just not in this way.)

Anyway, sometimes I wonder who is happier--Cami to be in love or Ray and I to watch her be in love. We are so enjoying their looks at each other, never ending smiles, words of affirmation and encouragement to each other. I love to hear them planning for their futures. Love is SO incredible.

I am pasting Cami's note to her fellow staffers at the church. (She is the disability director at our church.) This was the day after they began their courtship (a while after Joseph came to Ray and we told Cami). You can just hear the joy and love in her note!

 

 

From Cami to Fellow Staffers:

Hi! I just wanted to let everyone know what God has done in my life and the amazing thing that He has just done for me. I don’t deserve it, but I am so grateful.

Here’s a little background, I have different views on relationships then some people do and when I was 13 years old, I asked God to write my love story. I told God that I wanted to serve Him and love Him with my youth and not have my focus on “finding the right guy” or on going from relationship to relationship. I have a ring on my left hand that my dad gave me when I was 13 and when I made that committed. At that time I also told my dad that I wanted him to be my protector and that any guy that came my way, I would send to my dad. (Haha, I don’t believe in arranged marriages…not at all. It’s that I know that my parents have a lot of wisdom and if they see something in someone that I don’t see because love is blind, I wanted to know and wanted their blessing and approval.)

 

Anyway, throughout the years there have been guys who have come to me and I have sent them to my dad. Sometimes it was hard to say no when I really wanted to get married and raise a godly family, but I knew that God had a plan and that He would write my perfect love story. I had a high standard for my man, not only did he have to love God with all of his heart, have a servant’s heart for other people, love me and my family, but he had to be perfect too.

As you can tell, it wasn’t just going to be any guy who got to my heart. (Oh, did I mention that I also have 4 very protective brothers? Joshua, Jonathan, Josiah, and Jacob were not going to let anyone get through who didn’t deserve it. J)

 

Just like God, He brought someone into my life who is everything that I ever wanted in a guy and so much more! Joseph and I have been friends for the past year and a half and we had an amazing group of four friends that would encourage and challenge each other a lot. Two months ago, Joseph David Gross called my dad and told him that he felt God was leading us together. My dad told him to go away and if he still felt the same way after some time, to call him again. Well, the feelings only grew stronger and stronger and God opened up doors beyond what Joseph could imagine to be confirmation for what he felt.

 

Yesterday, we went out with my parents again, and they gave their blessing for Joseph and I to continue our relationship in a courtship that, Lord willing, will lead to marriage. It was a miracle for my parents to approve of someone, they are so happy and feel so blessed for me to have such a wonderful guy in my life!

The most amazing thing for me is that he is so much like my dad! I always wanted to have someone who is selfless, serving, kind, and so in love with God, just like my dad. Joseph is just like that! I can’t believe that I have been so blessed.

He loves the Lord so much and loves the One Heart people dearly. It’s not an accident that his brother is disabled or that he has lived the life of a caretaker and friend of someone with a disability for the past 23 years. He has a better understanding of life with a disability than most anyone else. Joseph is my first and only boyfriend.

 

We don’t know all of the answers to the future, but we are so happy and so blessed. Thank-you for being a wonderful Church family and staff for me. I just wanted to share my happiness with you too!

 

Smiling from ear to ear,

Cami

 

P.S For Mike, Pastor Ron, and Pastor Don….Joseph is not a hunter. But he does have his private pilots’ license and plans on taking me on some day trips to see amazing things. Hopefully someday I’ll have some stories as funny and great as yours and Joys.