The Love Story (taken from my web-site)

Our Story

Please enjoy as you become acquainted with our relationship as it has grown over the years!

How we met:
When we first met, we both wish there had been sparks. But perhaps that was God's blessing! We were both far too young, around 16, and not at all capable of handling a relationship very well. We also both still had foolish ideas about relationships, which God had to iron out of us.
However, we did appreciate and respect each other from the beginning, and were curious to know a little more!
We met at Camp Saugeen. Sony was usually with the guys, having fun, sometimes getting himself into trouble, sometimes getting others out of trouble. He was especially noted for his superb scaring abilities on late-night walks, something Lynette admired tremendously (she's an Adams after all!).
Lynette was usually with the girls, a little quiet, and frequently found at the piano in her spare time.
We can't recall if we ever even spoke to one another through these first few years of summers at camp! We just know we had a great deal of respect for one another! We both had in common a great love for camp and kids. Ironically, Lynette’s love for camp was so great that she prayed God would someday give her a husband she had met at camp. Little did she know then what God would work for her later!
Getting a little more familiar with each other...
Soon Lynette was off to College, and wound up in Toronto at Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College, and just so happened to land at Jarvis Street Baptist Church, Sony's home church from a child.
However, we suspect we were both still too young and spiritually immature for a relationship. Both of us became involved in Kidz Klub (aka Adventure Club), and continued to grow in respect for one another, but we were rather oblivious to any romantic interest that would later grow. We can both recall slight twinges in that direction, Sony even wondered if something could ever work, but neither of us imagined anything would truly develop.
Although we were not head over heels in love during these years, this was a foundational time for our relationship. We learned a great deal about the quality of character in each other, and were bound to one another as brother and sister in the Lord - even though we still only knew each other at a distance.
Lynette remembers growing especially attached to Sony as a brother during a particularly troubled time that she endured. Sony was one of the few that seemed to understand and care for her in her trials.
Lynette moved to New Hampshire for a year, and at one point there was a possibility that Sony would come up to visit. Nothing would have given her more joy, which she found exceedingly strange at the time, since she hardly knew him!
Lynette moved back to Canada, but lived in Cambridge for a year. Sony happened to be there, and experienced a similar peculiar urge to see Lynette. He knew she worked in the mall, and had an intense desire to visit.
Neither of us thought too much of these peculiar wishes, both being very committed to following God's will, and seeking to not be carried away by romantic whims and fancies! However, looking back, we agree that God was definitely in the midst of weaving our lives and hearts together!

The SPARK!!!
Then Lynette moved back to Toronto. And this is where the sparks began!
Sony was praying that God would provide a wife for him, and seeking God's guidance in finding a woman who feared the Lord. However, he also desired to submit to God's will, and thus wanted to be content with whatever God had for him, whether that was singleness or marriage.
Lynette had one aim - to serve God. She had long yearned for marriage, but through much prayer had committed her heart to God, and sought to be content in the moment, whatever circumstance that moment brought. Thus, she sought to give up her hopes and ambitions to God's care, and rather seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness.
Both of us had a desire to spur on the community among our College and Careers at our church, and wound up working together to that end. As we worked together, God slowly worked in us a growing love for one another!

Lynette Falling in Love
When I landed back in Toronto, I was determined to focus on serving God, and NOT get my heart in a fluster over any guys. I thought I'd be in the clear, there weren't very many guys around to distract me, and it looked like the summer would be quiet. Yeah, Sony was there, but I didn't expect to see much of him, in years before he was pretty quiet and not around a whole lot.
Off the cuff I suggested to Sony that some of us should do lunch after church, like we used to do. I really didn't expect him to remember. The following Sunday I made plans with a friend from work, only to have Sony approach me (in the middle of the service) to inquire if we were still on for our fellowship lunch! He caught my attention! As I said, I didn't expect him to take my suggestion seriously! Since it had been my suggestion in the first place, I brought my friend out with the group - it was an awkward group, none of us talked much, but it was the start of something. At the end of lunch Sony suggested we start a Bible Study on Sunday afternoons. So we began to work together more frequently, meeting every week now.
As I worked with Sony and watched him, I discovered a different man than I had known before! We shared a passion for the development of close community among believers. He had become an integral part of the church - he seemed to be at the church every night! He was faithful. Moreover, he was a gentleman, treating women with kindness and respect, quick to seize opportunities to be of service. He stood out from among the other men as one who had a heart for people. He was not found locked away in his room with books or video games or movies...rather he was devoted to giving his life to the activities of the church. This was the kind of man I had been praying for...and my heart began to get a little flustered, against my 'better judgment' or so I thought!
I fought my growing respect for Sony with all my might. I refused to acknowledge that his smiles made me weak in the knees, and his faithfulness along with his gentle and sweet heart had won my admiration. My reason for fighting? I wanted to marry a man who was pursuing the same things, who was deeply committed to serving God and prospering His Kingdom. I had once failed to desire God's Kingdom above my own ambitions, and learned my ambitions were miserable and empty compared to the glory of God's purposes for me. Thus I refused to consider anyone who was not passionately pursuing opportunities to be in ministry. I wanted to be married to someone I could partner with to disciple younger believers. I still hadn't realised Sony was wanting to serve God in this kind of ministry. I thought he wanted to continue to quietly work his retail job, and be involved in ministry, but not make it his priority. I wanted to be married to a man who made his entire life about serving God. I was so convinced that Sony was not quite the kind of man for me that I even sought to set him up with friends! He had won my utmost respect, and I hailed him as a great man to many people, little realising that God was actually setting him aside for me, and I for him!
All summer I truly convinced myself that I had no attachment to Sony - yes, I know now I was lying to myself! However, I realised I was in serious trouble the first time he was away for a Sunday. The church seemed empty and void without him! I couldn't understand why I'd be so sad! He was merely away for a retreat! It was the first week of September, summer was over, and Sony was beginning Bible college, the same school I attended, and soon would be living next door to me! I'd soon have plenty of opportunity to see him, why be so unreasonably devastated! During this weekend I faced up to the fact that I was falling in love, despite all my fighting! For the next month I committed this matter to God in urgent prayer - fasting, pleading with God to lead and direct my heart according to His will alone!
I'd been through crushes and the sort, and I know everyone says this, but I knew that whatever I was feeling/thinking regarding Sony Him was different. Sony had captured my heart and attention in an all encompassing fashion, but in a way that's different than before. It's hard to explain... God was directing this love, He was directing my heart! I was moved to a deep compassion for Sony! By God's direction, I was more concerned about caring for him than I was with having him care for me! I wanted to encourage him, I wanted to help him, I wanted to be used of God to give him joy!
Although I would struggle through much doubt and fear later, I knew by October that I would marry Sony. Not because I wanted it (I did of course, that's not the point), but because it was a conviction from God. I was in love, but purely because God had led me to love Sony. I spent the next several months admiring Sony from a distance wishing for any way to get to know him better. I had realised that Sony Him is an outstanding man, and ached to know all I could about him. I suffered many embarassing moments trying to make simple conversation with him. One time I had to run away in horror as my face flushed deep red due to my fear and excitement in talking with him! I went out of my way to quietly be of service and encouragement to him in any way I could. I spent ridiculous amounts of time on my front porch, hoping just to catch a glimpse of him! Sony Him had captured my heart, what more can I say?
I rejoice that I am marrying God's choice for me - His ways are higher than my ways, and His choice for me is perfect! I just pray that I will live in a manner worthy of this supreme grace God has bestowed on me!

Sony Falling in Love
It's funny how somebody you've known for a long time as a friend can one day become a love interest. What happened? Well due to various circumstances, Lynette was back in T.O., back at Jarvis. I always had a great respect for her. Her godliness and love for God was something I've always found admirable about her. Who would have thought that this admiration would turn into something more. God knew, He had it all planned out.
Some background information: I remember thinking she was so cool when she played the drums, yep, I said drums (and at Jarvis of all places) during one of the special Cantatas, and how she would bang away so passionately. She even played the vibrophone that I thought was pretty neat. I appreciated her love for music and was awed by her musical gifts, for I love music myself. I remember her at camp as the girl who harmonized every camp song, and I just loved her voice and the intimate way she would play the piano. It was God she was worshiping and her love for her Saviour was manifested in her songs to her God.
Fast forward to 2006. God crossed our paths again. I began to notice Lynette in a different way. As she was seeking to serve God, it just so happened (providentially) that we had similar ministry aspirations: the Youth, Sunday School, Kidz Klub, College & Careers. As we served alongside one another, and as she exposed more of heart for God, I started to fall in love. She didn't know it at the time, but for some time, while Lynette would go off to play the piano, and I was in the church finishing up whatever I was doing, if it was one of those nights that she was playing, I would sit in the other room and just listen to her in delight. (Even today, her singing voice can calm my soul).
Even from the balcony, as I was working the sound system, she had no idea that I would periodically glance over her way. There was a natural beauty (none of this cosmetic, make-up stuff) and spiritual beauty about her that was different from other girls. It was true beauty because it was linked with devotional godliness. And thus I became her secret admirer. It was really a secret because not even she knew! She just noticed that I was smiling at her a lot but couldn't figure out why - I didn't talk to her, or express any kind of interest in terms of verbal communication. I didn't know how to go about communicating with her in general without letting her know I was interested, for some reason I was trying to hide that. To consider communicating my interest vocally was unfathomable. However, I did try to do so indirectly and discreetly in poetry and blogs that I was hoping that she was reading (and she was reading unbeknownst to me! - it worked!). Yet it wasn't direct enough. She needed clear communication (something God is still working on in me).
Some time passed by and I began reconsidering whether I should be in a relationship at all, because all these thoughts had been distracting me from my school work, but then a friend of mine who knew that I was interested in her came to me with great news! She likes you! I panicked. I called up some friends for advice and the advice I went with was to just focus on studies. So I emailed Lynette that I wasn't ready and that I'm going to focus on school (see poem “the line in the sand” which i wrote during this time). And so things became awkward, we were still involved in ministry together, yet there was very little personal communication. It was killing Lynette (I didn't know it at the time).
One day I overheard someone saying that she was not going to wait 3 years for me. I thought she would. I was going to wait, because for some reason, I sensed that she was in God's will for me. And so long as I sought to follow God's will and not my own, she was to be the one for me. But upon hearing about her not wanting to wait, I realized that perhaps God's will for Lynette does not involve me, and so I became threatened with the fact that someone else might take notice of her (and some already had, and she rejected them for my sake) and I would have lost my opportunity to know her. So when an email came that was somewhat like an ultimatum for I sensed that she could no longer keep going on like this, I responded and mustered up the courage to ask her to go on a walk. That was June 17, 2007 and that evening I asked her out.