Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a young man who knelt to the ground every morning and prayed to the Lord for his bride-to-be. He asked Him to make her spirit strong, keep her pure, and to prepare her for the day he would finally meet her.

One day, as the young man was working at his place of employment, his spirit quickened within him. As she spoke, her face remained hidden, but golden, curly locks crowned her dainty, little frame. The young maiden had come to inquire of a job. And without even a glimpse of her face, he knew this indeed was the one he had prayed for, his bride-to-be.

He couldn’t say a word. No one would believe him. So, he waited.

The maiden was soon hired, and day after day, he waited for the right opportunity to introduce himself. But between her beauty and his nerves, the time never seemed right. One afternoon, the moment finally arrived. His eyes locked with hers and hers with his. Stumbling over his words, he managed to extend an invitation to join him and acquaintances to watch fireworks in honor of Independence Day. Without hesitation she accepted his offer (Little did he know that she rarely said yes to invitations from young men—especially those from whom she hardly knew! But something was different about this one, and she didn’t want to miss her opportunity).

That night, they had no trouble finding things to talk about. It was as if they had known one another for years! They talked and talked…and the fireworks began.

The next day, the starry-eyed young man formally asked her on a date. And once again, she immediately accepted his invitation.

It was a magical day horseback riding through rolling hills into the sunset and enjoying delightfully endless conversation. The subject of their talk you ask? The glory of God and Christ Jesus. The further they rode into the hills, the deeper their conversation. It is a glorious day when two people with the same hopes and dreams begin to dream together.

And so begins the true story of how the young man, Dale Glasgow, met his bride-to-be, Sharon Shanaberger. They fell in love, and life was grand…all until Sharon planned to study in a far away land.

Little did Dale know that Sharon had in her heart a secret she had never shared…