"Yeah...what's up?"
It had only been a few days since Keila had traveled back up north with her friend. Andrea had traveled with them, and now she was on the phone, and I was ready to stop any plan she was forming. The previous weekend of confusion was too much for my brain.
"Okay...first, I have nothing to do with what I'm about to propose..." She was wise in the ways of Ben. She was conveniently distancing herself from any interference she could be accused of playing.
"Alright, what is it?" I nonchalantly responded.
"Dad made a suggestion, but I wanted to check to see if it was okay with you first."
"Suggest away."
"Dad suggested that Keila come and spend family Christmas with us this year. She is here without her family, and dad thought it would be nice for her to have someplace to come."
I was silent on the phone. Family Christmas? This was a very important day for me. Could I handle any confusion?
"Ben?" Andrea was waiting.
"I'm here...yeah...that is fine with me. I just don't want to make her uncomfortable or anything." I was really talking about me.
"She'll be fine! I'm sure it will be fun for her."
"So dad wants her to come, huh?" My dad doesn't usually invite people for Christmas.
"Yeah...he wants her to come..."
"What?" I could sense some hesitancy in her voice.
"Nothing."
"C'mon Andrea, what is it?"
"Dad thinks you're a moron."
"What!?" I tried to act surprised.
"He can't believe how this beautiful, sweet, young lady was at the house and you were such a moron."
The truth is, she was right. My dad was right. I was a real moron. I didn't handle the situation well at all. I decided right there that if I was given another opportunity I would be different.
"Do you think she is interested?" I asked Andrea...I was desperate for a glimpse of hope, but it didn't come.
"I have no idea." Andrea responded. My decisions in this hour would have to be based on faith and the word of God, not my feelings or someone's opinion.
I spent a lot of time the next few weeks in prayer. I never received a clear answer from the Lord, but I did know one thing...when Keila arrived I needed to discover her. I needed to find out who she was.
It was December 25, 2002. Family Christmas was one week away, we would be celebrating on January 1.There was a horrible blizzard here in upstate New York. The weather was awful. I remember sitting at my parents dinner table along with my mother and father and my sister Andrea.
"So Keila is coming tomorrow to Amsterdam."
"Really?" I asked. I thought she wasn't coming until next week.
"Yeah...but we need someone to pick her up, and the weather is so bad."
"I'm game. I'll pick her up."
As Andrea and I drove to Amsterdam the next day, everything was becoming so clear. I felt as if I were driving to my destiny. I can't explain the feeling I had. But it was there. Like a seed deep in my heart. I knew there was something different about this day. Little did I know how much this seed would grow over the coming months, and how many other days I would experience that same feeling of meeting my destiny.
We pulled up in front of a huge snowpile right behind a McDonalds. Keila was there waiting inside a car. I'll never forget that moment. I felt like I woke up to a dream. Not from a dream, but to a dream. I felt alive. I felt like years of prayers were being answered in her smile. Everything made sense. All the confusion was gone.
"Hey Keila."
"Hi Ben!" She said politely, but lively.
"I decided to come with Andrea, you know, because of the weather."
"Great!" She answered. My heart was thumping.
Once in the car we decided to go to the mall, get something to eat, and then to the movies. I paid for everything that night. A little redemption from the weekend of confusion. It was wonderful.
Over the next couple of days, while Andrea politely kept her mouth shut (duct tape works wonders), Keila and I were able to talk about life. I asked about 5000 questions, though I already knew the answers. We talked about culture, language, Guatemala, United States, likes, dislikes, family dynamics, family values. We were both trying to discover who this other person was. It was a truly exciting time.
Now, I had been planning for a ski trip starting on Sunday, December 29 and I was going to come back in time for family Christmas on January 1. Because of the recent developments, I decided that I was going to take a good portion of my skiing time and spend it praying about my future.
I just needed one more blessing.
"Pastor Jim, do you have a second?" It was after church on Sunday, and at this point I was planning to leave on my ski/prayer trip later in the day.
"Sure, what's up?" He asked as we stepped into the office.
"What do you think of Keila?" I asked, very anxious for his response.
"She's seems great."
"No..." I asserted, trying to make my question more understandable, "what do you think of Keila?"
"Ohhh!" He threw his head back with a smile. "I was hoping her for Dan."
Dan was his son. One of my best friends. There was no way.
"Ha, ha, ha!" I laughed out loud. "So I guess you think well of her?"
"Yeah," he laughed as well. "she seems like an amazing woman."
It was all becoming clear. I was certain this was the right track. I had my pastor's blessing. I had my parent's blessing. Though I was pretty sure I had the Lord's blessing, I was excited that the ski/prayer trip was certain to hold confimation for me.
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