An Epic Love Story:
First Sight:
Lisa: It was a Wednesday night in February 2003… as I was leaving church a
friend, Dan Doyle, introduced me to this fine looking man, Jon Shaffer. I learned
that he was in the Air Force and thought to myself, “too bad”. At the time my focus
was on graduation, living in China for a year after I graduated, and not at all on
men–particularly not on military men!
——————————————————————————–
Jon: It was my first time visiting the college class, and I remember seeing this
beautiful girl walk in the door of the darkened classroom. My first thought was,
“She is gorgeous,” and my second thought was, “She has to be married or at least
seriously dating someone.” After church I walked up to Dan, who I had just met at
church the Sunday before, to say hello, and he introduced me to Lisa Harris,
whom I immediately recognized as the stunning girl I saw walk into class earlier in
the evening. When he introduced us, Dan said that Lisa was going to China for a
year to be a missionary, and I remember being very impressed that she had a
heart for missions. As I left church that evening, I was determined to find out more
about this girl and get to know her better.
“Just Friends”
Lisa: Jon and I attended the same Sunday evening Bible study, and through this I
grew to respect and enjoy his comments on Scripture and how a righteous person
should strive to live. I also noticed that he was attentive and kind to everyone,
especially those on the outside of social circles. I knew that Jon was a quality guy,
but my mind was miles away from searching for MY quality guy…it was a busy
time for me! When Jon called to “talk”, I was thrilled but very surprised. We talked
about all sorts of things, and when he finally got around to asking if I’d like to go
out and do something sometime, I didn’t hold back. I told him all about my
committment to holding high standards in my relationships and that I did not want
to “date” a young man until I thought that he was serious potential marriage
material. This position and committment to a form of courtship had saved me so
much trouble and heartache over the years! I was serious about waiting on the
Lord’s best for my love life. Jon laughed as he responded that he was very familiar
with courtship principles and was interested in pursuing that in his own life. Our
conversation deepened to all kinds of similar convictions, and I remember being
so encouraged by Jon’s pure and Christ-like standards.
——————————————————————————–
Jon: I was thrilled when I found out the following Sunday that Lisa and I were in
the same Bible study. Through that study I too became very impressed with Lisa’s
heart for God and her conviction. I also learned that she is a very passionate
person who does not do anything half-heartedly. One of the first times we talked, I
remember Lisa laughingly telling me that one of her goals in life was to be the first
woman president. This statement caught me off guard, but I remember thinking,
“This girl is serious in her goals.” I became Lisa’s biggest fan. I distinctly remember
looking forward to group activities with the college group, hoping that Lisa would
be there so that I could get to know her better. I most definitely wanted to be
friends, but I also hoped and prayed that the Lord would work it out to have
something more than just a friendship. In talking with Dan, I found out that there
were several guys in the college group who were interested in Lisa. I remained
undaunted. I knew that if she gave me a chance, I could win her heart. However,
the the first time I asked Lisa out for coffee on a Sunday afternoon before Bible
study, her response was, “I’m sorry; I have to study.” I’m sure it was very true, she
probably did have to study, but I just about gave up right there. Fortunately, I
persisted. When she said she did not “date” and was committed to the the ideals
of courtship, I was also very impressed with that maturity in romantic relationships.
First Outings
Lisa: Because I wanted our friendship to be just that, a friendship, without the
pressure or confusion of more, I asked Jon if we could do things in groups. He
graciously agreed and took the initiative in inviting my friends, along with me, out
for all kinds of fun. He held cookouts; we went out to dinner, out for coffee, and to
a Disney on Ice performance with several of our friends. I always felt so relaxed
and comfortable and grateful for Jon’s understanding. He always helped me
uphold my own standards and desires. On the night after my last final exam and
the week before my graduation from Faulkner University, Jon took me out for the
first time alone. We rode his motorcycle to Emerald Mountain where Jon
confessed his developing interest in me. He told me he thought that I was a very
special girl, and he knew that I was leaving for China and we just needed to
continue to be friends, but he wanted to keep in touch. I was honored but did not
want to defraud him in any way and said that I would like to keep up a friendship
with him just like many of my other friendships with my guy friends. Looking back I
think, “Wow…I was tough!”
——————————————————————————–
Jon: I knew that the time was short before Lisa graduated and moved away from
Montgomery, and I wanted to continue getting to know her better, so I decided that
I needed to spend time with her outside of church activities. When I asked her out
and she accepted, I was thrilled! Later in the week she asked if we could make it a
double date with two of her friends, and I said, “Sure, let’s make it a triple date
with two of my friends as well.” We all had a good time together, but Lisa was a
very “cool cat”. I could never tell if she was interested in me as anything more than
just a friend. When we spent time together, I always had fun and thoroughly
enjoyed Lisa’s company, but I became frustrated because I could never tell if she
was interested in the same way I was. It wasn’t until much later in our relationship
that I found she really was very focused on graduation and China and quite
oblivious to my desire for anything more than just a friendship. I was ecstatic that
she accepted my invitation for a motorcycle ride, but again I felt like my expression
of interest was not returned in the same way. The Sunday after Lisa’s graduation
we had a final college group Bible study, and I gave Lisa a graduation gift –
“Runaway Bride” – her favorite movie (at that time). When I left that night, I did not
know if I would ever see Lisa again. I again placed our friendship in the Lord’s
hands and said, “Lord, if this is Your will, then You are going to have to work it
out, because I don’t see anything happening.” Well, the next weekend I was
shocked when Lisa called me (for the first time ever) and asked if I had any boxes
for her to pack her school things in to go home. Then the next morning she called
again and asked if I could come over and help pack her car with everything from
her apartment (on the third floor). I was walking on air! I remember lugging a lot of
boxes down those stairs, but I didn’t care–Lisa had actually called me to ask for
my help in her move! I still knew that she was very focused on China and I just
needed to be a supportive friend while she was gone, but I also had a glimmer of
hope that there might be a little bit of interest on her part. Looking back, I am
grateful that Lisa was guarding her heart, and that the Lord was working it all out
in His perfect timing.
Leave a Reply