If you’ve made it this far reading our story, I applaud you! But if you want to watch videos of our adventures in Indonesia, I highly recommend checking out my vlogs of the trip on the video page. But for the readers, I’ll continue…

My visit to Indonesia was an unforgettable experience – (mostly good, one quite bad – but we’ll get to that later). As I shared previously, Gio had painstakingly organized the trip for us. Our itinerary featured nearly a week-long stay in Bali, with each day serving a unique activity or experience – traveling all over the province. From the capital of Denpasar, to the mountains of Kintamani, to the coast of Singaraja, to the rice fields of Ubud. We enjoyed a luxurious spa, my mom conquered her fear of heights while parasailing, we swam with dolphins, sampled many incredible dishes, witnessed a breathtaking mountaintop sunrise, bathed elephants, relaxed in natural hot springs, and met so many wonderful people.

From Bali we flew to the island of Sumatra into the city of Medan where we met Gio’s family. They picked us up from the airport and transported us to their hometown of Cinta Damai. They generously covered the cost of our hotel stay and hosted us for a dinner in their home. Meeting the family of one’s prospective significant other famously carries with it some amount of pressure, but her family made me feel so welcome and honored. It was a humbling experience, being invited so graciously. It was immediately apparent to me how much love and respect Gio’s parents had for their daughter. And they seemed to really enjoy my rudimentary knowledge of the Indonesian and Batak languages. (I think they were mostly just being extra kind to me.)

In addition to enjoying dinner, I also had the opportunity to meet Gio’s sister and her new baby (Gio’s nephew). The little boy had arrived about the same time my mom and I landed in the country. They welcomed us with open arms and invited us to pray with them for their family and the baby’s new life. Again, I felt incredibly humbled and honored to be accepted in this way.

In addition to meeting her family, Gio and her sister invited me to share a “Sunday school lesson” with a class of children that meet at a local coffee shop. The kids were wide-eyed and captivated, no doubt intrigued by the presence of a “bule” (white foreigner) in their town. Much like everyone I had met thus far, they were very friendly and welcoming. Their excitement was contagious, and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them. Gio’s friend, Jason, was my interpreter and he helped me share my personal testimony of God’s goodness in my life, and how much He loves them too. Unfortunately, it was at this time that I started to become noticeably sick. While I had felt some of the discomfort a day or two previously, the affects of what I later found out to be dysentery were starting to rear their ugly head. By the grace of God, I was able to conclude my time with the kids in a…dignified…manner. But my bathroom visits the remainder of the day were anything but. In spite of these challenges, Gio was very supportive – offering help wherever and however she could. I felt better by the end of the day and prayed the next morning would be more refreshing.

Gio’s family demonstrated their hospitality and generosity once more as they took us on a 5 hour tour across the island of Sumatra to a placed called “Lake Toba” – the largest crater lake in the world. We took a ferry across the caldera to an island and stayed in a beautiful hotel (in which her family generously covered our stay again.) The following morning they also took us to experience a dance presentation as is customary to the Batak tribe – of which is her family ancestry. By this point I was losing count of the number of experiences in which I felt so incredibly humbled and honored to participate. To see and meet so many people, created and loved by God – to witness their culture and be invited in so openly – is a privilege for which I have few words to describe. All the while caught up in her sparkling eyes and joyful smile. I don’t know how she planned such an amazing trip for us, but I could see the love behind it all. And it blessed my heart so deeply.

But it was here that the dysentery assaulted me with full vengeance. On the morning of our 5-hour drive back to the airport my stomach and bowels became the testing grounds for an amoebic fight club. This was the true test of my humility and Gio’s grace as I repeatedly had to ask her to translate a request for her parents to stop their vehicle for me to evacuate into a nearby gas station or restaurant. It was a grueling journey, and I had never felt so vulnerable.

When one is in pursuit of a relationship with their significant other, usually this is accompanied with efforts to impress their family. At this time, I had not yet fully voiced my intentions with Gio. I was not casually dating her, but I was not sure if they (or she) understood my concept of “courtship.” Regardless, I found my efforts to impress them would be forced to surrender.

We were nearing the airport in Medan – only 40 minutes from our destination. It was then I arrived at a point of no return. There were no businesses, gas stations, restaurants, or rest stops anywhere in sight as we traveled along the freeway. Desperate, I reluctantly requested an emergency stop along the side of the road. As soon as the car had settled to a stop, I barreled my way out of the vehicle and down the steep embankment – through weeds and tall grass into a muddy trench. My first thought while tumbling through the underbrush was “Dear Lord, please don’t let there be any snakes here.” But I figured I’d cross the bridge when I came to it. After concluding my business, I shuffled back up, my head hung low in shame. Jason, the interpreter, greeted me as I arrived – asking if I was okay. “I was worried about you as you ran down there. I was praying you wouldn’t encounter any snakes.”

When we arrived at the airport, Gio went into boss mode. She got me admitted into an airport clinic where the medical staff provided me with some anti-diarrhea medication and allowed me to rest until our flight. Gio also convinced the airline to move me to first class next to a restroom on the plane. At the time, I was pretty out of it and couldn’t fully appreciate the efforts she took. But looking back, I am nearly brought to tears by how thoughtful she was.

The remainder of the trip was a bit of a blur. We flew to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, and stayed in an apartment in the city while Gio stayed at her own home there. It was in Jakarta that I was hospitalized for a day and overnight. Once again, Gio’s tender heart was on full display. She diligently helped with translations, encouraged my mom and I while we were exhausted, and she even stayed overnight with me at the hospital so my mom could rest at the apartment. Dysentery is a pretty common occurrence in Indonesia, with most locals treating it at home and resting it off. But Gio never once belittled my struggle or made me feel like a burden. Even if I did act a bit like a baby at times. I think this was the first time I felt for certain…that she was the one. Not because she “took care of me.” But because of her grace, her humility, her kindness – the way she treated me and my mom and hospital staff and everyone around her in the midst of the tension. She never reacted from stress or worry or frustration – she was always patient, loving, understanding and compassionate.

By the grace of God I began feeling manageably better again the day before our flight home. We spent the afternoon together, enjoyed a light lunch date, and rested the remainder of the day. The following evening we departed for the airport and we said our goodbyes…but not without assuring each other we would meet again soon.

Again, by the grace of God, that meeting would take place a few months later – and would mark the beginning of the rest of our lives.