I am in my seventies now and still somewhat prompted in life by the Roman Catholic roots which have been deeply embedded in my being from childhood; learning about ritual, fear, guilt and hope amongst other things.  Mum loved and trusted God. A convert through marriage she taught me the values of prayer, trust, thankfulness and honesty. Her life was hard and we were poor.  

Fast forward to my thirties when, as a young mother, I found and acknowledged Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Of course this changed my life so radically as to cause friends to ask why I looked and behaved so differently! Disconcerting question in some ways :-)

After a long marriage to a man and a divorce I met my wife to whom I have been very happily married (by law) for ten years.

We were attracted to each other through words (a poetry group) and our love of God. The fact that she lived in Africa and I in London, England seemed not to matter in the slightest because God was central to our relationship and still is.  

We jumped through many visa hoops and climbed financial mountains, and although at times we felt the despair of separation, God triumphed and we could be together in my country. 

The end of my story is happy. 

We feel blessed. 

But it isn’t finished for us. 

We are waiting. 

Being married will only feel complete when we stand before God in this church before the church family that was given us - and make our vows to each other.  

It took almost ten years to find this church that loves and accepts us, and we suffered rejection by many churches in North and Central London to get to this place. When I lost heart and decided not to ‘do church,’ my wife begged for one last try—and I’m so glad I listened.

The lesson I learned is not to give up hope because God is on our side. God clearly spoke to me in my moment of despair over immigration, saying  ‘I am sending her to you'.  And now we have a Church. One day we will be allowed to marry in it. 

Cover picture: ‘Triune’ - Painting by author