Our Story - Part 1

"It was a dark and stormy night...." oh, sorry, got carried away! Didn't mean to tell that kind of story :) But i thought you might like to hear how J and I met and how J & Kay got started. It's really pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. But be warned - we had very little to do with any of it. This is really God's story, and J and I are watching it unfold as much as anyone else. I love it :)


So, I sing on stage at the Resting Place House of Prayer in West Paterson, NJ on Monday nights. One particular Monday last summer, the other singers had all left the stage to go pray for people and I was the only one left holding down the fort. J went up to one of the leaders and asked if he could hop up and sing - a fairly regular occurrence at these worship nights. It's very chill. So up hops this kid in a white tee shirt, who has a surprisingly good ear for harmony and a really nice voice. He's also kinda cute - ok, really cute - but I wasn't looking. My mind was on Jesus, and that's it. He'd have to hit me on the head with a spiritual baseball bat if He wanted me to start thinking about starting a relationship. This guy sure did have a nice smile tho..... ;-)


During an instrumental break, he reaches out his hand and introduces himself to me. "Hi, I'm Jason," he told me. "I'm Kristina, nice to meet you." "Very nice to meet you too," he replies. I'm like, I think he might like me. Alrighty, I'll have to be on my guard. Not an uncommon occurrence - guys are often interested in me when we first meet. The feeling's not always mutual.


Later I found out J's thoughts: "Wow, she's really pretty, and what a voice!! - oh wait, I'm in a relationship, never mind." He was already dating a girl at the time, so he put me out of his mind. For the time being.


He and his girlfriend broke up not long after that, and he kept coming to the HOP, as we call it. I'd see him from the stage sometimes, walking into the worship meeting. Didn't think too much about it. About 3 months passed.


One night, me and my 15-year-old buddy Paul made Columbian "bunuelos" and brought them to the Tuesday night HOP meeting. I rarely, if ever, go to Tuesday nights. Guess who else "happened" to be there that night, who also never goes? You got it - Jason. I'd forgotten his name, but we invited him and the other few who were there to share our bunuelos in the back. We all started talking about missions trips we'd been on and conferences we'd been to, and J was so interested in everything I said - I knew he liked me then. But I didn't feel aversion to the idea, and he wasn't rude at all. Just very open, to any perceptive person, about his interest in me. I also mentioned that me and Richie did worship at HOP on Wednesdays from 12-2pm for the only "daytime set" Resting Place offered. Jason was interested in coming to that, since he was a worship leader himself - now, a lot of people have said they would like to come to that set and never do, so I didn't think much of it. In fact, a little "i bet you'd like to come to get to know me better" might've crossed my mind. But it left quickly and I didn't think about it. I know, I know, I'm weird!! Most girls would jump at a cute guy's interest in them. But I'm not like that - I was waiting for the right one and didn't want distractions.


About a month later I came back from an out of state wedding and Richie told me on Wednesday that he hadn't been alone the week before, that kid Jason Roe had come, too, and played guitar. "Which one is Jason again?" I asked, not yet putting two and two together. The next week, however, J came again, and I realized it was White Tee Shirt boy, as I called him in reference once before. :) Hey, he'd wear them pretty often, and I didn't know much else about him! lol


J kept coming faithfully to Wednesdays, and me and him and Richie would have some cool talks about God and life and stuff while cleaning up and hanging out afterwards. I thought he was a cool guy - very happy, which might've been fake but I couldn't tell yet. But he had a great personality and an awesome, worshipful heart after God. I liked hanging out with him and Richie - Jason was ok in my book, so far... as a friend.


To be continued....