My head continued to spin over the next weeks. Who was this man who had unexpectedly come into my life and turned it upside down? I didn’t know but I was perfectly content to allow it to happen.

We continued to go out for lunch every week by ourselves, enjoying getting to know more about one another over lunch. You can learn a lot about someone by what they eat. Are they healthy or a junk food junky? Do they like to try new things or are they a creature of habit? We chose to hit up Cousins B-B-Q one day in an effort to change up our routine of cafeteria lunches. Little did I know that a pivotal conversation would happen over a couple of BBQ sandwiches.

Sitting at a table secluded from any surrounding customers, Paul asked, “Do you think you would ever consider going overseas?” Maybe a footnote should be added here. Paul was in a degree program that required him going overseas for two years to serve as a missionary. He was in the process of meeting with International Mission Board (IMB) representatives and determining where in the world he wanted to spend two years of his life. Then, oops, I showed up. Now he had to figure out if I would even consider the possibility of a life overseas. I was in my last semester, trying to figure out what in the world I was going to do after graduation. I was looking into everything from women’s ministry to missions mobilization.

We would leave the restaurant holding hands with nobody able to pry us apart or as a disappointed young man and woman who would only be friends.

Paul sat patiently waiting for my answer.

Here comes my second bold statement to this man I had just started dating, “Well, I have always had a heart for missions and am currently looking for jobs that would allow me to mobilize. I’ve never really considered going full time though. But I’ll tell you this. 1) I am not waiting on you for two years and 2) I am not following you all over the world without a ring. Ultimatum…a new word was added to my vocabulary.