Teresita tried different dating sites looking for a life-long partner.
But, she encountered too many men only out for a good time. Teresita desired a gentleman seeking marriage, so she joined CatholicMatch.
"At CatholicMatch I applied for a one-month subscription. After several responses from men on this site, I found Bob the most interesting," Teresita shares.
Like Teresita, Bob, 74, was a widow. He had been widowed for five years while Teresita, 63, had lost her husband twelve years ago. Both of them wanted to live the rest of their golden years with a spouse.
However, there was one complicating factor: he lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, whereas, Teresita resided in Las Pinas, Philippines. A flight from the United States to the Philippines takes over fifteen hours.
He was an answer to her prayers!
Teresita had a devotion to Jesus the Nazarene, and every Friday at The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, she prayed to Jesus asking for a husband. After corresponding and video-chatting with Bob, Teresita began to think that this Nebraskan gentleman just might be the answer to her prayers.
Feeling interested in Teresita, Bob didn't waste any time making plans to visit her. In August of 2016, five months after meeting her online, Bob bought a plane ticket to see Teresita in the Philippines over Christmas.
"Of course, I was very excited to hear about the trip to see me," she recalls. "And very surprised."
So, he booked a flight!
When Bob arrived in the Philippines, Teresita was waiting at terminal #1 while he was waiting for her at terminal #3. They thank heaven for cell phones because the two did eventually found one another. Seeing Bob, Teresita felt overjoyed that he had come to celebrate the Lord's birth with her.
"Christmas is the happiest season of all. In the Philippines it is a very festive time of the year for family get-togethers, parties, and gift-giving, which is very important to our Filipino way of life!" she shares.
During Bob's visit, he and Teresita enjoyed getting to know one another more thoroughly with enjoyable dates and spending time with her family. Over Christmas, they traveled to beautiful churches for Mass and site-seeing, shopped for Christmas, dined together at a prestigious hotel, and spent an evening dancing.
After Christmas, they went to Corregidor Island. "Bob likes history and wanted to see the island he'd read about in history book," she shares. "The Island became an all-day affair, but we enjoyed our time together."
Teresita and Bob celebrated New Year's Eve with her family. On January 1, 2017, Bob flew back home to the Midwest.
They chose to take it slow.
Despite hitting it off, the couple didn't feel in a hurry to rush their relationship. Over the next three years, they would talk every day for two to three hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening. Teresita admired that Bob was religious. She also found him loving, thoughtful, and funny. Bob appreciated her prayerfulness. Plus, he liked Teresita's hardworking, caring, and family-oriented nature.
Bob and Teresita felt comfortable in their long-distance relationship, but after more than two years of getting to know one another, it felt time to make a serious commitment. Therefore, Bob sold his home, so he had didn't have anything keeping him in Nebraska.
But, there were some major obstacles...
On January 7, 2020, Bob returned to the Philippines, intending to begin the marriage process. While getting their marriage license, complications arose, and then two tragedies struck.
"We traveled to a lot of different departments within the government, trying to get all of the necessary paperwork done," she shares. "In the meantime, my mother was severely ill, and she joined her Creator on February 8, 2020. We grieved the loss of our dearest mother."
Then the COVID-19 lockdown followed, which delayed their marriage documents. Plus, seniors could not go out in public unless they had essential business.
The lockdown caused the couple's marriage license to lapse, and Teresita had to reapply, delaying their wedding date.
"We had hoped to get married on July 10, 2020," she says. "Happily, the new marriage license gained approval so we planned the next date of our wedding."
They had their wedding on a Friday!
On September 11, 2020, Teresita and Bob said their vows in a Catholic Mass at The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene. They were able to have guests and reception despite COVID. Their wedding date, September 11, fell on a Friday—Teresita's ritual day to pray for God to send her a spouse.
"Bob and I feel that none of this wouldn't happen if it wasn't for our constant prayers. We believe this was God's plan for us!" they share.
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