They Didn't Expect to Fall In Love So Quickly!

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When Fatima and Christopher began messaging each other on CatholicMatch in May 2022, neither of them expected to be married within a year.

“One day I happened to be lucky, and Fatima was on, and the rest is history,” Christopher said.

Christopher, who lives and works in Detroit, joined CatholicMatch in 2020 as an effort to meet people during the pandemic. He said that initially, he was not very active on the site. He said that he was driven to meet a woman with similar values, which inspired him to download Catholic Match.

Two years later, over 2,800 miles away in Guatemala, Fatima was having a pivotal conversation with her mother...

After leaving a long-term relationship, Fatima’s mother insisted that she download and try CatholicMatch. Fatima took a leap of faith and, trusting her mother’s advice, downloaded the app.

The risk that Fatima took paid off almost instantly. She quickly noticed Christopher’s profile, noting his authentic photos and detailed descriptions of his family and lifestyle. She sent him a like, and within a few weeks, she received a message from him. She excitedly rushed to open it together with her mother. They were both shocked and amused when the message they opened read, “Hi, I think you are absolutely gorgeous. Are you willing to relocate?” 

Christopher did not waste any time getting through the brass tacks because of prior online dating experiences that had been unsuccessful due to his partner’s inability to relocate. He said, “I did not want to waste anyone’s time; mine or hers.” 

Fatima noted that while Christopher’s message was very forward, she appreciated it because it showed her that he was serious about making a lasting connection.

The two began dating long-distance shortly afterward.

For three months, they began getting to know each other via video chat. While the idea of meeting in person was often discussed nonchalantly, Fatima said she was surprised when Christopher told her he was looking into booking a flight to Guatemala that July.

“I thought it was fast, but I was really excited,” she said.

Christopher flew from Detroit to Guatemala over the summer, where he met Fatima and her family in person for the first time.

During that trip, they embarked on their first family vacation together with Fatima’s parents to visit some popular tourist destinations in the country.

“We instantly felt like family,” Christopher said. “There was never an odd feeling about it or an awkward moment. Her parents are both extremely welcoming and generous people.”

After their initial meeting, Christopher and Fatima’s romance continued to blossom. They took turns flying back and forth to visit each other over the next several months. Although Christopher had ideas of eventual engagement on his mind, it was actually a conversation with his father that pushed him to pop the question.

As he was preparing to travel to visit Fatima’s family in California over the holidays, Christopher’s father pulled him aside to give him some relationship advice. He told his son that if he was serious about his relationship with Fatima he should not hesitate to ask her to get married.

“His approval really gave me the peace of mind I needed to move forward and make the jump,” Christopher said.

After getting her parents’ blessing to request Fatima’s hand in marriage, Christopher began planning to propose at their next meeting.

That date happened to be Valentine’s Day 2023.

Christopher worked with his friends and family to plan an over-the-top romantic proposal, complete with a walk through a historic village and a couple’s photoshoot. 

As a surprise for Fatima, Christopher also decided to fly her parents in to witness the proposal. He felt it was only fair that her family be present for the big moment. 

In the week leading up to the big event, Christopher snuck away to pick Fatima’s parents up from the airport and bring them back to his own parent’s house. They stayed hidden there for several days in anticipation of the engagement. Christopher described the whole ordeal as nerve-wracking, especially when Fatima began to grow annoyed and suspicious at all of Christopher’s sneaking around.

Although she was upset with him for disappearing for hours on end the night before, Fatima said that on the day of the proposal - Valentine’s Day - she had no idea what Christopher was planning. 

“I didn’t have any idea, I was completely clueless.”

When Christopher got down on one knee during their photoshoot and proposed, Fatima was shocked. She happily accepted his proposal, and they were engaged. Little did she know that his whole family and her parents were hiding in a nearby hair salon; Christopher had arranged with the salon owner to allow their family members to watch the engagement through the windows. They came out to greet the couple after their engagement, and that is when Fatima became emotional at the sight of her parents.

“I was really happy,” she said.

Although their dating and engagement journey was filled with romance, Christopher and Fatima endured struggles throughout their relationship.

Following their engagement, they were troubled with the task of initiating an immigration process to the United States for Fatima almost immediately. 

With the limited options presented to them for immigration, Fatima had to make the difficult choice to say goodbye to her parents and commit to staying in the United States indefinitely while awaiting a Green Card. This all occurred within days of the couple getting engaged, and they described it as a stressful period in both their lives.

“We didn’t know how long it could take, up to 1.5 years,” Fatima said. During that time, she would not be able to leave the country to visit her parents in Guatemala. The transition was difficult, but the couple persevered. During tough times, Fatima said they try to remember that God has a plan for them.

“I think ever since we met, we have been putting our faith first, knowing that it was God’s plan that we met and would one day be in the same country and get married.”

Their marriage has been strengthened by the help of their wedding godparents; an extended relative of Fatima’s and a veteran married couple who provide spiritual and marital guidance to Fatima and Christopher. The couple said that their wedding godparents offer their blessings to the nuptials and stand as witnesses to the marriage covenant, as well as provide guidance to the couple and pray with them.

Fatima and Christopher do not believe there have been any coincidences in their meeting or the progress of their relationship. 

“There have been signs and people pointing us to make the right decisions,” Christopher said. “We were really guided to the right path, and everything has worked out for us. We only have God to thank for that.”

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