Ale, a Venezuelan living in Peru, had long been praying to God for her future husband.
Barely two weeks after joining CatholicMatch, she came across Péter’s profile. She thought that his profile stood head and shoulders above the other profiles she’d read.
“I fell in love immediately. He looked handsome in his photos and reading his profile I saw that he was an intelligent man of faith,” says the 26-year-old.
Ale appreciated that Péter noted that he wanted his future wife to be someone with a mature faith and who desired to be a mother. He also said he was open to his wife having a professional career.
In May of 2019, not expecting Péter to respond, Ale sent him only a two-word message: "Hello Péter".
“I thought that he wouldn’t respond to me because of the language differences and because we live so far apart. He resided in Budapest, and I'd been living as a Venezuelan in Lima, Peru, which is 11,000 kilometers [nearly 7, 000 miles] away,” she explains.
Ale said a prayer. To her surprise, the Hungarian gentlemen replied with a question asking about photos of her taken at Machu Picchu.
He was open to meeting a woman from a different country.
Péter had been a member of CatholicMatch for a year-and-a-half, but he'd sometimes let weeks pass between logins.
“I lived my life, but I left a door open for God to act through CatholicMatch,” recalls the 29-year-old.
Péter desired a spouse that shared the same values, and if she lived in another country, he wouldn’t let that deter him.
“Little did I know what God prepared for me 11,000 kilometers away from my home!”
He bought a ticket to Peru!
After a few messages back-and-forth on CatholicMatch, the coupled began exchanging long emails, which were followed by Instagram and later Whatsapp messages. They shared their past, present, and their hopes for the future in those long email letters.
The letter-writing stage of their relationship went on for four months mainly because Ale felt too shy to video-chat. Péter says the writing allowed them to get to know one another more deeply.
“It was a great gift that let us see each other clearly. It helped us clarify our intentions, impressions, and feelings until we first met in Lima.”
She adds, “I honestly believe that [choosing to write rather than video-chat] was the best that could happen to us.”
Two months into their correspondence, Péter bought a plane ticket to Lima.
“I remember when he sent me a screenshot; I couldn't hold my tears and I cried of joy,” she shares. “I thought, ‘God has listened to my prayers!'”
He made her a promise.
In October of 2019, Péter took a 21-hour flight to Lima, Peru, to spend a week with Ale. While waiting at the airport, Ale felt so many emotions wash over her.
“I felt nervous and very happy in a way that I had never felt before,” she shares.
After leaving the airport, the couple shared their first dinner together. Ale and Péter’s conversation flowed, which surprised Péter. He explains, “my Spanish at the time was more 'fresh' than fluent."
Péter and Ale spent half of his stay with her family, whom he found welcoming. They also had plenty of opportunities to spend time alone. During one of those private moments on a beach by the sea, Péter asked Ale is she’d like to be his girlfriend.
“My answer was a big yes!” she recalls.
Before Péter left Peru, he made two promises to Ale. First, that he would return to spend New Year’s Eve with her. Secondly, that he’d learn more Spanish to communicate more fluently.
“He fulfilled both of the promises,” she shares.
Mango juice, no bueno!
Péter returned Peru near the end of December to spend another week with Ale and her family. The couple’s second meeting might have been the death of Péter. The morning after his arrival in Peru, Ale and Péter were enjoying breakfast together at one of their favorite restaurants when Péter went into anaphylactic shock after drinking a lot of mango juice. Luckily, they were able to get to an ER quickly
Ale recounts, “When we arrived at the hospital, Péter couldn't breath normally, he lost his sight, and he was nearly unconsciousness. After getting adrenalin and other medications, he was able to pray with Ale in hospital. We thanked the Lord, the Virgin, and our guardian angels for saving him.”
“It was an unexpected and very serious incident, which showed our compatibility and similar reaction,” he says. “We could move on this little ‘event’ with humor.”
The rest of the week, the couple spent together talking, enjoying each other's company, and spending New Year's Eve together with Ale’s family.
“One big take away is that, of course, a couple needs much time to talk and create intimacy among themselves; however, love is something shared. Spending time with one's family or friends made the whole process of getting to Ale move faster,” he explains
She adds, “It was also more fun to see each other in many different situations and act as a team in a community.”
A move in the right direction...
Ale and Péter felt confident in their feelings for one another. However, they also felt that they needed to be living in the same country to make a final decision. Naturally, they wanted to date and see each other on daily basis in ordinary life. One of them would have to renounce almost everything and move to another continent. The couple discerned that it would make more sense for Ale to move to Hungary.
“One of the wisest and best decision I've ever made,” she says.
At the end of February 2020, Ale arrived in Péter’s country. She moved into an apartment with one of Péter’s best friend's fiancée. Less than a month after her arrival, the Covid crisis began.
“Covid prevented us from going to more social events but helped us to talk and be together more with my family and close friends,” he shares.
A Sailing Proposal!
In April 2020, Péter had plans to propose to Ale. Knowing her love of water, he chose Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe also dubbed the “Hungarian sea," as the venue for his proposal. He made plans to borrow a friend’s sailboat, but he didn’t tell Ale.
“I only told her that I wanted to show her Lake Balaton, as it's getting warmer. After a few hours of walking and picnicking, we ‘accidentally’ ran into a friend who invited us to join him on his sailboat,” Péter shares. “Thanks to the language difference, Ale only understood what I translated. She thought we could sail a bit thanks to a generous friend's offer.”
In the middle of lake at sunset, Péter asked Ale to marry him.
“I don't know who was more nervous me and him. We were both shaking from all of the emotions and nervousness,” she laughs.
And, a beautiful wedding!
Five months late, on September 5th, 2020, the couple married in Budapest. Unfortunately, Ale's family couldn't travel due to the pandemic. Their absence was sad, but Ale still felt joyful because she saw all of the many gifts God had given her.
“My mother-in-law and our friends helped us to make the wedding day very special and unforgettable,” she shares.
After the wedding reception, Ale and Péter honeymooned near the same lake where he proposed to her. The couple says they are happy to begin their “journey together towards heaven.” They are expecting a baby in late summer around the time Pope Francis is expected to make a papal visit to Hungary.
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