With the exception of the day Jesus Christ gloriously delivered me, Friday August 10, 2007 was the most incredible day of my life! In the morning Jonathan and I went with Team China to the Great Wall of China. The wall is an incredible accomplishment, but as Jonathan and I were sitting on the edge of the wall it wasn’t the wall we stood in awe of, but rather our majestic and great God. Surrounding us for miles on every side were mountains of surpassing beauty all brought into existence by His powerful word. Sitting there in amazement of His creation the wall and all its greatness faded and we were compelled to worship our Almighty God! How majestic is His name in all the Earth! Jonathan and I sang Almighty Unchangeable God, Creator of it All, and Beautiful Saviour…what an overwhelming time!
After a good lunch, a much needed nap, and time spent getting ready, we were ready for what would become the most awesome date I have ever been on! I was wearing a silk dress I had made while I was in China and Jonathan was wearing an incredible looking Cambodian shirt. He met me at my room door, hugged me, said I looked beautiful, and told me He loved me (no this wasn’t the first time). We took a taxi to a restaurant on a river, where I had the BEST duck in the world. We talked about our families and how each one was amazing and special to us. Specifically we talked about our parents and how precious they are to us. We talked about how God had changed us over the years using them and many others as encouragers and examples for us to follow. We praised God for giving both of us families that love God supremely.
After dinner we walked around the area, stopping at a crowd of people clapping and laughing. As we nudged up toward the front we saw a lady doing some sort of impromptu Chinese music. She pointed at us and said “this one is for the foreigners” (of course she said it in Chinese). So we were serenaded and stared at by a large group of Chinese people; however we have no idea what they were saying about us. As we continued walking we ended up in an alley near the Hutong where Jonathan’s family had stayed while in China. This was a special time where we just talked about what each of us had learned the last few weeks, he in Cambodia and I in Chengdu.
We were walking around the river, when Jonathan suggested that we go on a boat ride…it was a gorgeous night and the sky was clear. My heart was excited with anticipation that maybe he would ask me tonight. I couldn’t be sure, he was acting so normal—not nervous at all. The boat was a wooden boat with red Chinese lanterns hanging on the sides. At the back of the boat was a man rowing a huge wooden paddle…the boat was similar to that of a gondola, but different in shape and structure. We were sitting at the bow of the boat. He put his arm around me with one hand and with the other held my hand tight. He asked me, “Sarah, what would like your epitaph to be? What would you like written on your tombstone?” (Some of you might think this an odd question, but if you know Jonathan or I very well, you know that these are normal conversations for us). I wasn’t sure, so as I was thinking He said, “…like would you want it to say ‘she loved God’ or ‘she knew God.’” I thought for a second and said, “No, I don’t think I would want either of those. I think I would want it to say, ‘she knew God loved her.’ I felt that this would be the greatest thing b/c only then could I love God and fulfill my purpose, which is to know Him and to make Him know. Jonathan talked to me about how important it is for us to know and love God supremely b/c only then could we truly love each other. When I asked Jonathan the same question, he said that he would like it to read, “God was willing to use him.” He spent time talking about our relationship and its purpose…He quoted and talked through Isaiah 43, our relationship was ordained by God “For My glory.” We were not together for our own hopes, dreams, and fulfillment, but rather for His Glory and exaltation in our lives and the nations.
Jonathan told me how deep his love was for me and how He was overwhelmed with the chance to love me as Christ loves the church. My heart was so full at that moment…I trust Jonathan through Christ more than any other earthy person. All my life there was no earthly person I trusted more or respected more than my dad…until I met Jonathan. Next Jonathan said, “Sarah Ice…” I knew right then when he said my full name that he was going to ask me. And sure enough I heard…“Will you marry me?” I became so overwhelmed with emotion that I could hardly breath…I began to cry so hard that I could not speak… for a few minutes I just cried…my mind kept saying, “Is this really happening?; Is God really giving this gift?; How could I deserve such a gift?” And knowing that I could never deserve such a gift as Jonathan, my whole body was in awe of the moment before me! Finally, I was able to speak and my answer was, “It would be a privilege!” That is what my heart felt most…to serve him, love him, follow him…what an incredible privilege!! After that he prayed and committed our relationship to the Lord and praised Him for His goodness to us as unworthy souls for His love and work. Jonathan reached down and told me he had a gift for me. Then he pulled out my ring. The inscription on the top side of the ring is “For My glory” and the inside is “Jonathan and Sarah.” This ring is the most precious possession I have ever received. A symbol of the love God has given us and of our purpose in that love. My heart is so full of love for Jonathan Wesley Farmer that that night I thought I was going to explode. We finished the evening sitting by the river and talking. A perfect evening!! We got back to the hotel around 11:45pm and called our families. We worship God for giving us a wonderful time together and praise Him for His mercy freely given to us through Jesus.
~ Sarah Ice
