Wow... did I just put a ring on that girl's finger?

Yup!  We're engaged!  This is SO cool, and God has been SO faithful through all of it!  I'm so excited for what He is doing through our relationship!

Ok, so you're probably all wondering how we actually got engaged, right?  Well, I poured huge water bottle on the two of us!  Why in the world would I do that you ask?  It's simple.  One word - baptism.  Baptism symbolizes the changing from one life to another, one identity to another, one world to another.  It's part of what we do to symbolize our commitment to Chirst.

You could say that Katya's and my relationship started with a baptism - a threatened baptism.  Once, Katya and I were hanging out with friends and joking around when I, teasingly, threatened to throw her in the big fountain in the middle of town.  She told me that I wouldn't and couldn't do that...  To which I replied that I would.  We went back and forth, and the conversation ended.  Later on, while we were walking by the fountain at night, I picked her up with the intention of throwing her in.  Keep in mind that, at this time, we had no "declared" relationship.  This was very uncharacteristic of me.  Half way through walking from the middle of the courtyard to the fountain, in the midst of screams from her saying "You crazy boy!  David, what are you doing?" I came to my senses and said to myself, "David, this isn't your girlfriend...  What are you doing?"  It was like the Holy Spirit was saying, "Dude... definitely not time for this yet."  I put her down and let her go, to which she said something like, "I told you."

That only provoked me to want to throw her in again...  So, from that night on, I planned that, when we started dating, I would dunk her in the fountain.

That night led to one of our "define the relationship" talks that was very important to us.  We often blame the fountain for bringing us together.  Later, when I actually did ask her to pursue a relationship with me, I asked for her hand and just put it in one of the jets saying that it symbolized the commitment we have.  Often since then, just to put a smile on her face, I have taken her hand, put it in the fountain, and told her "I still like you.  I'm still committed to our relationship."  I still didn't actually baptize her, though...

This whole idea of baptism really is a huge part of the symbolism behind this for us.  9 months later, when I was preparing to propose to her, I planned on actually baptising her in the fountain, asking her to go 100% with me into our life together.  Unfortunately, on the day that I proposed, the fountain wasn't working!!!  The city was having the fountain cleaned.  That didn't matter though!  I had a backup plan!  I bought a huge waterbottle for us to drink while we were walking around town.  However, she didn't know its double-purpose of a portable bapestry.  She and I walked up to the top of the fountain and I took her hands in mine, prayed with her, wrapped my arms around her and asked her in both English and Ukrainian, "Katya, will you follow me? Will you be with me?  Will you marry me?"

Rather than tell you her answer, I would rather show you the look on her face:

I know you can't see the full expression on her face, but you can just see that she's smiling about as big as she ever has in her life...  I don't know that she's ever looked more beautiful to me than she did in this picture.

She told me at first, "How could I say no?"  She then said, "Yes."  She gave me the warmest, sweetest hug and the most innocent, sincere and pure peck on the cheek that I've ever received in my life!  I've never been kissed by "a girl that liked me" before (family members and kindergarten doesn't count in my book), so that was SO unexpected!  She and I still have never been "kissed" (on the mouth, I mean), and we are saving that for our wedding day.  That's one of ways God has shown Himself faithful to the two of us.  He's really kept us pure for each other.

Now, if you noticed and were following the theme from earlier, we're still not wet in that picture.  Well, while we were still in that hug, I reached behind her, grabbed the big water bottle, and poured it all over the both of us, effectively "baptising" us into this new commitment toward marriage for the two of us!  That was so much fun.  I then gave the water bottle to her, and she got me even MORE wet with it!

We're getting married in October this year!  If any of you can come, please contact me ASAP!  If not, we're planning on having some kind of reception in America towards Christmas.  I will keep you all updated here, through Facebook, and through the newsletters.