21 Cartons of Milk and the Boy Under the Tree: How I Met My Husband

As I studied God’s Word, I felt strongly that I was to serve overseas and share His Word with those who needed Him. But there were so many opportunities, which way should I go? As I listened to different speakers and heard about many great things going on, I was drawn to one mission organization. Wycliffe Bible Translators focuses on giving God’s Word to people who have never had His Word in their own language. Since it was through reading His Word that my heart got drawn in, I wanted to help others come to meet Jesus through His Word.

Being a member of Wycliffe meant you had to have a minimum of two full summers of intensive linguistic training at one of Wycliffe’s training schools held at different universities around the country. The closest university to me was Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. So in my junior year I applied to take the courses and was accepted for the first set summer courses. It would be a long drive from southern California to Oklahoma, but I found another applicant who needed a ride and so we drove together. Janet Barnes became my roommate and friend. Janet and I drove straight through, arriving at 3 a.m. when the temperature was 103. We took the last room available—a corner upstairs room in a hot brick building facing the setting sun.

Now Janet happened to be a teacher who taught high school Spanish. One day she called me to come out of our hot dorm room and meet one of her former students. I went out on the upstairs landing in my bathrobe and curlers (!) and saw this young kid sitting under a tree with a tray full of 21 milk cartons. He was an MK (missionary kid) and had been travelling with his parents for a week. When he returned, he picked up the 21 cartons of milk he was owed for his absent meals (children got 3 a day) and took them to drink under a tree.

 

I’m afraid I wasn't too impressed with this young boy who seemed kind of nerdy. Plus he was only 18 and I was two years older and much wiser. If you know me, you probably already have figured out that this young geek was my future husband Bill. While he seemed interested in me, I tried to discourage his interests and so we didn't date that first summer.

Janet writes: "I remember that often you and I would go to the dining hall together, get our trays of food, and then I would spot Bill and suggest that we sit with him. Later on you told me that you really didn't want to sit with him, but I guess you were too polite to tell me that, so we sat with him, which pleased me!" Janet even kept a letter we wrote her of our engagement ... well, kinda told her. I'll be happy to share it with you if you'd like; just ask.

So I focused on my studies of phonetics, phonology, and grammar. Besides having Kenneth Pike (Nobel Peace Prize nominee) for a grammar instructor, I also had a very good phonology teacher named Dow Robinson During this summer I completed the rigorous application to become a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators and was accepted. Oh, by the way, Bill's father, Otis, was the Candidate Secretary for Wycliffe and Bill's mom, Mary, helped with the process, so all memberships went through their office. So really they knew me well before Bill did.

I returned to Biola for my final year to get my BA and to graduate. Though I still had Student Teaching and another semester of course work for my teaching credential, the next summer I headed back to Norman, Oklahoma, for the second summer of linguistic training classes (grammar and phonology).

During this second summer I had a couple informal dates with the geek from the previous summer--cokes or ice cream at local shops--and found him fascinating. When we talked he seemed caring and kind  and less geeky. He knew so many things about everything and he loved the Lord too. He planned to attend Westmont College the next year while I would be student teaching. Then he would be going to UC Berkeley for his final year to complete his math degree. But as I still didn't want to move things forward, we decided we would just write letters ... until the time when I ended up in the hospital in the same city where he was going to school, halfway across the US. But that’s part of the next story.

Wycliffe’s unofficial theme Song: Faith Mighty Faith by Charles Wesley:

Faith mighty faith, the promises sees and looks to God alone
Laughs at impossibilities and shouts “It shall be done!”
And shouts, “It shall, it shall be done. It shall, it shall, it shall be done!”
Laughs at impossibilities and shouts “It shall be done!”

Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”