A Love Story

1999- I kept in touch with Summer's brothers throughout that year, and the next summer, after a conference in Tennessee, it worked out to come for a few days to help with a barn they were building on their new property. Jesse and I both were there that year. It was an awesome time and Summer stood out again as such a precious girl. It was hard to leave knowing it would be another whole year before any possibility of seeing each other again.

Each time I would meet someone else or wonder what God was doing, Summer would always come to mind. I didn't know if Summer could ever love me. I seemed so ordinary and she was so amazing. Sometimes I would try to dismiss it as in impossibility, but I could never forget her. I got tangled up in another emotional relationship toward the end of that year, and it was a time of much turmoil in my life. There was no peace in that time.

2000- I came back to Georgia the following summer, at the tail end of that relationship. I was so struck again by the young woman that Summer was, it added to the turmoil I was in. Awesome memories again from the time that year spent with the family, and again it was very difficult to say goodbye for another whole year.

2001- The following year it worked again for Jesse and I both to go down to Georgia. As much as it seemed to work out for us to go every year, there was more to the story. About every April, as time would get close to when we would normally visit, I would get excited about seeing Summer again, but nothing would work out for us to be able to go. It wasn't until, each year, that I would get on my knees and give to God my desire to see her or build any kind of a relationship with her, that God would bring things together in amazing ways.

That year was a special year. We had lots of fun times and special memories. I wrote Summer a letter that year, encouraging her in her walk with the Lord. She had shared with me about some spiritual struggles, so I wrote a letter with many verses that had been especailly meaningful to me. That year was harder than the previous to say goodbye.

That fall, Summer went to College in Michigan.

2002 - It worked out again to go to Georgia in late May. It was so great to see Summer again. This time I was wrestling more than ever trying to keep hidden how I felt about her. So many special memories from that time, though.

Our family was taking a trip to see our relatives in Michigan that summer. It so happened that our cousins lived just 20 minutes from Verity College, where Summer was attending. I could hardly believe that it would work out for my ENTIRE family to meet this very special girl. I wondered what God was up to. Our family got permission from her father to take her off campus for the weekend. It was so much fun to see her again and all my relatives just loved her. We said goodbye in a down pour as I hugged her and we again were separated by the miles. That was hard. So many times when we said goodbye, we didn't know if we would ever see each other again.

2003 - As May rolled around again, it became evident that it would not work to travel to Georgia this year. Summer graduated from College with her Bachelors in Music. I helped lead two mission trips to Mexico and many other events over the summer. Just prior to the second mission trip, I felt that God was starting to say that it was time to begin closing this chapter of singlenss. Upon returning home, I prayed a lot and talked to my father. I eventually worked up what I was going to say and then dialed Pastor Bob's number into my cell phone. I thought that after a few phone conversations with him, I would be able to come for a visit. God had a different idea. Phone interviews and conversations went on from late September into the winter months.

2004 - Phone conversations with Pastor Bob continued into the spring, then the summer. It was a hard time of waiting and a time of testing. As fall rolled around, I suggested that my sister, Sarah, have Summer play for her wedding in December. Miraculously, arrangements were made. We had not seen each other for TWO YEARS and it had been about 15 months since I began talking to her father. It was incredible to see her again and there was no awkwardness. It almost seemed we had never been apart. Toward the end of her brief stay, she said that we needed to find some time to talk. We did after the wedding. This is the first time we had ever talked about a/our relationship. I didn't know what to expect. As we sat down on the couch and began to talk, she said that I should just find someone else and move on, and she would just be single. She knew that I was in contact with her father and she felt bad that I had to wait so long. I told her that if there was someone else in her life, I would do what she wanted, but otherwise I would wait my whole life for her. That was the night that I found out that she loved me. As we sat there, she opened up treasures from her heart, long hidden... memories, responses, thoughts, emotions... from all the years past, and I got a glimpse of a love that I never knew could run so deep. The following evening, we had to say another dreaded "goodbye", but God gave a peace.

2005 - As I was in contact with Pastor Bob again in the new year, things were still much the same - waiting, seeking direction. I helped lead another mission trip to Brazil in February. Prior to this trip, I felt like God brought me to a place of surrender to whatever His will was. As much as I loved Summer and felt that God was leading our lives together, I wanted His will, whatever it was, more than anything. Following Brazil, I continued to seek to have this surrender, but as May came, God seemed to be leading one step further. He was leading me to die to it. This was VERY difficult and I wrestled with it for a time. God brought to mind the picture of Abraham. Abraham was surrendered and obedient to God the whole way up the mountain with his son, Isaac, but it reached a very real climax when he had to raise the knife on his son. I felt I was surrendered, but God was calling me to raise the knife on this - to die to it - by faith in Him. I sadly wrote emails to Summer, her father, and her mother. I had tears streaming down my face as I pushed "send" and watched those three emails go out. I almost had the feeling that she had died that night. I didn't know what God would do, but I knew this is what He had called me to. There was not much response to my emails. It was very difficult for Summer, but there was nothing we could do. Two months of silence passed and it seemed things were very over. Then toward the end of July, God brought about a miraculous change . Through a series of events, her father felt led to allow the beginning of a relationship. When Summer called me with that news, I felt like I was in shock. It took a few days for the reality to set in. It had felt so over. It did not take long to fall in love all over again. We always loved each other, from the first day we met, but through the long years of waiting, the love turned more into a committed, time-tested love. The flame of passionate love quickly re-ignited. Free night and weekend cell phone minutes were used extensively to catch up on a long waited relationship. Later in August, I surprised her at her friend, Brenda's wedding in California, then again at her home over Labor Day. She then surprised me with my awesome friend, Eric, in Oregon. At that time she came for two weeks in which she was able to experience the youth ministry, the church and a little bit of life in Washington.

As our relationship grew through the fall, it was so exciting to begin to see more and more each day how specifically God had created us for each other. Even as our time of formal communication and relationship had been just 4-5 months, yet we felt that we had really been in love for seven years and it has grown so strong through that time.

I asked her father about engagement. He expressed a desire to personally receive direction from God from His Word in this big step. We continued communicating, waiting, and praying.

In December, I bought a ring hoping that it may happen soon and wanting to be prepared when the time came.

The story is continued in our engagement story...

The Story Of Our Engagement
Some may have thought that it would never happen.... = ) We are so excited to announce that we are engaged!! Here is the story of our engagement. Below it is the story of God's faithfulness in how He brought our lives together. It's really a testimony to a living God Who did miracles along the way.
His Story		Her Story
On Thursday, December 22nd, Pastor Bob called to give me an early Christmas present. He said that God had confirmed to him through some verses in His Word that this was His will, and he gave permission for Summer and I to be engaged. He said that he hadn't told Summer, so it could be a surprise. That was one of the best Christmas presents! The next two days were CRAZY!!!! The College Christmas Party... final Christmas shopping... packing for going out of town... AND planning and arranging things for a special engagement. On Saturday morning, I finalized what engagement ring I wanted to give her, hired a limo, reserved a nice restaurant, and finalized other plans and details. I finished my Christmas shopping that afternoon, arriving back home just in time for family pictures, and the Christmas Eve service. After a late night Christmas Eve packing, the next morning I left early for the airport. I arrived in Atlanta at 6:15pm. I met Summer there with her brothers, Zane, Isaac and Caleb, and sister, Autumn. I was in a suit and everyone was dressed nice because we were going to do "a nice Christmas dinner". After getting my luggage, her brothers and sisters started for the car while Summer and I went down to another area to "check on restaurant info". A limo was waiting there, which was a fun surprise, but she still just thought it was nothing more than a Christmas surprise. We had a fun 30 min drive to downtown Olympic Centennial Park which was a lit up with Christmas lights and trees. We got out there and walked through the park. On the other side of the park was the CNN building. On the third floor was a very nice restaurant called the Prime Meridian. We walked over there and up to the restaurant. We had reservations for a table by the window overlooking downtown and the lit up park. Summer was still enjoying her "Christmas surprise". After we were seated, talked for a while, and ordered, I pulled out a journal that Summer had given me a while back, and told her that I had written a poem on the flight over. I began to read it to her. It was kinda long, but as a began to read, violin music began to be heard and got stronger as the poem went on. It was Summer's sister, Autumn, who I had asked to play violin at the restaurant. Summer was suddenly now very aware of what was about to happen. As the poem finished with these lines, "And so I ask with all my love and now on bended knee, Summer Marie Brown, will you marry me?" I found myself on one knee in front of the I love so much, tears running down her face, as I held out the ring. We hugged, the restaurant clapped, Zane snapped some pictures, and Autumn continued to play. Summer told me that she loved me...that the ring was beautiful...etc...etc.. After a while I asked, "So?" She looked confused. "What's your answer?" I said, teasing her. "You never told me if you would or not?" She smiled and as we hugged, she said, "Yes!" After a while, we got up and thanked Autumn and Zane and took a few quick pictures. Then we went back to our table and had a nice dinner, my Fiance and I. (crazy!!)		I was so looking forward to Christmas this year because it was my first Christmas with Luke. We picked him up at the airport on Christmas Day. Luke had suggested going out to eat but I couldn't find anything open in Atlanta on Christmas Day. When Luke asked me about it while picking up his luggage I said I wasn't able to find anything. Luke said that there was an information desk where transportation was, so while Zane took the luggage to the car we went in search of info about restaurants, or so I thought. Actually, Luke only needed an excuse to get me outside to where the limo was waiting. For some s, a limo would be a sure sign of a proposal but Luke is very creative and when he said this was a way to make our first Christmas together special, I really believed him. The main reason I didn't expect anything was the fact that my dad still had not given us permission to get married. I didn't realize that my dad had called Luke earlier that week and given him permission to ask me to marry him. We went downtown Atlanta to Centennial Park with all the Christmas lights and then he took me to the Prime Meridian restaurant with floor to ceiling windows, giving us an awesome view of Atlanta. After ordering Luke told me he had written me a poem. I told him to read it to me since we were waiting on our food. It was very special, as he read to me about our "journey" down the path of love. It was only when I heard a violin (Autumn)beginning to play Josh Groban's "When You Say You Love Me", did I realize what was about to happen. I didn't hear anything else that Luke read but I did see him get on his knees and hold out a beautiful ring!I could barely see it because of the tears in my eyes. I am overwhelmed that such a godly, wonderful man would ask my hand in marriage. You can only guess what my answer was! Our relationship has been full of waiting for God's timing. I now look back and see how the waiting has made every special moment and memory so much sweeter. We have not set a wedding date but that does not bother me, because the God who had lead us this far is still holding our hand!
That's the story. It was a very memorable and special Christmas Day. Thank you to SO VERY MANY of you who have prayed so much for us through these months and years!! God is good!

A Story Of Love
For years I had this website and since the beginning it has had a page called the "My friend" Page. It seemed like it was one of the most popular pages for people the visited the site. There was a certain bit of curiosity to see a link titled "My friend". On that page, I talked about a faith that I had in God to bring the one that He had for me, in His time, and His way. I talked about a commitment to focusing on what He had given me to do until that time. I shared a bit of what some might call "courtship" and my desire most of all to be all that I could be for God. If you want to visit that page, click here.... "My friend Page" Well, God has begun to bring a close to the single years, and open a new chapter of life. In His faithfulness, He has been writing a love story between two lives. We are excited to share it.
	Lucas Long Arlington, Washington and Summer Brown Macon, Georgia
Now, you may be asking a question... How did you meet each other? You live in opposite corners of the country! Here starts a story. It begins back in 1998. Luke was on a Travelling Ministry Team with the ALERT program (Air Land Emergeny Resource Teams). The team was travelling doing ministry projects, singing in churches, and putting on father/son camps. One of the churches that the team visited was Covenant Baptist Church in Milledgeville, Georgia. They came to work at the church for the week doing some projects to a low income house, putting on a Father/Son camp over the weekend and singing in the church on Sunday.
His Story		Her Story
1998- During the week there I met the Brown's 18 year old daughter named, Summer. Although we had very limited and very brief interactions, she stood out to me as a young woman of much character and beauty inward and outward. I was amazed at how much we had in common as well - both the oldest, from large families, with a father as a Pastor, homeschooled in the ATI program, playing the piano for church, loving working with children and youth, etc. God was also using this time on the team to break my of my pride and He chose this very week to have the final blow. Some team conflict climaxed to a point of decision, whether to allow God to do a breaking and humbling in my heart or to leave the team. If I would have left the team, I would have had no idea the blessings lost. As we pulled away from a week there, I remember driving through the night in a noisy jeep and writing in my journal. I wrote about something new. God was doing a new thing in my walk with Him, but I also remember writing about Summer. I wrote that I didn't know who God had in mind for me to eventually marry but to this point, she was the most likely person I had ever met.
1999- I kept in touch with Summer's brothers throughout that year, and the next summer, after a conference in Tennessee, it worked out to come for a few days to help with a barn they were building on their new property. Jesse and I both were there that year. It was an awesome time and Summer stood out again as such a precious girl. It was hard to leave knowing it would be another whole year before any possibility of seeing each other again. Each time I would meet someone else or wonder what God was doing, Summer would always come to mind. I didn't know if Summer could ever love me. I seemed so ordinary and she was so amazing. Sometimes I would try to dismiss it as in impossibility, but I could never forget her. I got tangled up in another emotional relationship toward the end of that year, and it was a time of much turmoil in my life. There was no peace in that time. 2000- I came back to Georgia the following summer, at the tail end of that relationship. I was so struck again by the young woman that Summer was, it added to the turmoil I was in. Awesome memories again from the time that year spent with the family, and again it was very difficult to say goodbye for another whole year. 2001- The following year it worked again for Jesse and I both to go down to Georgia. As much as it seemed to work out for us to go every year, there was more to the story. About every April, as time would get close to when we would normally visit, I would get excited about seeing Summer again, but nothing would work out for us to be able to go. It wasn't until, each year, that I would get on my knees and give to God my desire to see her or build any kind of a relationship with her, that God would bring things together in amazing ways. That year was a special year. We had lots of fun times and special memories. I wrote Summer a letter that year, encouraging her in her walk with the Lord. She had shared with me about some spiritual struggles, so I wrote a letter with many verses that had been especailly meaningful to me. That year was harder than the previous to say goodbye. That fall, Summer went to College in Michigan. 2002 - It worked out again to go to Georgia in late May. It was so great to see Summer again. This time I was wrestling more than ever trying to keep hidden how I felt about her. So many special memories from that time, though. Our family was taking a trip to see our relatives in Michigan that summer. It so happened that our cousins lived just 20 minutes from Verity College, where Summer was attending. I could hardly believe that it would work out for my ENTIRE family to meet this very special girl. I wondered what God was up to. Our family got permission from her father to take her off campus for the weekend. It was so much fun to see her again and all my relatives just loved her. We said goodbye in a down pour as I hugged her and we again were separated by the miles. That was hard. So many times when we said goodbye, we didn't know if we would ever see each other again. 2003 - As May rolled around again, it became evident that it would not work to travel to Georgia this year. Summer graduated from College with her Bachelors in Music. I helped lead two mission trips to Mexico and many other events over the summer. Just prior to the second mission trip, I felt that God was starting to say that it was time to begin closing this chapter of singlenss. Upon returning home, I prayed a lot and talked to my father. I eventually worked up what I was going to say and then dialed Pastor Bob's number into my cell phone. I thought that after a few phone conversations with him, I would be able to come for a visit. God had a different idea. Phone interviews and conversations went on from late September into the winter months. 2004 - Phone conversations with Pastor Bob continued into the spring, then the summer. It was a hard time of waiting and a time of testing. As fall rolled around, I suggested that my sister, Sarah, have Summer play for her wedding in December. Miraculously, arrangements were made. We had not seen each other for TWO YEARS and it had been about 15 months since I began talking to her father. It was incredible to see her again and there was no awkwardness. It almost seemed we had never been apart. Toward the end of her brief stay, she said that we needed to find some time to talk. We did after the wedding. This is the first time we had ever talked about a/our relationship. I didn't know what to expect. As we sat down on the couch and began to talk, she said that I should just find someone else and move on, and she would just be single. She knew that I was in contact with her father and she felt bad that I had to wait so long. I told her that if there was someone else in her life, I would do what she wanted, but otherwise I would wait my whole life for her. That was the night that I found out that she loved me. As we sat there, she opened up treasures from her heart, long hidden... memories, responses, thoughts, emotions... from all the years past, and I got a glimpse of a love that I never knew could run so deep. The following evening, we had to say another dreaded "goodbye", but God gave a peace. 2005 - As I was in contact with Pastor Bob again in the new year, things were still much the same - waiting, seeking direction. I helped lead another mission trip to Brazil in February. Prior to this trip, I felt like God brought me to a place of surrender to whatever His will was. As much as I loved Summer and felt that God was leading our lives together, I wanted His will, whatever it was, more than anything. Following Brazil, I continued to seek to have this surrender, but as May came, God seemed to be leading one step further. He was leading me to die to it. This was VERY difficult and I wrestled with it for a time. God brought to mind the picture of Abraham. Abraham was surrendered and obedient to God the whole way up the mountain with his son, Isaac, but it reached a very real climax when he had to raise the knife on his son. I felt I was surrendered, but God was calling me to raise the knife on this - to die to it - by faith in Him. I sadly wrote emails to Summer, her father, and her mother. I had tears streaming down my face as I pushed "send" and watched those three emails go out. I almost had the feeling that she had died that night. I didn't know what God would do, but I knew this is what He had called me to. There was not much response to my emails. It was very difficult for Summer, but there was nothing we could do. Two months of silence passed and it seemed things were very over. Then toward the end of July, God brought about a miraculous change . Through a series of events, her father felt led to allow the beginning of a relationship. When Summer called me with that news, I felt like I was in shock. It took a few days for the reality to set in. It had felt so over. It did not take long to fall in love all over again. We always loved each other, from the first day we met, but through the long years of waiting, the love turned more into a committed, time-tested love. The flame of passionate love quickly re-ignited. Free night and weekend cell phone minutes were used extensively to catch up on a long waited relationship. Later in August, I surprised her at her friend, Brenda's wedding in California, then again at her home over Labor Day. She then surprised me with my awesome friend, Eric, in Oregon. At that time she came for two weeks in which she was able to experience the youth ministry, the church and a little bit of life in Washington. As our relationship grew through the fall, it was so exciting to begin to see more and more each day how specifically God had created us for each other. Even as our time of formal communication and relationship had been just 4-5 months, yet we felt that we had really been in love for seven years and it has grown so strong through that time. I asked her father about engagement. He expressed a desire to personally receive direction from God from His Word in this big step. We continued communicating, waiting, and praying. In December, I bought a ring hoping that it may happen soon and wanting to be prepared when the time came. The story is continued in our engagement story...