Elevator Encounter Leads Couple to Love

This only happens in the movies, right?
When Asian American Ray first bumped into the exotically mixed Lynette in August, 2000, they were taking a 20-second elevator ride up to the 17th floor of a hotel in Manila, Philippines while on a medical missionary trip for their respective churches. “I am heading for the pool for a swim, would you like to join me?” Ray recalls of his first meeting with the quarter African, quarter Australian and half
Italian Lynette.

Was it love at first sight? “Actually I was a little oblivious of the love that was developing during the week we met,” Ray recalls. “It wasn’t until the end of our
stay in the Philippines, when we stayed up one night talking, that our onversation
became more intimate and personal. She confided in me about her challenging and trying past and it was then that I realized how much I actually cared for her and how much she meant to me.”

The Christian couple both attribute their very timely unforeseen romantic meeting
from across the world to God’s plan for their lives, and ultimately their common love to serve and care for children. The pair started a long distance relationship between San Francisco and Tokyo where Lynette was attending Rikkyo University. In April 2001 after months of outrageously expensive phone bills, Ray decided he could wait no more. “I sold all my belongings and my car, quit my good job at MCI WorldCom and flew to Tokyo with my entire life packed into four cardboard boxes.”

With tears in her eyes, she replied, “Yes!”
The couple dated for another 18 months during which time Ray returned to San Francisco ‘on business.’ In reality, he went to pick up a customized diamond
engagement ring that he hoped would win Lynette’s heart. On returning to Tokyo, Ray invited Lynette out on a Saturday night. “I rented a jazz bar in Shinjuku, hired a sax player, serenaded her with the song ‘Endless Love,’ got down on bended knee and asked, ‘Will you marry me?’” With tears in her eyes, she replied, “Yes!” and they were married on December 30, 2002 near the beaches of Melbourne, Australia.

High points of their relationship were meeting each other, their beautiful wedding day and traveling the world together. Challenges in their lives have included when Lynette was diagnosed with a potentially life threatening situation, and when work and living in Japan seem to overwhelm their loving relationship.

“We truly believe the best way to overcome difficulties is with honesty and lots of forgiveness,” Lynette says. “We confront troubles together with gentleness and respect, and talk about them in a realistic manner. Difficulties will always come and go in life (and sometimes difficulties can just keep coming), but more important is the manner in which you use to tackle the difficulty.” They believe the
best part about being in an international relationship is being able to choose the best from each of their large selection of experiences, nationalities, customs and cultural heritage.

Ray now works as a Corporate Account Executive at an IT consulting firm in Tokyo while Lynette teaches at a Japanese middle school in the Todoroki area. Their advice to other international couples is, “Try to learn to trust your heart and not your head, because often love does not make any sense, and no matter how cruel and sarcastic the world can be, persevere, do not give up on your dreams for true love, because if you ever do find it in your life, it will be worth the wait!”