Our Story

The faithful leading of the Lord

In March 2019, God began to lay Esther on Jonathan’s heart. Through Bible verses in Ruth and Proverbs 31, he came to the realization that it was God’s will. Hoping it would work out, he then spoke with his parents and, with them in agreement, he spoke to Mr. Staddon in June 2019. After asking Jonathan many questions, Mr. and Mrs. Staddon felt it was a very real possibility and told Esther of Jonathan’s interest in October of 2019.

Esther had always liked Jonathan but didn’t expect anything to come of it. Once, when her Aunt Judy pointed out what a fine young man Jonathan was, Esther agreed but let her aunt know that he was a few years younger than her, and that he probably wouldn’t be interested. Besides, Esther wasn’t sure she wanted to get married at all. Even though she wasn’t sure how her future would work out, she didn’t want security to be her motive for marriage and trusted the Lord would care for her some other way if it wasn’t through a husband. If the Lord did lead her to be married, one thing she knew she wanted was to marry someone who had the gentle understanding and genuine care that she especially noticed in people who had siblings with special needs. Little did Esther know that very important to Jonathan was to marry a girl who loved and appreciated his sibling who had special needs. This is how God used Jonathan’s younger sister, Amy, to play an important role early in Jonathan and Esther’s relationship.

So communication began. Since writing helped them articulate how they felt about important topics, their conversations were primarily over email. Then in June 2020, Jonathan suggested calling on a regular basis. At this point they broke the news to their siblings and asked them to pray that the Lord would reveal His will. Esther was surprised how supportive her siblings were with their votes of confidence that she would be a good wife and how the majority of advice was all the same: let Jonathan lead. After a few months of calls, Jonathan and Esther were both finding it very hard to stay objective and remain neutral enough to hold the relationship with an open hand. By then it was quite obvious to both of them that they were made for each other.

Without knowing that they were both feeling quite sure, Jonathan found an excuse to come for a visit. As the manager of IBLP Canada, he had the responsibility of obtaining a box of IBLP materials from the States. As expensive as shipping was, he thought he might as well get a plane ticket and make the most of his visit by picking up the materials himself . . . at the Staddons.

Flying to West Virginia, to get the package, was an amazing story. Due to COVID, driving was not an option, but the Lord opened and closed doors with miraculous timing. In October 2020, it was legal for Canadian citizens to fly into the US, but not to drive. When Jonathan went to purchase his flight, his credit card failed (the bank couldn’t even figure out why), so he ended up purchasing a different flight. But this was all in God’s perfect plan. Since he didn’t purchase that first flight, he avoided road closures that would have caused him to miss that flight!” There were no issues with the second flight.

The timing of Jonathan’s visit was perfect for Esther as well. Not long before the visit, the week of September 20, the Lord gave her the assurance she had been waiting for that it was His will for her to marry Jonathan. Yes, their their interests, goals, and perspectives lined up, and people who knew them well were very supportive, but most importantly, the Lord was giving a host of special verses including Psalm 84:11, Proverbs 3:27, Matthew 15:28. Besides, it just had that sparkle and peace about it! 

After a creative reception from Esther’s brothers on October 12, Jonathan finally made it through the barriers and was welcomed by Esther and his sister, Elizabeth. Then, just before going inside, a beautiful, triple rainbow appeared over the driveway. The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with Noah never to flood the earth, just as a marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman in the sight of God. A fun reception could be planned, but only God could have given a rainbow at that precise time. On October 16th, God showed Jonathan through Psalms 106, 16 and 76 that he was to ask Esther that week to marry him. On the 18th, he spoke with her parents, proposed that evening, and she said yes!

Jonathan and Esther are both in awe of the faithful leading of the Lord as they waited on Him to direct them through His Word. They look forward to living life together in Sherbrooke, Quebec (where Jonathan works as a computer programer), enjoying the great outdoors, pursuing music and children’s ministry, working with IBLP Canada and continuing to follow their Good Shepherd all the days of their lives.