This section is a rewrite of what was originally the complete ProvidoGaylor website. In the original version, I told our story with a bit of a fairy tale perspective...

... but just a little over a year from the time that Jennifer came to America I reflected on the possibility that the original telling of our story might unnecessarily lead some other folks into unrealistic hopes for a fairy tale intercontinental romance of their own. So with that said... if you have some time before going on the the "picture story" of my first experience traveling abroad... please take a couple of minutes and read below.

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My name is Rod Gaylor, and until June, 2002, I had never been any farther from the United States than Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But, as you can tell from the page title above, that was all about to change just a few short years ago.

Some time back in 2001, I filled out an online form and posted a personal profile on the internet. While I was getting a number of responses from women several years older than me, I did not actually hear from anyone I was interested in until November of that year. That was when I met my wife, Jennifer, and her family, after they sent me an email that I later found out was basically a collaborative family effort.

This is the first picture that I ever saw of Jennifer. It was included in an online profile her brother had created for her in the same community where mine was posted. And if I am to be completely honest with you, I also have to tell you that the very first time I saw it I pretty much decided that I would marry her some day, if at all possible.

Since you already know that she is my wife... and since we have this little website that shares our ongoing adventures with you... that might sound like either a "romantic revelation" or a pleasant little "nostalgic memory".

But it is neither of those two things, I assure you.

In fact, it is an admission on my part of an impulsive and strong willed nature that has run very deep in my character for as long as I can remember. Looking back now at everything that has happened in the process of Jennifer and me becoming husband and wife... and us coming to the place where today we can truly say to you that we are two people very much in love... I have to tell you that it is only by the grace of God Almighty that I did not make one of the biggest mistakes of my life because of the way I pursued this beautiful woman from the far side of the planet.

In my blind determination to have her, I could very easily have ended up with someone who might have made my life a living hell. What's even worse is the fact that I could have married someone whose own life would then have been made miserable by her leaving her family 10,000 miles behind to come to America just to be with me. Thankfully, even though both of us certainly have our shortcomings, we do both share a very deep-seated and basic heart for the Lord. I have to believe that that is all that has saved us both from a total disaster.

God is true to His Word, and He does in fact make all things work together for good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose. While neither one of us is a living picture of saintliness, Jennifer is still quite honestly an absolute Godsend for me. And I cannot imagine anyone else ever filling the place she now holds in my life and in my heart.

This section of our website, Philippines - 2002, is a replacement for the original website that I had created shortly after coming back from the Philippines where I met Jennifer for the first time face to face. The original pages painted an incredibly rosy picture of a Filipino-American romance story that was the stuff of near fairytale proportion. I suppose I told the story a little more as I wanted it to be, rather than as it really was. I won't go into any details to describe what that means right now, and I hope that you will not waste too much time and effort trying to figure it out either. Because believe me, you will never! hehehe

Anyway... I have had to do some real soul searching and personal confession lately, and I now find myself concerned that all my previous grand storytelling might somehow lend undue encouragement to another couple, or couples, somewhere out there in the world. Even though Jennifer and I are blessed to have found each other, in spite of the mistakes we all made along the way, neither one of us wants to have any part in leading someone else astray through any inspiration they might gain from our story.

So then, having said all that, here is our best advice to anyone who finds themselves in a  relationship, or even thinking about becoming involved in a relationship, that might lead to marriage at some point in the future:

1) Take the time to be completely sure you really know who it is you are choosing for a lifetime partner.

2) Don't discount any warning signals, and ask questions about anything and everything that gives you a reason for suspicions of any kind whatsoever.

3) The single most important thing you can do for yourself, and for the one you think you are falling in love with, is to be absolutely certain that neither one is running headlong into a lifetime commitment with an "image" of the other person that they have really only created for themselves in their own mind.

4) Whether you take our advice or not, if you do find yourself married to that person you absolutely could not live without, just remember that now you cannot ever live without them! Till death do us part means just what it says!!

5) This one is kind of personal for me, but if you are an American and you are pursuing an international relationship with a woman from any other country, such as the Philippines, where just getting out of the country can sometimes be more important than "being in love" with the person who brings you out, you had better be sure you are prepared to stick with her for the long haul, or you should just get out of it all right now.

I love the Philippines with all my heart, and so does my beloved wife Jennifer. But loving it and living there are two completely different things, and far too many girls and young women are willing to do just about whatever it takes to leave the home they love. On the other hand, if you can handle waiting for your beautiful wife to fall in love with you after she has been here long enough to settle in and really make this place her home, then you will very likely never regret your decision. Jennifer did not truly love me when she landed in South Florida in 2002. But that has since changed, and I can honestly tell you that I am fully experiencing Proverbs 18:22 in my life today!

"Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD."

Thank you for taking the time to read my little "setting the record straight". May God abundantly bless you and yours!

Sincerely,
Rod L Gaylor