The saying is true- love knows no bounds or in this case no borders! Meet our Warming Hearts Winners Cara & Marty. Here’s their story: Cara and I met on a Christian dating website before the pandemic started, and hit it off right away when we met for our first date just across the border in White Rock, BC. I live in Mount Vernon, WA while Cara lives in Vancouver, BC. At that time, it was easy enough to go back and forth across the border and distance didn’t seem to be a factor in our relationship. In January 2020, right as the pandemic was starting, Cara left for a trip to Bangladesh where she returned to volunteer in a nursing school she had previously visited in 2007 and 2013. We were apart for a month; despite the relative newness of our relationship, we had already formed a strong bond and that time seemed like so long to be away from each other. We had no idea what was coming. One of our most memorable dates was just before the pandemic was declared and it was the comedy night hosted by 106.5 at Willingdon Church. I heard about it through the radio station and thought it would be perfect. We had such a wonderful time. That was our first and last “get dressed up” date night.
As the pandemic was starting, the border closed but we still communicated daily via video chat and texting. Eventually, we were able to meet at Peace Arch Park or another section of the border where we could talk across a ditch north of Lynden with Cara on the Canadian side and me on the American side. As the pandemic border restrictions continued, these “ditch dates” started to feel normal for us. Even with the distance and uncertainty, it became obvious that we had found something special in each other that we weren’t going to give up on.
During the pandemic, Cara worked hard as a nurse and I was adjusting to helping home school my kids and teaching remotely.
On August 7th 2020, I asked Cara to marry me at one of our “ditch dates”. We were married at Peace Arch Park on December 18th 2020 with a simple ceremony and just a few family members present because of the restrictions at the time. We then started house hunting in a crazy market and finally found a fixer-upper in Mount Vernon after several months of searching and lots of prayer.
We just celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary and are happy to say that we are expecting a baby in June this year – thanks to lots of prayers! The day after Valentine’s day this year we will be at the ultrasound for our child.
We both enjoy listening to PRAISE 106.5 on our way to work and back and forth from the border. We can both listen to PRAISE 106.5 at the same time no matter which country we are in. It feels very uniting since it’s available in both of our countries. Faith is what brought us together. Our relationship with God is our rock and is what has gotten us through these challenging times.
– Cara & Marty
Thank you to everyone who submitted their love story and special thanks to our sponsor Craft Stove for helping us celebrate love!
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