How I met Bruno

I have a boyfriend! Wow! Finally at the RIPE age of 30 God allowed a man into my life who has passionately and intentionally pursued me and is pursuing me.  His heart and life is the Lord's.  We both believe that God brought us together. 

Many people wonder "How" I met him.

It all started through a dating website. Yup.  Kinda ironic since I tried to meet other guys that way in the past.  Even more ironic was that I wasn't using this certain website "properly." I was on Christian Mingle with a FREE profile/membership.  When it's free you can't message people or do much on the site.  You can see people and send them "smiles," tiny little notes with a smileyface emoticon.  I had had a 6 month membership to E harmony a couple years ago and nothing came of that.  It was all about God's timing and guidance to the person HE had for me. Not me "trying" to make it happen.

I hardly ever went on my Christian Mingle profile but I logged on sometime at the end of October.  I went through all my "smiles" from tons of guys.  A smile will say something like "I noticed you noticing me." or "Your profile brought a smile to my face." I don't know, just little tiny notes to put a lot of "hooks" out into the proverbial sea of available fish. 

I received a smile from a young man with the username "Mantino1." He sent the smile on June 28th and I finally opened it in October.  The smile said "I'd enjoy getting to know you better-interested?"  The young man was from Lynchburg.  I looked through his photos.  It was weird because he looked like a young man from the singles group that I had been attending at an area church.

I did some investigating.  Ok, "facebook stalking"!  I looked through Cam's facebook friends, who is the leader of the singles group.  He was "friends" with a young man named Bruno.  In Bruno's pictures was one picture that was practically the same as one of the profile pictures of Mantino1.   Same angle, straight on head shot with different color backgrounds.  I was like, I think it's the same guy!  I sent Bruno a note, this is what it said:

Hey so this is a weird message. But I'm kinda on Christian Mingle and I got a "smile" from a "Mantino" and he totally looks like you and he's from Lynchburg too. I like never go on Christian Mingle... but got on this evening, I don't have a subscription but have a profile.

Is that you? The question is, are you "Mantino." I go to Radical on Wednesdays and I think I've seen you.

If you are not "Mantino" than totally disregard this message!

thanks, Marie

I waited and he did not respond.  I sent the note on Oct. 22nd.  Wed. the 24th was the next time I'd see him. 

At the end of the Bible study I talked to my friend Donna and was unsure about going up to him and talking.  She encouraged me but also said I didn't have to, I was nervous.  And if he wasn't on the site I'd be even more embarressed.  I think some people think doing dating sites is kinda silly. 

I got my courage up and walked up to Bruno, who was poised with a vacuum cleaner in his hand to clean up after the bible study. (This man has a heart to serve others.)  I asked him about the dating site and he was Mantino!  One thing that was attractive to me right off the bat was that he mentioned that he was in "the word" all the time with his roommate, "...even at the grocery store..." etc.  I was like "yeah!"  My faith is one of the most important things to me.  I WANT a man that the Bible is important to.

When I was talking to him it seemed as if his face was "twinkling."  He seemed attracted to me already and I was like "huh?! this is weird. Why is he already attracted??"  He mentioned going out to coffee sometime.  (We later communicated via FB and set up a day of when to go.)  At the end of the conversation this big guy gave me a side hug.  I remember I was wearing my big geeky college kid glasses, hair back in a pony tail and no make up. 

We met for the first time that night Oct. 24th at a singles bible study over a vacuum cleaner. :) 

A few of the God things. Around the time that Bruno sent me the smile, in June, he was going through some hard times.  It was almost as if God threw out a blessing for the future through that small gesture of a Christian Mingle "smile."  Bruno had had it in his heart to meet me.  He was aware of me at the Bible Study and prayed to meet me.  He had also prayed with a group of believers on Monday the 22nd that he would meet the person God had for him...I walked up to him 2 days later.  He had wanted to meet me... had prayed in that direction and then I walked up to him because of a smile he had sent me about 4 months previously.  Wow!  I see God's fingerprints on the way that Bruno and I met. 

It's amazing to be in a relationship with a Godly man.  One who prays with me and talks things through. One who shows me, through the way he serves me, that he loves me.  I thank God for Bruno Mantino. 

After putting Bruno through a month of being "just friends" he called my dad and asked him if he could court me. Dad said yes!  Bruno and I became "officially official" on November 29th.  I'm thankful that he smiled at me... I found it... that I stalked him on FB then got the courage to go up to him over a vacuum cleaner and asked "are you Mantino?"  In a nutshell that's how I met Bruno!