I met this man in Italy…

It has been such a long time since I have written a blog post but my recent trip to Italy has given me a burst of inspiration. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to point glory to my Father in heaven for the wonders of His hands.



My cousin Princess! Love this chick!

Firstly, let me say that one of my closest cousins (Princess Major) practically made it possible for me to take a wonderful trip to Italy. I’m forever thankful for the love that she has demonstrated to me, I owe this girl 1 million euros! Lol Seriously, nothing moves the heart like the love demonstrated in sacrifice. Sacrificial love is the foundation of God’s love for humanity so to see it human-to-human is like a piece of heaven. Thanks P! Love ya girl!

So…on to the story à

Last Wednesday my cousin and I departed for Milan, Italy for an exciting adventure (and what an adventure it was)! I’m going to save the details of the trip for another post to prevent this post from being exhausting. The main point of this post is to tell about the amazing man that I met in Milano, Italia. I spent Thursday and Friday in Milan exploring the city, tasting the food, shopping, sightseeing, etc. On Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and flew to Rome for a day (which was a GREAT time!) to do some sightseeing. The Roman experience was amazing; seeing that much history at one time was absolutely breath-taking! On Sunday morning we flew back to Milan. Upon arriving we checked into the fabulous Park Hyatt Milan, located just minutes from the number one tourist attraction in Milan, Italy, The Duomo di Milan (or the Milan Cathedral in English).

The Duomo di Milan

NOTE (About Duomo): The Duomo is the 5^th largest cathedral in the world and took nearly 6 centuries to complete (construction began in 1386 and was completed in 1805). This place is a BIG deal in Milan. It is guarded by military and visitors must adhere to specific rules and regulations to enter.

 

As the hotel receptionist walked us through our room she mentioned that there were flowers waiting for me on the table. I looked over to find a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers (my favorite) and to my amazement they were from my love! I was absolutely blown away that he had found a way to send me flowers all the way in Italia! It made my heart melt that he had been so thoughtful and intentional. It was extra special because just the night before, while riding a crowded train to my hotel in Rome, someone picked my pockets and took ALL of my euros (now I must admit, though I was being careful, It was unwise of me to have all of my money in one location). When I realize that my money was stolen I had an unusual and overwhelming sense of peace. I told my cousin that

The most beautiful sunflowers ever!
Rick had them waiting at my hotel in
Milan upon my arrival! xo

I felt like the Lord was very close to me and was telling me “It’s ok daughter. I am not caught off guard, I knew this would happen. I gave you the money in the first place and I only allowed for your money to get stolen for my glory. This is for my glory! I will give you the money back, plus more. You are my daughter, my prized possession and I have you in the palm of my powerful right hand”. I felt so close to God at that moment! I had so much joy in my relationship with God. I was reminded that the world can take everything away from me, even down to my life, but they cannot take away my joy in Christ and my relationship with the one true God. My spirit was on fire within me. I was also reminded of my purpose; my call to help others experience relationship with Christ so that they could experience the joy that does not depart. While I live, God is with and for me so no matter what circumstances occur, I am taken care of; and if my very life is taken, I still win because I will be with God, my Lord, my savior, and the lover of my soul. It is a WIN no matter what happens. Anywho, I say all that to say that the flowers from my Boo Bear was a pleasant surprise and even more meaningful considering the circumstances of the day prior.

After checking in, my cousin kept talking about the Duomo and wanting to go to the top to take pictures (even though she is deathly afraid of heights! LOL) so we decided to go up and do just that. At the top of the Duomo you can overlook the entire city of Milan. You take an elevator up but to get to the very top you have to go up about 20 steps. So, we rode the elevator up and just before we got to the steps P said that she was scared to go up but asked me to go and capture pictures for her. I refused to go without her so we left and went back to the room to get ready for dinner. As we were walking back out to find a place for dinner I noticed this guy that looked just like my love; then I noticed that he was looking at me, and smiling at me; then I realized that IT WAS HIM!! You can imagine my confusion! As far as I knew, he should have been in Atlanta, preaching at His friend’s church (I had been praying for him all morning that he would deliver the word with clarity! Ha!).

So romantic!

I asked question after question about why He was in Italy, how long he had been there, and how he got there, just trying to make sense of what I was experiencing (none of which he answered). We walked back to the Duomo (me still in a totally confused and shocked state) and took the elevator up; Princess was behind us capturing pictures. As we got to the steps and went to the very top I noticed that Rick seemed to know all of the security guards in the entire Duomo (also confusing for me).

This is when my life changed forever…

He lead me to the platform at the very top of the cathedral (which security had cleared off for his use) and shared with me how much he loved me, how much joy that I’ve brought into his life, how this was the biggest moment in his 30 years of life, how I was his best friend and his rib, how God had planned for us to be together

The most beautiful ring I've ever seen! My
love did an excellent job! Feminine and
classic with a vintage feel! Inscribe on the
inside is Songs of Solomon 4:9-
"You have captivated my heart, my
bride; you have captivated my
heart with one glance of your
eyes, with one jewel of your necklace."

since before the foundation of the earth (and many other things that I didn’t remembered because of my shock. I had Rick to tell me what he said again later LOL), and he got on one knee, presented me with the most gorgeous ring that I have ever seen in my life, and asked if I would be his wife. As I exclaimed a tear-filled YES, I had to express thanks to God who gave me a wonderful man, who protected us until the point that we met on January 12, 2012 (we met as I was leading a LifeGroup bible study at my house. It was the first session that I hosted and I was nervous. He literally knocked on my door the first time we met; it's amazing knowing that God had already planned this moment even then), who guided us into relationship on April 14, 2013 (after Rick called me and asked me to fast and pray with him about the direction of our friendship), and who graced us on Sunday, October 27, 2013 to publicly declare our love and commitment to one another. After the proposal the Italians who were on the top  

side view of my ring- Tacori makes the most
feminine and beautiful rings!

of the cathedral with us began to cheer and sing a cultural song of celebration to us; it was absolutely beautiful!

  
 


I am forever thankful for Rick’s heart for me, for his love and respect of me. I’m thankful for his commitment to God and his commitment to love me as God desires. I’m so blessed to be able to marry my soul mate, my best friend, and the man that God created just for me. Meeting him and being in relationship with him makes my life make so much sense. Every experience and every piece of the story of Kristin Major has been shaping me for him. I am a better woman because of his love. I look forward to being his wife, his helper, to serving and loving him, and to helping him achieve everything that God desires for his life to accomplish. Rick is the best man that I’ve ever met in my life (not to include my wonderful father, brothers, and uncles; that's a totally different vantage point); I respect and admire him tremendously. And next year, I look forward to committing to him in Holy Matrimony.

I met Rick soon after making a decision to get off of the fence (living for God part-time and living according to my own desires and volition part-time) and give God 100%; to put all of my eggs in His basket. At that point, God exceeded my every expectation with Rick and gave me a true treasure in him.

I met this man in Italy, and He made my dreams come true.

The day after our engagement, in front of the Duomo di Milan; where it all went down!

If I could tell you one thing it would be to give your life completely to God. His sole purpose of creating you was to bless you and love you; He wants to give you the desires of your heart (once you allow for His desires to become your desires). The common misconception is that God wants to give you something that you don’t want, that maybe he wants to make your life miserable and boring. But I am here to proclaim that the adverse is true! He LOVES you and wants to give you the best that He has to offer. God told me in 2011 that He wanted to use my life to prove “God’s way does STILL work”. And I can truly say that I am a living testimony of that truth. I haven't had to disrespect my savior or my body, I haven't had to compromise in anyway, I haven't been restricted from being who God created me to be. There is freedom in true love. Rick esteems me and protects me not only physically but also spiritually (by not asking me to or allowing me to compromise). I know that this love can only be produced by God.

I pray that my story encourages you to trust God more, to experience real relationship with Him (not merely church, but real relationship with the living God). May God bless each of you and keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you!

Here we go...Team Fields!

The beginning of the sweetest story ever told. Rick and Kris

With love,

Soon-to-be Mrs. Kristin Fields

XO  

 

P.S. – It seems that everyone knew that Rick was planning to surprise me in Italy except for me. I’m impressed that my friends and family kept the secret so well. Bravo!

Also, I later found out that Rick arrived in Milan just 1 day after me. I’m blown away!