Edi & I

A Melody Before a Meeting

Every love story has a beginning. Some begin with a conversation, others with a chance encounter. Theirs began with a melody.

In 2015, Edi's family had just moved to Orozo — a new environment she hadn't yet grown fond of. But as the days passed, something unexpected became part of her evenings.

Almost every day, a group of young people gathered at Dominion Chapel International Church. Before their meetings began, their voices filled the streets with songs of worship, often passing right by her house. She didn't know who they were, and had never met any of them, but she found herself listening every time they sang. There was something about those songs — joy, conviction, and a love for God that was difficult to ignore.

For James, those evenings were simply another opportunity to worship. As part of Team Exposers — a ministry blending music, fellowship, discipleship, and prayer — he spent countless evenings singing with friends, never imagining that someone nearby was quietly listening.

Eventually, a friend invited Edi to one of the fellowship meetings, and she decided to go. The moment she walked into the auditorium, everything suddenly made sense: these were the voices she had been hearing all along. The songs that had become so familiar now had faces behind them. Among those faces was James — who, on the other hand, had no idea who she was.

What caught his attention wasn't romance. It was something much simpler. Standing before him was a young woman dressed in a modest brown gown, its patterns woven in caramel and ivory. She wore no makeup, yet carried herself with a quiet elegance that needed no introduction — bold without being loud, graceful without trying to impress. She looked like someone who genuinely loved God. He wasn't wrong.

That first meeting became memorable for an unexpected reason. As everyone stood in a circle holding hands in prayer, Edi gently suggested that before anything else, they should pray a prayer of forgiveness together. James thought it was unusual — they all believed they were already saved. Still, no one resisted. They prayed.

What happened afterwards surprised everyone. As the meeting continued, several people began opening up about struggles and addictions they had quietly battled for years. That simple prayer became the beginning of healing for many in the room. Looking back, James would always remember it as one of the first times he witnessed Edi's sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

His first impression wasn't that he had met the woman he would marry. He simply thought the ministry needed more young women like her — at the time, there were far more brothers than sisters in the fellowship.

As the months passed, they became friends. Before long, Edi wanted to learn the guitar — there was only one small problem: James was still learning it himself. His coach had always told him that one of the fastest ways to grow was by teaching someone else, so he accepted the challenge anyway.

Years later, the verdict remains unchanged. Edi still proudly knows two guitar chords, and plays both with enough confidence, determination, and enthusiasm to make anyone believe she could lead an entire concert — or perhaps hunt a lion with them.

Neither of them realized it then, but between songs, prayers, conversations, and shared moments of service, God was quietly writing a story neither of them could yet see.