How I met Susan (by Mark Johnson)

I met Susan in 1986 at Northway Baptist church in Dallas.

I had recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, had moved to Dallas for my first job and had found a good church. Susan had been out of school for several years (she is four years older than me - a fact that will always be true and a fact about which I remind her often). Susan was in the singles group and lead Bible study for 8th grade girls in the youth group.

I had learned how to sail in my early teens and really enjoyed sailing. Sailing on the ocean was my "dream vacation". If I ever got the chance to go sailing on the ocean, I would jump at the chance. That summer, a friend in the singles group at church organized a sailing trip in the Virgin Islands. He invited a bunch of singles and I was "on board" with the idea immediately. We had two 52-foot boats that slept about eight people per boat. Each boat had a kitchen, bathrooms and a dinghy to get back and forth to from the shore. We sailed for a week in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands "bare boat sailing" - you do all the work - you rent the boat with no captain and no crew.

Well, guess who was on my boat? A girl named Susan Colvin. We had seen each other at church, but it was a big church and we had not (yet) had the chance to visit. When you stay on the same boat for a week, you get to know everyone on the boat pretty well - you can't get more than 52 feet away from them!

We had a great week sailing around the Virgin Islands, swimming, snorkeling, cooking, hanging out and just enjoying the friendships. Susan was fun and I could tell she enjoyed life. She also enjoyed the life she had via a relationship with Jesus. Fun on the outside and beautiful on the inside.

We began dating after we returned from the Virgin Islands sailing trip. I like to tell the story that Susan started following me around and would not leave me alone. Most likely she has another account of the story. After the sailing trip I began teaching in the youth group (8th grade guys). Many years later, we still enjoy ministering to young people together.

I married Susan in 1988 and now she is Susan Johnson. I thank the Lord for giving me Susan and for the many ways He has blessed me through Susan.

When people ask, "How did you meet your wife?", I always like to say, "I met my wife on a boat in the Virgin Islands".

The rest of the story is history (or at least the subject for another blog entry).