Our Three Year Anniversary

During the summer of 2004 I had the opportunity to work on summer staff at Cedar River Baptist Camp. I was on summer break from college and felt the Lord working in my life that I would not be going back to school in the fall and that I shouldn’t go home for the summer. I called my pastor and he counseled me not to stay at the school during the summer but that I should work on staff at the camp. There were two other girls from my church working there that summer.

I went and worked at the camp. My desire that summer was to serve the Lord and allow him to work in my life. While working at the camp that summer I prayed that God would give me a clear direction as to what I was to do in the fall. After being at the camp for about three weeks I got moved to the office to assist my very dear friend Karie. After moving to the office I felt the Lord leading me to stay on staff at the camp after summer was over and not go back to college. I prayed about this and counseled with my pastor and the director of the camp and I ended up staying until the beginning of March 2005.

Shortly after I moved to the office there was a young man who was working on staff for his fourth summer. He did a lot of things that required him to be in the office and he would try to talk to me. At first I didn’t respond back to him. I didn’t want to get in trouble as the camp had a strong stand against relationships during the summer as most of the summer staff was young teens. I must say that at times the first week he tried to talk to me I was very rude to him.

He was persistent and eventually I came around and would talk to him. The young man’s name was Nicholas or Nick to all of his friends. Nick befriended me and as the weeks went on I realized that there was more feelings there than just a friendship. Still not wanting to get in trouble I didn’t say anything to anyone. I prayed that the Lord would show me his will in this area of my life. I can still remember the morning that I prayed, “Lord if this is meant to be more then please show me now…if not then please take these feelings away.” That same day there were a group of men out playing instruments and singing choruses. The director of the camp came in and sent Karie and I out for a 15 min break from the office. When we went out Nick was up there acting like he could play an instrument. I didn’t realize it until someone pointed it out that I was watching him and not really paying attention to anything else.

I excused myself and headed back to the office. I was almost to the door when I heard the director say that he and his wife needed to talk to me. 'Oh no!' I thought, 'he saw me watching Nick and now I am going to get in trouble.' I went over and they talked to me for a while about how my summer was going and about staying on and working in the fall. Then they said that one of the young men on staff had approached them about courting me and that he had already contacted my parents and my pastor. I was a little scared at first since the only guy on staff that was my age or older than me was Nick’s friend Russell. I didn’t say anything about who I thought it was and they then told me that it was Nick and asked me if would be interested in getting to know him. I didn’t stop and think about it for more than a few seconds. I said yes because the Lord had answered my prayer from that morning and from the days before that.

We went on our first date the next night which was July 8. We got engaged December 31, 2004 and then were married on May 16 ,2005. Today is our three year anniversary. I will never forget the day that I married my best friend, the love of my life, my sweetheart Nicholas Cardot.

To all you single ladies out there God has someone that he made just for you. Just be patient and wait for him. I wasn’t looking for my future husband that summer I was looking to live for the Lord and he crossed our paths. God’s timing is perfect and you will be the happiest when you are in the center of God’s will.


Serving the Master,

Diane Cardot