The Story Begins
It started with a week at CEF camp in Ireland. Volunteering at camps is a class experience and you meet a variety of people. The other volunteers were all Christians and I learned a lot from them. However, one young Irish woman stood out; that's where I met Barbara.
I remember being at a re-union for the camp leaders and on the Saturday night looking across the bonfire and my heart skipped. I saw this beautiful, amazing girl standing on the other side. The glow from the fire lit up her face and set my heart ablaze. She was stunning, long dark hair, eyes blazing with life, a girl so pretty and lovely that, at this moment it seemed nothing or no one else was there, she alone captivated me!
A month or two went by with a lot of texting and msn'ing (WhatsApp hadn't been invented) and our friendship deepened, untill one fateful night our conversation on msn led to my asking "If she would like to go on a date."
She said 'Yes', and the following Friday came up North with her friend and stayed at another friend's house. That Friday night we went on our date; restaurant, walk, cinema and a weekend in each others company, spending time alone together and with a group of friends.
I'm told that as we walked in Newcastle on the Sunday afternoon with a few friends that I held Barbara's hand, though I have no recollection of such bravery on my behalf, but on Sunday night when I left her off at our friend's house, where she was staying, the ground moved as we kissed. A memorial ought to be placed at the end of the Kerr's driveway saying 'It is here where Gary Boal first Kissed Barbara Felton' (though a million more such memorials could be covering the country since).
She stayed up for 2 more nights after that, nights that saw us talk through the night until we saw the sunrise.
The next few months saw a lot of travel as we dated and courted, her living in South Dublin and I in Hillsborough outside Lisburn. I have much gratitude for the (then) CEF worker in South Dublin, Rodney Moody, who along with His wife, opened their home and gave me a place to stay over many weekends, and who encouraged and helped our relationship to grow.
After a while Barbara moved north and we've been together ever since, marrying on June 6th 2005.
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the LORD." (Proverbs 18:22)
