It is a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the tremendously beautiful grounds of Paradise Park in Nairobi, Kenya. With lavish palm trees and a regal looking landscape against the back drop of a lake, this was where on 13^th June 2015; Ebenezer and Gertrude became man and wife. Gertrude grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. Ebenezer grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. Their union is truly one of diverse cultures. Their wedding day was their most significant step till date; this is a journey to find out just how it all began and where they are now.

Six years ago, Ebenezer and Gertrude met each other for the first time in the most romantic and exotic of places, that’s right you guessed it – It was in a physics lab! Of all the places that they could possibly have met, a physics lab is probably not the likeliest place to meet your spouse. Ebenezer recounts the day he met his wife for the first time “I met my wife in a physics lab (PHY 206 to be precise) during our sophomore year of college in Morgan state university Baltimore, Maryland. I started small talk with her and that was how we came to know each other.” Neither party was looking for a relationship at the time and further still from their minds was that this encounter would one day lead to their marriage.

Gertrude goes into a bit more detail about the day she met her husband: “I remember that Physics class very well. The first question Ebenezer asked me was what my name was and where I was from. I am surprised by how fresh the memory still is in my mind, but the questions didn’t stop – he kept asking more and more. I don’t remember what my reaction was but he said that I kept smiling even after admitting that he knew he was bothering me. He seemed sweet; unassuming. Physics class ended and we went our separate ways but greetings were exchanged each time we chanced upon each other on Campus. He was always and still is very encouraging!”

There is something that stands out about this lovely couple; it’s not their mutual love for hymns, Bill Gaither homecoming videos or even their love for the Hillsong United songs. What is so evident in the lives of Ebenezer and Gertrude is their intense love for God. They have made God the foundation and compass of their lives.  Speaking about how they became married Gertrude states that “It was the LORD’s hand! He blessed us tremendously by bringing us together and I cannot wait for what He has in store for our future! We know it can only be good and our hearts desire is that the LORD will use our union to display His glory!!” They are a shining example of a young couple who have started as they mean to go on, strongly rooted in God’s plan for their lives.

Ebenezer and Gertrude also enjoy the fact that, first and foremost, they are the best of friends. This ensures that they understand each other and have the fundamental pillars of trust, respect and support. These are qualities that should be present in every relationship. Nevertheless for a relationship to progress to a marriage there must be an attraction between husband and wife. Ebenezer, when asked about what attracted him to his wife, had this to say: “She is a very smart & confident lady who does not look to her peers for validation. She loves God and her simplicity is matchless. Her beauty is not by outward adornment. But she’s naturally beautiful even inside. She thinks more about others than of her self – selfless.”

Ebenezer and Gertrude both have mutual interests with regards to improving the outlook of young adults and providing positive advice. Ebenezer is heavily involved with M-Lifestyle as the Chief Technology Officer and a valued member of the Executive committee. This is an organization that focuses on uplifting the community and shedding light on amazing people doing great things. “We can use M-Lifestyle as a platform to reach out to these audiences since M-Lifestyle already reaches some of our target audience.”

Both engineers by trade, the newly-wed couple have a strong passion for increasing participation in the STEM disciplines (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics).” Together my wife and I have been brainstorming about how to reach out to the community around us.” Ebenezer and Gertrude have a particular focus on the area of STEM outreach to the African and African American communities. “We would like to share stories of defeat, success, positivity and reality while also giving tips on how we can live-up as a community in participating and giving our full quota to the STEM transformations now and in the future.”

This amazing example of a couple has a unified and fierce drive for positive impact and success. This is encapsulated in their favourite mantra; an excerpt from Bobby Kennedy’s quote- “Our success in life shall not be determined by mere fate, happenstance, or a fickle roll of dice, but our success shall be determined by our level of knowledge, principles, and toil.”

images by KATZ Photography, Nairobi Kenya

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