May 29, 2000

We both had been told that it probably wasn't wise to go on the Internet and search this way for a soul mate. We both ignored this advice - It was however in God's perfect plan anyway to have done this :) I visited several Christian match maker sites to check out different Christian women. The only woman I saw that had any depth in the things of God was Peggy Lou Neal after reading her profile. She also had experienced working in the jail ministry. On about the first part of April 2000.  I put a request out to this lady who lived in Henderson, Texas to see if she wanted to respond back and communicate with me and also check my profile out on the same site as our profiles were on. I never heard from her for some time, but one day there was this message saying Forgive Me.  She wanted to say that she was sorry that she hadn't responded sooner to my e-mail message. We continued to correspond with one another on a casual basis. She would check out my prison ministry website, and tell me how she enjoyed the articles. She never did ask me for a picture to see what I looked like. I had a picture of her from the site she was on. I sent her my picture, and told her that she needs to know what the person she is communicating with looks like. I told her when I sent the picture that I probably wouldn't hear from her again. She did respond by saying, Why would you say that?, you are a very nice looking man. Well, this really made my day :) We shared openly and honestly with one another daily with as many as 30 to 40 messages traveling miles by e-mail to one another in the later stages of our relationship. We got to know each other quite well. She told me later that she thought that we would only have a friendship through this Internet experience, and didn't take me seriously. God showed her later however that I was the husband for her. She didn't know what God's plan for our lives was going to be at that time, and didn't believe that she would ever meet me. She was concerned with the distance we were apart. I knew that God had placed this woman in my life to be my bride. I told her that distance has nothing to do with God's plans for our relationship. God can place a person from Timbuktu, and place them with someone from Kalamazoo. I already knew from God that Peggy Lou was the woman that God was going to put into my life. I had to knock myself on the head everyday, and say, God, is this real?, and He would always say, Yes Bob, it is real what is happening in this relationship. E-mail messages turned into phone calls, and even letters and cards were exchanged. Then came the plans for where we were going to live, engagement and wedding rings, getting married, jobs, ministry, etc. Remember that this was all done by e-mail messages, and a few phone calls, and one visit to her home on June 6^th to June 13, 2000 to meet Peggy Lou, her family and friends. You have to realize that at this time I also had prayer warriors praying for us, and for a covering of protection over this relationship, along with wisdom and guidance as to what we should do. Her family in Henderson, Texas at this time were not sure yet if their mother should come and live with me in Canada, and be by my side as we both ministered in the prison. I went to see Peggy Lou in Henderson, Texas on June 6, 2000. The proposal was made on June 6, 2000 and the wedding was performed in Linda Bradbery's home (she is Peggy's minister friend) on June7, 2000. Peggy Lou decorated a wedding cake, and made arrangements for a reception after the wedding. There were relatives and friends of hers at the wedding which started at 5pm. We went to her daughters beach home on the coast four hours away to be alone after the reception. Nobody back home in Brandon knew about this at all except my friend Wayne, Mark, my pastor, my mother in Swan River, Manitoba, and two other ladies Elise Bartram (Penticton, British Columbia), and Gertrude Simon (Toronto, Ontario) my prayer warriors. One of my clients Ida Arthur from Brandon, Manitoba also knew of this adventure.

The rings, the date of the wedding, and the number of words in the wedding vows all had a meaning. The number seven is God's number. It means completeness. The wedding rings were 14 carat gold band with three diamonds in each ring. The six diamonds plus one (Peggy Lou and I) equals seven.....Completeness. The date of the wedding was on the 7^th of June, and the number of words(245) in the wedding vows were divisible by the number seven. Wedding vows will be listed in the update section of my prison ministry website later on.

There is also the possibility that I will go and live in Texas. It is hard for me also to leave family, friends, church, and the prison ministry work here in Brandon, Manitoba. As we seek God He will however show us what we are to do. We want to be obedient to God's leading in our lives.

We see here that this was a very unusual way for most people to begin a relationship. But, if it is of God and you know that you have heard from God, then you can believe that He will work it all out. The key is prayer, honesty, and communication with the one God has placed in your life. We both would have what we called Internet prayer. We prayed every day this way for one another and for a variety of things to do with our relationship.. It is amazing that out of 6 billion people on the face of this Earth, He would place the two of us together. But nothing is impossible with God the Bible says.

We would be happy to hear from you. Pray for us! God Bless You! Bob and Peggy Lou Ventura.

* Updates to what is happening in our lives will be posted on a separate update page on the website from time to time. Check it out!