Tried this on another board, and it just turned into a fight between three other members, and a big pile of possibly well-intended, but not so pleasant responses...so, here's to shot number two.
Hokay. So, I just moved to Southern California from the Midwest to transfer to a new school within the university system of my church (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). I love California, and after I got here, before school started, I met the man of my dreams, Justin.
I'm a Director of Christian Education major (wanting to go into youth ministry), and he is a Director of Parish Music major (wanting to lead all the music stuff within a church). We both want to become missionaries and serve God overseas.
From the moment I met Justin I KNEW he was the one. I may normally be a spontaneous person, but not when it comes to relationships. From the day I met him until now, we've spent every waking minute together. We've never fought (I know, I know, it'll happen eventually), and we spend so much time in prayer about our relationship. We both started feeling God calling us to go into ministry together and get married...soon...so we can start building our ministry together, and make sure that we aren't separated during our internships. Not to mention, I don't want to live another second without being his wife. I can't imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else. I've never been so certain about ANYTHING in my entire life.
Justin proposed recently and it's been hell ever since. Right now, his loving support, a few close friends, and reliance on God are all I have. A lot of students at my school (a small, private, Christian university) are saying that I'm pregnant (I'm saving myself for marraige...), people have been trying to get us to break up, and over Thanksgiving break someone put horrible, mean Post-It notes all over the doors of people that have been the meanest to Justin and I, and signed my name on them. Now even more people hate me. The worst part of it is, that most (not all) of the people talking I haven't even met yet. It really hurts to still be "the new girl" and have people who literally don't even know you doing things like that.
We pray about it everyday, and I try really hard to not let it get to me, but it doesn't matter what I do. If I ignore people, they keep on talking and being mean and call me a coward. If I try to explain that we've put prayer behind it, and are financially secure enough to make a marraige work (we both get extensive scholarships and get paid for performing in a drama ministry team and in an a capella group), they don't care. If I fight back, I'm a (insert "choice" word here)
I feel like I'm constantly on trial with everyone. I'm afraid to come out of my dorm room since the Post-It incident because people are threatening me, and I can't stand to see my fiance so upset because I'm so upset. It breaks my heart.
Thankfully, however, both of our families are being so, so supportive. At first they, like many others, didn't get the early engagement, especially at our age, but after we explained to them our situation and they saw that we'd been taking initiative to get pre-marital counseling, get our finances in order, and that we have a strong, healthy relationship, they were on board.
It'd just be nice if more people would be a bit more understanding and open minded.
I don't know if I'm asking for advice, or just venting. But just...blsdfjasdl;kfjaeosdfkjasf;laskjflasdfj. Sorry that was so long.
-Ellie