Union anchored on answered prayers
Joshua Obaigwa knew Diana Nyandika when they were in campus, as Diana and her twin sister easily commanded attention whenever they passed around University of Nairobi’s Lower Kabete campus.
“Although I was a year before her, I used to find the twins quite intimidating! They were tall and were made even taller when they wore heels. They also had a no-nonsense attitude,” the 29-year-old accountant recalls.
Having gone their separate ways after campus, they later reconnected in church although they hardly interacted. Towards the end of 2014, he decided he had had enough of the dating pool and was ready for courtship. He found his thoughts drifting towards Diana, a marketer by profession. Unfortunately, she was oblivious to his interest.
“I honestly had no idea that he was interested since I was in another long-term relationship. When that relationship ended, I prayed to God to allow me to find healing and to meet the right guy,” 27-year-old Diana recounts.
On his part, Joshua had seen admirable qualities in Diana and tried his best to get her attention through mutual friends, albeit unsuccessfully. “By then, I had grown into my own man and I felt that Dee would be the perfect match. I had been praying about it and I knew she was the one for me,” he narrates.
The game changer
When his efforts seemed to bear no fruits, he devised a foolproof plan to get her to meet him on a personal level. He knew that Diana and her twin sister made mats and sold them and so he ordered one with his favourite football team’s logo. He hoped Diana would be the one to deliver the mat to his house allowing him the chance to express his feelings. On the agreed delivery date, it was Diana’s sister who showed up. This, however, did not faze him.
“I had posted a picture of the mat on some football group I am in and another fan wanted a similar one. I realised that this was an opportunity to meet Diana presenting itself again so I sold him mine promptly and ordered for another. This time round, it was Diana who delivered it. My prayers had been answered,” he explains joyously.
“When I delivered the mat, it was like we were long-time friends. We just connected,” Diana chimes in.
This was on March 21, 2015.
Over the next two months, they would go on numerous dates and love slowly grew as they got to know each other. While Joshua had seen a wife in Diana, she was still mentally ticking her checklist.
“I did not want a meaningless fling. I had ticked all these boxes but I was unsure where that friendship was headed until one particular date towards the end of May that year when I just blatantly asked what his plan was,” explains Diana.
This was, however, what Joshua was counting on. He did not hesitate in telling her about his plan to court her for marriage. On realising that they wanted the same things and that both their prayers had been answered, they started planning for their wedding that day, which they set a year from then. This gave them enough time to prepare themselves and their families for the occasion.
The proposal and wedding
Having planned for the wedding way before, Diana did not expect a proposal. Joshua, however, had other plans. He enlisted the help of his friends from Parklands SDA youth choir who dressed in white to serenade Diana as he got down on one knee.
The couple acknowledges that God, their families and friends came through for them during their preparations as well as on the wedding day. They advise other young people to get married within their means.
With a budget of Ksh600000, the couple’s journey culminated in holy matrimony in front of 1,000 guests on June 26, 2016 at Nairobi Central SDA Church and a reception at the Nairobi Primary School.
