Parallel Lives

Our story

Everyone likes a good story. Some are so good that they seem to be make-believe. God is a God Who loves to write a good story, and He loves to do that with our lives.

For years God was writing two stories, one each in the life of Renee and Pete. Little did either of them know how that story would play out, and what God had in store for them.

Renee, the daughter of a pastor in Virginia, was no stranger to ministry. Her dad pastored for many years in several churches around the state of Virginia before transitioning to an international ministry that took him around the world. Renee found that she too had a desire to minister to people, which led to her interest in missions, at one point even planning on serving in Africa. God had other plans though, and in later years she and her first husband, Doug, were heavily involved in church plants in Southwestern Virginia, among other ministries.

Pete, the son of a widow, was also very familiar with ministry. His mom had him in church his whole life and he saw first-hand the joy of serving others while watching her care for many people who needed encouragement and a warm meal. This led him to train and serve in West Africa as a missionary for a time. Later his wife, Sharon, and their three kids spent several years serving God there. After returning to the US, they found a place serving God in their local church, as well as visiting several mission fields.

All this time, Pete and Renee knew nothing of each other’s existence. Each, with their family, was serving God exactly where He had placed them - content, even with the struggles of life, desiring to please God with the opportunities and resources that He had placed in their hands.

Often in a story there are surprises, those events that the author imagines to give us a surprise or to add some suspense. God is not an author like that, His desire is to mold and make us more like His Son, Jesus. Thus came the “next chapter” in Renee and Pete’s life.

After over 20 years of marriage Renee began to see some changes in Doug. She wondered what was wrong, as he clearly did not seem like himself. Within a few years, and many challenging times, they found that he was suffering from fronto temporal dementia, at such an early age of 57 at diagnosis! By the fall of 2019 he was just clinging to life. God chose to take him home on March 10, 2020, at the age of 60.

During these same few months in the fall of 2019, just across town, Pete was facing a battle of his own. Sharon had gone to the doctor with a stomachache in October. A few doctor visits confirmed that she had advanced cancer, with a prognosis of a year or so to live. By early December she was in the hospital just holding on to life. December 17, 2019 she went to be with the Lord.

Then came what the world did not see coming, a global pandemic. Renee and Pete continued on with life as best they could, each continuing to serve God and being faithful to Him. At the same time they were learning to be content being “alone” (even surrounded by people, one often feels alone.)

The summer of 2023 brought an opportunity for Pete to heal, in ways that he can only look back at and marvel. He spent several months in Arizona at a friend’s home, walking desert trails, reading, resting and rebuilding an old motorcycle. Through that time God taught him that alone was ok, and he found that he was no longer lonely. He truly learned to be content.

That fall, Renee went through something similar. She had been very busy working and ministering to people, activities that were good but also perhaps took her focus off being alone. In November 2023 she had a moment with God one morning when she realized that she was happy just as she was, even if alone. She truly learned to be content.

Through an event at church a few days later (where Renee had been attending for several years, and Pete for a couple of years) they had a “chance” meeting that began a whirlwind romance. (Of course, it was not chance, but God Who orchestrated this!) They were engaged three months later and married in August of 2024.

God has allowed this couple to travel the world, meet amazing people, and serve some of the dearest folks on the planet. Their desire is to continue as long as God will allow, and watch Him open doors of opportunity and ministry.

Surrender and commit your way to God, and He will give you the desires of your heart. These two parallel lives, that are now one, demonstrate how a good God can use even the simplest of lives to bring glory to Himself.