Latest / Join With Me Podcast / Episode 6 - Part Five: The Journey of Rayburn & Donna Hare
Transcript
- Joey Moralez: We are honored that you have chosen to listen to this podcast. Join with me, where the information will be biblical, filled with joy, and very helpful. Stay tuned to the end where you will learn how to communicate with Rayburn and Donna about today's episode. Hi, I'm Rayburn Hare. And I'm Donna. And this is Join With Me Podcast. If you've been tuning in you've been hearing a story about how we met, how we our journey was beginning, literally a forty-seven year journey that had its roots in the in in the w the wilds of North Carolina, that led us to Greenville, South Carolina, the throughout. I mean so we'll we'll get to some of that, but but you you're just stay tuned to to the different pro journey episodes that we share our journey but so here we are. Yeah I I think we left off that we had spent the weekend together that I graduated from college and spending time with my mom and dad and and then Rayburn left, went back to Greenville, South Carolina three days later. I left for tour with the the group that was representing our college. And as I said, I had given Rayburn an itinerary. And we our group was in Lawrence, South Carolina, which was just on the outskirts of Greenville. Rayburn came to to hear us sing that evening at that church and and then afterwards he was invited to our host home. he left. I didn't see him again until July that's when we had just a a few days break and my parents had given me permission to invite Rayburn to go to our family cabin in the mountains. so he was up there with us for a couple of days and then on Sunday our group was back on the road and Sunday evening our group was in Goldsboro, right outside of Goldsboro, North Carolina, which is Rayburn's hometown. I had to get permission from the college to after that evening because our group was going back to Rocky Mount, but the college gave me permission to stay with Rayburn and stay with his parents. And then on Monday we got to spend a little time together and then I had to I go to Rocky Mount, so Rayburn's parents took me to Rocky Mount. As we turned one way, we turned north to go to Rocky Mount. Rayburn turned south. And I just remember the tears that I had because I knew that there was something very special about this young man that God had brought into my life. And but I didn't know if life would happen and I'd never see you again. Anyway, I received a letter from Rayburn because I was going to go on and get my master's in education. And Rayburn Rayburn knew that. And he in the letter he said, Would you consider coming to Bob Jones and getting your master's degree? And when I read that, I went, Absolutely not. But I said, I will pray about it. And I did. as we continued to travel, our last night that we were singing was in my mom's hometown and my mom and dad drove to Virginia to be in that service. But before that service I had put a fleece out before the Lord because I wanted to make sure that I that I was not interfering with God's plan for my life. I put a fleece out before the Lord. I said, Father, if it's your will for me to go to Bob Jones and move to Greenville, South Carolina, I want my mom and my dad to be in agreement with that. I was 22 years old. I did not need their permission, but I respected and I honored them so much that I wanted their blessings. So after the service I chose to ride back with my mom and my dad and we were talking. I was telling them all about some of the incredible opportunities our group had. And I'll just share one little snippet. we were at the Smithsonian Institute and we were we were touring and Janet and I sat down beside a young lady and she wanted to know what we were there for and we told her. And told her that we were representing our college and started telling her about Jesus and right there on that bench, that young lady asked Jesus to be her savior. And we were at just the right spot at the right time, and it was just so special, and I was so fooled to share all of that with my mom and my dad. My mother started talking about Rayburn. I had not shared anything about even considering going to Bob Jones. And I'll never forget it. My mother she turned around and she said, Donna, she said, you have fallen in love with this Rayburn and you don't even know this guy. And I said, I know, mom. And she said, have you considered going to Bob Jones and getting your master's degree and getting to know this young man that you have fallen in love with? And I just started weeping. And I shared with my mom and my dad the fleece that I had put up before the Lord and how God had used them again in my life. Join with Me Podcast is thrilled to have our first sponsor. 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So I get back, I get a call from Rayburn, and his mom and dad are going to come to Greenville, South Carolina, and they're willing to come through Winston Salem and pick me up and take me to Greenville and just spend some time with them. some time with Rayburn and Rayburn had it okay that I would stay on campus at Bob Jones and so his mom and dad left to go back to Greenville and Rayburn took me back to campus and he said now tomorrow he said we are going to go find you an apartment and I went okay So we went apartment searching, found me an apartment, and when he brought me back that evening, he said, now tomorrow, he says, we're going to go find you a job. And I said, Okay. But when I got in to where I was staying on campus, I I went to my room and I got down on my knees and I just said, Father, Life is happening. You know that I have fallen in love with Rayburn. I knew I had fallen in love with him, but there had been no commitment between the two of us. And I said, Father, I don't know that I can move to Greenville, South Carolina and just be Rayburn's girlfriend. No commitment between the two of us, and two weeks later, after he gets to know me, then I'm just out here. so I just told my heavenly father, I said, I have got to know where I stand with Rayburn and I have to know tomorrow. I got up the next morning and I prayed the same prayer. Rayburn picked me up. We went to some different banks because when I was in college I worked at Wakovia bank and trust. South Carolina National Bank when I met with them the lady asked me if I would come back that she had somebody that I needed to speak with. So I went out and told Rayburn and that's when we decided to go to a little coffee shop right around from the bank. And I'll never forget it. Never forget it. We we sat down at that table. And talked for just a few minutes and then Rayburn looked at me and he said, Donna, he said, I know we haven't said anything about any commitment between the two of us. He said, but until I speak with your father, he says, I'm unofficially asking you to mar asking you to marry me. And wow. Yeah, it and and I I hope you will If you've paid attention to the story, you know, it it is is a work of God that that drew us to brought us together, put us in places. I certainly knew I I've told the story many times. I knew, I knew this was a young lady that I was going to marry, i as long as she would cooperate. Because I knew what I had. and and I was not gonna let it go. So remember we met in April and w we were married in December. So everything was moving very fast. But not too fast, not for me. I I I I I was I was twenty four years old and and I knew this is what I wanted and I knew God had put me in this spot. And and it's just a wonderful story that, you know, forty seven years we've been married. But here's w I wanna say this. our lives, our ministry, our podcast is spiritually based. It's faith based. if you don't know Christ, if if you don't know, if you think, wow, that's bizarre stuff, you is you maybe think it's all chance, maybe you think well, just know that it's not because God ordained every step and every decision before the foundation of the world. That's how intricately involved he is in our lives and wants to be, by the way. so how God brought us together, how God worked in our hearts and lives and and and once again, not perfect. We we we we're not perfect. We're not a standard for marriage. We're not But we've had a wonderful relationship of how God has led us. And if you'll stay tuned, you'll continue to stay tuned eve even how God has brought us to this podcast. we're gonna share those type types of things. But but this podcast is seeking life together. You're trying to we're trying to help you understand our life. we're gonna try to get to other parts of life, not just church or spiritual, but just life. And and so I just hope you'll stay tuned and and and thank you for listening. Thank you for for joining joining with us. before we sign off on this episode, Rabruns talked about the the spiritual the the foundation The foundation that God laid for our relationship, our marriage is is just a cherished gift. I tell people often Rayburn is my gift. I know he's my gift, and I cherish it, and I'm just so thankful to be able to to walk the journey sometimes run sometimes having to leap over maybe some obstacles yes some obstacles because life's not perfect so if you ever want to know more more about christ more about following more about hey listen we're that's that's what we live for so thank you this is rayburn hair and I'm Donna and this is join with me podcast thank you We trust you enjoyed today's sharing from the heart. If you want to learn more, please feel free to contact us at Rayburnhair at gmail.com. Or you can go to our website, joinwithme.life. Thank you for listening. Be sure to share with a friend and have a blessed day on purpose.