They didn’t even speak the same language… yet they fell in love. Here’s how it happened
By
Janice Tai
, 3 June 2022
Despite not even speaking the same language, Larry and Eeleen found love in a way few would expect. Photos courtesy of Larry & Eeleen.
They came from entirely different worlds.
Eeleen, 32, was born into a minority tribe in Shangri-La City in Yunnan, China. She lived there with her parents and brother for most of her life, enduring winters that sometimes dropped as low as -10°C.
Eeleen as a child with her mother amid a freezing winter.
Larry, 40, was born in Sidikalang, a town in North Sumatra, Indonesia. But he wasn’t around often to experience its warm humidity. Instead, for 15 years, Larry travelled across the islands of Indonesia as a missionary.
He spent his life largely on his own since the age of three. Larry’s father had left the family and his mother died shortly after.
Larry was three when his mother passed on from a blood disorder.
Though Larry and Eeleen came from vastly different backgrounds and had never met each other, they both shared one thing in common: they each felt the sting of loneliness in their own lives.
They each felt the sting of loneliness in their own lives.
For Eeleen, she was 28 years old when she returned from Africa where she worked as an interpreter for a Chinese missionary team.
By many cultures’ standards, Eeleen was far from old. But amid her tribe’s traditions, an unmarried woman above 27 is considered a sheng nu (leftover woman).
Eeleen on her one-year mission trip to Africa in 2017.
Larry: “I pitied myself, thinking ‘Which girl would want me?'”
At the same time, Larry, who was already into his late 30s, was struggling with the thought of never finding a life partner who accepted him.
“I had no money and was not successful in the eyes of the world,” said Larry. “I pitied myself, thinking ‘Which girl would want me?'”
An unexpected vision
In 2016, Larry was burnt out from 15 years of mission work. Nonetheless, he decided to sell many of his possessions to afford his travel to Singapore to join a missionary training school.
Even as he kept busy, Larry could not escape his inner loneliness. He still longed for a partner to share his life with.
One day, in a garden pavilion during a silent retreat, Larry prayed to God for an image of his future wife.
The garden pavilion where Larry prayed for a picture of his future wife.
That’s when, out of the blue, he saw a vision of a map of China.
At that time, Larry did not grasp what this vision meant.
“I asked myself, ‘Is God saying He will take me to China for mission work?’
That’s when, out of the blue, Larry saw a vision of a map of China.
“But that wasn’t what I was asking Him. I was asking about a potential life partner.”
Despite not understanding its meaning, the vision gave Larry some hope. He held onto it and trusted God to reveal His plans in time.
Larry sketched the map of China that he saw into his journal.
Blind dates
Meanwhile in China, Eeleen’s family was anxious. They worried about her declining marriage prospects after her return from Africa in 2018.
Hoping to speed up the search for a husband, they set Eeleen up on blind dates with three men based on their wealth, status and power.
On her return from Africa, Eeleen found a job as a training manager at Shangri-La Hotel in her hometown, Yunnan.
“I bowed to their pressure and went,” Eeleen confessed.
But when she returned home from these dates, her heart was heavy with guilt.
She knew God had previously promised her that He would provide her with the right future partner. Deep inside, she knew that going on blind dates was not the path to finding her husband.
Eeleen prayed: “God, I won’t go on any more blind dates and choose to trust You instead.”
That’s when Eeleen said a prayer:
“God, I surrender this area of my life to You. I won’t go on any more blind dates and choose to trust You instead.”
She also prayed for God to send her a partner who shared the same faith and also desired to help others in need.
A life-changing visit
That same year, Larry was asked by missionary staff to help run a few training schools in Singapore. He agreed.
One day, Larry’s colleague asked him how long it had been since he had gone back to Indonesia to visit his relatives.
“Eight years,” Larry replied, also admitting that he could not afford the plane ticket home.
Upon hearing this, his colleague was moved and decided to sponsor Larry’s trip.
Moving around as a missionary for many years, Larry had not returned home to Indonesia for a long time.
Larry suddenly heard God whisper to his heart: “Visit your mother’s grave and I will provide for you.”
Unbeknownst to Larry at that time, this simple act of kindness would begin a sequence of events that would change his life forever.
On his flight back to Indonesia, Larry suddenly heard God whisper to his heart: “Visit your mother’s grave and I will provide for you.”
Larry couldn’t quite explain it. He somehow knew this task was related to him finding a life partner – but he wasn’t sure how. What did visiting his mother’s grave have to do with his hope of not being alone?
Still, despite his uncertainty, Larry decided to trust God’s leading.
Two days before returning to Singapore, he paid a visit to his mother’s grave. Praying, he thanked God for her short but meaningful life.
Larry visiting his mum’s grave in Indonesia. He posted this photo on Facebook – a choice that changed his life in a way he could never expect.
Larry then had a photo taken and posted it on Facebook with a loving tribute.
This seemingly casual act would come to open a door in his heart that he never saw coming.
Photo opportunity
Years prior, Larry had received a Facebook friend request from Eeleen, whom he did not know at that time.
“I don’t usually add people I don’t know,” recalled Eeleen. “But when I came across his profile, I felt he was a man of peace.”
Larry saw that Eeleen had taken a photo with an African child. He guessed she was working in a field similar to his and decided to accept her friend request.
Eeleen’s profile photo of herself with a child from Africa, a region she spent some time in.
For a long while, the two of them barely spoke online. Neither felt the incentive to do so.
But when Larry touched down in Singapore after visiting his mum’s grave, the very first Facebook message he received was from Eeleen.
As it turned out, she had seen Larry’s Facebook photo and his tribute to his mother. This compelled her to drop him a message.
Eeleen saw Larry’s Facebook photo of his visit to his mum’s grave and decided to message him.
“At first, I wasn’t excited to talk to her,” admitted Larry. “Being from China, I thought she mostly spoke Mandarin. I also didn’t want to spend too much time online.”
But Larry remembered God’s vision of the map of China and His promise of a life partner.
He wondered if this could be the beginning of something… or not?
“I started to be more open-minded towards her,” Larry said.
Language barrier
Larry and Eeleen started texting each other more often – but this proved to be more difficult than they initially thought.
They both spoke different first languages and their English was far from great. Larry’s English was so basic that he even needed help from a friend just to write messages to Eeleen.
The first time Larry and Eeleen spoke, they talked for three long hours as they gently navigated through their language barrier.
Still, the pair continued to converse and gradually moved on to audio calls.
The first time Larry and Eeleen spoke, they talked for three long hours as they gently navigated through their language barrier.
“I thought her English would be bad but actually it was slightly better than mine,” Larry admitted.
Larry and Eeleen chatted for four hours during their first video call.
Then, they shifted to video calls which lasted even longer.
“We shared our life stories, our past, our different cultures,” said Eeleen.
They also prayed for each other and talked about their love of God.
“It was such a big thing for me,” said Eeleen, who was overjoyed at finally meeting a man who shared her faith. Like her, Larry also desired to help others via mission work.
A deeper bond
By August that year, Larry and Eeleen made the decision to explore a serious relationship – though they still had not met in person.
In 2019, a year later, an opportunity opened for Larry to do mission work together with Eeleen in China. This was their first chance to meet face-to-face.
While Eeleen was nervous during their first meeting, Larry did not seem to have any jitters, carrying himself with confidence.
Larry and Eeleen drew closer during the next two months.
When Larry arrived, Eeleen’s teammates teased her, pulling her along to meet him. Her initial shyness soon gave way to many heart-to-heart talks.
The pair drew closer during the next two months. They found out that they shared many of the same values, including their mutual desire to befriend and help other communities.
Larry’s bus journey to Eeleen’s hometown took nine hours.
Shortly before returning to Singapore, Larry travelled nine hours by bus to visit Eeleen’s family in their rural hometown.
Before meeting him, her parents were unsure about Larry as he did not come from the same village culture.
Yet, by the end of two days, Eeleen’s parents saw how serious Larry was about their daughter.
“Marrying a mute from our village might be better, at least he knows our customs and our language!” Eeleen’s mother once remarked to her.
Yet, by the end of two days, Eeleen’s parents saw how serious Larry was about their daughter.
They gave their blessing for him to marry Eeleen and even told Larry not to wait too long.
Larry helping to baptise Eeleen’s mother in a bathtub after she accepted Jesus into her life.
Remarkably, amid their very first meeting, Larry explained the Gospel to Eeleen’s mother, who had never heard it.
She then welcomed Jesus into her life and decided to get baptised with Larry’s help, much to Eeleen’s surprise and delight.
Reunited at last
By 2020, Larry was making plans to go to China to officially ask for Eeleen’s hand in marriage. He had already bought air tickets and paid for his visa.
Then Covid-19 happened – and all their plans were abruptly put on hold.
Though disappointed, the couple continued to chat online, strengthening their bond. Their ability to communicate in English steadily improved.
Along the way, Eeleen’s dad – who saw his wife’s life transformed with newfound joy – also chose to receive Jesus into his heart. He was baptised by February 2021 with Eeleen’s help, assisted by Larry’s church group.
Thus, Eeleen’s family became the first-ever Christian household in their minority tribe.
Pictured here with their missionary training school classmates, Eeleen felt increasingly secure and at home with Larry.
Finally, after a long wait, Eeleen was able to travel to Singapore in July 2021 to join Larry on missionary training and work.
She was excited to start a new chapter of her life with the man who had won her heart.
A marriage made in heaven
The more time they spent together, the deeper Larry and Eeleen fell in love. They also learned to work together to overcome any cultural and language barriers they had.
In December, one month after the end of their missionary programme, Larry got down on one knee to propose to Eeleen. She said ‘yes’.
Larry proposing to Eeleen at a beach in Sentosa.
As they prayed, surprising marriage miracles began to happen.
Due to their limited finances, Larry and Eeleen only had plans for a simple, low-cost solemnisation at the Registry of Marriages.
But as they prayed, surprising marriage miracles began to happen.
First, someone who worked at the Metropolitan YMCA offered them a hugely discounted wedding package of $4,000. It included the cost of a reception for 50 people.
Larry and Eeleen also confided in a missionary classmate that they would need $5,000 to cover the full expenses of their wedding.
Miraculously, this very same classmate had just received a donation of exactly $5,000. It was given by a donor who had no prior knowledge of Larry and Eeleen’s financial situation – yet felt compelled by God to give the money.
The classmate knew that this precise amount was meant for the soon-to-be newlyweds. It was divine provision.
Larry and Eeleen were able to have a pre-wedding shoot, thanks to a classmate who blessed them with a marriage package.
The couple was further blessed with a wedding package that included a gown and suit rental, as well as photography and makeup.
Another person offered to film their video testimony of how God brought them together, to be shown to guests at their wedding.
On February 26, 2022, Larry and Eeleen said their vows before God and friends.
For the newly married couple, these unexpected blessings were part of a lifelong dream come true.
In addition, Larry and Eeleen later learnt that their pastor had paid for their wedding reception. They could thus use the money saved for their living expenses and school fees.
For the newly married couple, all these unexpected blessings were nothing short of a lifelong dream come true.
“It feels like a daydream,” reflected Eeleen.
“Many people in my hometown don’t even have a passport. But here I am, able to get married in Singapore.”
Larry and Eeleen making their grand entrance into an exquisitely decorated hall at Metropolitan YMCA.
From vision to reality
Larry is immensely grateful to God for His divinely-crafted – and beautifully surprising – love story.
Who would have thought that a vision of a map of China and a prompted visit to his mother’s grave would have led him to meeting Eeleen?
“I thought I would end up poor, lonely, and a failure,” admitted Larry. “I had doubts.”
“But now that I see all of God’s puzzle pieces come together, I know that He never forgot me, In His perfect timing, He blessed me beyond what I could ever imagine.”
Now happily married, Larry and Eeleen are looking forward to more adventures with God, together.
Larry: “Now that I see all of God’s puzzle pieces come together, I know that He never forgot me.”
Eeleen feels the same.
“God answered our prayers and helped us find each other,” she said. “We are married and surviving financially together, against the odds.”
She stands firm in her faith, having seen the impossible made possible with God.
“We know we can trust Him with our future and so much more.”
This is an excerpt of an article that first appeared in Salt&Light.
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