The photo album is a vital part of the CatholicMatch profile and there are as many theories about how to fill the album as there are members. One piece of advice offered by CatholicMatch was one 31-year-old Samantha took to heart and that’s to show photos of yourself doing activities that truly represent who you are.
Samantha included a photo of herself jumping around with her arms up, and her face couldn’t be seen. It doesn’t fit the classic description of a perfect scrapbook photo, but it worked and ironically that was “the hook” that attracted 29-year-old Agustin.
It had only been one month on CatholicMatch for Samantha before Agustin found her and with him in southern California and her in Texas, distance was certainly an issue, but they made use of Skype and regular e-mail to get to know each other. Agustin regularly scoured the Internet to find questionnaires they could use to stir up conversation and get to know each other better.
And once they had a phone conversation, Agustin was really hooked, deciding to make the trip to Texas to see his new love. They had used their preparation time wisely, not only using modern forms of communication, but old-fashioned “snail mail” to communicate deeper thoughts and to send presents.
Both have children, with Agustin having a seven-year old son and Samantha having two daughters of nine and five. Faith was important to both of them, and she had avoided trying to look to hard, feeling it better to led God take her in his own way to meet the one who would be right for her.
They not only share a love for Faith and family, but common recreational interests. They enjoy bowling and grilling out in the same familial atmosphere that brought them together.
Samantha points to God as the director of everything that has come to together. “Don’t stop believing, because faith is what gives sense to our life,” she said passionately. “Always have God first and you will have everything else in order.”
