Valdur Rosenvald’s side of the story
How we met
I met Johanna for the first time at Kolgata congregation in 2011. She was sitting there with Reelika, and after the service I went to introduce myself. It turned out they were young women from Saaremaa who had come to the mainland to study. Johanna and I soon started seeing each other regularly — she joined our youth group activities and we shared some university subjects. I remember sitting with her in a particularly boring lecture when Henri Lehtsaar invited me to play disc golf. I decided to go and asked Johanna to come along. I was absolutely sure she wouldn’t — she seemed far too well-behaved to skip lectures. But to my great surprise, she joined. My understanding of her changed at that moment. I realised she’s a girl who dares to skip lectures.
A growing friendship
In October 2012, I went to serve in the Jõhvi Viru infantry battalion. I called friends whenever I could. I thought I was calling everyone equally, but some people claim I actually called Johanna more than anyone else. It seemed suspicious to them.
I know there was a time we started going for runs together. I even remember the first time — Johanna lived on Roosi Street, and I showed up at her door and invited her along. She said she’d already had a tough workout that day, but again, to my great surprise, she came. Our friendship grew deeper and we did many wonderful things together with Kolgata’s youth community. Unfortunately, I don’t remember any of the details.
The beginning
In spring 2014, I realised our “friendship” had become so close that we needed to have a conversation. I wrote in my diary on 8 April 2014: “I discovered I think about Johanna a lot.” I decided to take some time away — went to Männimets to think and pray about the way forward.
On 20 May, Johanna had to submit the rough draft of her bachelor’s thesis. I called her a quarter before midnight to ask how it went. She called me back at midnight to say it had gone well — and then invited me for a walk. We talked and walked until we got caught in a thunderstorm. We took shelter under the roof of the Biomeedikum building, and Johanna asked if she was more than a friend to me. I told her I really liked her. And just to mention it — we hugged.
We prayed to find our way forward. There was one obstacle: Johanna had decided to stay single for the rest of her life, believing she could serve God better that way. Our final decision came on 16 June 2014. After praying and reflecting, Johanna had come to the conclusion that she could serve God in marriage too — it would just be different. That day, our relationship began, and our first official date took place at Kapriis café in Tartu.
The proposal
Two years went by quickly. We came to know each other closely. We’ve gotten along wonderfully — we haven’t had a single serious argument, even when I’ve tried to start one. But I’ll admit the time hasn’t always been easy. Difficulties teach people, and through them we’ve come to know ourselves, each other, and God better.
In April, I told Johanna we could take a hike together. She agreed and planned a weekend off. I didn’t tell her where we were going and we left the city. I had bought a lot of food — by accident, rather too much. Johanna looked at it, and seeing cheese and sausages, asked: “Are we going to visit Mati?” It was incredible, because I had initially planned to stop at Mati Lohu’s place. She knew our destination just from the food. After spending the night at Mati’s, we flew from Riga to Stavanger, Norway.
We climbed to the top of Preikestolen — the famous Pulpit Rock, 604 metres above the fjord. On the way up, we stopped three times to pray for our relationship. Once at the top, I asked: “Johanna Toplaan, will you marry me?” She thought for six seconds and said yes.
I’m not usually an emotional person, but it made me cry like a baby. We ran back down fast because the last bus was leaving — and I kept crying even on the bus. I think the thought of this decision being for life touched me deeply.
#Rosenvalds
If you’re reading this story, everything has probably gone well and we’re married. We are grateful to God, who brought us together and has kept us together. There’s little chance we would have met outside the church — it was our first and main meeting place. We believe the purpose of marriage is to help each other become clearer reflections of God’s love. I hope and pray we’re on our way there.
