“D” got promoted not at the job, but he is promoted to the level of pastor approved for “R.” He is very happy about it. In one of my previous posts (you can find it here) I talked about what my pastor thought when I first discussed “D” with him. He played devil’s advocate and was not really sold by my “D” pitch. I also said that I did not know if his view on “D” changed over the years, but now I know that he approves of him. It is not like we are desperate for his approval, but it is nice to have.
My pastor means something to me. He is a figure of respect in my life. He listened to me and helped me navigate through the toughest times of my life. He roots for my success and one of the people to show unconditional faith in my abilities. He is the head pastor of the church I go to. D’s step mom asked me to go and see a pastor Will when I was going through my heart break phase because of my X. Though seeing a pastor to discuss a personal issue sounded weird to me, I obliged her as she was an elder person. At that time, I was bad at remembering American names (they almost sounded the same to me. Not trying to be racist 
). I went to the church office and asked to meet the pastor, and they directed me to pastor Bill’s (the head pastor) office. It almost sounds like the same name Bill, Will, Willam 
. That is how I met my pastor as a result of miscommunication. We bonded well; he listened to me, and I felt a sense of peace. I went back repeatedly. He gave me my first Bible, and I was open to it. My grandmother was a believer of Jesus, though she did not get baptized. I was exposed to Christianity growing up because of her, add to that Indian mentality of God is one, we call him with different names made me not resist the Bible.
I started reading Bible and loved it; I felt a thirst to read more of the God’s word. It helped me in my discussions with the pastor. We always had very interesting discussions, and my pastor was impressed at how well God is steering my thought process. I think it was a journey of self-discovery for me, and my pastor enjoyed seeing me grow. He once told a congregation about our story and how I was supposed to meet Pastor Will but instead ended up meeting him. He said, “Pastor Will, I am sorry you should find your own R.” Hearing this congregation burst into laughter. I think I am lucky to have found a pastor that not only listens to my controversial theories about God and religion but also counsels me to see the light when I am low. Most of my theories are kind of different from what he was thought since he was a child, but he never dismisses them. In addition, some, in fact, make sense to him. I actually want to make a post about it sometime later.
“D” knows this pastor only through me because this is not the church D went to growing up. We go here because of me. Two weeks back, I texted my pastor about my move. He was surprised to hear because we did not talk for a long time, he had no clue about my plans. The last we talked, I was adamant that I will not move to my brother’s place though my parents were forcing me to. Now, that they gave up asking me he was surprised that I am considering moving. He asked if I had time to come and see him before I leave; I was happy to do that.
Two days before the move I went to see my pastor. He was so eager to know what was going on that he jumped to the topic right away. 
It is funny because he caught himself doing that and then slowed down and asked me how I was doing? I made my pastor lose his usual cool 
. Then we started talking, and I explained our reasons for considering the move. I told him, “We wanted to get married since we were six months in and had been trying to convince my parents. It has been 2.5 years now, and nothing seems to work. D does not want to take their daughter away from my parents. He wants to get my parents’ permission even to give me an engagement ring and follow Indian tradition of engagement. D believes the right thing to do is taking their daughters hand in marriage their way. I really appreciate this effort from D considering he is an American, and it is not his culture.”
Hearing this pastor almost got a tear or two in his eye (mind you, he is not a person to show emotions). He then said, “I am really impressed with D. That is a very noble thing he is trying to do. I think you are doing the right thing and there is nothing I would ask you to do differently. I feel like he is really good for you. It might be hard, but it is the right thing.” These words coming from my pastor meant a lot to me and also to “D.” D was actually on the ninth cloud when I told him this. He probably felt a sense of reassurance too, especially because the pastor called his actions noble. He asked me repeatedly if the pastor used the exact word noble. Aha my poor D. He never had a personal relationship with any pastor, but I think every congregation puts the pastor on a pedestal and so did D.
After this, we also talked about D’s school schedule, and it reinforced everything to him about D. He knew that I was the catalyst behind D going back to school. Even when we prayed at the end of the meeting, he said something to the effect of “Lord, please provide R and D with the strength to navigate through these tough times, so they can get married if that is your will. It seems like the right thing.” He said, we getting married seems right to him. He never said that before. Healways stopped at “your will.” That is an improvement, it does not matter for practical purposes but I will take it, one more vote for us. 
When we finally ended our meeting, he told me, “Do not forget, you mean something to me.” 
(The feeling is mutual.) I said I am really thankful that I met a pastor like you, and hopefully I will be able to come back for Thanksgiving. We bid our good-byes, and I left the church feeling better.
-R.
P.S. As I said before I am not desperate for his approval. It is just nice to have your partner/ spouse liked by people who mean something to you, makes life a little simple.
