Answered prayers lead to love for the Harrisons

Daniela Blake was on Facebook minding her own business when one day, she received a friend request from a handsome stranger. She didn’t click ‘accept’ right away. Instead, she chose to do so on Sunday, March 28, 2021, and was met with an instant message from Shane Harrison. A conversation ensued, which soon progressed to WhatsApp and a birthday celebration in person months later. Who knew that Daniela had been the dream woman Shane had been praying for?

Before receiving that fateful message, Shane turned to the Lord in prayer with one request: to bless him with a good woman. He recounted his plea, “All ah my brethren them have a girl. What happen to me? Father God, me want you bless me with a girl.”

Since he was of the view that faith without work is fruitless, Shane took to social media and sent requests to all the women that had popped up on his page. But Daniela was the chosen one. Hesitant to move forward at first, she eventually made the connection, and everything soon fell into place.

“We eventually exchanged numbers and continued that conversation on WhatsApp. Not one day would pass and we didn’t talk. He was living in Kingston at the time, and I was living in Montego Bay. As time went on, we made calls and video calls and continued texting until we began conversation about when we would meet in person,” Daniela explained to Island Wedding.

That day would arrive in May, two days after her birthday, in the form of a double date. The pair planned a ‘baecation’ of sorts in Ocho Rios to celebrate the special occasion of his future soulmate.

Anxiety got the better of Daniela as she waited for her Prince Charming. Then, to her surprise, she saw this handsome guy come up to her and give her a hug, assuring her that everything was okay and there was no need to be nervous.

“He was everything I had hoped for him. We were both overjoyed to finally meet each other. After our face-to-face meeting, we went back to our respective homes. And about a month after, we decided that we were going to go into courtship,” she added.

JOURNEY TO LOVE

The couple started their journey to love in two different cities across the island. Every two weeks, Shane would traverse from Kingston to spend quality time with Daniela in Montego Bay. These important visits continued for over a year until Daniela moved to Kingston in November 2022.

With COVID-19 restrictions in full effect at that time, the two kept their unique bonding experience indoors, continuing their routine of binge-watching movies together.

“I love that my husband is a praying young man. From our very first conversation, we never start our day, end our day or come off the phone without praying. Full of faith, he is very positive, respectful, patient, hardworking and principled. I also loved that he endured with me through the difficulties and complexities of my life and our relationship, sticking with me even though I take care of my sick mom and still do,” she revealed.

Throughout the deaths of her sister and father, Shane stood by her side as a constant support, never ceasing to pray and petition God to help her. “He encouraged me throughout the years to love and believe in myself. He loved me through my brokenness and stood with me when everything and everyone turned their backs on me.”

Shane continues to be enchanted by Daniela’s beauty and finds himself falling more deeply in love with her mind.

“You will never find a more joyous person. She is very determined. At the initial stages of our relationship, I used to visit her in Montego Bay, and she so badly wanted to cook a nice Sunday meal for me. She spent over an hour that Sunday preparing the meal. She is a very loving, nurturing, caring, and selfless person who will put herself last to make me happy. Once I’m good, she is good. She is a keeper, and I will do whatever it takes to keep her in my life until death do us part,” he shared.

After three years of dating, Shane believed it was time for a relationship upgrade, and asked Daniela to be his lawfully wedded wife.

For their second anniversary, he planned a private dinner to celebrate the occasion. She got dressed and was escorted by her niece around the pool. “Once she got seated, our friends and families popped up. Surprised, she was looking at them. By the time she turned back to me, I was on my knees. It took me three to four minutes to say all that I wanted to tell her. Then I asked her to marry me, and she said yes,” he added.

For the wedding-planning process, the couple was originally planning to elope at the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) but opted to have a small wedding instead.

On March 30, Daniela and Shane joined hands and hearts at the Pentecostal Sanctuary United Pentecostal Church. The newlyweds carried the festivities to the Terra Nova Hotel for the reception.

Seeing his beautiful bride ‘fully dolly dung’ (in Jamaican terms) had his heart racing. He could not wait to make her his wife. “Because we both are Christians, we both believe in being natural. So I’ve never seen her in full-blown makeup with such an elegant dress before. So that part when I finally got to turn around and saw her was very mind blowing. She was so stunning!”

Daniela’s favourite part of the wedding was standing at the altar with her groom, holding hands, committing herself to him before God. “This moment was so special because I felt changed instantly. I felt like a new person, and I got to show the world this amazing young man that God has blessed me with,” Mrs Harrison recounted.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com