Philip and Angela Hines

by Angela

Our story really begins in 1995 when I, as a fifteen year old, went on my first mission trip. While serving in the Czech Republic with Teen Missions International, I got to know the girl who would become one my closest friends in life and who would, three and a half years later, introduce me to my husband. In January 1999, I flew to Seattle, where Laura was in college at the time.

My friend Laura was newly engaged and she, her fiancé and I decided to go swing dancing during my visit. They wanted to bring along a partner for me, and Philip, my future husband and mutual friend of both, was the third one asked and the first to say yes. We definitely hit it off immediately that night and Philip kept showing up everywhere I was that weekend. The morning I left, he invited Laura and me to breakfast. Given that he was a college guy, we were expecting cold cereal and maybe some orange juice. We had the surprise of our lives when we arrived and found the table covered with a linen cloth, crystal glasses, homemade Swedish pancakes, freshly baked cinnamon rolls and the best part—violin music playing in the background. His roommate stoutly defended Philip saying “Oh yeah, he does this all the time.”

After my return to college, we stayed in touch via email and phone calls, seeing each other only one other time in the next year and a half. At that point, summer of 2000, we decided it was time to either move forward to something beyond friendship or give each other the freedom to pursue or be pursued by someone else. Philip came to North Carolina for a long weekend to visit me and to meet my parents. By the end of the weekend, we both agreed that we should pray about whether or not to move forward and a few weeks later concluded that God was telling both of us “yes.”

I met his family over New Years of 2001 and shortly afterwards lined up a summer internship in Seattle so that we could have some time in the same place. That summer was overall a delightful time of getting to know each other very well and falling in love. It was tough for me to return to the real world in August for my final semester at Appalachian State.

Because my parents had asked that if I spent the summer in Seattle that Philip come spend an equal amount of time living with them in North Carolina, he arrived in mid-October to do just that. Even though he was already working a full-time in job in the Seattle area, his boss was kind enough to give him a leave of absence, which is what allowed the long stay in North Carolina. We had thought we would be engaged by the time I graduated in December, but that was not to be, as my parents were not yet ready to give their approval. So, in January, Philip accepted a job in the Washington, DC area, and I moved to Spain to intern with a local ministry organization. Yes, apart again! It was a dramatic four months with many ups and downs, but in the end, God taught us both a lot, and by the time I was back on US soil towards the end of May, I knew for sure this man was my future husband.

We asked my parents for their blessing to get married about a month later, and they happily granted it. Six days later we were engaged and 100 days after that we were married.

Last month we celebrated our tenth anniversary and while our marriage has offered a constant challenge for us to grow and change and mature, we are very thankful that God brought us together and gave us a life together. We have three beautiful sons, ages four to nine, whom I also homeschool, and a life full of opportunities to serve the Lord and love those around us.

Angela Hines, daughter of Timothy and Kathryn Kroboth, grew up in Charlotte and always homeschooled. She attended Appalachian State University and earned a double business degree.
Philip Hines, son of Don and Myrna Hines, grew up in Tacoma, WA. He went to Stadium High School and Seattle Pacific University, earning a degree in electrical engineering. The Hineses live near Washington, DC.