They say love works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, that is an understatement.
Sofian Loho Dandel is a 28-year-old man living on Mantehage Island in the North Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi. One day, about a year ago, he received a call on his cell phone from a number he didn’t recognize. He picked up the phone and heard the voice of Martha Potu.
“It began with an accidental cell phone call to me. We started communicating and eventually I fell in love,” Sofiyan said as quoted by Viva.
Sofian and Martha started talking frequently. Sofiyan, who had never dated before, said his love for the mysterious voice on the other end of the phone was so great that he decided to meet her in person for the first time about two weeks after that initial phone call, so he traveled to the nearby town of Lelema where she lived.
The 28-year-old had no idea how old Martha was when he went to meet her. And, needless to say, he was shocked when he found out that the girl he has grown to love was an 82-year-old grandmother.
But he didn’t run away. They talked, and he learned about her lonely life. She had been widowed for ten years and her children were now living far away in Germany and Saudi Arabia.
“I did not know how old Martha was. However, we really fell in love with each other, and agreed to continue the relationship,” Sofian told Tribun.
And continue the relationship they did. Eventually, Sofian proposed to Martha and she accepted.
When the couple first told Sofian’s parents about their marriage plans, they asked which of Martha’s grandchildren Sofian had proposed to. Naturally, they were shocked to hear that Sofian had actually proposed to Martha.
“We did not know his future wife was a grandmother. We were very surprised at the time, but what can I say? We saw how much they love each other, so we accepted his choice. Our partners, that is up to the Lord,” said Sofian’s 60-year-old mother Magdalena.
Sofian and Martha were married on Monday. News of the couple went viral on social media after one of the guests posted pictures from the celebration.
https://www.facebook.com/fery.sihombing.14/posts/1264427290306872?match=Y2ludGEgaXR1IGdpbGEga2FsYXUgdGlkYWsgZ2lsYSBpdHUgYnVrYW4gY2ludGEgZGVuZ2FuIHNlbGlzaWggdXNpYSA1NCB0YWh1biB0aWRhayBtZW5qYWRpIHBlbmdoYWxhbmcgYmFnaSBwYXNhbmdhbg%3D%3D
Talking to reporters the day after, Martha said, “I kept praying to God, if he would allow it, to give me a companion who could take care for me in my old age. I would never have expected it, but God sent Sofian to me.”
We wish the new husband and wife all the happiness in the world.
