Mark
Wrote:
To: Bruce White and TLC,
I wish to express my deep gratitude
and sincere thanks to TLC for the service you provide. I am living
proof that miracles can, and do happen. I have met, and recently married
the woman of my dreams. Her name is Claudia Liliana. She is from Cali,
Colombia and is undoubtedly the most precious gift anywhere in the
world. To tell our story in brevity is an impossible task, and only
emphasizes the wonderful outcome. Therefore I am compelled to give
a somewhat condensed, but a longer than usual testimonial.
A couple years ago, my attitude was similar to many American men.
I was discouraged with the expectations placed onto the American man,
and the continuous negative attitudes of American women. It seems
that society and the media encourages women to view men negatively.
To tell you the truth, I nearly lost all hope of ever finding that
special woman with whom I could share my life. For these reasons,
I decided a different course of action was necessary if I expected
to find a soulmate that wanted and believed in old-fashioned family
values. Approximately two years ago, I purchased the TLC photo magazine
and introductory video. I reviewed the materials, and soon became
interested in pursuing this method of courtship. It seemed to make
sense, and I was convinced that it could work for me. I then decided
to place a personal ad in the gentlemen's catalog. Soon afterward,
I received around 100 responses and was amazed at the diversity of
women who wrote to me. All of my expectations were surpassed. Because
of the incredible number of responses, I knew a vacation tour was
inevitable.
After almost one year of careful planning I decided that Cali, Colombia
would be the place. On June 17th, 1999 I left Minneapolis, Minnesota
to participate in a TLC vacation tour. A mechanical delay in Chicago
caused my arrival in Miami to be late, and I missed the flight to
Cali that evening. Luckily, I met three other gentlemen in Miami that
were also destined for the TLC event in Cali. We bonded together as
a group, spent the night in Miami, and awaited our flight the following
day. The next day, more mechanical and weather delays in Miami caused
a missed connection in Bogota, Colombia. After spending several hours
in the Bogota airport waiting for a flight, we finally arrived in
Cali merely one-hour before the first grand social event was scheduled.
Ironically, Claudia was the first woman I saw that evening. She was
a translator at the function and spoke perfect English. She was young,
attractive, intelligent, petite, and sophisticated. I recalled having
seen her in the promotional video that I purchased from TLC and thought
it both surprising and wonderful to see her in person. Now I have
always considered myself an average looking man, shy in nature, and
not monetarily wealthy. So I truly thought that this beautiful creature
would never be interested in me. As the evening progressed, she translated
on my behalf several times. Throughout the countless introductions
and conversations with other women, my thoughts remained on Claudia.
As the weekend progressed, my shyness kept me from speaking with Claudia
on a personal level. I thought "How can I approach and tell this
girl of my desire to get to know her?"
Upon my arrival at the Sunday pool party, I was pleasantly surprised
to see Claudia was in attendance. She was supposed to translate for
a gentleman and his girl, but they somehow did not show. This provided
me with a window of opportunity, so I finally mustered up the courage
and asked her to sit next to me. Fortunately she did, and we proceeded
to talk the entire afternoon. I quickly felt very comfortable around
her and wanted to learn more about her. We agreed to have dinner and
talk more that evening. Before going to dinner, I had the pleasure
of meeting her family and was treated with the utmost respect and
thus felt welcomed. There was a certain chemistry between us. We had
similar outlooks, beliefs, values, and goals for the future. Perhaps
it was love at our first meeting, because I can honestly say that
I knew I met my future wife that day.
We said 'good-bye' late Monday evening due to my return flight early
Tuesday morning. The next several weeks were difficult. I wanted to
be with her and learn more about her. As time passed, we spoke on
the phone several times each week and talked for hours, exchanged
many photos, and sent numerous e-mails. I began to discover the values
in her head and the kindness in her heart. I knew she was incredibly
special and I was falling in love with her. I planned to return to
Colombia only six weeks later.
The sincere and genuine woman that was waiting for me at the airport
was a dream come true. Additionally, I was once again well received
by both Claudia's family and all of her friends. We continued corresponding
via e-mail and phone conversations for the next couple months. As
we grew closer together, we planned for her to visit the United States
in October and meet my family and friends. Everyone who encountered
this bright and beautiful girl instantly took an immediate liking
to her. She is so outgoing, exciting, and genuinely fun to be around.
When I returned in December to visit her for Christmas, I proposed
marriage on December 26th, 1999. It may sound crazy to most people
that I proposed after only six months, but it truly was an easy decision
to make. I knew it was right, and felt fortunate that Claudia accepted
my proposal. After her coming again to the US in March, and me going
back to Cali in May, we were married in the United States on August
5th, 2000 in front of my family and friends in Minnesota. We both
take our marriage vows very seriously and intend to spend our entire
lives happily together. We are planning to experience a traditional
church ceremony this winter in Cali to share our joy with her family
and friends.
Everything I've read about the quality of a Latina woman was true.
In fact, the explanations I've read fall far short. It is my sincere
belief that Latinas believe in loyalty, faithfulness, sincerity, are
hard working, and desire to please their husband. I found this to
be the opposite with most American women. Claudia is my ideal woman
and my lifelong dream come true. Skeptics who think the ladies marry
only to come to the U.S. are mistaken. I have only a humble home and
my heart to offer her, and that is all she wants. My wife must sacrifice
by leaving many friends behind, quitting her job, and leave her family
to start a new life in the United States. In fact, she doesn't want
to move to the U.S. until January 2001. She feels compelled to adequately
train another employee to take her place before she leaves. This is
how dedicated and conscientious she is as a person. She is perfect
in all ways and can't do enough to please me. She is the most passionate
person I've ever met. I am shown love many times a day and in many
different ways. My wife is extremely loyal, loving, and more confident
than her American counterparts. She is always concerned about my well
being because her husband and family always come first in her life.
I would swim to Colombia for her if necessary! Meeting and marrying
Claudia has changed my life forever.
For all those contemplating joining TLC, or attending a trip to a
country TLC visits, I can only offer advice from my personal experience.
Please don't hesitate!! You have waited long enough. Having a Latina
who appreciates you and your efforts is far better than an American
woman that expects them. TLC is well worth the time, effort,
and money spent, ..and
it works!! Believe me, and believe
your instincts.
Thanks again, Mark
Claudia Wrote:
Dear Bruce and TLC:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity of finding the love of my
life and for making me the happiest person alive. Working for TLC
during the last 4 years as a translator in Cali-Colombia not only
was fun, but also helped me find the most wonderful person in the
world: my husband Mark.
I must admit that in all the years I translated for TLC, I never thought
I would get involved with an American man. This is not because I had
anything against them, but because I thought it was almost impossible
to meet the right person in such a short period of time. I thought
the couples who found each other at the TLC functions, were crazy
to think they had found their soulmate in just one weekend. I just
couldn't believe it,. until it happened to me!! When I first saw Mark,
I found him extremely attractive, but I didn't let myself get too
impressed because I had seen many good looking men at these functions.
I had never felt interested enough to know anyone better as a person,
and thought it even more impossible to start a relationship with someone.
Fortunately, Mark asked for my services as a translator with some
other girls. I was then able to discover basic information about him.
He had no children, was a Christian, is family oriented, etc. Suddenly
I felt the desire to know more about him. When the other girls didn't
know what else to ask him, I tried to "help" them by asking
him questions that I wanted to know myself!! From the answers he gave,
I realized that he was not only very good looking, but also a very
interesting person.
The following evening at the Grand Social, I didn't talk to Mark because
there were many girls around him and they never left him alone. On
Sunday morning at the pool party, I finally found the perfect opportunity
to talk to Mark. He hadn't invited anybody and was alone. After talking
for almost 5 hours, I knew I didn't want him to "get away"
from me,.and he never did!! Mark is a true blessing from heaven, and
a precious gift from God. He is completely dedicated and devoted to
our relationship, he is loving, kind, loyal, affectionate, romantic,
and also my best friend.
Without TLC, this love story never would have happened. I will always
be grateful to TLC for making my dream come true!!
My advice to the gentlemen is to travel to Latin America to meet your
soulmate. Maybe you can be as lucky as us.
Sincerely, Claudia
Mark & Claudia
Minneapolis, Minnesota
