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Chris' Expression Maribel's Expression Participants and Reception Menu
How did it all begin?
Single Life For Me
Before coming to New York I had considered getting married. This did not work out.
So I was really not interested in marriage when I came to New York. Instead I was
interested in focusing my energies and attention to the work of publishing Bible-based literature
and expanding my ministry. This was possible because of the excellent education and
training given at the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society headquarters in Brooklyn
(or Bethel).
Click here to see our "Where We Worked and Lived" page.
Arrival
When I first arrived in New York, I was assigned to one of the over 400 congregations of
Jehovah's Witnesses located in the city.
The name of the congregation was "Inwood", near 200th street (Dyckman St.) in Manhattan
on 138 Nagle Ave. The territory surrounding the congregation's Kingdom Hall is predominately
Spanish speaking. This explains why there were only two English congregations and five
Spanish congregations in our two-story Kingdom Hall building. To get to the congregation
from home in Brooklyn took almost one hour.
One of my good friends, Duane Herman was previously assigned to this congregation when he had come to Bethel two years earlier. He heard I was coming and arranged to have me join him in his congregation.
First Encounter
Duane introduced me to some of his friends in the Spanish congregation.
One of them was Lisa Goviea from Michigan, and the other was Damaris Serra. We met the
first week I was in New York. They invited me to go with them to the hospital to visit
a friend who had surgery. When we arrived at the hospital and I saw the friend who was
sick, and I could not believe it. To me, she looked so comfortable and pleasant, it
amazed me that she just had surgery. I kissed her hand when we said goodbye and wished her a
speedy recovery. Well, little did I know that that was Maribel's mother. I didn't
find out until months later.
The second week I was in New York, friends from the Spanish congregation, asked Duane and I to come to a Spanish gathering that weekend. We accepted the invitation. During that gathering I actually danced Merengue and Salsa (Spanish dances similar to 50's rock and roll) with several girls. One of the many I danced with was Maribel. The gathering also had many varieties of Spanish food. It was a very fun, respectful and moral gathering. This was due to the young people's appreciation and respect for spiritual things found in the Bible. That was the first time I met Maribel, but I barely even remembered her name since there were so many new faces to remember.
I was really enjoying the surrounding neighborhood near our Kingdom Hall because there was so much excitement. Spanish music blaring loudly from every car, people playing dominos on the sidewalk, people in their apartments five stories up yelling at one of their friends on the street. Things like these were so different from home back in Wisconsin, but I found them interesting.
Friends
Months passed by. I was getting more and more involved in my studies at Bethel.
Maribel was attending the Spanish congregation and I was attending the English congregation
in the same Kingdom Hall. On Sunday, as I would leave after our meeting at 9:30-11:30 a.m.,
she would enter for her meeting 12:30-2:30 p.m. We would talk for a few minutes about
my experiences at work, and points I appreciated from the entrance school in Bethel.
On occasion, some of the Spanish friends would call me up at Bethel to go to the beach in Far Rockaway, Long Island. Maribel was sometimes with the group. I remember her unique hair styles. I also remember I noticed that Maribel was spiritually minded. She was reading her Watchtower magazine when she had free time while we where riding on the train. We also used to go to Pier 17 or other areas of New York as a group of friends.
I had the group of friends over to my room in Bethel for an evening. I cooked tacos and fixings. Even then I was watching Maribel, and I liked what I saw. I remember throwing a pillow at her to catch her attention and see her reaction. She just laughed and threw it back.
Excitement and Disappointment All in the Same Week
During my third year at Bethel, my parents came to New York to attend the annual District
Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses being held in Yankee stadium. They stayed over at a
friends house, Norman Yeend, who lived in our territory. During the convention I saw a
group from the Spanish congregation sitting in a lower section during the noon lunch break.
I went over and greeted them, but I noticed Maribel was not there.
So I asked the others where she was? They responded she was busy visiting someone.
It was another Brother from Bethel I thought she was dating. I say them
talking in the hallway as I was leaving. I was surprised how that affected me.
I felt as though my chances to get to know Maribel better where going to end, and it bothered me.
I decided to let it go and not interfere with their ongoing relationship.
Maybe if that had not happened I never would have realized my feelings for her.
That night I went home to Norman Yeend's house where my parents were staying. It must have been noticeable that I felt depressed. I went to the roof of the apartment building on 191 St which overlooked the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge. I had my walkman and was listening to Richard Marx's music "Should have known better", etc. All of a sudden, Norman and my father, Charles arrived on the roof. They must have noticed my mood. Norman said, "How is it going my boy? Girl troubles?" I acknowledged his question, but didn't give much of an answer. He continued with a bottle of scotch in hand, "How about a drink of scotch?" I laughed.
I was going on vacation back to Wisconsin with my parents traveling by car. All the way I felt down, listening to Spanish music to remind me of New York. While I was there, I recuperated from my sad feelings. I brought presents from Wisconsin for many of my friends, including Maribel and her mother. This was simply a kind gesture for all my friends. It was appreciated by all.
Courtship - The Time of Testing
One day I ran into her and her mother in the street as they were passing by. We talked,
and Maribel's mother invited me to come to their house to eat and pick up something she got
for me in Europe. (I had brought presents for many of my friends from Wisconsin a few
months earlier, she was repaying my kindness.) While I was there I told them some of my
experiences while visiting Wisconsin, like being next to the bonfire in my back yard roasting
marshmallows. We had a good laugh, as I stayed there for the next three hours up until my
meeting time.
The next week I heard that Maribel's grandmother was visiting from Dominican Republic. So I thought it would be a good time to visit and say, "Hello!" I brought flowers for her grandmother, and we had a nice visit.
Well this was when I made up my mind to pursue courtship, because possibly Maribel was a girl I could marry. I wanted to find out if this was true. After my meeting on Sunday, I told one of my Puerto Rican friends, Victor Alemar, that this was it, I was going for it tonight. I was going to ask a girl to date. He got all excited and said, "That a boy, let's go!" We went together and bought flowers. I was so nervous, I could believe what I was about to do. I said goodbye to Victor, and headed to Maribel Piantini's house. I left the flowers in front of her apartment door (Apt. #2) on the first floor of her five story building on 87 Vermilyea Ave. I did not knock, I just left the flowers in front of the closed door. I had a watchman duty back at Bethel, so I got on the subway train. All the way home on that hour ride I was praying that nobody would steal the flowers.
When I got back home I called her. We talked for a while and then I told her, "I heard someone knocking on your door and you should answer it." She thought it was strange because she didn't hear anyone. So she dropped the phone and went to the door and looked through the peep hole and returned. She said no one was there. We talked some more and then I told her to, "go to the door again, because I was sure I heard somebody knocking. But this time open the door." She said, "OK? (Thinking I was crazy.)" She found my flowers, and I heard her saying, "Oh, my God, oh my God." She asked me, "What does this mean? Do you do this to all the girls?" I told her, "No. I wanted to get to know her better as a potential marriage mate." I think it took her by surprise, because her reaction left me wondering. So then I go nervous that maybe I was going to scare her away, so I starting saying, "If that is O.K.?" and things like that. She thoughtfully said O.K., but I did not know exactly how it would all turn out.
The next week I received a phone call at work and it was Maribel. I was nervous, wow she is calling me! She said, "Hi." and we talked for a minute and then she said, "Can you come up here on Sunday after your meeting? We need to talk.: I said, "Sure. What is it about?" She said, "I'll tell you when you get here." Then we said goodbye. This made me sad, because I had heard this before and it usually meant a big letdown. So I prepared myself and thought the worst, so I could deal with it emotionally. Once I arrived at her house, her and her mother let me in and offered me a drink of juice, sat me down in the living room, and I felt confident and prepared. With Maribel and I alone in the living room, the conversation started with Maribel saying, "I have just three questions." I don't exactly remember the questions, but basically another Bethelite had heard that I had expressed myself to her, and he was jealous, making accusations, and she wanted to clear up that she did not have any relationship going on with him. She also wanted to be clear on my intentions and to ask me why I picked her. So I explained why to her and then we talked about other things. That was the beginning of our courtship.
We courted for seven months. When we started I had several articles on courtship I wanted to go over with her before we got too emotionally attached. Just in case there was something about me or her that would prevent us from being able to continue the courtship. The questions in the articles were excellent, like "Do you want to have children? Where you chaste in past relationships? etc." It laid a good foundation for the rest of the relationship.
Engagement - The Moment of Truth
I invited Maribel and her parents to Wisconsin to meet my parents and see where I grew up.
Maribel's father (Melercio) could not come because he had to work. In Spanish,
I told her parents privately, that I wanted to ask Maribel to marry me in Wisconsin.
This was proper because in the Spanish
culture usually you ask the girl to marry you in front of the family. I wasn't raised that way,
so I wanted to do it in my own special way. They accepted and allowed me to do this.
They were happy to have me in the family. I told them to keep it a surprise. A couple of
times it almost slipped, but Maribel never found out.
Maribel and her mother (Claudia) flew with me to Wisconsin. We arrived and we went to my parents house for a few days. Then we planned a trip to Richland Center where my Grandparents lived. We met my dad's (Charles) father and mother, Herbert and Dorothy Dieter. We also met my mom's (Carol) family, her sisters and brothers, the old farm, etc. My father video taped the whole experience.
We then went camping in Wisconsin Dells. This was where I asked my father to help me look for a romantic spot to ask Maribel for her hand in marriage. While the ladies stayed behind in town, my father and I went out to visit some of the restaurants and landmarks. We found a beautiful location on top of a mountain overlooking a lake. The restaurant was named "Ishnala" after an Indian name. We found a stone table outside that I wanted to use, because of the permanence. I thought, "Hopefully it will still be there years later." We returned to town and went on a scenic boat ride. After we returned, I went in the tent with my mother and I practiced my engagement proposal that I had written out in Spanish. My mother could not understand a word of it, but it made her cry.
That night we went out to eat at the location I had chosen. I was calm and Maribel had no idea that this would be the night. She wondered a little because of how nervous our mothers were behaving, but she dismissed any real suspicions. We had dinner, with a nice bottle of wine. Then the moment of truth was here. I asked Maribel, "if she would like to go for a walk?" She and I went down around the side of the restaurant and we looked out over the beautiful moon shining on the lake. It was a perfect evening. Then I walked us to the stone table. I previously had my father place the rose on the table with the wedding engagement ring tied to it with a string. I got on my knee, and sat her down on the table. Then in Spanish, I began to tell her, "how wonderful she is, and that I wanted to make her my wife. Would you marry me?" She was crying with joy so much that I had to ask her, "Does this mean 'Yes'?" She said, "Yes" and then we kissed and shortly thereafter our waiter came down to us with two glasses and a bottle of Asti-Spumante champagne. Maribel's mother was trying to take pictures from up above through the window. Our family also came down the stairs to us and took pictures. We then all walked back to our table in the restaurant and we rejoiced about the good news!
The next day at the campsite we went to the beach. Maribel, her mother, Cassandra and I went out on a row boat and took pictures on a rock in the middle of the lake. We returned to my parents home and later in the week we had an engagement party with all my friends in Madison at the restaurant "Sergios". A good friend Bob Wagner gave some encouragement from the scriptures to both Maribel and I. This was at the request of Maribel's parents, since it is traditional to do this in the Spanish culture. It was a good idea.
Marriage - The Moment of Glory
Now the real work began. Maribel and I made lists of those to invite, chose colors,
searched for a reception hall, decided on who would be in the wedding, etc.
I even wrote a thirty page book on every exact detailed procedure to follow for those who
had responsibility to coordinate the affairs during the wedding day.
Wow, all the preparation and work to make this day turn out to be a success!
The day arrived, Saturday, March 10, 1990, and it was truly beautiful weather. I stayed over at friend's house, Johnny Morales. We all were on time for the wedding. Only our parents were a bit late because of traffic, but it all worked out well for the 2:00 p.m. ceremony to begin.
Robert Wagner gave the first half of the wedding talk in English for 10 min., and Julio Sabino gave the remainder of the talk in Spanish for 10 min. Art Reagan gave the vows. Of course we kissed and everybody took pictures.
The Here After
After the wedding ceremony we took pictures and went to the park to take some more pictures.
When we arrived at the reception, there were 350 people waiting for us all assigned to their tables.
Angela Alvarado and other friends had done a wonderful job of decorating, it was exactly as I had envisioned
when I drew up the plans.
We ate and danced for a couple of hours. Then we had a special program of personal expressions. We had two experienced couples share good advice with us. Chris's mother sang, "Always" by the group Alantic Star (slightly modified to fit the subject of Bethel life together.) A person we didn't know danced for us. And four friends from Bethel sang a song to us.
Then we went around and said "Thank you" to everyone, handing out a small thank you favor to everyone. This is a Spanish custom. Then we both changed our clothes and said, "Goodbye!" to everyone. We were driven to Newark Airport at the hotel and the next morning we went on our honeymoon to Cozumel and Cancun, Mexico.
This was the beginning of a wonderful marriage, that we hope will last forever, as long as we live!"
- Christopher Dieter
"Finding Chris who loves me and appreciates me for who I am has made me very happy. And to have the privelege of sharing so significantly in his life; this somebody special that I have found; is an enormous blessing which I hope to enjoy forever." - Matthew 19:4-6.
- Maribel Dieter