Take time before saying I love you

In 2012, Joel Balimanya frequented Makerere Full Gospel Church in Kampala, for Sunday prayers. At the church, was a drama group that would stage plays for special seasons such as Easter and Christmas and this is where Balimanya first laid eyes on Gladys Tendo. 
She was one of the actresses in the group and to him, she stood out for different reasons. Besides her impressive acting skills, Balimanya says he enjoyed watching Tendo on stage because of her physique.
“She was tall and slender not forgetting her light skin complexion,” he says. 
Meanwhile, Tendo says at no point did she notice Balimanya in the crowd. 
One day, after a performance, Balimanya gathered the courage to approach Tendo. After exchanging greetings, he asked for her phone number, to which she said no. However, he did not give up. Balimanya says he kept asking her over and over again and every time she said no, he would ask again until one day she finally accepted. 
From then, the two began chatting from time to time through phone calls and text messages. They would talk about different things and share jokes, among other things. 
The date
Balimanya, who works as a visual artist, also began noticing how Tendo frequently shared his art work on her respective social media pages. 
“For me, this was a sign that she, maybe, had been hiding her own feelings for me,” he says. And because Balimanya was already attracted to Tendo, he asked her out on a date. 
Tendo says on the day they met for the date in 2013, Balimanya looked at her like she was an angel. In addition, she was very happy, excited and expectant to hear what he had to say.  “It was exciting that she found me funny because in reality, I am not. I am quiet and reserved,” Joel says. 
No rush
After the date, Balimanya’s feelings for Tendo intensified and he desperately wanted to tell her the words, “I love you.” 
But one of the fundamental lessons Balimanya had learnt while growing up is not to rush into telling a woman you love her.
“These are words you do not just throw around, however much you love the person. You might rush declaring your love and you scare away the person or they begin thinking you are odd,” Balimanya says.
“I had to first ensure that Tendo was comfortable and free with me. Once I noticed that, I began to slowly say things such as I like you or I like your ways, before eventually mentioning that I loved her at the end of 2013,” he adds.
“When I finally mentioned that I loved her and wanted us to be in a relationship that would eventually lead to marriage, she responded by saying she also needed a week to pray and hear from God,” he says. 
Delayed response
Tendo says she delayed to commit to Joel because growing up, she was often advised not to easily give into a man even if he says he loves you. 
“While growing up, we were told if you easily accept a man’s proposal, they will not value you enough. So, it is important that they also go through a bit of anxious moments even if it means delaying to give him a response on a respective marriage proposal,” says Tendo. 
But most importantly, Tendo says, she wanted to use the one week to pray and ask God for a sign that Joel was her Prince Charming. 
“Truth is, although I loved Joel and wanted to be his wife, I still wanted God to show me a sign,” she says, adding, “That very week, Joel called and mentioned that he would be heartbroken if I turned him down. To me, this was a sign from God that Joel was the one.”
Qualities
So, what was so special about Joel that she accepted his proposal? 
“For starters, he loves God with all his heart and this is the one quality I always wanted in my future husband. Then, he is patient, honest, a man of his word and very humble,” she says. 
Tendo even recalls times Joel would send her Shs50,000 almost every two days when she was still a student at Makerere University. 
“I would insist that I did not need the money but he would send it anyway. Imagine such care!” she says. 
On the other hand, Balimanya had also grown fond of Tendo because of her other exceptional character traits including her cheerful personality and love for people, not forgetting her determination to serve God. 
Marriage
Upon accepting Balimanya’s proposal, the duo dated for a few more years before eventually exchanging their vows on October 8, 2016. Today, they are parents to a three-year-old daughter.