We planned to have a small picnic in the evening at a school park close to her house. It was her idea—Gifty, my girlfriend. She wanted candles, drinks, and food in a garden, but since we didn’t have a garden nearby, we bought everything we needed and went to the park. It was about a ten-minute walk from where she lived.

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I dressed casually. I didn’t look bad, but I also didn’t look like I was dressed for an occasion. She wore a straight dress that ran down to her ankles. It was a red dress, perfect for the occasion.

There were people in the park praying, so we wanted to wait until they left. Several minutes later, they were still there, so we decided to set up anyway. Mind you, it was a dark park, so nobody could see your face unless they shone a flashlight on you.

We set up nicely on the grass with a blanket on the ground and food and drinks spread out on it. As soon as we lit the candles, those praying intensified their prayers. They were screaming louder than before, speaking in tongues, and making a lot of noise.

At one point, one of them said, “Even in your presence, the devil has decided to pitch camp to challenge your authority. We bind them in the name of Jesus.” Gifty wasn’t paying attention. She was so engrossed in the aesthetics, but I was listening.

I told her, “I think these people are praying against us.” She asked, “Because we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day?” I answered, “I don’t know, but just listen.”

These guys spent all their energy casting the devil out of us because of the candles we’d lit in the dark. We were laughing at them. They hadn’t mentioned our names, but the direction and wording of their prayers made it clear they were talking to God about us.

Not long afterwards, the weather changed. The wind started blowing harder than before. Our candle flames struggled against the wind, and dust flew around, robbing the romance from our night. I told her we should pack up because it was going to rain. She said, “These people will think they’ve won. Let’s stay.”

When the rain started and we were running, these guys were still in the rain, praying loudly and clapping triumphantly, as if they’d won against the devil. I could imagine one of them in church giving a testimony that they prayed until the devil took to his heels.

We continued the celebration inside our room, laughing at the events that had driven us indoors instead of having a romantic picnic at the park. We drank more than necessary and ate everything on the table. Gifty slept in her Valentine’s dress. In the morning, we reminisced about the event and laughed again.

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We’ve been married for seven years now, but something from that day has stuck with us. Whenever I ask Gifty to pray, she’ll find a way to say, “Even in your presence, the devil can pitch camp, blah blah blah.” When I tell her to be serious, she’ll say, “A prayer that can lead to rain is more than a serious prayer.”

—Caleb

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