Diego and Emily Santamaria’s story is a story of how love overcame challenges for a local couple.
Their story began in August 2009 when Emily spent some time in Costa Rica for her studies to become a Spanish teacher. She met Diego and they became friends. In December of 2009 they exchanged numbers, emails, addresses and Skype names. For two years they developed a relationship through computers and phones, while also moving forward in their individual interests and careers.
Emily became a high school Spanish teacher and Diego became a professional piano teacher.
In December of 2011, Diego came to the U.S. to visit; their friendship grew. He flew back to Costa Rica at the end of December, and he did not return until December 2013. By this time their relationship had advanced to serious conversations of marriage. But those conversations always stirred up anxiety – where would they live? Both had friends, families, jobs: a life.
When Diego left to return to Costa Rica in January 2014, they were eager for their next rendezvous. They decided, reluctantl,y to wait until 2015 for marriage. One more year of waiting, Skyping and fuzzy, static-filled phone calls.
But when Diego got back to his hometown, he had a conversation with his pastor that initiated the busiest and most exciting summer of the couple’s lives.
“He said we had waited and done things well with our relationship. He asked what if God wanted you to be married this year?” said Diego. “I wasn’t scared, but thought it impossible,” he added.
That afternoon he called his girlfriend and asked her, “¿Estas listo para el matrimonio deste año?” (Are you ready for marriage this year?)
“I said yes but thought ‘what does this mean?’ Would he come here or would I go there?” said Emily.
They each hung up the phone and started praying. They looked at passages in the Bible that state “the man will leave his father and mother and is cleaved to his wife.” After looking through these verses and praying together, they said they felt a peace about Diego moving to Ohio.
Additionally, as an act of faith, they set the wedding for October 11, 2014.
It wasn’t an easy decision, and meeting that deadline wasn’t easy either. First, they weren’t officially engaged–he didn’t even have a ring bought. The engagement was something they both wanted to do face-to-face, but something didn’t seem right about an over-the-phone engagement.
In what the couple describes as a miracle, Diego suddenly got a bonus from his job in March. He promptly used the money to buy his soon-to-be fiancee a plane ticket and a ring. For Emily’s spring break in April she flew down to Costa Rica for a week, not expecting a proposal because Diego had kept that to himself.
Diego planned it all out: Early on the morning of April 14 he took her up a mountain with picnic supplies to watch the sunrise. He surprised her with the ring and she said ‘yes’ with tearful eyes. Elated, she flew back to Ohio, this time with a mission. Diego needed a visa. They had four months.
So they got a lawyer. He warned them that this process could take a long time, anywhere from four to six months. But they were determined.
Diego and Emily needed to prove their relationship was in fact headed toward marriage. This would allow Diego to receive what’s known as a “Fiance Visa.” This process, according to attorney Robert Thaxton, typically takes four months.
The couple applied for Diego’s fiance visa on May 28. Two weeks later, on June 11, he was approved. His appointment with the American consulate in the U.S. Embassy in San Jose was set for July 31.
“It was very quick. That never happens,” commented Thaxton. “I think it was solely based around the fact that they have such a strong relationship with each other,” he added. To get approved for a fiance visa, he explained, couples need to prove their relationship is in fact moving toward marriage. Once that fiance visa is issued, the couple has 90 days to marry. If they fail to marry during that time, the fiance visa is found void.
In the meantime, Diego had to quit his job and sell his belongings. He said he needed the money for the one-way plane ticket and for starting a new life in the states.
“Trusting in God is greater than any material thing,” said Diego.
By August he had sold everything. On Thursday, July 31 he had his interview with the embassy. After a nerve-racking questioning, his visa was approved. The consulate told him to wait approximately three business days for the visa to print. After the interview he bought a plane ticket, for August 11. This would give him plenty of time … so he thought.
But on the Monday after his interview, the consulate called Diego and told him of a delay in printing visas.
“He said it could take one or two weeks,” said Diego. He had already bought the ticket for a plane that departed in one week. He was scared the visa wouldn’t be ready. No visa, no flight. He thought of his fiancee, preparing for a wedding that might happen. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to help her prepare for the wedding.
The couple said they prayed and prayed.
On Friday, August 8, the consulate called Diego. They told him his visa would be ready for pick-up on Monday, August 11 at 2 p.m. – two hours before the plane took off.
In a rushed frenzy over the weekend, he packed his bags and said his goodbyes to friends and family. On Monday he sped to the embassy and picked up his papers, weaved through traffic on the way to the airport, hugged his tear-filled parents and jumped on the plane.
He made it.
When that indelible day came two months later, they described it as a tangible answer to prayer. The two celebrated their relationship with family and friends. Even some of Diego’s friends and family were able to make the trip. What seemed like an impossibility just 10 months prior became a reality.
“It went really well; you married me,” Diego said with a laugh.
Emily laughed and said, “We are so blessed. We have a new understanding of what it is to trust in God. We learned so much.”
The couple lives in Lexington, where they now wait for the U.S. Department of Immigration to approve Diego’s permanent visa, which will allow him to get his driver’s license and a steady job.
After that? Who knows what adventure they will pursue together?
“I said yes but thought ‘what does this mean?’ Would he come here or would I go there?” said Emily Santamaria.
