This document tells the story of Hazel and Colin's courtship and engagement in India in the 1950s. [1] Hazel was a missionary in India who met Colin, a businessman and youth pastor, and felt an immediate connection. [2] However, Hazel believed Colin was married to a woman named Hazel. [3] It was later revealed that Colin and Hazel were just friends, allowing Hazel and Colin to begin courting long-distance and get engaged.

1. A WEDDING ON THE HORIZON
Title: A Wedding on the Horizon
There I sat in Howrah Train Station in Calcutta, India. I was frightened and I was praying
"God, keep me safe." The servant man of Rev. George and Cathy Howlett and the taxi
driver had just left. They had to bring me two hours early to the station. All my friends
who had planned to come to wave me off were not allowed to come. The night before
my eyes were filled with tear gas as I attempted to go out to pick up a few things I had
custom made. I retreated back to Cathy's hostel next to the Old Mission Church, the
place, which I called home station during my two and half months stay in the great old
city. There were rumors of a bomb threat to the train. The night before I had ventured
over to the church for a last meeting with Colin Crowfoot and his young people with hopes
of saying, "Thank you and Good-bye." But Colin was not there. I was very disappointed,
for my heart was being drawn to Colin in some special way.
Early in December at this same station my director in The Children's special Service mission
had come to meet me. The next morning he introduced me to Colin, "this very fine young man
who leads the youth," he said, "He would like you to speak to his young people." Colin, I at
once thought was different, charming and engaging, not to say very handsome, dressed in a
well pressed beige suit. I loved his accent, his smile and his persona captured me at once.
I thought, "WHERE have you been all my life?" Colin did ask me and I did speak to his youth
on the subject, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteous and all these things shall

2. be added unto you." This was my life verse and the message I knew best, not only by text,
but this was what I sought with all my heart to practice in my life. Imagine how thrilled I was
when he came up to thank me after the message. "That is my life verse too!" he said. I knew it, I had felt
it, we were of kindred spirits.
During my stay in Calcutta he asked me to speak a second time, which of course I did.
But before I did, I had to go to the other side of the city to hold a week's mission
in St Thomas' Elementary and High schools for girls. Before I left Colin handed me one of
his business cards and requested I call him if there were any changes in our plans. Colin was
a business man with Kilburns and Co., a British firm in Calcutta, and was participating in
several ministries like Youth for Christ choir director. He also led the singing for Bob Pierce
of World Vision in his big city wide crusades. I had heard him sing solos. I not only fell in love with his
wonderful tenor voice, I feared I was falling in love with him, and was more afraid it might
show.
But then one night at prayer meeting I heard the pastor ask him, "Where is Hazel?" He
casually said, "Oh, she is not feeling well." Oh, he must be married, I thought; O dear, am
I being attracted to a married man.
Soon after, Jean D'Lastic, who was the pianist for the Youth for Christ meetings and also
worked as secretary for the YFC director, worked in an office in the Christian Book Store
directly below the Hostel where I stayed. Jean was a vibrant Christian. We became good
friends. We were out shopping one day, AND as young women are prone to do, we were
discussing what kind of man we would like to marry if we did marry. It was then, I commented,
"Well,the kind of man I'd like to marry,if I do marry, is someone like the young man who is the
church youth pastor. "Oh, Colin," she said, "He is just like my brother, and besides, I guess he
and Hazel have kind of an understanding, but it's such a pity, for Colin would go into full time
Christian work in a minute, but Hazel would never." In my heart I breathed a

3. big sigh.
It was soon after that that Colin proposed to me. I was walking down a corridor of a ship,
Colin met me, put his arm around my waist, turned me around, and proposed to me. He looked
Me straight in the eyes and asked, "Will you marry me?" I was so thrilled, so pleased, but I
Answered, “I would love to, but there is Hazel." He kept looking at me and said, "It's you; or no
one." Of course that was a real dream, which I pondered in my heart. Then this happened.
I had a wonderful mother; it was she who instilled in my heart to be a missionary. While
dusting the family library I found a big book, and, curious, I carried it to mamma and asked,
Mamma this must be an important book; what it is about. Then she told me of the sadness
of the caste system in India, and how the high caste would not let even their shadow fall on
the low caste. I began to feel empathy for this poor mistreated low caste bound in darkness
and wanted to go to India. That began "my seeking first God's kingdom." As a very young
child I had come to know the Lord Jesus as my Savior. My father's cousin, Pleas Barker
was an evangelist from Ohio, who stayed in our home and held tent meetings in our community.
Mother took us children. I was young and mother taught us to pray at her knee, but I learned
from the evangelist you also had to pray and ask Jesus to forgive you and come into your
heart, but I had the misconception you had to go forward at the invitation to be become a
Christian. I begged my cousin Ruth to go with us to the meetings and to go forward too, for
I was timid to go by myself. It didn't happen, but early one morning when I was five or six
mother had our Zenith radio on, I was still in bed, and Dr. Lakin, I believe it was, had presented
the gospel clearly. I thought he was speaking directly to me, when he said, "You may still be
in bed, even there, you can pray and ask Jesus to forgive you, and invite Him to come into your
heart." I did! Now I could go to heaven, now I didn't have to be afraid of going to hell as the
evangelist had said. I threw back the covers and ran into the kitchen to tell my mother. Tears

4. rolled down her face as she hugged me tight. I later learned from mother that this was the
beginning to the answer to her prayer for me. She had dedicated my life before I was born
to be a missionary. Though I had had suitors and some proposals before I went to
India, I as it were died before I went and also told the Lord I would be willing to be single if
that was what He wanted of me, but that His will meant everything to me.
Coming back to Calcutta and meeting Colin. Before I left Calcutta, my second mom, a precious
lady in whose home I stayed often, while working in the city before I went to India. (She was a
Child Evangelism Worker until in her eighties.) She sent me a big fruit cake to India for Christmas.
I threw a little party as a thank you to Colin and his youth, also celebrating the three
fruitful and wonderful years the Lord had given to me in India. When I gave out invitations at the
meeting, Colin only was there, and said Hazel had something else going on that night, 'but I can
come." He did come! and came early with a double bouquet of beautiful and rich colored anta
flowers. Cathy his pastor's wife asked when I went to get vases and water, "Who did you
say brought the beautiful flowers?" Then that night she sought me out and told me so much
about Colin and that he had blue blood and that there was a minister in his family and the prayer
was that his mantle would fall on Colin. I thanked her, but I could only ponder this in my heart.
Remember when I left for the station. When I was packing Colin was in my thoughts. It may be,
I thought, he will come by to say,” Good-bye" to me, but he didn't. So I thought! On the way out
I went in to say, "Bye" to my friend Jean. She said these sweet words to me, "Colin came by
and said he was so sorry he didn't get to say, "Good-bye" to you. (we had talked briefly, and
he had told me he had to go get a taxi for the speaker as the trams had been burned in the
communist riot.

5. Sitting there later, alone, in that big station with bustling all around me, and as I prayed for
safety, I remembered Colin's business card, and sure enough it was still in my purse. I
fished it out and wrote a short letter to Colin thanking him and his youth for their sweet
fellowship during my long stay in Calcutta. By the time it took me three long days in a
women's third class compartment to travel across India and with Colin's face ever before
me, Colin had received my letter, and had rushed a pleasant air-mail back to me telling how
brave I was to travel over India alone. I later answered and told him I would be pleased to
hear from him again if the Lord should lead him to do so. (I should say that the night Hazel
said she could not come, she had gone on a boating date with the young man she chose
later to marry.)
It was only after their parting, that in Colin's own words, he had written to her, putting the
closing words on a most painful chapter in his life, for he had had fears he was going in the
wrong direction, but that he now had peace and hope in a new horizon dawning for us
My dream came true and on Easter Eve I received a letter of proposal from Colin and
wired back. Psalm 84 “No Good gift will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.'
At my home mission station in Almaner, E. Khandesh, Bombay State, we planned a special
dinner. I announced our engagement to our India director and staff of The Evangelical
Alliance Mission, who had loaned me half the year to The Children's Special Service Mission.
It was soon time for we missionaries to take our six weeks’ vacation to the hills. Five of us
planned to go to Kashmir, but one of the ladies did not get her permit in time, so we made
reservations in S. India, and the manager of the hill station called to inform us she had to
let someone else take our rooms. What to do. Our Director suggested we go to what
turned out to be a most wonderful setting in the Kumon Hills around beautiful Nanital Lake.

6. Imagine my joy it had worked out this way, when I received a letter from Colin which
crossed mine to him telling him about Nanital and he of all the wonderful places in India was
requesting me to bring my friends and come there to celebrate our engagement and choose
our wedding rings. I asked him if he played a musical instrument to bring it. Having arrived
first, I was able to meet Colin at the bus. I was more than delighted to see he had my favorite
instrument in his hand. The first thing we did when we arrived at the YMCA, where the men
stayed upstairs and the ladies downstairs. We went to the lounge. Alone we knelttopray
together and dedicate our future life and service to him. Then he played love songs to me:
Because, Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life, Believe Me if All Those endearing young charms.
Rowing on the lake in the moonlight, climbing to the sites with two other lovely couples
Horseback riding and plying around the lakes in rickshaws, sipping tea together, singing
And planning our wedding the days flew by so fast.
The rest of our courtship until a month before our wedding was done through correspondence.
I had a six month tour in several major cities to complete before our wedding in the beautiful
Oldmission church in India. When mom and dad answered Colin’s lovely letter to them
Requesting my hand in marriage, Mother wrote we have seen you stand strong in choosing
God’s will and we trust you to do the same, and your dad is happy you’ll havesomeone to
Take care of you – he’s been concerned about you travelling around India by yourself, and
My TEAM mission was too. But at the time they were going to pull me in from the travelling
Ministry. God had protected me through several perilous experiences. This was about the
Time Colin was about to propose to me, so when I asked if they would mind my making Calcutta
My headquarters , they consented.
We sent out three hundred wedding invitations to our wedding on Christmas Eve l954. MY family

7. sent my beautiful slipper satin long trained wedding dress, and going away outfit. I wrote our
wedding hymn, a wedding prayer. We knelt at the altar and sang it together. The local school
attached to the church was invited too. During our wedding prayer one of the girls opened her
heart to receive Jesus as Saviour. During the reception, of all things the lights went our. I sent
a message out to the school girls to sing Christmas carols while we waited for the lights tocome
on. It was heavenly. I had had the joy of leading many of these girls to know Jesus as Saviour.
My favorite verses when they came to me in the library to receive Jesus were:
John 1:29 “Behold the lamb of God , Who takes away the sin of the world.”
John 1:12 “As many as received Him, Jesus, He gave power to become the children of God.”
Rev. 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone will open the door I will come in
and sup with him and he with Me.”
You may be here today and you have never opened the door of your heart to Jesus. He is
coming back to rapture the church. He invites you to believe in Him, He has already
purchased your forgiveness from all, meaning every sin, by giving His life blood which
covers and washes our sins away. Once you do that you will be included in His Church,
which He calls His Bride, and you are invited to the wedding of all weddings, the
Marriage Supper of the Lamb. He loves you, He cherishes you, He wants you to respond
to the gift of His love. Once we come to Him, He promises to be with us always.
If you like I, even as a child had fears, and if you want to respond today to this love beyond
All human love, a love that will last throughout eternity, this is your invitation from Jesus
Himself. Would you pray with me this prayer.
Father in heaven, I thank you for loving me enough to send Jesus to die for my sin, to wash it all away in
His blood, to cleanse me and make me whole. Forgive me and I invite you to come into my heart and

8. help me to live the rest of my life loving and serving you. Thank you for receiving me and being my
Saviour. In Jesus name . Amen. If you have prayer this prayer with me, would you indicate it on
your little comment card and give it to us at the door.
Its been such a privilege and joy to share with you today.I have a display on the
table______________________________________. Please take a look.
You may also take a copy of our wedding hymn with you. God bless you each one and those you love.