May 05, 2025

Haslyn and I met on Christian Filipina in November 2016. She was working in Hong Kong as a nanny and housekeeper/cook for a Chinese family that had two kids: a boy, 4, and a girl, 12, I believe.

We seemed to hit it off fairly quickly on the website, and I went to visit her in Hong Kong three times in 2017. On one of the trips, we went to San Fernando City in Luzon to meet her family. We got engaged and applied for a U.S. Fiancé Visa. That was granted in March 2018, so we came into the U.S. in March and got married on the 25th of that month.

Since we are both committed Christians, the Holy Spirit enabled us to adjust to each other. Although it was difficult for Haslyn to leave the two kids she had raised for 16 years, we seemed to make the adjustment.

Haslyn got her Green Card and began working part-time at a Christian art gift company. She had been supporting her family in the Philippines during her time in Hong Kong, and she felt it was more appropriate for her to continue doing that rather than for me to send money to them. Haslyn also got her Certified Nursing License and began sitting the elderly.

Real estate taxes in Illinois became too much for our income, and we built a new house in Indiana and moved there in June of 2021. We had a good time selecting a house and designing it together. Our real estate taxes are now 1/3 of what they were in Illinois. Haslyn has been working for Panda Express Chinese Restaurant here and loves it. Her manager is from the same community in the Philippines as Haslyn, so they can speak Ilocano. They have a wonderful relationship together.

Haslyn and I attend a Filipino/American Sunday School Class at the church where we attend. I have the pleasure of teaching that class, and Haslyn has made a couple of good friends there.

Haslyn and I have experienced some nice travels together. We took a Viking River Cruise up the Romantic Danube River. We attended a Mozart Strauss Concert in Vienna as part of that cruise. We took a second Viking River Cruise from Paris up to Rouen and visited the beaches at Normandy. At that time, we visited the girl whom she had raised in Hong Kong. Viviene is now married to a Swiss man and they live in Zurich. They have two little girls. I’ll send a photo I took of them. A month ago, we visited Rome, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast together.

This December, we are booked on a Viking Ocean Cruise visiting Athens and making its way up the Italian coast to Rome. We very much enjoy seeing the old historical sights in Europe.

Haslyn has far exceeded any expectation that I had for a wife. She keeps our house immaculate. She can cook American, Chinese, Thai, Italian, and of course Filipino foods. She is a wonderful host and often hosts our Filipino/American Class for Sunday lunch. As you know, the Filipinas love to cook and share their dishes together.

She is concerned for me and my health and watches what I eat, you know? She is also concerned that I don’t injure my back by carrying heavy objects. She loves me and shows it often.

– Bruce and Haslyn, Indiana, USA