They are all in, for better or for worse

W hen Charles Adkison asked Chyze Montuya to marry him, they didn’t think their relationship had much of a story.

Two years later, after a pandemic, a transcontinental telecommunication wedding and a typhoon, the couple has faced more obstacles in their young relationship than many encounter in their lifetime.

Charles and Chyze, who is from the Philippines, met while she was vacationing in the U.S. Through the church her parents pastor, she has met many Americans who have become like family. When she completed her Doctor of Laws in the Philippines, but before she took the bar exam, she decided to see her friends in the U.S.

It was on that trip she met Charles in Spokane.

“We just hit it off really, really well,” he said. The two began texting each other in October 2019. By Dec. 20, they were officially a couple. Then in February 2020, they became engaged.

During this time, the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning. Chyze traveled back home, almost getting stuck in Taiwan before arriving in the Philippines.

Then the world shut down. Charles was in Lewiston and his fiancee was in La Libertad, Philippines.

However, the distance has made their relationship stronger and perhaps convinced some skeptics of their quick relationship of its longevity.

“It wasn’t just a fly-by-night meeting of hearts in a Spokane park,” Charles said. “It was not just snow and ice skating that made us fall in love.”

It’s a 16-hour time difference between Lewiston and La Libertad, but Charles has it down to a science.

“Count three hours forward and then flip it.”

They would talk to each other most nights, except on Saturday — which was her Sunday — because she was at church.

“I guarantee, if you call me at 8:30, 9:30 at night, I’m talking to her,” he said. Those phone calls helped them grow closer despite the distance. “We definitely know who the other person is.”

Some of their time away was spent working on their own projects. Charles, who works as a contractor at Korban Contracting, grew his business to save up for a wedding. Chyze, unable to take the bar exam and practice law, learned to bake “phenomenal cakes,” according to Charles. “The craziest thing is how much fun we’ve had together.”

Aside from learning how to navigate a long distance relationship they also spent their time apart trying to get back together.

“We’re focused on finding our way back to each other,” he said.

That’s where Chyze’s law degree came in handy. Through the changing laws because of the pandemic, government shutdowns and immigration rules, they found a way to get married legally.

“Honestly, she is the one who made it happen,” he said. “I don’t know how I would’ve been able to afford that amount of legal services.”

First they were going to get married in Costa Rica, because its laws are recognized by both the Philippines and the U.S. However, they found another solution when Utah made telecommunication weddings legal. So finally, in October, two years after they first met, they got married in a ceremony that was held in Provo, Utah, but facilitated through telecommunication services.

Even that ceremony had its challenges.

When Chyze went to call in, her internet was barely working. She kept trying different devices like tablets, phones and computers to get it working right. Meanwhile in Lewiston, Charles was on a call with his parents, brothers and sisters and their families. The clock was ticking down on their 45 minute time slot.

Charles asked the facilitator how long the ceremony would take, and he said he could do it in 15 minutes.

But after continued delays, they had only 16 minutes left, with the clock still ticking. The facilitator said he could do all the legal necessities in a three minute ceremony.

“That’s exactly what ended up happening,” Charles said. “It worked perfectly.”

They hopped on another Zoom call to have a reception — and the couple added one more story to tell about their unique union.

Their marriage made it easier for them to be reunited. Charles finally got a ticket to meet Chyze in the Philippines and had all of his paperwork done. He was about to fly in — he had only 43 days left (not that he’s counting) — when a class 5 typhoon struck the country.

As the storm hit, Charles got phone calls from Chyze giving him updates on the situation until she ran out of battery. She couldn’t charge her phone because there was no power. Charles didn’t hear from her for three days.

Those three days of not knowing where Chyze was or how she was doing were the hardest for Charles since their time apart began.

“I realized how hard it was to do everything I had been doing without having her in my life,” he said.

Typhoon Rai, which formed Dec. 12 and known in the Philippines as Typhoon Odette, has killed at least 375 people, with 56 missing and 500 injured. The storm sustained winds at 121 mph and gusts as high as 168 mph, according to The Associated Press.

“Basically what happened in New Orleans is what happened to her village,” Charles said.

Chyze’s family and their church was hit hard by the typhoon. It will be four months before power can be restored to the area. The church is hoping to purchase a generator to supply families with power so people can charge phones and flashlights. Charles started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for the generator.

Now Charles’ trip to the Philippines to meet in-laws and have a wedding ceremony has evolved into bringing disaster aid and using his skills as a contractor to help repair some of the damage brought by the storm. Money the couple saved up for their wedding will be used for emergency services to help with the devastation. But they are still having a ceremony.

“Even if the wedding hall is collapsed and we have to use candlelight, I’m going to make it romantic no matter what,” Charles said.

Having a large ceremony is a big part of the family-oriented culture in the Philippines.

“It’s such a big part of her culture and part of her heart,” he said. “Her having a big wedding is a huge gift I can give her.”

After they meet together in the Philippines, for the first time since they’ve been married, it won’t be the end of the story.

The U.S. requires proof that a couple has been physically together to file a green card. The process for marriage visas through the immigration system is so backed up because of the pandemic it will be another 2 year wait.

“Unless something changes, a total of four years is what we’re expecting before we can live together as husband and wife,” Charles said.

Through it all, Charles and Chyze’s love and religious faith have helped them remain hopeful despite the struggles.

“There’s an internal thing that happens when you have peace about something you shouldn’t have peace about,” he said.

One thing is for sure — they’ll have plenty of stories to tell now.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.

Charles Adkison started a GoFundMe page to help with the devastation in the typhoon in the Philippines. For more information or to donate: //bit.ly/3sub4ui.