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February 13, 2009

Robin Gosselin spent most of his 42 years struggling with addiction. From the time he was 14, till his late 30s, drugs and alcohol were his biggest love. He had a steady job while living on the Downtown Eastside, but "everything was a mess." He didn't want to do it anymore. Suicide was the next step for him. But, as he recalls, instead of ending his life, he walked three blocks down to Union Gospel Mission where he felt drawn. There the addictions counselor told him, "go home, get your stuff, come back in an hour and we will have you in recovery today." The rest, he says, is history.
After nearly 25 years as an addict, Robin got a new lease on life. In 2005 he began working at the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver, and two years later, he was invited to work in Surrey as part of the maintenance staff for the Orchard, one of UGM's low-income housing complexes. It was at the Orchard where Robin was about to experience a new kind of love that drugs and alcohol could never replace. Her name was Jacqui.

Jacqui, 48, lived in the low-income complex and volunteered her time to clean townhouse units. She had never lived on the streets or been trapped by addiction, but like Robin, her family life had been extremely dysfunctional and she too had used drugs and alcohol to cope. The two met when Robin starting working at the Orchard, performing extensive unit renovations while Jacqui was brought in to do the clean-up. At first they developed a friendship, but it didn't take long until the topic of dating was broached—which was when they both knew they were meant to be together. 

"I am in awe of him," says Jacqui, who beams when talking about Robin. "He has let God just transform his life and I can't express in words how much I love him." The couple says they compliment each other perfectly, as opposed to complicating things. They have a deep understanding and grace for each other after having both survived extremely difficult lives.

"It's so easy to fit into each other's lives," says Jacqui. "We look at each other as gifts. We know we were led together for a reason."

And on September 25, 2008, at the amenities room at the Orchard, the couple was married in what really was a family affair with their recovery family. Alf Greening, UGM manager of the Orchard, walked Jacqui down the aisle. Reverend Janet MacPhee, UGM chaplain, performed the ceremony. Robin's father, who had not seen his 42-year old son in over a decade, attended the wedding as did many UGM guests.

This will be the couple's first Valentine's Day together. And while they may have gone through hell to get where they're at, they say it's a match made in heaven.