{"id":24,"date":"2026-04-14T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/?p=24"},"modified":"2026-05-21T02:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T02:23:30","slug":"beautifully-arranged-sol-and-liz-ocampo-a-family-steeped-in-a-love-that-began-as-strangers-in-marriage-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/?p=24","title":{"rendered":"BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED: SOL AND LIZ OCAMPO \u2014 A FAMILY STEEPED IN A LOVE THAT BEGAN AS STRANGERS IN MARRIAGE (PART 1 OF 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Christian pastors Solomon (\u201cSol\u201d) and Liz Ocampo have taken a unique path to love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They didn\u2019t meet and fall in love and then get married \u2014 on the contrary, it was an arranged wedding. Both of their sets of parents were in the ministry, with Sol\u2019s Filipino parents having met Liz\u2019s Kenyan father and Ugandan mother when the former were missionaries in Nairobi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Liz\u2019s mother who instigated the whole process in 2012, although an arranged marriage wasn\u2019t exactly in Liz\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, it started as a big joke,\u201d Liz says in a joint interview with her husband with Culturs Magazine. \u201cLike, you cannot be serious that you\u2019re choosing my husband. Every time I would see my mom, she was so serious about it, and she wasn\u2019t liking my current boyfriend at the time. She would pray for the breakup of that relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

You cannot be serious that you\u2019re choosing my husband.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sol, on the other hand, had seen his older siblings marriages arranged by his parents. \u201cBut still, it was crazy, it was pretty crazy to a logical human being,\u201d he says, asking himself: Why would your spouse be picked by someone else other than you?  \u201cAnd then someone that you have no feelings for (a) and (b) someone you do not know, (c) someone who is not from your neighborhood, (d) someone who is not from your country, (e) someone who is not even the same race! It goes against everything you grew up knowing \u2014 the concept of who your wife is supposed to be. \u2026 What everybody grows up being,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s who you see, your father marrying a Filipina, and your uncle \u2014 they\u2019re all the same race,\u201d he continues. \u201cThen now you\u2019re jumping out with no really clear explanation why. So it was crazy, even though I was used to it [arranged marriage] with my siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O<\/strong>UR MOTHERS\u2019 LOVE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What made their parents think an arranged marriage between Sol and Liz could work was that both sets of parents were very close friends, according to Sol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sol
Sol and Liz Ocampo (Photo courtesy the Ocampo family)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey were friends at church, [his parents had] been missionaries over here in Kenya since the late 1980s,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they \u2026 formed this bond with her parents for two decades-ish, but we didn\u2019t know each other personally as individuals. Our parents were good friends, working together in the ministry. So I guess my mom was seeing her and was saying, \u2018Oh these two would make a good couple,\u2019 and she was friends with her mom very tightly so I don\u2019t know what was the reaction with her mom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Liz, Sol\u2019s mother \u201conly mentioned it when my mother went to the Philippines for his [Sol\u2019s] sister\u2019s arranged marriage and so while after the wedding of his sister, she was like, \u2018You know, the next child that needs to get married \u2026 I\u2019m considering your daughter\u2019 [as a potential spouse to her son].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd my mom also laughed, \u2018Which daughter?’\u201d Liz continues. \u201cThere are three of us. And so [Sol\u2019s mother] said, \u2018Your last daughter, Liz.\u2019 And mom laughed even harder because she knows me very well \u2014 there\u2019s no way I\u2019m gonna do that, and she said, \u2018You know, it\u2019s a very good idea but if Liz agrees, I am for it.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liz\u2019s mother called her immediately. \u201cShe\u2019s telling me, she\u2019s laughing, \u2018You know the Ocampos? You know who\u2019s next in line?\u2019 Actually I don\u2019t know those guys there\u2019s just too many. And she\u2019s like \u2018Anyway, it\u2019s Solomon and they\u2019re considering you to be his bride.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liz was in shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re there. Please explain it\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d Liz shares. Her mom replied, \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what I told them, but just think about it, consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOT IN THE CARDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But the bride-to-be had no intention of being told who her future husband would be. But her mother did not give up. Upon returning to Kenya from the Philipines,  Liz\u2019 mother continued her persuit of a potential union between her daughter and Sol.  \u201cYou should think about it \u2014 he\u2019s so nice,\u201d she coaxed. \u201cWhen I was there, I really thought this guy could be my son-in-law.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liz\u2019s father was on her side, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said to Liz, \u201c\u2018No I believe you. You should fall in love with the person you\u2019re going to be married. You need to be attracted to the person.\u2019 And I was very much not attracted to him at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the next two years, Liz dated other people. Sol was in Liz\u2019s Facebook timeline, but she blocked him because she could not explain to her then boyfriend who this was in her facebook feed. The likelihood of a wedding seemed to fade as each day passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like I really needed those two years,\u201d Liz mused \u201cBecause by the end of those two years I was convinced that he was the one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Sol, \u201cI\u2019m very much pleased that she took those two years to delay it, fortunately she came back to me and said yes.\u201d In the meantime, however, this enabled Liz to \u201cgo to the market and see the selection.\u201d Liz took the time to date in Kenya, in Nairobi, even international, and cross-cultural. \u201cSo I guess I\u2019m not the only foreign choice she had,\u201d said Sol. \u201cSo at least now she\u2019s settled. I\u2019m happy in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sol
Sol and Liz Ocampo (Photo courtesy of the Ocampo Family)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

S<\/strong>TUMBLING BLOCKS ON BOTH SIDES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The biggest stumbling block for Sol was that while he \u201ccould see with my eyes that she was very beautiful and very pleasant to the eyes, I was still coming from the closed-minded and traditional concept of just being stuck with wanting a Filipina bride. So I was not appreciating that beauty because I was so hung up, so stuck up on the cultural concepts and preference that I was coming from. But now of course I can\u2019t imagine my life without her. I\u2019m so blessed and pleased that I ended up with her and she still chose me. Because I just can\u2019t imagine the beauty and everything, the whole package that comes with marrying a black woman. And you know what they say, \u201cOnce you go black\u2026\u201d He said, laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sol did at one point lose hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told myself it\u2019s a done deal, she turned her back, because even with my mom, who\u2019s very persuasive, she tried to talk to her for hours and my father, and she was still set on \u2018No.\u2019 So I said \u2018that\u2019s it, it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A <\/strong>LIGHT SHINES THROUGH<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To Sol\u2019s surprise, she unblocked him from Facebook one day. \u201cI said fine, and with my mom we planned a surprise engagement whirlwind trip.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out-of-the-blue the marriage was ON! From the Philippines to Kenya on the weekend to propose \u2014 off went Sol. \u201cI was ready for anything, a yes or a no because it had been a no for two years so If she had said no and embarrassed me to my face \u2014 which was her plan by the way, I didn\u2019t know that that was her plan to say no \u2014 but she was just pressured by the audience of all the family members there, so I\u2019m thankful for them pressuring her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I was ready for anything, a yes or a no because it had been a no for two years.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sol was ready for a no, and when she said yes, he was in disbelief. She said yes. After two years of \u201cno,\u201d it was a \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C<\/strong>AUGHT OFF GUARD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Sol
Sol and Liz Ocampo (Photo courtesy the Ocampo family)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the whirlwind of activity, Liz didn\u2019t know Sol was flying over to Nairobi to propose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI unblocked him on a Tuesday. By Friday, he was in my living room to propose,\u201d Liz conveys with hearty laughter. \u201cIt happened too fast, it was like, \u2018Dude, I just unblocked you. Relax.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis sister-in-law who was living in Nairobi at the time, came and said \u2018I brought you a cake,\u2019 and she makes fantastic cakes. And so I\u2019m just sitting there going \u2018Where\u2019s the cake?\u2019 And she comes back with him. He gets on his knee and says \u2018Will you marry me\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LIZ SCREAMED.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Wait, how are you here, you\u2019re in Manila!\u2019 And so my whole family heard and they all came to the living room, and now there\u2019s so many people so I didn\u2019t want to embarrass him, and Im like what is going on here?!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sol\u2019s is family was there, Liz\u2019 family was there, all eagerly awaiting an answer for the impending bethrothal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was the longest two minutes of my life because when I asked \u2018Will you marry me,\u2019 she didn\u2019t say yes \u2014 she said \u2018WHAAAT?!?,’\u201d recalls Sol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liz was in disbelief. She didn\u2019t know what to say. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to say \u2018no\u2019 and embarrass him because there were so many people \u2014 so I just said yes,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThen he got so happy, he\u2019s jumping up and down, my family grabbed me quickly and we went to a room and [they] were like \u2018Congratulations!’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liz wanted to nip it in the bud: \u201d I\u2019m gonna tell him no, I just didn\u2019t want to embarrass him,’\u201d but her big brother set her straight. He held her and said \u201cYou can\u2019t do that to a man. You have to say \u2018yes,\u2019 you have to mean your \u2018yes,’\u201d he insisted. Not wanting to disappoint her brother, Liz thought to herself, \u201cOkay, let it play out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And play it did! The news spread quickly through their homelands. \u201cBefore I know it his mother has bought me a ticket to the Philippines, and so now this is becoming very hard to say, \u2018I was joking, guys,’\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MOVING QUICKLY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before she can get her bearings, Liz is in the Philippines shopping for a wedding dress and picking a venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt happened so fast,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the engagement period, before Liz even started falling for Sol, she was falling for her future in-laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was falling for his mother, not him or the idea of the marriage,\u201d she says. \u201cBut [with] his mother, I was like, \u2018I can live with her as a mother-in-law.\u2019 She was amazing and she would spoil me rotten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sol
Sol and Liz Ocampo (Photo courtesy the Ocampo family)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The engagement to the wedding lasted only two and a half months, according to Liz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that time, Sol says he \u201cwas thrilled and also nervous at the same time, because I\u2019m entering marriage here. It\u2019s for life. This is it, it\u2019s not something you joke around with. I was thrilled and excited and nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHANGING COUNTRIES, CHANGING LIFE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring that time because we had agreed that I was going to live in the Philippines, it was just saying goodbye to my country,\u201d Liz says. \u201cDuring those two months, she had a lot to absorb and quite a bit of adjustment to process. She had just started a career as a radio presenter and her career had  skyrocketed, \u201cI was starting to get my daily show, and here I am giving it all up to go get married to someone I don\u2019t love or like,\u201d she laughs.  \u201cIt was just too much to take in. I felt like I was in a daze, it just happened so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShock and awe,\u201d Sol added as they both laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sol
Sol and Liz Ocampo (Photo courtesy the Ocampo family)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SHOCK AND AWE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So the wedding proceeded. Sol\u2019s mother planned a month-long honeymoon for the couple \u2014 and both families \u2014 to spend in the Philippines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The honeymoon was also the new couple\u2019s first chance to actually get to really know one another.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Philippines is 7,000 islands so you\u2019re just in awe of everything,\u201d Liz said. \u201cAnd yes, getting to know him, like, \u2018OK, what is your second name?,’\u201d she laughs. \u201cWe had so much to talk about because we knew absolutely nothing about each other. And we were both so talkative. We\u2019re both extroverts; I didn\u2019t expect to marry an extrovert, I always thought I\u2019d marry an introvert.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah the honeymoon was, it was short, I think we only had two weeks before she fell ill, with the pregnancy, but it was a wonderful,\u201d Sol said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe honeymoon became a family vacation,\u201d he added. \u201cThere was an instance when the bellboy at the hotel switched keys. They gave our room key to some of our family members and we\u2019re you know, in bed, getting it on, and all of a sudden the door opens! Luckily he didn\u2019t see anything \u2014 the door was down the hall, but can you imagine? This is the first time you\u2019re getting to know your spouse carnally, then boom, you could hear your brother and your sister\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that night, our wedding night, we had no peace,\u201d Liz chimed in. \u201cBecause a sibling would come in, \u2018Oh sorry sorry, we left this in your room. So we were up until 4 a.m. because we had different siblings coming in and out and I\u2019m just sitting there in my wedding dress and I\u2019m like, \u2018This is not how I imagined it,’\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was like torture. We didn\u2019t even undress,\u201d Sol said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ONLY TWO WEEKS OF BLISS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two weeks into the honeymoon, Liz was throwing up. A lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out Part 2<\/a> of the Ocampos\u2019 incredible story tomorrow!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian pastors Solomon (\u201cSol\u201d) and Liz Ocampo have taken a unique path to love.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,26],"tags":[27,28],"class_list":["post-24","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-crossing-cultures","tag-cross-cultural","tag-marriage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions\/84"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cultursmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}