A BURNTISLAND woman who married a native American, is set to swap Fife for Washington State, following the birth of their daughter.

Lynn Heldman (37) will travel to the USA with husband Vernon (51), baby Krystal and children from her previous marriage—Clara (16), Paula (14), Stuart (11) and James (8).

The couple met through a church website four years ago and, after a series of visits on both sides of the Atlantic, decided to get married on March 15, 2006.

Lynn said, “It was a friend of mine who told me about the church website and I thought it would be a much better way to meet someone than in some seedy internet chatroom.

“When I first spoke to Vernon we got on really well but when I told him I lived on the east coast, he thought I meant America.

“We got married at our church temple out in Las Vegas, then we toured all over the country, it is a really beautiful place.”

Vernon belongs to the San Poil tribe and is an elder at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Kirkcaldy.

It was there he recently christened his daughter with the middle name Sisiousah, picked by an elderly woman of his tribe, which means strong-willed and capable.

The family are to move to Vernon’s farm, where they will adopt a mixed culture.

Lynn said, “The kids can’t wait for the change in lifestyle, when we went across for a visit they didn’t want to leave.”

“All of them will be brought up between the two cultures but they will not be forced to do anything they don’t want to do.”