We aren't actually sure what year we met! It was either 2016 or 2017 at a Teen Camp at King's Valley. I had spent all my summers at camp growing up and Justin came for the first time in 2016. We're pretty sure we definitely noticed each other that year, since he was new and had a blond afro and I did things with the worship team, but we don't think we officially met until 2017. In 2018, we became coworkers as summer students out at camp. This is the year we really became friends. We continued to summer student together in the summers of 2019 and 2020. Lots of fun memories were made! A favourite of both of ours is when the summer students took a trip to Red Deer for a conference. We were staying at Kelli's cousin's house and Kelli was looking for volunteers to make everyone breakfast. Justin volunteered to make french toast and I volunteered to help him. The next morning, Justin had almost given up on me helping and was quite sad because I was apparently ten minutes later than I said I would be... but Justin says watching me come up the stairs in my cute flannel pajamas was one of the best moments of his life. While making breakfast, he almost mixed in cumin instead of cinnamon but thankfully we smelled it first! Little did I know this whole trip Justin liked me and did sneaky things like sat beside me in the conference meetings and would slowly move his leg closer to mine to see if I'd push it away. I was totally oblivious... In IKEA he said we should pet all the soft things, knowing that soft things are one of my weaknesses, and we went around and had a great time petting all the blankets and rugs. It should be noted that I (Abi) had no intention of every being in a relationship until I was 23-25 and "ready" to get married. I wanted to see the world first - go to YWAM, live in the Philippines for a couple years, and get a four year bachelor degree. In the back of my mind during those summer student years I thought that maybe I did like Justin, but a relationship wasn't really on my list of priorities so I ignored it and pushed it away. Justin liked me, but I honestly didn't really pick up on it until later, possibly even 2020, which shows just how oblivious I can be.

In January of 2020 I (Abi) set off to New Zealand for YWAM with no idea when I would be coming home. I had an amazing two months exploring the north island of NZ, making friends, and growing closer to God and my YWAM family every day. When March rolled around, my school had no clue what was happening in the world - we were enjoying our blissful country life in one of the most isolated countries in the world. Suddenly our school was cancelled, which was a shock and before I knew it, I was back in Fort St. John. I had no intentions of staying home for long. I was prepared to go right back to YWAM as soon as borders opened up and to staff for at least 2 years. That summer, I worked as a summer student at camp and Justin did too. During a late night one-on-one conversation, a speaker talked to me about the importance of marriage. It was in that moment that I knew I was going to marry Justin Garner. Now remember, being in a relationship was something I thought I didn't want to do for at least another 4-5 years. Suddenly, Papa changed my heart and I knew I was going to date Justin soon and eventually marry him. Now the waiting game began. Justin and I worked together the whole summer of 2020 and I knew he liked me. I liked him too but Papa told me to let him pursue me - I couldn't make the first move. Justin started texting me on September 4th and continued to text me every day into October. At this point I was so frustrated that he hadn't asked me anything yet. I kept waiting but also made an effort to let him know he could ask me. We hung out a couple times where he paid for my meal and wouldn't let me pay him back and then we'd go to a lookout and talk some more. Everything about this felt like a date to me but we hadn't said anything. Finally, in November, the big day came. I woke up that morning and knew it was going to happen - he was finally going to ask me to be his girlfriend! And he did, not quite in that wording though. We drove out to camp together to get his brother's shoes that he forgot out there. This was a long drive so I figured someone would have lots of time to say something if they wanted to. Awkward small talk the whole 30 minute drive - I hated it! We get there, grab his brother's shoes, and he says, "It's a nice day out. We could walk to the river if you're not in a rush to get back". It was a nice day out, sunny with snow covering the fields and ice on the river. I thought to myself, "the river would be a great spot to ask someone something". He didn't ask there. Actually, Justin admits he forgot about it because the river was so beautiful, which it was. Driving home. More awkward small talk. Out of the blue, he grabs my hand and I start freaking out inside, "Oh my gosh this is it, it's finally happening!" Justin was so sweet. "You're one of the most amazing people I've met and I really like you. I'm not sure how you feel about me". So I responded quickly so he wouldn't be discouraged. "I really like you too!" Little did I know it but Justin had liked me since 2018. So after months of waiting for me and years of waiting for him, our relationship began and here we are today preparing to say our vows and begin on the greatest adventure we could ever share with another person. But what's really important is that Michaela called it.

I (Abi) had planned my own birthday party at our friends' house. I wanted important people in my spiritual family there so me and my best friend, Christy, organized a party. Justin had been away in Edmonton all weekend at a conference so he told me he was going to spend time with his momma that evening since we were doing a family birthday dinner for me the next day. I arrived at the Wards house my friends asked where Justin was. I told them he was spending time with his mom since he had been away all weekend. We ate and were visiting around the dining table when Justin arrived. I was very pleasantly surprised! He seemed a little out of it but I didn't pay that much attention to it - I was just so happy he had come! The kids wanted me to do Just Dance with them so I did a couple dances. While I was finishing a dance, Justin came over and said he had a gift for me. I wasn't expecting a gift because I had told him many times that I didn't really want anything except to be engaged and he always went on about how he couldn't afford a ring, so I told him not to bother getting me anything but to save his money so he could buy one. "It's a personal gift so we have to go downstairs" he told me. I saw the gift he had wrapped. It looked like a book. I was confused and slightly suspicious but I didn't think he was going to propose to me after seeing the shape of the present. We went down to the basement suite where our friend was sitting on the couch so we went outside. Little did I know that it was always his intention to do this outside. There was some snow on the ground but it had been warm out so it was melted a little. There was a cool breeze but it wasn't too bad. We went to a corner under the deck where no one could see us through the window. I unwrapped the present to find the scrapbook I made Justin for our one-year dating anniversary. I collected pictures of all our adventures and included movie, rodeo tickets, and polaroids in the book. I wrote on every page to reminisce on our year. "Since I couldn't afford to get you anything for your birthday, I wanted to go through our scrapbook together and look at what we did for your birthday last year. Just spend some quality time with you" Justin said. It was such a sweet gesture. I was slightly saddened because all I wanted for my birthday was to be engaged but since I couldn't have that, this was a pretty good gift. We got to the page with my birthday from 2020 and reminisced on what happened then. "Now what?" I asked. "Let's just keep looking" Justin said. So we did and I told him all the things I forgot to put in the book and the fun I had making it. As we got nearer to the end of the book, Justin pulled out a pen from his pocket. "This is from work. Can you hold onto it for me?" Weird, but not unlikely. I took the pen. I had left the last page of the scrapbook blank to put pictures from our one year of dating anniversary but when we got to it, it wasn't blank. On the page was a polaroid of Justin and the boys in front of a Paris Jewellers sign and below it was a question: "Will you marry me?" with check boxes for "yes" or "no". I couldn't believe what I was reading - my birthday wish came true! And there he was, down on one knee where he asked me himself if I would marry him. I didn't even look down at the ring, I just looked into his eyes and said yes. When I finally did look at the ring, it was the most beautiful one I'd ever seen and exactly like the ones I'd shown him I wanted. We went back up to the party and everyone was cheering and celebrating with us. We all had champagne and Dean prayed for us. My parents and John came later and were able to celebrate with us and we went over to Justin's house to share the excitement with his mom as well. It was a beautiful evening and such a special memory with all our family and friends.