We are so excited to celebrate with you!

Erica and Addison met over two years ago at a Bible study on politics, culture and theology at the Jensen's home. Little did they know, they had been set up by some family friends! On the first Monday night in October 2018, Addison arrived a few minutes late, guitar in hand. Erica sat near the fireplace with a notepad and her copy of A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet. Things were slow going at first, but in a few meetings, Erica had rotated her regular seat around the room to be closer to Addison. They stayed late one night, chatting over coffee about Erica’s time in Laos and Addison’s experience growing up in Tanzania. And together with some friends, they helped the Jensens move boxes and furniture into their new home. *Ask Erica about that day, when Addison cleared out her passenger seat and jumped in her car so they could continue their conversation!* In January 2019, Addison took a job in Washington, DC. Now geographically apart, they called and messaged a few times in the Spring. But after Addison came back for a week in the summer and asked Erica out for coffee, things really started moving. Long SMS-conversations about theology, Myers-Briggs and current-events morphed into long phone calls about plenty more. One September night, Addison asked Erica if she was seeing anyone. This bothered Erica; after all, she had been seeing Addison! Did Addison not see it that way? Erica needed resolution, so that Saturday, she called Addison and confessed that she had feelings for him, and asked what Addison had meant and where he stood. Addison admitted that he had been probing to find out where Erica stood; he wholeheartedly affirmed that they had been seeing each other, and said that he just wasn’t sure about his feelings yet, but he wanted to continue as they were and see where things went.

In November 2019, when Addison flew back to the Cape for Thanksgiving, he called Erica and asked her to meet him at Mashpee Commons. Erica feared that Addison might end things, but when she arrived, Addison was standing by the fountain with a bouquet of flowers and a big hug ready for her. He told Erica that he had feelings for her too, and asked if she wanted to be in a relationship with him. Erica quickly said yes! Thus began a nearly full, happy year of dating long-distance. It was a month later, in December, when Addison and Erica first said they loved each other. *Ask Addison about that time he had so many butterflies, he nearly puked!* When the coronavirus hit the United States in March 2020, Addison moved back up to Cape Cod and worked remotely for two-and-a-half months. There, he and Erica spent time with their families and each other, growing much closer. When Addison finally returned to Virginia in June, he was seeing Erica in a different light. It had become clearer to him how incredibly special Erica was, and how much he loved her.

By August 2020, Addison and Erica had each decided that they wanted to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. They were still dating long-distance then, with Erica working at Osterville Baptist on Cape Cod, and Addison in the thick of a senate campaign in Virginia. After finding the perfect ring, Addison hatched a plan to fly north for the weekend, catch Erica by surprise and propose at the most romantic spot he could think of - the Knob. On October 3rd, with his family’s help, Addison lured Erica - still unsuspecting - to a sunrise hike, where Addison waited at the end of a trail of flowers. When Erica saw the first flower at the beginning of the trail, the moment slowly dawned on her. “What’s this flower doing here? That’s nice. Wait - is that my name on it? That doesn’t make sense - why would Addison deliver flowers to me? What, he’s HERE?!” Erica started quickly up the path, overcome with excitement. With the moon still in view, Addison stood at the top of the Knob and greeted Erica with an embrace and kiss, before handing her his final rose and dropping to one knee. “Will you marry me, Erica?” “Yes, yes! A thousand times - YES!” Arm-in-arm, Addison and Erica walked down to the beach, where they celebrated with a breakfast picnic and watched the sun rise over the harbor.

We can’t reflect on the last 2+ years without praising God. Foremost, God’s design of marriage as a testament to the glory of Christ’s union to the church as his bride, and as a sanctifying relationship between man and woman, is awe-inspiring in so many ways. God’s sovereign hand has also been on full display - from bringing us together in the first place, to growing us closer during coronavirus (when our jobs would otherwise keep us apart), to guiding us forward in every step along the way. Perhaps most humbling is to realize how wonderfully God designed us to complement each other - from our strengths and weaknesses, to how we laugh, talk, live and have fun together. We are truly thankful to God for each other, and are beyond blessed to enter into such a holy covenant before Him; we can’t wait for what’s in store. May we serve him better together than apart. Glory be to Him!