Our Story

We were set up by a mutual friend (Bruce Houtz) in July of 2019. Bruce met Alex in a bible study after Alex returned from China, and Eliese had known Bruce for several years while attending another church. Alex agreed to get ice cream despite a dairy allergy, and so we had our first date at Rita's Italian Ice on July 19, 2019. The first date went well, and many more dates, long walks, and laughs later, we were in love.

Alex proposed on a family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico on February 19, 2020. After walking for a while on a private stretch of beach, Alex began to talk about an important decision he had made. He said he had been thinking about whether or not he would return for another year of service in China, and had come to a decision. He mentioned that he had talked to several people about what his absence for a year might mean for the relationship, and had been praying about the decision. Ultimately, he said he had decided that because he loved Eliese, he didn't want to go to China, or any other country for that matter, without Eliese by his side. Alex said he felt the same of all things in life, that he always wanted her by his side, and because of that realization, he got down on one knee, and asked Eliese to marry him. After asking if this was really happening, Eliese quickly said yes to the proposal. (The two do not have immediate plans to go to China, but international missions may be in the distant future.)