It was the end of January 2022, the weekend of Pathfinder Teen Retreat. Larissa was one of the speakers for the weekend, while David was a coordinator helping with the music. Over the weekend, David and Larissa bonded over cats, board games, and worship music. While they had worked together in Pathfinders for several years, this was the first time getting to know each other on a more personal level. On that Sunday, Saul insisted on dragging people out to the NFL Championship Games. He invited Larissa, who didn't want to go. But Saul convinced her to do so anyways and even suggested (wink wink) that she ask David to come. In a moment of bravery, Larissa asked David if he wanted to join them. To her surprise, he said yes! During that dinner, they laughed, watched the games, and played card games. As people began to leave, they stayed behind laughing and talking even more. After a few hours they decided it was probably best to head home, David to Walla Walla and Larissa to Richland. That week they continued to talk, sending books worth of text messages. Larissa jokingly (sorta) told David he could call if he wanted. David called Larissa that Thursday and they proceeded to talk on the phone for almost 7 hours. The next day of work was not easy, to be certain! In the next couple of weeks, David and Larissa spent much time talking on the phone, visiting each other, and going to church together. It was over the next several weeks that they decided to give their friendship a chance to turn into something deeper. It was soon very obvious that this relationship was different than anything else they had been in before. 8 months later, David asked Larissa to marry him in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. She said yes!