Forever and Ever, Amen

The story of Nathan and Julianne is an unlikely one—one that could only have been written by the providence and perfect timing of God. Julianne was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Kristin and AJ Delap, alongside her younger brother, Jack. Throughout high school, she stayed busy and involved, participating in show choir, student council, and flag football. In her senior year of high school, the Lord made it clear that He wanted Julianne to attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she would begin studying business administration. Nathan is the second oldest of ten children and was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Amy and Derek Roberts. After moving as an infant, he grew up on the East Coast in North Carolina. Nathan spent his childhood playing baseball, fishing, surfing, running cross country, and participating in Civil Air Patrol. After high school, he felt a clear calling from the Lord to attend Liberty University, also to study business administration.

Nathan and Julianne first crossed paths on what seemed like an ordinary Sunday morning on October 29, 2023, which was during the fall semester of their freshman year. Both were visiting a downtown Lynchburg church, though it was Julianne’s first time and Nathan’s second. Nathan's friend group was lured back by the promise of a free pancake breakfast, which will come into play in a little bit. Julianne recalls it being an “unusual Julianne behavior day,” but now we know that was because the Lord had big plans that day. The sanctuary was nearly empty when Julianne’s friend decided to choose a row right in front of these four guys, which Julianne would've never done but went along with it. Nathan has mentioned that at first he and “the boys” were very confused why these girls would choose to sit right in front of them, even though the whole church was open. When the greeting period began, Julianne turned around, recognized Nathan, and said, “I know you from somewhere,” to Nathan. They eventually realized that they had the same business class together. The greeting period ended, and they both moved on, not thinking too much about the interaction, except Julianne thought he was very cute and had a great smile. Once the service ended, both groups of friends headed to the pancake breakfast. Nathan's friends had already found a table when Julianne and her friends asked to join. Surprisingly, Nathan and Julianne did not interact very much during this breakfast. The group all talked for a while before heading their separate ways.

That week, Nathan made intentional attempts to say “hi” when he would see Julianne in class. These friendly interactions continued until the end of the semester, but the story really continues at the beginning of the next semester. In January, at the start of the Spring semester, Julianne and Nathan ran into each other at the gym the night before the first day of classes and found out they were going to have another class together in the same room as BUSI 105. The nice thing about this lecture hall is there is a hallway where people have to wait in for the class before entering. Over the next few months, Nathan and Julianne would talk to each other before class in the hallway about accounting and other school stuff. They would also see each other occasionally around campus or on the bus and say hi to each other. Little signs began to appear: an intentional wave across the ROT, aka The Reber Thomas Dining Hall, an Instagram follow from Nathan despite having no mutual friends, and conversations that started lasting longer. One day, Nathan and his friend were riding the bus back to their dorm when Julianne stopped at the bus stop and started chatting. Julianne likes to mention that she felt that her feet were glued in this moment, like God was keeping her in the conversation. Nathan mentioned that he was going through Las Vegas on a spring break trip to Utah, which sparked the conversation even further since Julianne was from Vegas. Through continued pre-class hall conversations, Julianne learned about Nathan’s involvement in Civil Air Patrol and that he had recently won Cadet of the Year. Julianne was impressed by the accomplishment and ended up telling her mom about it over the phone. Julianne’s mom proceeded to advise Julianne to make sure that Nathan knows she likes him. Maybe she didn’t do that well? The next time she saw Nathan in the hallway, she asked more questions about the Cadet of the Year award, and that sparked a new kind of conversation between the two of them. Nathan even showed her pictures of the event on his phone.

Easter was coming up at this point, and Nathan and Julianne didn’t have each other's numbers, and Julianne wanted to change that. So she told herself on Easter she would message Nathan on Instagram (cheesy but it worked!). Easter rolls around, and she messages him, and he responds, “He has risen indeed! Isn’t it so amazing we have a savior that died for us?” Julianne liked him even more now. That was the end of their conversation, but Julianne was content with how it went. That evening, Julianne was playing Rumikub with her family when her watch buzzed, but she didn't check it right away. After the Rumikub game, she looked at her phone, and Nathan messaged her again, saying, “Hey! I haven’t had a great opportunity to ask you in person, but I was wondering if you would be interested in grabbing coffee sometime?” IT WORKED! Julianne messaging Nathan broke the ice! She said yes! It was a date! They decided to get coffee on campus at Starbucks at 8:30 am. This may seem early to some people, but if you know Nathan, this planning makes perfect sense. This first date went really well—so well it lasted almost 3 hours until they had class. They talked about travel, music, God, where they grew up, etc. Nathan and Julianne have very fond memories of this date and reference it often. Nathan enjoyed the date and knew that he wanted to do something else. That Thursday in the hallway, Julianne asked Nathan if he had any weekend plans, and he said no, then proceeded to ask her if she would be playing pickleball on Saturday. Julianne is not the biggest fan of pickleball, but to hang out with Nathan again, she would participate in any activity! The biggest takeaway from their pickleball date was Nathan’s favorite musical is The Sound of Music. She knew he was a good one and was not letting this guy slip through her fingers. They went on a couple more dates. They were both praying a lot about what God’s plans were with their relationship and that He would give them wisdom and guidance about next steps. One morning, they were getting coffee again, and Nathan asked Julianne about her thoughts on a relationship, and she told him she was very interested. Nathan was so kind and said they could talk about more on their Thursday night SnowFlex and Cookout date. The date went awesome! The skiing was beautiful, and they headed to Cookout. Over a Cookout quesadilla tray, Nathan followed up on their previous conversation and asked her to be his girlfriend! Again, she said yes! The remainder of the semester flew by before summer sent them into long distance—Julianne in Las Vegas and Colorado, and Nathan in North Carolina, with travels to England as well. Though challenging, that summer strengthened their communication through nightly FaceTime calls, letters, postcards, and care packages. The summer finally came to an end, and both Nathan and Julianne were excited to head back to school to see each other. Over the next school year, Nathan's and Julianne's relationship continued to grow. Throughout the year, they had many adventures and memories together. Some of their most memorable moments are driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, football games, weekly Bible studies at the dining hall, and walking the campus monogram. There are countless jokes and lifelong memories that were made in the 2024–2025 school year. Nathan graduated from Liberty in Spring of 2025, and Julianne still had one more semester. Their prayer throughout their relationship was always to keep God at the center. About six months into dating, conversations about marriage began naturally and with peace. Over time, those conversations turned into shared hopes and dreams for the future. In the fall of 2025, Julianne began her final semester at Liberty while Nathan worked in Waxhaw, North Carolina, at JAARS, a missionary aviation organization. Though they only saw each other every few weeks, their relationship continued to grow stronger.

Now for the weekend that brings us to you reading this page. THE PROPOSAL! Nathan had been planning the couple's engagement for quite some time and had been praying and seeking counsel on next steps, but he truly put it into motion in October. He spoke to Julianne's dad and received his blessing. After this, he picked out a ring design and had the ring made specifically for Julianne. Nathan likes to shout out to Pinterest for this lol. With the ring in hand, Nathan, with the help of a couple of his friends, his sister Caroline, and his mom, acquired all the resources and formulated the proposal plan. Julianne and Nathan planned to join Nathan's family at his house for Thanksgiving weekend, which provided the perfect time for the proposal. Nathan had planned to go to a new Italian place on the beach near Nathan's house. He also planned for his sister Caroline to go “DoorDash” and to “break down” on the island near the proposal spot. Nathan suggested that since they were already going to dinner on the island, they go early and jump her car. Julianne didn’t suspect anything. They got ready and headed to the beach, and “jumped” Caroline's car, which happened to be near the beach access where Nathan and Julianne watched the sunrise. Nathan suggested that since there was some time before dinner, they go walk on the beach for a bit. This is when Julianne started picking up on a possible proposal. It was also 45 degrees outside, and Julianne was in a dress. The stage was set, and the couple arrived at the beach access. Nathan paid for parking and slipped the ring into his pocket, and they walked up the stairs. There was a trolling boat in the ocean, and Julianne's eyes panned from the boat to the blanket set up with flowers and pillows. The couple walked down hand in hand, and Nathan began his little speech before getting down on one knee and proposing. Julianne said YES! It was a magical moment that both Nathan and Julianne had been dreaming of for a long time. Now we are here, and Nathan and Julianne are so excited to get married on July 5th, 2026. Nathan and Julianne cannot emphasize enough how much God has worked in their relationship and that they would not be where they are without the incredible love and guidance from God. They are beyond grateful for the way God has written every chapter of their story and are excited to see how He will continue to work through their marriage. We are excited to celebrate with you as we start this new adventure! With love, Nathan Roberts & Julianne Delap