Emma was in mine and Eli's AWANA crew is what I remember. She would always beat us in the Grand Prix too -Joel Carlson
It started a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. well that’s a bit of an exaggeration, more like 5 years ago and not really that far away. The first time I heard Emma talk about Eli was in 2015 when she was just a freshman. We in our bedroom one evening when she told me of her crush on Eli. She was swooning, red in the face. She first noticed him on a mission trip to Mexico. She had a crush on him all freshman year. As she grew up however her crush on Eli started to fade, but never went away. Throughout high school, Emma would take notice of Eli and consider liking him again. But she did not “flip the switch” till the summer of her senior year. She stared making her moves. Texting him, talking to him about the Bible, and asking if he wanted to go on runs with her. Finally, Eli got up the courage to ask our dad if he could date Emma. Then he told Emma he wanted to date her. Obviously she said she wanted the same thing. From then on Emma was head over heals for her boy! -Moriah
I noticed that Eli liked Emma before he ever told anyone. There were many signs, he was always meeting her for breakfast and going on runs with her. There was a lake trip we went on with a few friends and he spent nearly the entire time following her around and talking to her. He really didn’t hide it very well. These little things kept happening and I put two and two together. In the end Nick and I peer pressured him into telling us. It was not very long after that, that he asked her dad for permission to date her and the rest is history. -Ryan
Well I would have to say that it was probably when God gave her the picture of Eli kneeling from exhaustion and Emma being there for him with her arms around him. Or maybe it was when she realized that if she married Eli she would get to have Gwen as a sister in law. ;P ;P jk -Savannah Hard
I'd have to say that the day I found out Eli was going to propose to Emma was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster of joy. I found out that my best friend was going to be my sister! I became a spy. And I was the perfect spy. I was on a mission, and it was downright exciting. I needed to find out the ring size, what kind of ring she wanted, and how she wanted it to be done. Eli even made me a list that said 'Top Secret Spy Gwen,' that had all the mission details on it and I was pumped. There was no way she would suspect a thing. But it did not stop there. Like I said, it was a roller coaster of a day. That evening I was hanging out with Emma and she told me that God had told her that Eli and her were going to marry. It is an understatement to say that I was ecstatic. This gave me a great chance to ask all the questions I needed without her suspecting a thing. It was such a happy day and I find it amazing that I got to see God's plan play out in front of me -Gwen
Looking back you can see how God was intertwining the lives of Emma and Elijah from a young age and in the past year I have been blessed to see God’s hand continue to work in their relationship. At first “Eli and Emma” was just a conversation joked about by mutual friends followed by many “We are just friends”. But soon enough it became a girl agreeing to go on a run with her guy friend even though her friends knew she had never just “went for a run” before. After seeking the Lord in the status of their relationship you could see their hearts change as God closed doors and opened others. What was a plan to pursue unrelated missions trips, became both of them staying in the same town to lead the youth at their church. Following graduation, while enjoying a day at the lake, is when Eli and Emma both started to foster a relationship beyond “just friends”. I am excited to see where God will continue to lead them after their marriage as they run the race towards His Kingdom. -Nickelle
The cuteness.... and the food -Trent Weller
Eli and Emma's marriage will be one we all look up to. They both will make great leaders and role models in the lives of many youths and others. They'll spend most of their time serving others, watching Star Wars, baking, talking about random history facts, singing Disney songs, and raising kids. I think they will have their first kid within their first year of being married. Ryan and Nick will make great uncles and will babysit while Emma and Eli are off making the world a better place. Nick and Ryan will be frequent visitors and will crash at their apartment quite often. Eli and Emma will have a wonderful life together. -Nick