Jake and Emily have known each other for about eight years. As a teenager, Jake would come to Nashville for Thunder Camp, Harvest Sound’s creative arts and evangelism summer camp. Later, in 2017, he attended the Harvest Sound Intensive School for three months. Over the years, Jake became good friends with Emily’s brother. Jake admired Emily, and Emily thought Jake was really kind, but they didn’t think of each other as more than friends. In June 2023, Jake left military due to an MCL tear. The first thing he did was ask if he could come to Nashville and staff Thunder Camp! Jake wanted to focus on the Lord and on serving the kids, but he soon found Emily to be a distraction from that focus. He found her so distracting, in fact, that every time she walked in the room, he would go to the opposite side! Emily started to think that Jake disliked her. Soon, though, they were forced to lead worship almost cheek-to-cheek sharing a microphone. That was when Jake could no longer deny his feelings for her. By the end of the week, they realized that although they’d had very different upbringings (Emily loved to watch Little House on the Prairie on TV, but Jake lived it!), they had a lot in common. They shared a love for Jesus as well as for worship, music, ministry, working out, volleyball, classic movies, and lots more. After Thunder Camp, Jake made sure to keep in touch with Emily throughout all her travels in Europe. They met up again when Emily flew to Montana for a ministry trip with the Harvest Sound team. On the four-hour car ride back to Jake’s hometown, Jake asked Emily about being in a serious relationship. After Jake asked permission from Emily’s parents to court her, they took the next four days to pray about it. Jake officially asked Emily to be his girlfriend on August 1st, and she said yes. (They later found out that August 1st is National Girlfriend Day!) The next morning, with heavy hearts, the two of them said goodbye. The next five months of their relationship were long-distance. Finally, on December 15th, 2023, Jake made the 2500-mile drive across the country to make Nashville his new home. On February 23rd, Jake took Emily on a picnic to Bicentennial Park and proposed to her. To her surprise, her brother Daniel & their friend Aaron Berger were tucked away disguised in camoflauge on a hill that looked like a bunker and had giant cameras... they looked like snipers. What a joyous day! It was also the very first time they held hands. :) The engagement ring Jake had made for Emily has her Jesus purity band as the engagement band as a sweet reminder that Jesus is the foundation of their relationship. Jake and Emily feel strongly called to leading worship, doing ministry, and discipling believers together. They are truly excited for all God has in store as they start their lives together!