From the very first conversation we had, we discovered in one another a likeminded passion for the things of God. We were kindred spirits: hungering for truth, desiring total submission to God's design, and longing for God to be glorified in our lives. We both spent hours praying earnestly that if it be God's will, He would somehow, some way join our hearts and paths. So, in a leap of faith (and with trembling knees), Isaiah called up her old man and received permission to begin a courtship with Rachel. She of course replied with a joyous "Yes," her eyes brimming with thankful tears, and from that moment their lives would be forever changed. While it would be too difficult to recount all the wonders and hardships of the subsequent months in just a few short words, we think that Susannah Spurgeon's musings capture it well: "Though we knew it not, God was uniting our hearts in indissoluble bonds of true affection and giving us to one another forever...from that time our friendship grew apace and quickly ripened into deepest love."

So sure of God's hand at work, Isaiah had a ring picked out only three short weeks after meeting Rachel. Five months after their courtship began, the time had come to place it on her finger. It was a beautiful day, January 27th 2021, when Isaiah asked Rachel to join him for an afternoon stroll around the lovely brick path where they had shared their courtship's deepest conversations. A light snow had just begun to fall, transforming the sky and the scene around them into something almost magical. Placing her hand securely into his arm, Isaiah slowly led her on their walk and recounted to her stories of God's faithfulness in their countless memories. Once they had reached the place on the path where they had first met, he had her read a letter which expressed his undying love for her, then he got down on one knee and said, "Rachel Marie, will you marry me?" to which she again replied with joyful tears in her eyes, "Yes." This most wonderful of days was completed with another lovely walk down to the apartments they will soon call home and celebration with close friends.