We met in Ipswich, MA through a family member. I will never forget our very first meeting, when I arrived at 3:30am to my cousins house. I didn't know if I had arrived at the correct address, and while parked in front of the house a light went on, and Israel came out of the garage door. I explained who I was and Israel asked if he could take my bags and showed me into the house to the room where I would be staying. I thanked him and thought that he was really nice to help me, especially in the wee hours of the morning. After that, I would see Israel occasionally in the evenings. Our conversation was always lite but he had this crazy sense of humor and loved to make me laugh. He was always smiling and our interaction was always pleasant. Israel and I quickly became friends, and he started bringing me Brazilian food from a restaurant near his work place. I grew tired of the local takeout and he was trying to give me some other options. Eventually, I just started cooking my own food and would make a plate for him, knowing that he would be hungry after a long day of work. We started having dinner together, and just got along great. I have a strange sense of humor, but love to crack corny jokes, and he would just laugh and laugh. We really enjoyed spending time together, attending church, eating out, visiting new places, watching movies and listening to music. The funny thing is that we have so much in common, that spending time together is so easy. It's like we were made for each other, both hardworking individuals that are driven to succeed, with a strong love and appreciation for our God, our family and our friends. We were not looking for each other but are happy that we found each other, and really believe that divine intervention brought us together. We thank God for our union, and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together. We want to share this special occasion with our friends and family, whom we love and hold dear in our hearts.