5 years ago, we both followed God's leading to move from our hometowns to the small town of Redding and became involved with Bethel Church. Jay drove from Grand Rapids, Michigan & soon began working for BethelTV. Meanwhile, Grace moved from Santa Rosa, CA, went through the School of Ministry, and began volunteering for the Outreach Department. Our paths rarely crossed. We noticed each other many times, but figured we'd probably never meet. A year before we met, we were both dating other people, but those relationships ended abruptly and left us both in seasons of healing. The next year, Grace decided she was ready to date again & joined Christian Mingle...which Jay happened to be on also! Long story short, Jay was practicing taking risks & sent me a message on Facebook. I was really impressed by his courage to message me & how directly he communicated his interest! We had our 1st Coffee Date the next day September 13th...3 hours later, we both knew it was good conversation, but we still weren't sure. I traveled out-of-town for 2 weeks. I kept thinking about Jay & we started messaging. When I got back, we had a game night with a Church group & I found myself flirting with him. We started talking and were the last ones. He asked me out again. We went on our 2nd date--that lasted 11 hours! Jay's hobby is to prospect for gold. So we prospected together. I actually got carsick and threw up into the bushes! It was my MOST EMBARASSING moment! Jay was so kind through it all, but I thought he wouldn't want another date. But he did! :) We had a 3rd date at a Corn Maze and kept talking about everything. Jay told me this is where he started feeling feelings for me. I went out of town for 1 week--we talked on the phone for 4 hours! He asked mutual friends if they saw any red flags, but they all encouraged it. When I got home, we had a dinner with friends at his home. Jay pulled a Roses from his garage & shared his feelings for me. We started dating officially Oct 18th.

About 2 months into dating, we found ourselves in the hustle of the holidays. Grace invited Jay home for Christmas to meet her family. We both knew early on that we were serious and so Jay prepared to share his intentions with my family. His first visit was a great success as he cooked my family a Christmas roast! A couple weeks later,