Hello Loved Ones, We have some very exciting news! After much prayerful consideration and several family conversations, Roxanne and I decided to start our life together sooner rather than later... We are now legally married! Due to health concerns we took extra precautions and had a very intimate ceremony with just our parents. We eagerly anticipate celebrating with you on November 1st, 2020 at the Grand in Long Beach. We can't wait! Hope to see you there to celebrate in our joy! With much joy, Jeremiah & Roxanne

We have known each other for about 5 years. There’s a bit of incongruity with the story on how we met. Jeremiah recalls first meeting Roxy at a friend’s movie night (we were watching King Kong!). However, while Roxy remembers the conversation she had with Jeremiah that night, she does not remember Jeremiah being there. A few months later, Roxy and Jeremiah met for a second time (it was another social event) and had a great conversation about Studio Ghibli movies and why Princess Mononoke is a bit overrated…But Roxy again only remembers the conversation. A few more months pass with no interaction. Sometime in June 2016, Jeremiah set up a bowling night and told his friends that they were welcomed to invite others. Sarah knew Roxy had had a rough week and decided to extend her an invite. Roxy agreed to go. Third time was the charm! Both clearly remember this event. For about three years after bowling, Roxy and Jeremiah became good friends.

After a slew of business trips for Jeremiah, sometime around late summer and early fall of 2018, Jeremiah found himself spending a fair amount of time with Roxy. Not only were they chatting more but they were also occasionally meeting up for breakfast near both of their jobs. It was at this point that Jeremiah started to recognize a change in their relationship. It was no longer just friends that met at group gathering but instead they were having intentional meet ups. Around this time, Jeremiah learned that he might be moving to Virginia. Since they had been hanging out more, his concern was that she had developed feelings for him. (*It turns out that at that point she hadn’t, but Jeremiah would not find that out until about a year later*). So, doing what he believed was right, he set up a time to chat with her about it. After a day at the Peterson Museum he broke the news to her. Since both had obligations that night, they decided that it would be best to talk more over dinner. At dinner, Roxy began to share that she was planning to go to Cambodia for 2 to 5 years for missionary work. While both were starting to become fond of each other, they both agreed the focus should be prayerfully considering Cambodia. If Roxy was being called to Cambodia, then that’s where she needed to go! Sure, Jeremiah would have been saddened by the loss, but he knew Roxy was ministry focused and he was not going to interfere with that. In fact, it was one of his favorite qualities of her! Not too long after that dinner, Jeremiah decided to remain in California.

For the next 4 months, Jeremiah was determined to not only to avoid distracting Roxy but to actively prepare her. He wrote proposals for her, he prayed with her, and he read books concerning missionary works with her. Selfishly he didn’t want her to leave, but Jeremiah wanted to ensure God was glorified. If Cambodia was her calling and Jeremiah interrupted that, he would have put his own desires over her calling. However, even if it wasn’t her calling and Jeremiah interrupted the process, he would still have started the relationship from selfishness and not a desire to glorify. So, he joyfully aided Roxy anyway he could. Fortunately for Jeremiah, as time went on, it was becoming apparent that Cambodia was not where she was being called. She was now able to focus on relationships. God was glorified and the relationship could start on a healthy foundation! Jeremiah and Roxy spent the next 8 months growing with each other. On February 15, 2020 Jeremiah proposes to Roxy at the Botanical Gardens with the help of the Hilarios! And that’s our story! While this seemed long, we actually cut out a lot. There’s so much more we loved to talk about regarding God’s sovereignty over relationship. If you need encouragement, ask us about it!