The beauty of our story begins with prayer! On February 1, 2022, we sat down for lunch at Hub41. The plan was simple: convince Jonas to become a Young Life leader. What neither of us realized was that lunch would be the beginning of our forever. Pud left without a new leader. Jonas left with butterflies, and a desire to pray about what might be. Fast-forward just over three years (yes… three)! Jonas asked if I wanted to go to a Timberwolves game “as friends who were getting to know each other.” Technically, the rest is history, but there were lots of sweet moments in between. From that first “not-a-date,” we kept getting to know each other over meals, puzzles, March Madness, Timberwolves games, and time with family and friends. Early on, the idea of “forever” came up, and naming that gave us freedom to lean into the Lord’s direction and trust His timing. Summer was full of play, boat rides, bonfires, yard games, surfing, and (of course) more good food! We realized pretty quickly that we didn’t just love having fun together… we just loved being together. Fall brought new ministry rhythms, busy schedules, intentional conversations, more laughter, and more glimpses of how the Lord was weaving our lives together. On November 15, Jonas surprised Pud at her parents’ house on Pelican Lake, surrounded by handmade planters and glowing light orbs he created with his parents, and asked her to be his wife. As we’ve stepped into engagement, our hearts are full of gratitude. We keep returning to this truth: “God’s goodness is His with-ness.” We’ve seen His nearness all along the way, and we trust Him with the story He’s still writing. Praise Him for that!