Sarah and Jonathan’s story starts with God’s sense of humor. Sarah always swore she would never try online dating, would never do long distance, and would never date a pastor/seminary student... Well, after some convincing from a close friend, Sarah broke her first “never” and made an online dating profile… and then she hardly touched it because talking to strangers online is scary! A few weeks later while hosting a small tea party, Sarah's friends asked to see what guys were available, and they came across Jonathan's profile. He seemed cute and had a lot of similar interests. The catch? He broke Sarah’s other two “nevers” – he lived 150 miles away AND he was a worship pastor. A day later, though, Jonathan sent Sarah a message and she was immediately enamored with his genuine and humble spirit. They quickly fell into delightful conversation about their favorite world travels, good books, and a shared love for their families, their churches, and their faith in Christ.   After a couple weeks of messaging, and a phone call later, Jonathan drove all the way out to Raleigh to meet Sarah for their first date. What started out as just a coffee date turned into dinner and then dessert, because they just didn't want the date to end. They happily discovered a sweet connection over shared values on faith, future hopes and dreams, and many creative interests and hobbies. By the end of the night, they both knew that they really liked each other and eagerly looked forward to seeing each other again. The following week Sarah visited Jonathan in Statesville, and after a lovely second date and deeper conversations Jonathan asked Sarah to be his girlfriend.   Over the next few weeks and months, their relationship quickly deepened as they fell in love. Throughout the many weekend visits, date nights meeting halfway, and long phone calls in between, Sarah and Jonathan continued their intentional conversations towards pursuing marriage. They found a shared passion for a future of building and encouraging Godly community and hospitality, and a desire to start a family of their own. But there was a slight hiccup to the hopeful plan – if they got married, would they choose in Raleigh or Statesville?   Both Sarah and Jonathan had strong communities and family/friend connections in their respective cities. They both loved their churches and little slices of North Carolina. And through their many weekends spent with each other, they grew to love the other's hometowns. But try as they might, they couldn't figure out how to be in two places at once. After months of much praying, going over pros and cons lists, phone calls to close friends, and some tense and emotional conversations; Jonathan felt like the Lord was leading them to begin their lives in Statesville.   But all those conversations, and no ring on Sarah’s finger! That is until Nov 2nd, when Jonathan planned to have Sarah meet him for a "picnic in the park" at their usual halfway spot in Greensboro. There, to Sarah's surprise and great delight, Jonathan proposed, declaring that ever since their first date he knew that he loved her and wanted to marry her. And of course, Sarah joyfully and excitedly said YES!!!