"For with God nothing will be impossible"

We just want to start and say God is amazing and beautiful in all His ways. Years ago, we each received distinct visions from God of being married at Cottonwood Church, not realizing it would actually happen! We serve a faithful God who is faithful in everything He does, and we are blessed to be walking in the plans He has for us. The prayer for our wedding is for you to see Jesus; He alone is the reason for this union. We've discovered that God brought us together not for our personal desires but to perform Kingdom work for His glory and to present our living Jesus to a dying world. In Matthew 14:17-21, the Lord told us the story of the five loaves and two fish, reminding us that we should give what little we have to Him because when we do, we will undoubtedly witness the impossible being made possible for this wedding. God is asking us to trust Him and believe He will make good use of what we have and bless it abundantly. Also, remember that the story of the five loaves and two fish ended with not just enough but more than enough (v20)! Therefore, we thank God for the miraculous things we will see every day leading up to our wedding day! We know, acknowledge, and recognize the value of placing our confidence and dependence only on the Lord rather than on our physical circumstances (finances, career, school, etc.). That is why we walk in CRAZY FAITH as we plan for our wedding and future, knowing that God will do the impossible, just as He promised in His word (Luke 1:37). We are announcing the Lord's faithfulness! We trust that He will pour forth His lovingkindness, grace, and blessings on our wedding and all of you! We love you and can't wait to celebrate this special day with you!

He who finds a wife finds a good thing & obtains favor from the LORD. Proverbs 18:22

This love story starts in 2019 with their pursuit of God. Cottonwood Church set up an atmosphere in which Jesus became more intimate in their journey. Soon after knowing Cottonwood would be their home church, they both began to connect to the ministries where their gifts might be used. At their church’s winter retreat for young adults, Chimdi served on the worship team while Lara served on the Leaders' team. During their game night, Chimdi observed Lara as they were playing the game "Mafia." He then spotted Lara again a month later at the young adults' event. Every time the woman of the hour entered the room, voices and noises began to fade away in his ear. As Chimdi started to see Lara serving more at church as time went on, he started to see the value in Lara but was too shy to approach her. He later asks a mutual acquaintance to arrange something up, but it failed terribly. Chimdi spent the rest of the year single, drawing closer to God while patiently waiting for another woman to come into his life and hopefully meet the bar Lara set, even though deep down, Chimdi wanted to keep the 1% possibility of being in a relationship with her.

In 2020, God answered Chimdi and Lara's prayers. They prayed for years to be with a godly man/woman. Although the season they were in was not making relationships a top priority, God had other plans. Another mutual friend (aka their cupid) connected them and the moment Chimdi asked Lara out for coffee, Lara felt God open her eyes for the first time toward him. She had never noticed him in that way before, but during this moment, she was curious to know more about him. Lara went to the Philippines shortly after and they communicated for a month before seeing each other in person again. She caught herself falling for him quickly because she saw all the traits she’s prayed for— loves & serves God, has a big family, and community. They had a lot in common and felt like they had known one another for years. They had their first in-person conversation a month later. Chimdi told Lara for the first time about what God had shown him in 2019. Lara was astonished to learn that he had waited a year, not knowing if God would keep His promise to be with her. Lara admired Chimdi's heart and thought this could really be her husband. That same night, the Lord told Lara, “Chimdi was a good one” which led to Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” She clung to what God told her was good and within time eventually fell in love with the man of God that he was.

2+ years later, Chimdi got down on one knee and proposed to the woman of his dreams. Their proposal was a full-circle moment. Chimdi proposed in the same church venue where God had highlighted Lara to him. The proposal occurred when Lara was receiving a gift from her pastors during the CYA Christmas Team Party. As she unwrapped the presents, she noticed it contained nothing but tissue paper. As she stared at the empty box, she told herself, "Watch Chimdi step in and say, "I'm your present," as a joke. Instead, Chimdi stepped through the curtains, kneeled down, and proclaimed his love for her in front of their family and friends. Lara said "YES" to the guy of her dreams, and they're now planning their wedding!