Our love story starts in the most common of places, but it has carried us across three years, five states, and two countries. What began as an innocent message that Lidiya didn’t think much of quickly blossomed into four-hour phone calls every night. Our first in-person meeting took place on July 29, 2022. Although many warned us about first-time meeting nerves, we both instantly felt at ease and calm around each other, and before we knew it, we were right back in our familiar FaceTime conversation flow. As the weekend came to an end, Biruk asked Lidiya to be his girlfriend on July 31, 2022. From there, we both experienced major life changes—moving across the country and living away from family and friends for the first time, earning promotions and transitioning into new roles at work, navigating new dynamics, and even running our first marathons, among so much more. Through it all, we had each other every step of the way, providing love, support, encouragement, guidance, growth, a shoulder to lean on, and a best friend who would be there every step of the way. And now, by the grace of God, we are moving forward in our journey to become husband and wife. We are so excited for you all to be a part of this special covenant and celebration with us in Mexico!