On August 16th, 2023, Lilly and Angel met for the first time. Two days later, they embarked on a trip to Colorado with friends. While they were simply new acquaintances then, the Lord's presence was evident the entire time. They shared worship music and talked about life and faith. When they arrived in Estes Park, they saw a bare patch among the trees on the mountainside resembling Calvary—one of Lilly's favorite details of the trip, symbolizing God's presence and purpose in their relationship since then. Nine months after this trip, Angel managed to convince Lilly to go on a hiking adventure on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Although Angel planned a long 3.5-hour drive each way just to see Lilly for a few hours that day, she insisted this was to be nothing more than an adventure between friends. However, after spending the day with Angel, she went straight home to her prayer journal. She talked to God about Angel and pleaded for a chance to see him again soon. God did not take long to answer her prayer, granting them many opportunities over the summer to continue learning about each other. Whether they were sitting on the porch or exploring God’s creation, the Lord kept softening their hearts for one another. Then, on August 9th, 2024, Angel asked Lilly to be his girlfriend. He put together a devotional from 1 John and told Lilly how he saw the manifestation of God's love in her life and who she was. He gave her a necklace with their hands engraved on the front and 1 John 4:12 on the back. She eagerly accepted the gift and Angel’s request to be his girlfriend, with tears of joy in her eyes. Over the following several months, Angel and Lilly spent lots of time apart living in different cities. While on clinicals, and working, and attending graduate school, they spent countless hours on video calls or behind the wheel, traveling back and forth to be with one another for holidays, birthdays, and other big moments. They studied the Word together, prayed together, and challenged each other. Through both the sweet moments and the challenges that time brought, Angel and Lilly never lost sight of the unconditional love they have for one another and the dream of their shared Kingdom mission—to welcome people into their future home and reflect Christ back into the world. Finally, on May 9th, 2025, Angel got down on one knee and asked Lilly to be his wife. Again, Lilly eagerly accepted, with tears of joy and love in her eyes. Now, Angel and Lilly cannot wait to celebrate this new chapter of life with their friends and family in a city with the most fitting name—“Hope.”