"We love because he first loved us" 1 John 1:4

Natalya’s Perspective After receiving a phone call from my friend Ed asking if I wanted to go on a trip to Hawaii with some friends, I thought… "Why not?" Our Arizona crew met the Oregon crew at the Maui airport on Sunday, April 21st 2024. Our flight was delayed, so by the time we landed, the Oregon group had already picked up the rental car. As I was walking to the car, I noticed a handsome, bearded guy and thought to myself, “Man, that guy is cute.” He helped me with my bags and even gave up the front seat for me (which, I later learned, was originally his). What a gentleman. During the week, I did everything I could to spend as much time with Jake as possible, sitting next to him at dinner, in the car, chatting on the beach, and even sharing a spoon with him at our final dinner. Before we knew it, the trip was over. After church that Sunday, we dropped Jake and his brother Max off at the airport since the rest of us had a red-eye later that night. I remember hugging Jake goodbye and feeling sad, thinking I would probably never see him again. When I got back home to Phoenix I got an Instagram DM from Jake (classy), asking if I could add him to the shared Apple Photos album from the trip. I thought it was a little strange since I had already sent the invite and everyone else had managed to access it just fine. That message turned into a phone call that night… then another the next night… and the night after that. It didn't take long before we confessed that we had both developed feelings for each other during the trip. Jake flew out to Phoenix for our first official date in May, and we did long distance for six months before he ultimately made the move to Arizona in October 2024. Only God could have written a love story so beautiful and I am so honored to be loved by a man whose heart resembles the one of Jesus. Jake's Perspective I never expected that saying yes to a friend’s trip to Hawaii would change my life or lead me to the woman I love. My friend Todd invited me on a group trip to Maui, and I still remember the moment he called to ask if I wanted to go. I was on my way to a friend’s wedding shower when he pitched the idea. I didn’t know many details other than that it sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I figured, why not? When we arrived in Maui and met up with Todd and Ed’s friends, that’s where I met Natalya. Being the dork that I am, I extended my hand and introduced myself while secretly feeling pretty nervous. She then immediately took my seat in the car, which I probably should have taken as a sign she was going to keep me on my toes from the very beginning. One of the first things I noticed about Natalya was her laugh. It was completely contagious. After that, I made it my goal for the rest of the trip to keep this beautiful girl laughing as much as possible. As we spent more time together, I started to realize just how amazing she was, and I could feel myself developing real feelings for her. I wanted to make a move, but the last thing I wanted was to make her uncomfortable on a trip surrounded by five other guys, so I decided to take things slow and just enjoy spending time with her. Throughout the trip I looked for every opportunity to spend time with Natalya, even though I never quite made my move. Before we left, I tried convincing her to visit Oregon that summer, hoping it might be my chance to see her again. When the group dropped my brother and me off at the airport early that morning, I had a feeling this would not be the last time I would see her. After landing back in Portland, I worked up the courage to message her on Instagram. We spent the next six months doing long distance before I realized I did not want distance between us anymore. Not long after that, I made the move to Arizona so we could start building our life together. Looking back, it is amazing how one simple yes to a trip ended up leading me to the best decision of my life.