We are so excited to celebrate with you all!!

Ever heard the phrase, "You will find them when you least expect it." Or had someone say, "Just keep going to church, and someone will walk through the door someday!" Or perhaps watched a Hallmark movie where the guy moves back from the big city to his hometown and then just happens to meet the girl of his dreams. Well, I (Justin) had, and I found it all rather annoying. It also all ended up coming true. A bit of back story here, I am originally from the Finger Lakes New York area, but I had been living near Portland, Oregon while flying for a west coast airline. After four years out west, I was hired by United Airlines and felt the call to move back to my hometown. I figured the move back to a small town didn't help my chances of finding a wife but felt that God wanted me to be back home. After I moved, I began the process of finding a church. I tried a couple of local churches, when someone suggested I try a little church in Hammondsport. I left that Sunday feeling like God was there, so I decided I probably should be too. Now God wasn't the only one I noticed, but hey, I was here to find community, not love, right? So I intentionally didn't go out of my way to meet this girl, but wouldn't you know, I ended up in the same small group with her, who I later found out was named Rachel. Several months went by, and the more we interacted, the more I liked this girl. Finally, in early summer of 2024, after a couple more group interactions, I knew I had to ask her out. She was way too cool not to! And so I began to scheme... I worked out a way to casually meet up with her at her farm, but in order to actually have her time, I realized that I needed to book a horseback ride there. So I did and brought two of my sisters as a cover. It almost worked too well, as it did throw Rachel off the scent, but it also meant that I almost didn't get a chance to ask her out in private. Praise God, He gave me just the moment I needed shortly before we left. On July 1st of 2024, I asked Rachel out on our first date. Our first date started off with paddleboarding, followed by dinner at my favorite BBQ place, and then ended with ice cream. It was the best first date I had ever been on. We had spent the entire day together, and it felt like it had gone by in a flash. I knew I wanted to see her again. Our second date only worked out because I had offered to help her do farm chores. She was in a hurry that morning, and as she rushed off, leaving me filling a water tank, she warned me that this was her life and that I should run now if it seemed like too much. Little did she know that I had always been looking for a farm girl and doing chores together was a goal. We went out on several other dates that month and by the end of July, we made it official. That fall through spring was filled with so many great dates. There was go-kart racing, flying, canoeing, hunting, horseback riding, and even a trip to Australia to visit friends. We had our challenges to work through as a couple, but the longer we were together, the more peace from God we felt. Now I just had to get her to marry me. Sometime in March, I had made a little joke about getting a ring. I was thrilled when her reply was, "Maybe you should." It was time to get busy! The next question I had to answer was, how do you ask a girl as cool as Rachel to marry you?? My plan was to take her flying the day before her birthday, June 26th 2025, and to propose in the air. It was a well-laid plan that simply needed the weather to cooperate. So naturally, it didn't. I needed to pivot to the backup plan; riding horses out to Rachel's favorite place on her farm and having a romantic picnic. Despite that last-minute switch, it all went well, and you reading this on a wedding RSVP site implies her answer. So here I am as proof that small-town love can happen, you can find an amazing church girl, and yes, it may surprise you when it all happens. All the glory to God!