Anoop has been an active attendee at Calvary Church-Roseville since he began his graduate studies at Luther Seminary in 2021. For this year’s Christmas Eve service, he was scheduled to sing, so we had planned to go to their midnight service together. Their service begins at 11:00 pm so everyone can observe the start of Christmas Day. As much as I admire the idea of it, I wasn't sure about the late night schedule… Anyhow, I started the day with much anticipation. Anoop and I first hosted a lunch party at my place with five international student friends. Serving with Anoop is a joy of mine. He is very thoughtful and considerate when it comes to planning events, yet his goofy and humorous side often gets people into great laughter. Then we all headed to my church, Westgate, for our afternoon service. At my church, I had the joy of introducing him to some of my friends. By the time we were about to have dinner in Saint Paul, it's already been a 9-hour day… I told myself to just push through the 11:00 pm service, as peace of Christmas Day awaits! The Christmas Eve service at Calvary Church was beautiful. The service ended, and everyone in the choir stayed on stage with their candle lights except for Anoop and his friend Judy Johnson, who got up and quickly left. I stayed in my seat while many people were still taking the moment to contemplate and pray. Sitting beside me were Anoop’s mentor, Rob Olsen, his wife Caroline, and his daughter Christine. After we finally walked out of the sanctuary, Rob suggested I find Anoop together but first they had to get all of their jackets in the classroom. The fact that they were not in a rush to go home was a bit unusual to me, but I understood it as them being hospitable to me in their church. Eventually, we got close to the room, and I sensed there were some people inside. I thought to myself: “Wow, people from his church are really into celebrating Jesus that they even have an after-party for Christmas at midnight!” As soon as we walked in, the lights were turned on. In the middle of the room, I saw Anoop holding a bouquet. Surrounding him were rose petals and tea lights. Behind him was a room full of our friends. It sure looked like a proposal scene! But how can this be? I was COMPLETELY caught off guard. After being in a relationship with Anoop for a year, my love for him has grown. It became more and more clear that he is the man God has chosen for me. Engagement has been a topic of ours for some time. I asked him to give me at least six months to prepare for the wedding. We agreed July should be the month to get married, so the proposal should happen in January. But never once have I thought that it could also happen BEFORE January. Besides, how did he get so many people stay up this late on Christmas Eve? Finally, I convinced myself that this was not a dream and that I should continue to be the center of attention… Anoop gave a beautiful speech about why he wants to marry me, and I said YES without hesitation! We had a cloud of witnesses who represented our families, and it made me feel so blessed. Anoop also planned for an exchange of blessings from each side of our families, a presentation of a gift from Anoop’s Mom in India, and prayers given by each side of our families. When it was my mentor, Jim Bloom’s turn to pray for us, I began crying as I felt the weight of God’s love for the two of us. God’s plan is incredible. He let us be born in two completely different cultures, but led us find each other all the way across the globe as we live out our purposes in serving the Lord. Friends, I hope our story can give you joy, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. If you long for love, come to Jesus. You will be amazed by His humility, sacrifice, goodness, and how He loves!