Both of us attended the Ellerslie discipleship program but missed each other by 7 years. In 2023, while Sam was working on a remodeling project on the Ellerslie Campus, Diana came for a visit, staying with family and catching up with friends. Diana: January 2023 I come out at least once a year to visit my sister who lives in CO, and I usually end up being on and off campus while I am there, helping in whatever capacity they need. I first met Sam when a group of mutual friends went skating together. I remember thinking when I first met him, " I am very comfortable around this guy." There was a sense of familiarity about him that put me at ease. We didn't talk to each other outside of group conversations, and only to comment on something in the conversation. April 2023 I came out to visit my sister again, and I was asked to help a bit in the kitchen on campus for a couple of days while I was there. I don't remember much about this trip, except that it was full and quick. May 2023 I came out again with my brother to help with the work project that was going on at the time, and I worked under Sam, interacting like a project manager and volunteer, and only speaking to him in regards to work. I appreciated him and his work ethic, how he enjoyed people, invested in them, and took time to talk, even though he had a busy schedule. Everyone I spoke to always had good things to say about him. He led those of us volunteering, with a servant's heart, and a mind willing to engage in whatever problem we might come across. Even at the expense of himself and his time. Up to this point, I had no idea he was praying about me but, After I went home, whenever I was at extended family gatherings, I would randomly get the thought "Sam would fit in so well here with all of us." That was very random." I thought, "A little out of the blue." Little did I know what the Lord was doing in him, or me for that matter. Sam: I had no idea what doors the Lord was opening when I went for coffee with a church friend in January of 2023. We caught up on life and somewhere in the conversation he asked me if I have a desire to be married, which I did have. He then asked if I ever met Diana Yoder. I had heard of the Yoders and met a few of the siblings but not Diana. He said they had known the Yoders for years and Diana is a Godly woman that he thinks I should pray about pursuing a relationship with. My reply was “I will, but don’t set your expectations too high, because I have prayed this prayer many times.” I did pray about it and 2 weeks later Diana was in town and there were some group activities we were both at. I was observant of her but hadn’t sensed anything from the Lord so in my mind there was nothing in the works. A few months later she showed up on campus to help with the work project for a week. I did recognize and appreciate her joy and love for the Lord and His people, displayed through her heart of serving and giving in a quiet, yet confident way. I did enjoy being around her, but I was extremely busy and wasn’t giving a relationship any brain space. A couple weeks later I heard from one of the other Ellerslie staff that Diana is coming for another week. Out of the blue my heart leapt with excitement! “What in the world was that” was my next thought, but at that moment I recognized maybe the Lord was orchestrating something. So, I started praying for what the next steps might be. One of the first days she was there a friend that knew both of us well, asked me rather bluntly what I thought of her. I told him I think a lot of her and I appreciate her character, but I don’t have time to think about that type of thing currently. However I could no longer keep it out of my mind. That week we ended up being in the same area of campus quite a bit, not with any intention on my part but I did enjoy it. I wrestled in prayer whether I should initiate anything that week but ended up sensing that the time is not yet……

Diana: In September 2023, My sisters and I went out to CO for a sister trip, and as usual, I stopped by campus to see a few friends and see how the renovations were coming. I remember walking into the room where Sam was at the time, working on something. I thought his reaction to seeing me was rather odd. He didn't say anything, just kind of nodded his head and talked to our mutual friend, who was showing me around. Sam: During the summer I kept praying about it, but the busyness of other aspects of life caused it to dim somewhat. Meanwhile the Lord continued refining some more personal areas of my heart. In September the hectic schedule and my mind being maxed out with work things appeared to be ending so I started thinking about Diana again and praying for specific directions. One morning as I was praying, I prayed “if this is from You (God), you’re going to need to make something happen, because I am not driving to Ohio without very clear direction to do so!” Two days later I’m working on campus when suddenly coming around the corner was Diana Yoder! I was so startled I nearly fell off the counter I was working on! God was speaking very clearly! We did interact quite a bit that weekend while she was there, and what I was feeling from that, only confirmed that the Lord was at work. It was about two weeks later when I called her dad about pursuing a relationship…..

Diana: After he called my dad, I tell people it was surprising but it wasn't necessarily unexpected, I knew that he had a lot on his plate and didn't think he had time to pursue a relationship, so that part was a surprise to me, as to the unexpected part, our mutual friends had kept mentioning him to me over the last few months, and I even told Mom after one of my trips home, that if Sam ever would ask, I wouldn't say no. We started dating, having phone conversations in Oct 2023. Sam: After her dad gave me the go ahead to talk with her, we started having weekly phone conversations. We really didn’t know each other that well, so most of our conversations were geared toward that. Following a month of phone conversations, I flew to Ohio for a weekend, and after that one of us would travel to the other place about once a month. The road had many mountains to climb, narrow passages where it didn’t always look possible to pass through, but we saw the Lord prove faithful every time and can now look back and say those places were necessary for our growth as individuals and for us as a couple……

By the Grace of God, we will continue to live our lives in submission to Him and pray our marriage will be a picture to the world around us of Christ and His bride. Empowered by the Holy Spirit we will strive to help each other along the narrow path of the cross. In good times and difficult times, we will stand together encouraging and challenging each other with love and compassion. We will be quick to forgive, assuming the best of each other. We will speak words of life in encouragement and in correction. We will receive those words in humility and seek to learn from our mistakes. We will use the Word of God to be our guide to live out the gospel. If the Lord blesses us with children, we will love them and raise them in a way that points them to Him with the purpose of them establishing their own relationship with Him. Our occupations will be another avenue of ministry and for the purpose of creating revenue to provide us with the essentials of life and allowing us to be generous with others. We will guard against the propensity of it taking wrongful priority in our lives and marriage. We will treat the much or little He entrusts to us with care and steward it as well as we can. We will seek to be an asset in any church body or community we are part of. Our home will be a safe place for us to return to, and others to encounter a warm inviting environment where the presence of God is hosted. This can only be done because of the work Jesus continues to do in our lives and our position in Him. Our motives in our marriage will be to bring God glory, help each other prepare for eternity, showcase His love to the world around us and to make disciples wherever He leads us.