Hi there, I’m Mitch Barmettler and this is the story of how I met and fell in love with Sierra Richelle Johnson, the most amazing woman that I have ever known. When we moved to Mendocino we joined the Fort Bragg congregation. This is where I first met my now soon-to-be wife Sierra. Life was fun in Mendocino! But our time in Mendocino was short lived and we soon moved south to Point Arena. This meant a change of congregation. Although Sierra and I still saw each other at assemblies and at the rare party, it meant that we didn’t get too much time to spend together. But of the few memories I have of little Sierra, they are all full of smiles and a good time. She was always fun to play with. I especially remember how kind she, her mom and her dad were. My family and I moved from the Point Arena area around 2013 and after that it was 5 years until I would see Sierra again. Then one day in Bethel I was walking home from work when I heard someone ask if I was a Barmettler. To my surprise it was Sierra and her family. It was so great to see them all. Sierra and her family made their way home and I continued in my assignment. No phone numbers were exchanged, no emails! But that all changed one day when a former pioneer school classmate of mine reached out asking if my family knew a Sierra Johnson from Fort Bragg. As it turns out this classmate had bought a house in New York and decided to rent it to a young group of sisters that had the intention of commuting to Bethel. Sierra was one of these sisters. November 6th 2022 It may sound like a random day but it was a critical day in our history. You see, on the 6th of November Sierra and I reconnected once again. At a game night hosted by my mother I learned a critical detail about Sierra. Sierra loved dirt bikes. In an effort to spend time with my buddies I invited them to a low-level dirt bike race in Accord, Ny. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it to the race. I was still excited to go to the race and I was thinking of others that would like to join. That is when the idea of inviting Sierra popped into my head. I invited Sierra to the race… her reply left me stunned and amused. I knew that she loved dirt bikes and Motocross. What I didn’t know is how much she loved this beautiful sport. When I asked her if she wanted to join, she said “Oh my goodness is it the pro AMA in Unadilla? I’m going on the 12th. Is that the one you’re talking about?” I had no idea what these words meant but after a quick google search I realized that she was referring to a professional motocross race and I also realized that Sierra was considerably cooler than me. After fierce negotiations I was able to finagle my way into Sierra's plans to join her at.

We were quite content in living our single lives, doing our best to serve Jehovah. This made moving forward in our friendship easy. Although I felt confident that Sierra was the type of woman that I wanted to get to know better and potentially share a courtship with, she didn't have the same view. Sierra was focused and driven in her service. And I respected that. I remember the first time we talked about a courtship. It was at a congregation get-together. Sierra and I were sitting at a picnic table with my mom and three other sisters sharing stories about causing trouble as little kids. That is when Sierra turned to me and uttered some of the most terrifying words I have ever heard. She said “You know that I am a pretty straight forward person so I have to ask you a question.” At this moment I thought that she was leading up to a glorious dad joke but I was wrong… She asked “Mitch! What are your intentions with me?” I was stunned. I Had no idea what to say. I recall mumbling something along the lines of “well um I guess I Kinda really like ya, and I was hoping maybe I could possibly date ya.” Sierra’s reply was honest and kind. She simply said that she didn't see herself getting married any time soon and she wanted to focus on her LDC assignment.” Unfortunately our conversation was interrupted when an eager friend realized that she shared a passion for chickens with Sierra. Although Sierra’s response to my statement wasn't what I had hoped it would be, I couldn't be upset with her. She wanted to use her time and the freedom of singleness to serve Jehovah. She was happy and I was happy for her. So, I did my best to give her the space that she deserved. That is until she asked me to help her move!!! My suspicions increased when I got to her house and I realized that she only had a few items to move. As the day progressed, I was hoping that she would say something or ask a question about us. But that moment didn't come that day. A few days later my excitement was again raging when I got a text that she wanted to have me over for dinner with a few others as a thank you for helping her move. “This is it!!” she must have something she wants to talk about… so there we were.. At the dinner table… Just a few months earlier Sierra had asked what my intentions were and that was with a group of strangers. I assumed that now she would have an easy time telling me what was on her mind. Just to be safe I cleared the dishes from the table and started washing them hoping that Sierra would follow and we would have the opportunity to talk in private. Well she did follow me, but after the first 30 minutes of talking about dirt bikes and races I realized that I might be wrong. Sierra was happy with her life and she didn't want or need me in it. I needed to be ok with that. It is funny how one moment in life can change your life forever. On the morning of Monday February 12th, 2024 I experienced one of those moments. It was Sierra… She texted me… her text was simple and sweet she wrote in part “I hope you have a good day at work. I’ll have to be honest, I tried to tell you last night, but I can't seem to get off my mind. If the offer still stands to get to know each other better, would you be willing to have a few conversations with me to see if our goals and focus are the same? I will leave it up to you though. Enjoy your day.” I WAS OVER THE MOON!!! I couldn't believe my eyes Sierra was finally giving me a shot!! That night Sierra and I talked about just about everything you could imagine. From goals and debt to dreams and our past. In three hours we talked about everything that had gotten us to that point in our lives and every thing we wanted for our future. After that conversation and a very deliberate prayer Sierra and I decided that we wanted to take a leap and start a courtship.