If we think really hard about it, there’s one specific moment we count as our first real interaction. We’d been around each other in groups before, but one Sunday after leading worship at church, we found ourselves in a basement kitchen between services making lunch. Over a ham and cheese and some stale tortilla chips, Rachel mentioned that growing up, her mother would throw stale chips in the oven for a bit - to "crisp them up." Sam said, "oh, my mom too." Who says romantic comedies don't paint a realistic picture?

The next year, we were both planning to go to the Boston Portuguese Festival downtown with a group of friends. When everyone else bailed, we looked at each other and said, "well, we could call it off... Or we could not." We wandered through downtown Boston, paid $5 for a Pastel de Nata (normally like €1), and ended up sitting by the harbor for hours. That day led to many other days, and several months later Sam took Rachel back to that same spot and told her that he loved her for the first time. A year and some months after that, a close friend strategically walked Rachel back to the same place where Sam was waiting to propose.

This is it. We’ve found our great love—the kind of love that inspires songs (with a minor four chord, of course), and flies across the world (without a guarantee of entry to the country) to be together. This August we will stand before you to share the many ways that Heaven outdid itself in bringing us together. And, as we commit to loving each other deeply, we also commit to living our lives in service of others—we’re so glad that we get to share this moment with you. Many of you have celebrated and supported our relationship in so many ways. Thank you for walking alongside us as we have learned to love. Até Agosto! Muitos beijinhos, Sam & Rachel