Every Sunday a group of us had a standing tradition at Shawnee Mission Lake. It was not fancy, it was just what we did. We would show up for sunset, paddleboard, swim, hang out on the dock, and linger until the sun finally dropped and the sky did what it always does when you are not in a hurry. It became a rhythm of life that you do not plan, but somehow end up protecting. One of those Sundays that rhythm got interrupted in a pretty unexpected way. Ellie had just returned from the Dominican Republic where she was serving as a medical missionary. A mutual friend, her best friend actually, introduced us out on the dock that evening. We talked for a while about missions, her time in the DR, my time with YWAM, and all the ways God had been weaving similar stories without us knowing it. She was only in Kansas for a short visit and I was about to head to Israel for a few weeks. I remember walking away from that conversation thinking I would marry a girl like that. Which is a slightly dramatic conclusion to reach after one dock conversation, but it is still true. So I did what any normal and emotionally stable person does. I went home and followed her on Instagram. And she followed back. I took that as a very serious sign from the Lord. Then she left and went back to the Dominican Republic and life kept moving. A few months later Ellie moved back to Kansas after being away for a while and we ended up in the same circles again. Pickleball, friends, hangouts that felt casual at the time but were definitely part of something bigger in hindsight. Around then I was getting ready to head to North Carolina for a few months for the 18 Inch Journey. Even while I was gone Ellie was on my mind more than I expected. I would talk about her to my friend Ollie but in a very careful way that definitely did not reveal how much I was thinking about her. Then I ended up in Nashville. On my way back from North Carolina I randomly ended up there for a week and Ellie was there at the same time. Of all places and all timing. We met up that night, hung out, and I left knowing something had shifted. That was also the moment I finally told Ollie I think I actually like her, which in my language is basically a public announcement. When I got back to Kansas I wanted to be intentional but I also thought she was out of my league, which I still maintain was a reasonable assumption. We went on what we called a fake date, which is a terrible name for spending almost an entire day together. After that there was not much confusion left for me. I liked her. A few weeks later I asked her out for coffee. Shortly after that I got a job offer in California. I went to talk with her planning to say we should not start anything because I was moving across the country. Ellie basically said we should at least try. So we did. After I went home for Christmas we went on our first real date and on that very first date I asked her to be my girlfriend. Three months later I moved to California. Ellie went to the 18 Inch Journey, spent six weeks in Europe, and eventually moved to California too. For the first time since we started dating, we were finally in the same place again. Since then we have kept choosing each other through distance, change, travel, and a lot of unknowns. Somewhere in all of that we got engaged, and now we are getting married. There is so much more to the story, so many small moments that would take too long to explain but mean everything to us. But at the center of it all is this: God has been unbelievably kind and faithful to both of us. Outside of salvation, Ellie is the greatest gift God has ever given me. We cannot wait for September 12th to promise forever, and we are so excited to celebrate with all of you. -Hunter