Jason and Andrea met in one of the last places on earth they expected to meet their future spouse. . . on a Dating App! They both chose an app called Christian Mingle according to their most deeply held values and beliefs.. and His name is Jesus Christ! Both Jason and Andrea signed up for the app reluctantly, and after about a year each, neither of them had felt called to go on even a single date! But each felt called to stay on the app for a reason they couldn’t explain. Eventually, they discovered each other and started chatting. Obstacles tried to stand in their way, such as Jason coming down with an illness, and not to mention a global pandemic(!), but eventually God opened the door for them to meet. The date consisted of two things they both love- hiking and their pups! This turned into hours of conversation discovering their very similar occupations and interests, and more importantly, their many similarities and connections in their walk with the Lord and their testimonies of how He had redeemed their lives. More obstacles came, including nearly 6 weeks of time passing until they could go on a second date. This time was filled with phone calls late into the night and the very blessed opportunity to get to know each other before being charmed in person. :) Soon, it became clear that something very special was developing. The next year consisted of many adventures including road trips, exploring the Grand Canyon, camping, and beyond! Jason and Andrea were very intentional to keep God at the very center of their relationship by studying the Bible together, praying together, and walking in obedience with His will and His word. More than words can express, God honored His word and faithfully supported them through their relationship in countless ways. In His timing, God made it clear that this partnership was for life, and deeper into relationship with Him and each other they went!

I (Jason) proposed on a backpacking trip along the beach in Olympic National Park. Going into the trip, I was praying to be able to propose on the beach at sunset early in the trip so that the rest of the trip could be spent talking about our future, but the weather forecast was filled with rain until Sunday evening. I was also hoping to have time to have a candlelit dinner with pink candles (Andrea’s favorite color) and then video the proposal using some trickery and a tripod. Despite these hopes, I felt very called to keep the proposal open handed and follow whatever God was calling me to do. We arrived at the trailhead Friday, loaded up our packs, and headed for the first campsite, roughly 14 miles away. We had a great day full of beautiful views, bald eagles, untouched forest, unexpected gorgeous weather, and so-so conversation (inside joke). Little did we know, the last several miles of the beach was all rock and proved to be very difficult and slow going. As the day wore on, I was very aware of how late it was getting because of my hopes for seeing our last sunset as single people that night. We came to a campsite about 2 hours before sunset and were both tempted to stay there, but something didn’t feel right. We prayed about it and felt called to press on. We made it to our planned campsite about an hour before sunset and set up our camp. At Camp, I slipped off into the woods and prayed, thanking God for bringing us together and asking if this was the right time. I got a firm yes and felt called to save the candles, abandon the filming, and head to the beach with Andrea to ensure we caught the sunset. We arrived just in time to watch the sunset, and I read 1 Corinthians 13, got down on one knee, and asked Andrea to be my wife. After much deliberation (just kidding!), she said "Of Course!". We spent the rest of the trip joyfully talking about what plans God may have for us while enjoying God’s beautiful creation. We are blessed!