We met at work, but didn't start dating until Valerie bought a new couch and needed someone to help deliver it. (This was clearly just an excuse to hangout outside of work) We both were nervous about spending time together, but something was meant to be.

On our 2 year anniversary, we went to one of our favorite places- Ludington State Park. Max had a boardwalk plank engraved with"Maxwell and Valerie Peters 2020" engraved on it and placed as part of the boardwalk by the lighthouse. He got down on one knee, and she said "yes!"

As excited as we were to get married, the Lord had work to do in our hearts. Many of you already know this, but we actually broke off our engagement in January. In this heartbreak, the Lord finally had our full attention. The next 3 months were full of growth and refinement for both of us. (That's putting it lightly) The Lord broke through the walls that we had built up and shed light on our hearts. (Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.) Through a lot of study and prayer over the months apart, Max began to see God for who He really was. In April Max gave his life to the Lord. In this same time, the Lord was also working on Valerie's heart, refining her faith and strengthening her to show more of Christ's love in every aspect of life- including motherhood. We began to seek the Lord specifically regarding what He had in store for our future. This has been quite an experience. He seemed to be giving us a timeline for dating and engagement, so we listened! We spent the next month praying and learning as much as we possibly could about what a Christ-centered marriage looks like and how to live a faith-based life the best we can.

On May 30, we took the kids to Ludington for the day. They had no idea that the real reason we were there was because it was Valerie's turn to "pop the question"! After a long journey out to the lighthouse, we all sat down on a bench. We discussed how life is like the journey that we took to get to the lighthouse. Sometimes the ground was solid, so biking was easy. Sometimes it was really sandy, so biking was hard. We have been on a journey and God used the hard parts of life to reveal himself to us. From now on we are going to let God be the guide on our journey. Michael and Brooklynn were ecstatic when they saw that Valerie had brought a ring for Max, and helped propose by also getting down on one knee. It was so sweet, and surprise, surprise, He said "yes!" We thank God everyday for the story He's writing in our lives, and we are so excited to celebrate this next chapter with you!