Eli's and Emily’s story began with a coffee shop introduction back in 2016 (actually Eli remembers Emily leading from the front at The Chapel around 2014/2015 but assumed she was likely married with kids and didn’t give it a second thought). A mutual friend introduced us but not much happened between that point and 2020. We’d occasionally encounter each other in public or at church events but it was never much more than a friendly hello.

One such encounter happened at the Starbucks in Green, OH, one afternoon when we were both there working. Eli arrived after Emily and after getting settled in, he noticed she was reading a book and asked her what she was reading. She shared the book's title with him and a brief explanation. Of course, it was a book on world missions. Eli listened intently and then both resumed their work.

At some point in late 2019 or early 2020, Eli sent Emily a friend request on Facebook, but it sat in "Facebook purgatory" for many months, before Emily finally saw it in the summer of 2020. She was like, who is that guy, and messaged him to ask if he was the guy she had met at Starbucks. When he answered in the affirmative, she accepted his request.

Later that fall, while Emily was raising support for her work with OM, she invited Eli to consider meeting to discuss her work. Eli welcomed the invitation and went into the meeting already knowing he intended to become part of her core support team. She made a lovely presentation and Eli listened with great interest before other conversation about life and faith ensued. Both enjoyed the meeting and left feeling like it was an enjoyable time and that the conversation flowed easily.

Later in 2020, Emily invited a group of friends to consider meeting in early 2021 for a group study of the book, Magnificent Obsession by John White, about Christian discipleship. Eli responded and expressed interest in the study. At that point, no one else had confirmed interest, so Emily directly invited a few other friends to join and before long the study group was off and running. It was during this season that both learned more about the other’s heart for the Lord and life experiences and a growing admiration for one another was established.

Prior to the conclusion of the group, they met one last time together at a restaurant to discuss the final chapter and tie up loose ends. Eli had no choice but to sit next to Emily because of the seating arrangements (which he didn’t mind, of course) and remembers melting with admiration just watching Emily being her true self and watching her in her element. He recalls thinking, “I believe I’d like to sit next to this woman the rest of my life.”

They continued occasionally checking in on each other over Facebook Messenger as friends for several months. The friendship was a joy to both. Then in October 2021, Eli asked Emily to meet to discuss the possibility of moving toward an intentional and godly process of dating and getting better acquainted. When the time was right, they met for their first official date and the rest is as they say, “HIS-story.”

We thank God for the way we can look back and see Him very patiently and clearly moving our lives in the direction of each other. We sense great purpose in it all and believe in God’s calling on us both as individuals and more broadly as a couple committed to serving and honoring God with the very living of our lives. We are committed to having a marriage that shines out the light of His love and follows Him obediently wherever He leads us.

Amen! Our hearts are beaming with gratitude to our good and loving God, Who has been so kind to bring us together, and in whom we greatly rejoice.