Esther and Laurence first met through a game of Tic Tac Toe! Esther thought it was a playful way to start a conversation but somehow forgot how the game works, so to this day Laurence and Esther still chuckle about their funny beginnings.

(in the picture, you can see Esther responding with another "X" instead of an "O" and Laurence thought she was being funny when in reality she forgot how the game works!)

Esther: I was surprised he had so much facial hair unlike the pictures I had seen. I was impressed by his gentlemanly manners throughout the night. He told me he had applied to jobs in Cambodia which I thought was interesting.. We wanted to keep chatting after dinner and the date ended up being around 3 hours! I knew that was a good sign and after our initial dates I knew we had an undeniable connection.

Laurence: She was late. At first I thought this was a tactic or test…but when she walked in the door I was pleasantly surprised at how nice she looked. We went for Italian food at a restaurant on Main St. in Vancouver. I remember the conversation was good and we ordered too much food. She took a Tupperware container from her purse and I was shocked. Then I was quite impressed. I mean, why spend an extra $0.25 for those silly paper containers?

Esther: One of the first things I remember from our first date is that Laurence was a real gentleman. He would serve me food, open the door, made sure I was warm enough and always protected me by standing on the outer side of the sidewalks. I love that he has always cherished and have been gentle with me, wanting to know my inner heart and makes it a priority to read the Bible together. I love that we can talk about anything and everything, the consistency in his love for me and the joy we have when we spend time together. ❤️

Laurence: Love is patient and love is kind. Esther is quite patient and kind.

Esther: As I prayed about where God was leading me, He continuously opened the doors to Cambodia step by step. From introducing Pleroma (a Missions Organization) to me through a church friend who went to Cambodia for missions, to closing the chapter of my life at the school I was teaching, and God providing housing for me 5 mins away from Laurence with a Teacher with 3 adopted daughters (which gave me a bit of insight into what it'd be like adopting 3 boys). I didn't know fully what God had in store for me in Cambodia but I felt at peace with taking a leap of faith and going there with Laurence and his boys.

Laurence: I came to Cambodia for faith and the boys. James 1:22 says “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Becoming a missionary would help with the doing part. It was also becoming hard to protect the boys from indoctrination in Canada. Work with the Cambodian rural church would give them an education in Christian reality. That Esther was open to finding a path in Cambodia was amazing.

Esther: God has been very present with each hurdle we've had to face- being introduced to Laurence's boys and the openness they had towards me, helping us strive towards becoming more like Jesus, softening the hearts of my parents, through encouragement from community and family, and the love that is growing each day for each other.

Laurence: God has been present from the start. He helped us tie together distant common friends while in Vancouver. Helped us navigate the complexities of modern dating and our special circumstances. Softened the hearts of the boys and the people around us. Found us housing within 5 minutes of each other in Phnom Penh. God has established us as a family and continues to nurture the love we have at home.