Esther and Macklin got to know each other in early 2018, when they would go with a group every Sunday to apartment complexes near their church, asking people if they needed anything, and if they could pray for them. There they would also have conversations with people about Jesus, the One who had miraculously changed their lives. Although they didn’t interact much during these Sunday afternoons (let’s just say Macklin purposefully avoided pairing himself with Esther so that they didn’t, you know, fall in love…), they grew in admiration for one another from afar seeing glimpses of each other’s hearts in actions and prayers. Eventually, a friendship began to grow outside of these Sunday afternoons.

In September 2018, they went on a long walk. Between hopping fences, chasing down toads, and falling into mud puddles, their conversation led them to realize that their ministry partnership could become much more than that! After a few weeks and much prayer, they had their first date: eating some over-cooked chicken Esther had valiantly made, on a small hill outside of her house, till the stars came out.

Macklin had just moved from Davis to Livermore, and Esther was still in her senior year at UC Davis, so they were long distance for the next eight months. It was hard! But during those months of testing, the Lord brought them closer: they bonded deeply and learned a lot, becoming best friends. They cherish many memories together during this time: hiking in the Sierra Nevadas, talking over many plates of Pad Thai, playing in the snow in Calaveras county, attending their first wedding together in Southern California, and stargazing many evenings in the fields near Davis.

As the months passed, the “m” word, marriage, became more than a conversation. So it was no surprise when, on May 11, 2019, in a garden in Davis, Macklin asked Esther to marry him. She said, “Yes, yes of course!” (and then proceeded to be so excited that she forgot to let him put the ring on her finger!). They eagerly anticipate celebrating the union God has grown between them and spending the rest of their lives together in pursuit of God’s plan for them. And they’d be honored to have you, their dear friends and family, join them on this special day!