On the first Sunday of August 2022, Gerrit stepped into a small church in rural Nova Scotia. Nearing the end of his cross-country travels for work, and in Nova Scotia for the weekend before heading back to Ontario, he thought he’d worship at Covenanters ARP in the Annapolis Valley that day.

It just so happened that Kaitlyn was a member at Covenanters, and also there that morning. At the congregation’s fellowship lunch following the service, Kaitlyn found herself seated next to a stranger from Ottawa, who immediately introduced himself as Gerrit Van Dorland. She, being rather shy of strangers, did not have much to say. Their story should end here, but God had other plans.

The next evening, Kaitlyn attended the work event Gerrit was in the Valley for, and afterwards Gerrit asked if they could keep in touch. After a patience-trying time of thoughtful consideration, Kaitlyn finally responded in the affirmative. And so it began.

By this time, Gerrit was back in Ontario, so the next few weeks consisted of emails back and forth, with the eventual addition of a phone call here and there. Gerrit visited Nova Scotia again at the end of September, the first of many travels between the two provinces. Phone calls transformed into Facetime chats, and emails fell by the wayside. Kaitlyn flew to Ottawa in October, Gerrit visited in November, and so on. The visits grew longer, and, despite ups and downs throughout, the liking stronger.

Gerrit liked Kaitlyn’s gentle nature and tender heart, her love for beauty and the outdoors, and how she interacted with and cared for her siblings and family. Gerrit’s vibrant nature and enthusiasm for life drew Kaitlyn to him, and she liked his eye for detail and aesthetics, his thoughtful care for and delight in people, his open and genuine character, his warmth and conviction, and above all, his clear love for God.

And so, by God’s grace and gift of perseverance, Gerrit and Kaitlyn kept on through the challenges of long-distance, and over time and several more visits, both began to realize how much the other was coming to mean to them. By Christmas 2022, which Gerrit spent in Nova Scotia with Kaitlyn and her family, their liking had transformed to love. Over the next few months, amidst the challenges and trials of Gerrit’s nomination campaign, this love grew deeper, until on April 7, 2023 along the Blomidon shore, Gerrit asked Kaitlyn to marry him – and she said yes!

Gerrit and Kaitlyn’s story is one of God’s providential working in their lives. He orchestrated their first meeting, sustained them through difficult days, and brought them to this point of preparing for marriage, throughout it all blessing them both with perseverance, patience, and love. Join Gerrit and Kaitlyn in praising and thanking God for bringing them together in this way, and in praying that they would continue to follow and glorify Him together all of their days!