Jocelyn & John
Jocelyn & John
From Jocelyn:
The day after Christmas, a friend request popped up on my phone. It was from a John Bishop. I don't normally accept friend requests from people I don't know, so I had to investigate first. I looked at his profile to find out who he was and noticed that we had mutual friends and discovered that we were both part of a Facebook group. I remember showing my mom and getting a little excited that this guy had messaged me. :) When I asked him if we knew each other, he said no but asked if could we still chat. I said yes. I didn't know then how much that yes would change my life.
We then texted and started getting to know each other. I immediately found out we both had similar likes and dislikes. He loved Christmas and soccer. He liked the outdoors and traveling. The best part is he loved animals (which if anyone knows me, was a big factor :D) He even rescued a puppy when the puppy was going to be put down because of a breathing problem. That's my kind of guy!
He wanted to meet in person and we did at church. After a few months, he asked if I was ready for the next step - dating. After talking to my parents, we officially started dating in April 2023.
When we went to Portugal with my family for a European Regional Retreat, I was hoping he would propose then since we had both said we were ready. Almost two weeks went by and nothing happened so I was starting to doubt it would happen. We arranged to meet at the park to take pictures. The park was a special place because we went there alot when I was little and took several pictures there before. When I showed up, he was standing in front of a heart with pictures attached and flowers. He then asked me to marry him! I immediately said yes!
Serving the Lord with John, whether it's at church or a ministry, is one of my favorite things to do and I can not wait to see what God has in store for us in the coming years!
How We Met
From John:
Jocelyn and I first started talking the day after Christmas 2022 on a mutual friend Facebook group. We both say it was the best Christmas gift we ever received. When we first started talking, I realized Jocelyn’s profile said that she was living in Portugal, and I immediately wondered how this would work. After I asked her where she was living, she said, “Ohio” and I then breathed a sigh of relief! Soon after, we met at her church in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and I immediately thought I wanted to get to know her better. For several months after initially meeting Jocelyn, I decided I would drive up every Wednesday after work to see her at church. After building a great friendship and mutual interest, I decided to ask her dad on April 12th if I could officially date Jocelyn which was terrifying! To my surprise he said, “no”. I’m just kidding, he said, “yes” after several threats (also a joke - maybe!). After a year of dating with prayer and advice from some great people and talking with Jocelyn, I knew that we were ready for the next step. When thinking about a place to propose to Jocelyn, I wanted to pick a place that meant a lot to her. At the time, Mr. Loop was planning a European Regional Retreat in Portugal for missionaries in Europe. I asked Mr. and Mrs. Loop for permission to ask Jocelyn in Portugal and they helped a lot with the planning and setup for the perfect proposal. I chose to propose at Infante Dom Pedro Park in Aveiro, Portugal, because Jocelyn grew up as a missionary kid in Aveiro and the park is a special place to Jocelyn with many memories for her. On April 30, 2024, I asked Jocelyn if she would marry me, and without any hesitation, she said yes! Now, we are planning to get married October 24, 2024, and hope to build a wonderful life together as we seek to please the Lord as a married couple.