Freshman year of college at Virginia Tech, during move in, Kristian and I met at an ice cream social that was hosted by a local ministry called Chi Alpha. We were each going through the typical mixture of excitement and anxiety that seems to accompany all new students, and we were eager to make new friendships. As we talked, moving from subject to subject, we found out something quite interesting. That was, other than Jesus, we could find zero things that we had in common. It seemed like every idea I had, she had the opposite, and vice versa. And yet, despite our personality differences, we couldn't stop talking to each other. We immediately became best friends.

As the year went on, our friendship continued to grow. We were each involved in RUF, a small campus ministry at Tech, and built a good group of friends around us. And while we still didn't have very many things in common, we began to appreciate each others strengths even more, and we each learned a lot from each other.

We began dating in the beginning of our sophomore year. Kristian, being the decisive one in the relationship, informed me one evening that we should probably start dating, and I agreed. We were each happy and excited to take that next step in our relationship.

As we continued to grow together, we began thinking towards marriage. After speaking with each of our parents about it, I proposed in October of our junior year. We were walking on one of our favorite paths to watch the sunset one evening, and I knew in that moment that it was the right time. However, I had neglected to think of anything to say in advance. Kneeling down, I began muttering something akin to a marriage proposal, as I fumbled for the ring in my pocket. Thankfully, Kristian being the gracious woman that she is, she still said yes and we rushed off to tell our friends and family.

That is, in brief, our story up until now. Kristian and I began attending Providence Presbyterian Church in Christiansburg last semester, where we have met many wonderful families who have encouraged us during this time. She is currently serving in Canada with Engineering Missions International, which gives us a chance to try out long distance. Andy Wood, our campus pastor will be officaiting the wedding and has been leading us through pre-marital guidance. And a special thanks also has to go out to our families who have worked very hard in organizing this wedding and walking with us during this time. We hope to see all of you this July as we celebrate J

-J