Anna:

Hello Everyone! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Marie Anne Daguidam, but I also introduce myself as Anna(my nickname). I was born in Cameroon, my parents were called to go to Nigeria when i was a baby. Growing up in Nigeria, I had a fantastic childhood , attended boarding school and wanted to spend the rest of my life in Jos. I grew up learning learning about Jesus and I remember receiving God's salvation through Jesus but I did not have a discipleship or missions mindset.

God did many things in my life to help understand his heart for the lost/the nations. He took my parents and I to Niger, where I was exposed to people from very different cultures and saw spiritual and physical poverty. Being there, and learning from my father who is a missionary and Community Development worker sparked a desire to see peoples lives changed (as a whole) because of the gospel. I thought that was enough, but God wasn't done teaching me yet. He brought me to the United states where I learned more about missions while attending Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska where I graduated with a degree in Bible and international Community Development in 2017.

I believe God's purpose and plan for my life is still unfolding, and I hope that as David and I grow to love God more together, He will direct us to the people that He wants us to disciple, whether here in the United States or somewhere overseas.

David

Growing in rural and small town central Michigan, I did not expect as a young child to ever leave Michigan or interact much with foreigners, but as you can see, God had other plans. I grew up in a committed Christian family. I struggled with doubts about God and my salvation as a kid, but my parents and churches did a good job of teaching me God's word and now I can say that I am trusting wholly in Jesus for my salvation and want to live for him.

I received my Bachelors of Biblical Studies with a Missions Emphasis through Frontier School of the Bible in LaGrange, Wyoming. I never expected to go that far from home, but my parents wanted me go somewhere for at least a year, and I understood that missionaries had to have at least a year of Bible training, and this was the only school that I could pay for without debt, and so I went. God taught me a lot about His Word, myself, and people through my stay there. I went on some mission trips, which helped me learn more about ministry first hand.

Over the 2017 to 2018 school year I interned at Dearborn Evangelical Covenant Church to complete my bachelor's. I have learned a lot about ministry among Arabs here. Right now I am working a secular job in the metro Detroit area, and am looking forward to the opportunities that Anna and I will have together!

We met last summer, 2017 in Boulder, Colorado. My friend Sierra and I spent the summer living and interning at Jacob Springs farm in Boulder. About a month and a half into the internship, Andre Houssney, the owner of the farm, anounced that he would be teaching a couple of sessions at a training event called Engaging Islam and encouraged us to attend some of the sessions. I was interested in the topic and decided to attend. David was one of several young people who came to Boulder from other states and countries to take the course. Neither of us had any idea who the other was, until one providential lunch hour when I was starting to eat my meal at a table all by myself. Out of the blue this guy showed up and started talking to me, asking if he could join my table. He then introduced me to his cousin, Anna Ruiter, and then we carried on with our meal/conversation. He was very respecful and friendly, and talking to him was like talking to a close friend. We had such a good time together! I remember going back to the farm feeling happy and glad to have made some new friends! From this first encounter, our friendship budded, and then blossomed into our love story.