His perspective:
When I was about fourteen, a preacher named Dave visited our church and befriended me. He asked me when I was going to get married. I was taken aback and said, “I don’t think I’ll ever get married.” After talking it over, I discovered that I was simply put off by how it all works. He insisted that finding a wife is not impossible. That night, I started praying that God would give me wisdom in finding a wife, and that until then she and I would learn and know Christ.

The first time I saw Abbie, I noticed the beauty of her eyes and smile and I wanted to meet her. We were, sadly, not introduced right away; but I soon met her by hanging around her family. Abbie is my friend Drew’s sister, so I heard news about her every now and then.
Drew, Justin, and I decided to get an apartment together, and Drew announced that his sister was coming to help us move in. I was unbearably curious to know which it was. Moving day arrived and there she was. I remember being stunned by her brilliant blue eyes. That weekend is a happy memory for me. We had fun moving house and shopping for furniture. The day before she left, we all had a conversation around the living room that lasted two hours. Within the general topic of college education, Abbie was sharing her decision to leave college, an action antithetical to modern life. She was then asked why college was not worth it to her. In a matter-of-fact manor, and with a sober expression, she said, “my highest ambition is to be a wife and mother.” I was shaken. Her purpose, and unwavering action in alignment with it, were so powerful. That night, I started praying about whether God would have me date Abbie.
I won’t bore you with details of the next seven months. Some of the time was stressful, most was delightful. Frankly, I was scared to date anyone: I had never done such a thing. Dave’s words returned to me: “You’ll never get married if you never think it’s possible.” In the Spring of 2020, I was talking with another preacher about the state of young Christian men, many of whom are still unmarried at 25+ (get the hint). I said we are all praying for God to show us the right one. He responded that, apparently, we aren’t looking very hard. So I talked with my parents, and prayed some more. I got to see her once during that time, it was wonderful. Finally, I asked her dad for lunch and we talked about Abbie. Abigail means “her father’s joy,” and it was clear to me in conversation with Mr. Sikma that she has lived up to her name. I asked for his permission to date her. When the positive answer came a few days later, I asked Abbie for a date in South Bend. She said “yes.”

That day, when we were seated at the table , I was suddenly without words. I admitted I didn’t know what to say on a date and Abbie said her sister sent a list of questions. We laughed and the dam broke. We talked non-stop for five hours. Ever since, we’ve had no trouble making conversation. When it was time to go, I told her I enjoyed our time together that day. She said she did too. I asked her what she thought of a second date. She said she would like that.
Again, I won’t bore you with what followed. We wrote letters. We spent so many hours on FaceTime that my roommates wondered where I had moved. We also traveled to see each other as often as we could. We talked about everything. At first, we tackled the serious topics: nonnegotiables like beliefs about the nature of God and His Will and what a home ought to be like. It was on one of my trips to Sussex, sitting on a ledge overlooking a pond, that I told her I thought she was beautiful and that I liked her. She said she liked me too. I asked her if I could date her, purposefully, to learn whether we were to marry. She said “yes.” In our ensuing conversations, I learned so much about who Abbie was, what motivated her, what distressed her, and I learned the natures of her character and personality. There was no mistaking it: I liked what I learned.

Three months later, on one of her trips to Ann Arbor, we were saying goodbye in front of my parents house when I decided that I love her. It surprised me at first: I had not been aware such a dramatic shift in feelings was possible in a single moment. I discovered that I had indeed fallen in love, though I did not trip—I jumped, and for so many good reasons. It took me a week to tell my parents, and it took them seconds to respond with how much they love her too. They gave me their blessing for marriage.

What remained was to ask her dad for permission. I was again conscious of the strength of love between father and daughter as he and I talked through what I had learned about Abbie. He gave me his blessing, as did Mrs. Sikma.

I’m so grateful to the Sikmas. They’ve done an amazing job as parents, with amazing results. I’m grateful to my own parents who, critically, gave me emotional maturity and a love for God and Scripture. I’m grateful to God, in whom we have trusted to make of our friendship what He wills. He is worthy of our worship and praise.

Two weeks after her dad and I talked, Abbie and I went out to dinner. She was gorgeous and I was jumping nervous. We got to the restaurant early and I suggested we walk through the park. Her parents and Drew had set up lanterns on one of the piers, a truly romantic scene. What followed was the best moment of my life, so far. I turned, looked full in her stunning eyes, and told her how beautiful she is, inside and outside, and that I love her. Standing in the middle of those lanterns, between the city and the lake, I took her hands in mine and asked, “Abigail Christine Sikma, will you marry me?” And she said, “Yes!”

Epilogue
We sat down to dinner and the waiter launched into his pre-drink-order speech. I patiently waited until he walked away, unable to focus on anyone but her. I looked at her and said, “I love you so much! I’ll just have to say that every few minutes. Is that okay?” She answered, “as long as you’re okay with hearing it back.” Dinner that night was an entirely new experience. All we could do was stare at each other. I was without the ability to consciously eat, drink, or speak. It’s a testament to good parenting that we finished our food at all. We were giddy with love. We still are.

Her perspective:
We first met at the funeral of a mutual friend in November of 2018. I knew his sister and he knew my brother but the two of us had never been introduced. We exchanged names, shook hands, attended the funeral (he sat with my family) and life continued on. There was no aha moment or neon signs flashing, this is the one. I didn't see him again until I was out in Michigan the following September helping my brother move into a new apartment. Simon just so happened to be one of Drew's new roommates so we had opportunities to interact throughout the course of the weekend. We talked for several hours on both Sunday and Monday and he got to see the opinionated side of me. I returned home to Wisconsin and life continued on, again. Our next exchange occurred on my next visit to Michigan in early February 2020. My mom, sister Anna, and I spent the weekend with Drew celebrating Drew's birthday. Simon was out of town for most of the weekend on a business trip but I did see him at church on Sunday morning before we left town. I had a brief thought of, Oh, he really seems like a good guy, but I squashed it. He had given zero indications that he was interested. (Somehow I missed entire conversations that my mom and siblings were having about the two of us that weekend.)

Two weeks later, my parents shared that Simon Joshua was interested in getting to know me better. Would I be interested in getting to know him? I was up most of the night thinking and praying about it and came to the conclusion that I was interested but he would need to go out with my dad first. I did not want to waste my time. Then the lockdowns happened. And got extended. And then extended again. Dad and Simon finally met up in Indiana for a long conversation on May 30, 2020. (I somehow missed the fact that Simon and Dad were meeting up that day until Dad was on his way home.) Dad gave a recap of the conversation and I was still interested.

July 11, 2020 was our first date. We met for brunch in South Bend, Indiana and talked for five hours. We quizzed each other about family, life stories, church, hobbies, and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. Simon was kind, funny, open, honest, and an excellent conversationalist. I felt quite at ease talking to him. When he asked if I wanted to go on another date, it was an easy Yes! We went on our second date a few weeks later, and then another. Four months quickly flew by as we got to know each other, made frequent trips to each other's family homes, FaceTimed, and wrote letters. I loved learning more about this guy. He had a genuine walk with the Lord, loved books (those two things alone would be amazing!), had a great family, was involved in his local church, and the list continued. And at some point, I started falling in love. 

The first weekend of November found us enjoying a beautiful few days of warmth and sunshine with my family in Wisconsin. We went on a few walks, had lots of good conversation and took the opportunities to just spend time together. (My younger siblings gladly contributed to our time together by letting us clean up the kitchen. Very thoughtful of them.) Simon had told me he would be taking me out for a nice dinner on Saturday evening but I was clueless as to the extent of what would be happening that evening. (Notice the trend. I am generally an observant person but my powers of observation seem to flee when Simon is involved.) We arrived at the restaurant early and he asked if I wanted to take a walk before our reservation. I gladly complied. The weather was perfect, the lights of the city were beautiful, and the man of my dreams was walking beside me. I didn't see the lanterns and roses until we were standing in the middle of them. Simon Joshua took my hands, told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. I gave him a very happy Yes! 

In conclusion, I am head-over-heels in love with Simon Joshua and am absolutely thrilled that I get to walk by his side for the rest of my life. God has been so good to me and has blessed me with a man who is far better than I ever imagined. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23