We met at Camp Tadmor during the summer of 2019, where we were both working on the Program Team. As the summer went on, we became close friends, and by the end of camp, we established we wanted be more than just friends. We started dating on August 17 of that year, and continued to date each other 'from a distance' as we lived over an hour away from one another. We developed our relationship between weekend trips to come see one another, as well as phone calls and messaging. We spent a lot of our dating relationship outside, walking the neighborhood in the rain, or hiking trails in the Willamette Valley. We both enjoy the Oregon Coast, so after we had been dating nearly a year and a half, Jonathan started planning an engagement overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Both of us shared conversations about wanting to be married to the other, so while Sierra knew the day was coming that Jonathan would get down on one knee, she was so surprised when the day came! We have enjoyed this season of preparing for marriage to one another, but we are even more excited to share our wedding day with you all, where we express our commitment to serve one another for the rest of our lives.

In order of: How We Met How We Dated How We Got Engaged

We met on an early June evening in 2019 before summer camp began at Camp Tadmor. We were both on the Program Team at camp --- Jonathan was co-leading the team, while Sierra was the designated camp barista. Their first evening together was focused around getting acquainted with the team. Jonathan was interested at the start but was hesitant to 'show his cards' as he was a leader for the team and didn't want to come on too strong. While sitting together as a team, Jonathan sat kitty-corner to Sierra, but didn't want to stare at her. Instead, he settled his gaze on her feet. She was sporting worn-out Birkenstock sandals and soft blue toe-nail polish. Little to her knowledge, the toe-nail polish was his favorite color. Sierra was interested at the start but wasn't sure what Jonathan would be like in person. While sitting together as a team that first night, Sierra avoided looking at Jonathan too much, but couldn't help but catch a glance every once and while. She listened intently to his answers about recently traveling to Peru on a mission trip, and how impactful the experience had been for him. Sierra noted that while Jonathan had off-beat humor and a boisterous laugh, he also was contemplative and serious all the same. It was a balance she had been looking for. As the summer went on, we became close friends, and by the end of camp, we established we wanted to be more than just friends.

While we didn't know exactly how the logistics would work with dating, we were ready to make it work. Sierra was still a student, starting her senior year at University of Oregon, while Jonathan had graduated from Corban University in the spring and was beginning a full-time position at Camp Tadmor in their off-season. While the two of us were only an hour and a half apart, we had never experienced dating from a distance before. We would make the drive to see one other once a week to every other week, with phone calls, texting, and sending letters in the mail in between. Throughout our dating relationship, we have: -eaten a lot of burgers and chicken nuggets -made a trip to the Emergency Room on a Saturday night -gone through a haunted corn maze -dressed to the nines and went to the movie theater (everyone else was in jeans) -had our back car window busted and a backpack stolen -gone skiing together (with Sierra teaching Jon how to ski on the bunny hill) -visited a lot of bookstores and have bought too many books -streamed the same t.v. shows together in real time over the phone during quarantine -beat each other at Words with Friends (Sierra holds the record though) -enjoyed watching I Love Lucy and Jeopardy reruns together -explored many waterfalls together and hiking in the rain and sunshine -ran lots of miles together (Jon beating Sierra by far)

We were both on the same page about wanting to get engaged. Through hours of conversations over months of praying and seeking wisdom, the big day came on February 2nd! Jonathan came to Sierra's house and said, "We should do something fun today. Any ideas?" She wasn't sure what to do, so he nonchalantly offered: "We could go for a hike, go for a drive, or maybe go to beach?" Through some pros and cons, Sierra agreed that it would be fun to go to the beach. Little did she know that Jonathan had a spot picked out in advance, and his roommate planned to meet us there to take photos. We began to explore Rocky Creek State Park, walking the trails and pointing at seagulls and other coastal sights. As we walked the entirety of the park, we stopped at a crumbling cliffside near a bench that overlooks the Pacific. Sierra became aware of a man standing alone across the field, wearing all black and holding something in his hand. In just a few moments, the man had gotten closer to which Sierra thought: "This is a big field --- why is he coming towards us?” All of a sudden, Sierra locked eyes with the man and realized she knew him. Sierra looked at Jon with wide eyes and exclaimed, "That's Cody! That's your roommate!" He was there to capture the moment on camera. Jon got down on one knee, smiled, and pulled out a small wooden box. The moment was so surreal for us, as we had been anticipating the day for a long time and it had finally come! Jon asked if Sierra would be his wife, and she said YES. God orchestrated the weather in His perfect timing, as the wind, rain and hail held off until five minutes after the proposal when the floodgates burst and ice fell from the heavens (maybe it was God's shower of blessings?). Cody got lots of photos of us smiling and laughing about being an engaged couple, featuring cold hands, wet hair, and specks of hail. We wouldn't trade it for anything, as we love a good story with classic Oregon weather and lots of laughs.