As much as Joel dislikes admitting that he and Nadia met at a party, their story began on December 31, 2017, at a New Year’s Party hosted by a group of friends at C3 Toronto. That evening, Joel could not help but notice another girl around his age walking in with a rather large homemade chocolate cake. Later, Joel and Nadia were introduced through a mutual friend and after a few brief pleasant exchanges, they both saw nothing but the possibility of gaining a new friend. In the following months, they began to see more of each other at various church events, connect group meetings, and hangouts with mutual friends. They slowly began to learn about each other’s passion for building the undergrad community at C3 Toronto. Through leading connect groups together, they started to have deep, meaningful conversations which marked the beginning of a new friendship. Nonetheless, they only considered each other as close friends until Joel noticed Nadia’s gentle, kind-hearted nature, and ultimately, the way she sparkled when she smiled. Joel was terrible at hiding his crush on Nadia from everyone except her. While their friends at church began to comment on their compatibility, Nadia was oblivious to his feelings when they were together. As months went by, they continued to hang out regularly and although she was difficult to read, he was confident that she felt the same way. After a worship gathering in May 2019, Joel decided to walk Nadia to the subway station on their way home. Just before they parted ways, he built up the courage to ask Nadia on a date. She smiled nervously and rejected him. Silence spanned between them through that summer. In the fall, they decided to mend their friendship. Conversations started small, but they were intentional. Sparse hangouts occurred through COVID and despite how difficult it was for Joel, he tried to move on. Yet, the feelings lingered. In May 2021, as Joel prepared to spend the summer in Vancouver before moving to Boston in the fall, he became confident that God had someone else for him in Boston and decided to finally move on. Throughout that summer, Nadia began to reflect on the type of relationship she wanted and unexpectedly, found herself thinking about Joel. She realized how much she would miss him once he moved and that her feelings for him went beyond friendship. After much internal conflict, she finally decided to tell him. In August 2021, Nadia reached out to have a catch-up call. They recounted their summers in Vancouver and Toronto until the end of the call, when Nadia told him how she felt. Shocked and confused, Joel could not believe what he heard and told her he needed some time. After a week of praying while camping in the wilderness, they called and decided to give it a try. A month after Joel moved to Boston, he formally asked Nadia to be his girlfriend which marked the beginning of their long-distance relationship, despite the uncertainty of what the future held. Much of their relationship consisted of many long video calls, Porter flights between Boston and Toronto, and hand-written letters to each other. Memories of ordering surprise UberEats dinners for each other, playing online games, and virtual coffee dates are some they look back on fondly. They cherished every minute they had with each other in-person, including going to the Christmas market, visiting gardens in the summer, and sharing a box of donuts wherever they went. The season of long-distance finally ended in July 2023, when God provided a way for Nadia to move to Boston. Their relationship matured as their vision for marriage began to align and gain clarity. On October 14, 2023, while vacationing in Portugal, Joel took Nadia on a walk across the Dom Luis I Bridge in Porto. He led her to a viewpoint, Pedra dos Gatinhos, in Vila Nova de Gaia to get a better view of the bridge. As the sun began to set and photos were being taken of them, Joel got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.