In 2021, Jude joined the college ministry that Rachel had attended for years. He was a fledgling college student and a new believer looking for solid teaching and fellowship. Over time, Rachel and Jude’s paths crossed in various settings. The first time they talked was at In-N-Out Burger after one of the college meetings at church, and in the months that followed they spent more and more time together in group settings. Then, one fateful summer, they carpooled together with their mutual friends up to a retreat for the college group at The Grand Canyon. In retrospect, the date of this carpool is mysteriously providential…July 29th, 2021. Little did Jude and Rachel know, who at the time were mere acquaintances, that they would become husband and wife exactly 3 years later. Following the retreat, many of their friends became sick, so they resorted to Zoom calls to stay in touch. They played games, took personality quizzes, and enjoyed conversation. It was during these Zoom calls that sparks began to fly for the first time, as Rachel and Jude had a streak of similar answers on various personality quizzes. Fast forward a few months, after time spent getting to know each other, Jude finally decided it was time to ask Rachel on a date on New Year’s Eve…at 3am. He had grown to admire her love for the Lord, her devotion to her friends, and her maturity. They spent the next several months going on dates, trying to balance their very busy schedules. While they enjoyed each other’s company, in July they decided it was best to separate as Jude did not feel ready for the responsibility of marriage, but it wasn’t long before they found each other again. Only four months later, after they had grown and matured in their own ways, they found themselves having frequent, refreshing conversations with one another. Both of them began to pray about rekindling their relationship, and Jude invited Rachel to talk it through on November 4th, 2022 and just a week later on November 11th, they became “official”. The relationship that ensued was more blessed, rich, loving, and life-giving than either of them could have imagined. As time went on, Rachel saw more and more of Jude’s intentionality, thoughtfulness, and care, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that she wanted to be his wife. Jude began to feel the same way after a particularly sweet date where Rachel spent several hours by his side as he prepared a sermon that he would deliver to the junior high students that weekend. He recalls asking her if she realized that she had just spent 6+ hours with him in a coffee shop, to which she responded: “Yep! And I would spend 6 more.” It was then that Jude knew that he truly loved her and wanted to be her husband. A little over a year later, on January 29th, 2024, Jude officially asked Rachel to marry him on a sunny day at Niguel Botanical Preserve. Since then, their love has only continued to grow as they have developed the most sweet friendship and they are beyond grateful for the way that God has orchestrated everything in their relationship to lead to this most special day.