“Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:6 Like many, our story begins with chance encounters that were by no chance at all. God has been very intentional throughout our relationship and it started from the very beginning. A late evening maintenance call to let a woman out of the restroom she was stuck in for 45 minutes. A mutual friend that God spoke through to plant the seed. A nudge for him to stop and take a picture of her near the water experiencing a peaceful moment with God. Her then agreeing for the mutual friend to give him her phone number after learning he had taken the photo despite some resistance over her knowledge that she would be leaving the country for an entire year ahead. We have grown closer to each other through our pursuit of a stronger relationship with God. Twelve of our seventeen months of dating have been spent in separate countries. During this period, we have both experienced highs and lows in our personal and professional lives. God has blessed us both with the strength and patience to work and grow together while supporting and loving each other from a distance. We praise God for the crossing of our paths and how He continues to lead our relationship.

The location was easy. We met at Lakeview and Chris was sitting by the lake when Josh captured her moment by camera. Postponed a week due to illness, Josh had it all worked out. A sign was designed with the phrase “Will you join me for this dance?” It also included Psalm 149: 1-3. We love to dance and look forward to dancing our way through life together. Before heading out to visit family in Oklahoma, Chris was willing to go for a short drive to the pier where Josh had a picnic set up. Chris agreed to dance with Josh to one of our favorite songs. As the playlist changed to Anne Murray’s “Could I have this Dance,” Josh decided it was time to go. He reached down and picked up the blanket, revealing the sign. Not sure what was happening, Chris looked at Josh and he knelt down on one knee. “Chris Elaine Staffel, will you marry me?” With tears in her eyes, Chris nodded her head with affirmation and stepped forward so we could embrace. We proceeded to dance and start our engagement together with a time of prayer.

Since our paths before meeting each other have been spread out across the country (and sometimes across the world) we have planned a series of events that will enable us to celebrate with as many of you as possible. Here are our wedding plans: In September, we will have an intimate wedding ceremony in the bride's hometown of San Antonio for immediate family and a few close friends. The chapel in Texas has limited space, so we need to keep that event small. In October, we will head to Oklahoma for our first dance and celebration with family and friends. We are beyond blessed by the amount of friends we have in our lives at this stage of life. The downside is that we can't fit them all in one church. We bonded early on over our love of skiing so we would like nothing more to have a ski celebration with friends on the anniversary of our first date (March 1, 2022). Thankfully there are no headcount limits to who can ski on the mountain so we should be able to accommodate any friends that want to ski alongside us in celebration! Stay tuned on the details as we get closer to the date. We cannot wait to celebrate our new life together with you all!