We love because He first loved us. 1John 4:19

Trent: "Sheila first showed up in church (and the details as to who arrived to the service first seem to be a little foggy) but I remember thinking wow, this beautiful woman has got a GRIP of little children, what a handful. Thanks to her sister Samantha, and in true Christ church welcoming fashion, we knew a bit of her backstory and had all been anxiously awaiting her arrival. I must have not been paying attention to the part that mentioned all these kids, LOL, and after a few weeks I learned that only 3 of them were hers. Anyways, we were there to worship the Lord, so I turned my thoughts and my eyes (mostly) toward the front." Sheila: “We first met Easter Sunday 2022, when I came to the Sellwood community center in search of Christ Church. After the service started I noticed a man who came in late and sat in the back. I didn’t think much about him at the time, as I was tending to children and listening to the sermon. I was immediately welcomed by many members of the church after the service and I felt so connected that I kept coming back. More often than not, this same guy would be the last person to join the service, which made him very noticeable. A few Sundays later, Mr. 'Fashionably Late' said Hi and encouraged me to come to the home group (Bible study) on Wednesdays. I went and enjoyed the discussion with the home group members, including hearing what Trent had to say. Week after week, we continued to be acquaintances, seeing each other on Sundays and Wednesdays, with nothing more to our relationship than hearing the word of the Lord and studying His message among our friends in Christ. Secretly, I found Trent very attractive, both physically good looking and his earnest manner in which he sought to know God better. It was months before we had our first date, and there is debate as to who asked who..."

Trent: "Again, the details are a little foggy, I’m not entirely certain I hadn’t just swallowed a bug and was in the process of trying to cough it up hence the “jaw dropping” I have heard thrown around…. But the very first time I spoke to Sheila at home group, despite her being separated at the time (loyal to a T until her divorce) she made it very clear that she was married and didn’t have any interest in talking to me outside of worship. So I respected her, all while secretly dying a little inside at the gentle but very firm shut down of my friendly advance. At least until ….." Sheila: “After Bible study on September 14, I loaded my kids into the car and saw Trent getting ready to take off on his motorcycle. I somehow got the urge to ask him out, so I walked over to him and offered my phone number. I’m pretty sure the look on his face will be one I’ll never forget - his eyes wide open, his eyebrows raised, and barely keeping his jaw from dropping. Little did he know how nervous I was when he handed me his phone to type in my number. So, maybe I didn’t ask him out, exactly, but I let him know I was available by giving him the invitation to call me. Anyways, the adrenaline rush on my drive home was only to be superseded by the flushed moment when he sent me a text later that night. We talked late into the night about so many things and eventually made plans to go on a date that Sunday afternoon. After church Sunday, Trent picked me up and we shared a meal at Sliders (recommended by Jared of course!). Afterwards, we went to his place to watch a movie. Through our texting leading up to our date, we discovered neither of us had ever watched a single Star Wars movie and it was essential that we could no longer live our lives without having seen it (Josh would be proud) … so that was what we did. Trent was a perfect gentleman- who may have snuck in some hand holding- and took me home finishing our first date early that evening on September 18th, 2022.”

Trent: "Ha! Brilliantly if I do say so myself. I had to keep it a secret until the exact moment because we all know how LuLu is terrible at keeping them… So the night before I proposed I asked the children one by one if they thought it would be okay if I married their mom and that being married meant I would be there for them as a family, forever. Next, I asked her father, who conveniently was traveling with us on our family vacation. After a resounding 'yes!' from each of the kids and her father's blessing (more like a 'what took you so long'), I was ready to ask her with a plan that I thought she would have to say yes too." Sheila: “It wasn’t very long after we started dating that we knew we wanted to get married. It was just a question of when and how. There were many occasions where I had anticipated a proposal, but Trent wasn’t proposing. It was no wonder really, since I told him that I didn’t want a long engagement. But nevertheless, every date and holiday I was still expecting him to pop the question. It seemed there was nothing for me to do but pray and wait for God’s timing to come to Trent. Then, on our family trip through California this summer, we planned stops to see the Redwoods. Our first stop, the Trees of Mystery! And, like every mother on vacation (or any other day really), I was consumed with taking pictures of the kids with every magnificent view or tree in that forest. Meanwhile, Trent had given the kids these disposable cameras to take pictures of their own adventures. Finally, in front of this beautiful and infamous Cathedral tree, Trent suggested we have my dad, take our picture, just me and him. My immediate response was 'uh, no thank you, I don’t need a photo of me right now.' My dad all but demanded that I go stand by the tree for the picture and while I didn’t really like being told what to do, I conceded when Trent asked the kids to use their cameras to take pictures of us too. That’s when I was caught off guard, completely surprised to see Trent bending down on one knee. For those first few moments all my senses were overwhelmed, but somewhere in the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, I heard him ask ‘Will you marry me?’ … of course I said yes! I turned round in a flood of happy tears to see my kids smiling, maybe a tear or two from my dad, and crowd of tourists cheering for us. Very clever Trent! And, to have the kids in on the whole thing while keeping it a surprise is a testament to the strong relationships he has with them!”

Trent: "My best man is my brother Robert Nickerson. I chose him to stand beside me this day because that’s who he is and what he does. The best man in my life who has been standing with me through thick and thin, trouble and triumph, my entire life. I could not ask my parents for a better brother so why would I look anywhere else for a better best man. Sheila: “My daughter is my Maid of Honor and my sons, Men of Honor. When Trent proposed, he made sure to get their blessing and I want my children to feel apart of this special day because it is a change in their lives also. Now, my daughter may not be old enough to hold the responsibilities that a traditional MoH would fulfill, but she, at the earnest age of 6, is my trusted confidant and cheerleader! As for my sons, they love their mama with the same wild and loud abandon that they live their lives. I am aware of the profound responsibility I have raising these little boys into great men and I’m grateful to have these two walk me down the aisle to a man who is willing to take on that responsibility with me.”

“In the immediate future… an adventurous honeymoon! Calling each other Husband and Wife! In the not too distant future, we look forward to buying our first home and maybe growing our family by one or two! As much opportunity lay before us, we only hope to follow the path He has laid before us and Glorify Him."

Our prayer for our wedding is that our guests would get a glimpse of God and His truth and goodness and His design for marriage. We pray that our wedding will keep God at the center, for we love because He first loved us.