By Sarah
:
How We Met - In February of 2018 there was a conspiracy between a friend of Andrew’s and my sister, Grace, to get me and Andrew together!
Since Andrew came so highly recommended and since he was a pastor at a church in my area that I was already familiar with, I definitely thought it would be worth meeting him for coffee.
Plus, I had researched him in advance (and my parents had too). We even read some of his papers and Bible studies on his website … and we liked what we saw. :-)
So Andrew and I were total strangers when we met each other at a little coffee shop called the Kava House on March 2, 2018. We had a great talk about life and ministry. After meeting him, I remember telling my sister and friend, “I don’t know if anything is going to come from this, but I can’t believe there is guy like this right in my area!”
Andrew and I have lived in the same area for most of our lives. We are the same age and both us have been in discipleship ministry, but neither of us had heard of each other before!
Andrew and my friendship grew as we met each other many times for coffee, spent time with each other’s families, and got involved in each other’s churches and ministries. Andrew and my dad were able to get well acquainted also, and Andrew joined a small men’s Bible study my dad was leading.
Lessons and Challenges - Andrew has had chronic back pain for many years, as a result of a couple car accidents in his twenties. A few months into our relationship there was a severe flare-up in pain, and a few months after this, Andrew decided to go on a sabbatical from work and ministry in order to focus on health and pain.
The past year has been a very difficult one for Andrew as he suffered through a lot of pain, worked hard on physical therapy, and has seen very little improvement in the pain. On the other hand, it has been a wonderful year for us as we have been able to spend much time together, experienced God’s grace and many spiritual blessings in the trial, and seen our relationship deepen as we have walked through this hardship together.
I was so very excited on January 28th when Andrew said he believed he should move forward with me in faith. On a trip to Florida where we were visiting his family, he took me on a beautiful boat ride to watch dolphins. Then as were walking along the beach, Andrew dropped to his knee on the beach and asked me to marry him!
By Andrew
:
I liked Sarah from the start. As we got to know each other, I quickly realized she was beautiful, had a deep walk with Jesus, and that we shared many things in common. Sarah had a similar heart for discipleship. She was a teacher, writer, and ministry leader just like me. And we were around the same age. Amazing! Given that our ministries were both large and relatively close to one another I was surprised we never heard of each other.
We got to know each other slowly at first, sharing a lot of coffee as we learned each other’s stories. As we got to know our families, ministries, and churches, it became clear that God was in this and it was a great fit. Along the way, we received so many positive responses from our loved ones. They encouraged us to keep going in the relationship and to trust God together. I was blessed by Sarah’s care for me and she enjoyed how I led her in the relationship, especially in the spiritual aspects of life. Sarah and her family have been a wonderful support for me as I have experienced lots of back pain and its corresponding appointments and frustrations this past year. But in the struggle, God has only brought Sarah and me closer together.
It may have taken me longer than most wanted but I did eventually propose. I will never forget the joy in Sarah’s eyes when she said, “yes!” It was very special to give her an engagement ring. After all these single years, God brought us together. So neat! My grandma says that God saved us for one another. We agree and are so delighted and humbled to share our story and lives with all of you.