2005:

Nick and I met at a Life Group (small group) hangout in February of 2005.  We both started attending the same Life Group that year and became good friends.  Nick and I can honestly say that we had an instant connection. For some reason we always found ourselves hanging out together (we coined the Antioch term non-dates, a non-date means going on a date, but not calling it a date). 

2006:

We started leading Life Group together with another good friend of ours named Chelsea. The three of us learned a lot that year and saw our Life Group turn from a small group of 5 people to what is now a section of 3 Life Groups.  Everyone around us always asked us why we were not dating... but we could not give an answer...

2007:

Nick and I both decided seperately to move to Asia with a church planting team from Antioch Community Church in 2007.  We did ATS (a church planting school) together that year. Nick asked me out while we in the training school but I felt I was not in a season to date anyone.  During that year we decided not to date... we just non-dated (we do not condone or approve of non-dating by the way)

January 2009:

After being here together on the same team for 6 months I started noticing Nick... after a friend of mine asked "why are you two not dating?"  The next day Jesus asked me the same question.  For that day on I looked at Nick differently and began a process of me falling in love with him...   

March 31, 2009:

I pulled Nick aside at a team dinner, he thought i was going to rebuke him and I said "hey, just so you know I like you and if you wanted to ask me out I would say yes"... he immediately said "Really? Yes!! I mean... you want to go out?"  The next day Nick asked me out officially and we started dating.  Our dating process was so fun because we already had such a strong friendship... we had so much fun running around India, exploring the city and doing ministry together.

July 24, 2009:

Nick had been acting weird all month saying that he didn't have any money because he was saving for a computer... strangely I believed him!?  That day we were coming into Nick's apartment and his next door neighbor saw us and asked loudly "hey guys, when is the BIG day?"  I was like what big day??  Nick briskly usher me into his apartment and changed the subject...  Then that night he told me that tomorrow was going to be a really important day and that i needed to dress really nicely!  I kept telling him it was not a big day, not our anniversary, not my birthday, not Christmas... but he insisted that it was important.  That night I sat my roommates down and told them "I think I am getting engaged tomorrow". They both lied to my face and said they thought I was totally wrong and that Nick was really poor and I needed to have more patience... I didn't believe them.

July 25, 2009

2am: Nick wakes up with horrible food poisoning... he starts running a fever and is vomiting...

6:37am: Gabe sees a white dove circling her balcony as she is spending time with Jesus. Jesus told me that day that a promise would be fulfilled...

3:00pm: I come over to see Nick and he looks horrible. He is sooo sick and laying in bed.  I insisted we cancel the date, order in food, and watch a movie... he refused and said he was fine...

6:00pm: Nick shows up at my house with flowers and a back pack... he escorted me down stairs where he has a Mercedes waiting for us to be driven to an unknown destination.  After 45 minutes we are "lost" and Nick pulls out a blind fold because I will not stop insisting that I actually know where we are. 

7:00pm: Minutes later we arrive in darkness at a peaceful sounding place... it turns out to be my favorite restaurant Blue Ginger (the only Vietnamese restaurant in our contry).  Nick had a private room set up, decorated beautifully for us!!

7:30pm: I am like what the heck, what is going on, I am totally getting engaged... Nick pulls up his chair next to me and reaches for his backpack... my heart stops.  He starts encouraging me and says "I love you".  He pulls out a ring and gets on one knee.  I am in shock for a moment... I am thinking "computer my butt!!!" but I was able to get out a "YES, of course I will marry you!"  We kissed for the first time and then he told me about his masterminded scheme that had taken months of planning!! FYI: he had prepaid for everything at Blue Ginger so he was unable to cancel since he was sick!

9:00pm: we got all of our food to-go because Nick was so sick he could not eat anything.  We got on skype and talked with everyone back home!  We set the date for Dec. 19, 2009. We are planning everything for our wedding from Asia!  

Nick and I are now back in our contry. We honeymooned in Thailand, which as amazing!! We had such a great time sitting on the beach and at the pool talking about the future and what God has for us in our next season of life! We are now in India married and loving life.  It has been challenging to start our marriage overseas, but God is faithful and he is doing such a great work in us through it.  We would rather be no where else but right here in the will of our Lord!