Jenn

 Let's start with some background...I (Jenn) had been attending a small body of believers in my home town for nearly 8 years, during spring break of 2008 I went on a short term evangelism mission trip to Volgograd, Russia. The experience was incredible, beyond words...Long before Russia, I felt the Lord nudging me to find a "home of my own" in a church that catered more toward my spiritual needs and that ministered to my age group. A dear friend invited me to attend the college group at his church and having said no to every other invite I accepted this one and from the get go, fell in love with The Calling at Glenwood Community Church. I've recently become a member :) Chadd has been attending Glenwood for a number of years already and at the time of our meeting was still an active member in the college group as well. Although I started attending in early May, we wouldn't meet until over a month later... Right around the time that I began attending Glenwood, I was in school and coming up on finals, also with a new boyfriend in the picture. He went to a different church, so we traded off attending each other's college groups. In June my boyfriend, at the time, and I discussed our church's upcoming events involving white water rafting trips. We decided to attend our own and share stories later. The relationship was brief and ended just before our respective raft camps.  I recall showing up to church the morning our camp was ready to leave, not crazy about being there or having to camp with practical strangers in the wilderness for four days. When I got on the bus, the first thing I saw was this guy sitting alone with his sun glasses on and something felt really different in my heart and the pit of my stomach...butterflies...and I had no idea why except that something about this guy was different. I ended up unintentionally sitting in front of him the whole ride.  Raft camp was awesome! Along the banks of this wild river deep in a canyon in Idaho surrounded by godly people and quite the setup for fellowship, relationship and a ton of fun it was the perfect start to an otherwise disappointing summer. Day 2 of the camp, my friend Jarod came and found me and mentioned there was a small group going on a hike. When I showed up to meet the group it was Jarod, myself, a guy named Matt who looked familiar but I didn't really know and...the guy I first spotted on the bus, Chadd. We got started on the hike and part way up, I was getting thirsty and uncomfortable having received a sunburn on my knees during the day and Chadd had also slowed to a halt on account of his shoes. Jarod and Matt went ahead and Chadd and I decided to hike back down. After that it was a series of volleyball tournaments, and camp chair buddies in the sand. He was easy to talk to, comfortable to be around and somehow my camp chair was always saved next to him. Those last days of camp, we also just happened to be on the rafts together and spent one evening star gazing by the beach. Shortly after returning to life back at home, I went through a serious time with God where I decided not to date again for a while and keep my full focus on God. My intention throughout life has never been to date just for kicks but to court for the purpose of finding my future husband. So there it was, I made a promise to myself and God not to date again until the time was right, my plan was one year. Together, with groups of friends from church and our families, Chadd and I ended up spending a good portion of the summer together going on adventures and attending events. We naturally became very close, best friends and were approached on numerous occasions about the status of our relationship. "We are just friends," was always the answer. There did come a point in time where Chadd asked me to have dinner with him one early evening in August of 2008 during which we had a "define the relationship", DTR, discussion. I was surprised, flattered and totally heart broken at the same time. I wasn't in a place where I was ready or able emotionally or spiritually to pursue that kind of relationship. I vaguely explained I wasn't in a place where I could date and that the next man I do have a relationship with will be my future husband.  Chadd agreed that a proposal to date coming from him would have only that intent, date to marry.  He graciously accepted and respected my answer and we continued without glitch to grow our friendship. It would only be a matter of time before the cries of our hearts and God's will speaking in both our lives to become so apparent that we would revaluate what all was happening. I never told Chadd up front about my promise, not until several months later where we began having serious conversations about what was happening between us. It was only after multiple discussions with mentors, talking with families and a ton of prayer did it become obvious that God's time line wasn't the same as mine and that He had created our meeting for a far bigger purpose. Chadd asked my father's permission, and only after did he ask me out for the second time.  We'd only been a couple for 6 months or so and Summer's 2009 raft camp came up again. We both went and had the joy of celebrating knowing each other for a year. Little did I know that Chadd had the foresight not only to buy a ring but speak to my parents before leaving for camp. Once again, we went on a hike with some friends the same day we had met last year and toward the top amidst the company of our companions and the flurry of photos, Chadd told me he loved me and asked me to marry him! I can still acknowledge to this very day that his proposal came out of no where and I felt blind sighted. All the same, I look back and realize that it all happened perfectly, catching me by surprise and perfectly set against the back drop of how our story began. The presence of God was most abundant and I believe that is still what brings an overwhelming cloak of peace. I have always said and continue to maintain that after my brief relationship in '08 I wouldn't date off the cuff again and definitely not anyone who didn't have forever in mind as well. From the start, Chadd and my heart has been in union with the idea that God is reason for everything and there is no other reason to date/court someone unless you see a viable future with them.  Obviously, there is much more to the story, namely that we are observing a 14 month engagement and have had some pretty incredible adventures during that time. There will always be more to tell, but as of now the rest is current happenings slowly becoming history. Most importantly the story created by our meeting is a tale of how two people came to find love and a life invitation with the other through marriage, but more importantly, it's God's story lived out in the lives He's blessed us with.