The photo above is from our wedding on March 15, 2019. The story below is how we got there.
We caught eyes for the first time on January 8, 2018. I was starting my first day of class at the language institute in Arequipa, Peru where Daniella works as a teacher. At this point I had only been in Arequipa for six days. I didn’t know who she was. I actually thought she was a student at first!
We would officially meet a few weeks later at the young adults group connected to her local church that we now both attend. I had a lot of things on my mind at this time, but building a romantic relationship wasn’t one of them. Weeks would pass and our conversations would pretty much result in a “Hi” or “chao” as our schedules were a bit opposite at the school. I was curious who this girl was, but a romantic interest hadn’t really developed……yet……but she had caught my eye.
I returned to the jungle in March, where I had spent the year prior, and finished my time with the team there, meaning I was packing up my things and returning to Arequipa for the long haul. My first weekend back in Arequipa was Easter. I entered the church and saw that the set up was quite a bit different and that there were small tables for about six people scattered around. That is when I saw Daniella sitting by herself and I decided to join her.
I still didn’t know this woman very well at all. However, that morning I got to hear her speak passionately about sharing the Gospel as our table conversed. It got me thinking.
After church we got on the subject of karaoke and a group of us wanted to plan a night out of singing in English and Spanish (singing in another language really helps with pronunciation.) Daniella and I ended up being the two that recruited friends to come along. We talked a little bit more that night, but not much. However, I began to see that this was a woman I wanted to get to know more and more.
A few days later I got up the guts to ask her out for a coffee and was rejected in the most polite way ever. Haha. But it was her considerate and respectful response that made me want to know her even more. So I waited…and thankfully I didn’t have to wait too terribly long!
Seven weeks would pass and we had sent a few messages back and forth – simply friendly talk. One evening over a WhatsApp conversation, I shared a portion of my testimony and how I got to Peru. This was the break thru! After sharing, she put herself out there and said if I would like help in translating my testimony into Spanish and chatting as friends, she would be happy to do it and meet up. Music to my ears!
We met up for coffee and chatted for two hours about anything and everything that came up. We then went to the artisan shops and walked around for another hour in search for some gifts I needed for a conference that weekend. After that we found ourselves walking down one of the busier streets near the main plaza when she pointed out the most incredible full moon coming up over the buildings of downtown. We then chatted in her dad’s office for another 2 hours and it was at this moment that I knew I would one day marry Daniella. I didn’t know when or where or how it would come to be, but I did know that this woman would be my wife one day.
So I began to pray and write and ask God for confirmation.
During this time I began having more and more conversations with Daniella that would go well into the evening. Every conversation with her was (and is) so natural. Very early on we got to the point where we could talk openly about any subject no matter how big or small it was. I had never had a friend quite like this and with each passing day, I prayed that God would make me a man capable of leading her if it was within His divine plan for us to build something together.
He answered those prayers and each day since I have pursued to know this woman more and more. The pursuit led us to our first official date and then our second…which was the following night. We went to a wedding of one of her friends from school and who woulda thunk that the bouquet would land in her hands that night. It makes for a great laugh and one heck of second date story!
Every moment and every detail since then has been a blessing to the both of us. We’re learning a lot about culture, sacrifice, patience, love, and compromise. Our story has really only just started, but man are we excited to continue growing together with our Lord leading us.
To be continued…
We caught eyes for the first time on January 8, 2018. I was starting my first day of class at the language institute in Arequipa, Peru where Daniella works as a teacher. At this point I had only been in Arequipa for six days. I didn’t know who she was. I actually thought she was a student at first!
We would officially meet a few weeks later at the young adults group connected to her local church that we now both attend. I had a lot of things on my mind at this time, but building a romantic relationship wasn’t one of them. Weeks would pass and our conversations would pretty much result in a “Hi” or “chao” as our schedules were a bit opposite at the school. I was curious who this girl was, but a romantic interest hadn’t really developed……yet……but she had caught my eye.
I returned to the jungle in March, where I had spent the year prior, and finished my time with the team there, meaning I was packing up my things and returning to Arequipa for the long haul. My first weekend back in Arequipa was Easter. I entered the church and saw that the set up was quite a bit different and that there were small tables for about six people scattered around. That is when I saw Daniella sitting by herself and I decided to join her.
I still didn’t know this woman very well at all. However, that morning I got to hear her speak passionately about sharing the Gospel as our table conversed. It got me thinking.
After church we got on the subject of karaoke and a group of us wanted to plan a night out of singing in English and Spanish (singing in another language really helps with pronunciation.) Daniella and I ended up being the two that recruited friends to come along. We talked a little bit more that night, but not much. However, I began to see that this was a woman I wanted to get to know more and more.
A few days later I got up the guts to ask her out for a coffee and was rejected in the most polite way ever. Haha. But it was her considerate and respectful response that made me want to know her even more. So I waited…and thankfully I didn’t have to wait too terribly long!
Seven weeks would pass and we had sent a few messages back and forth – simply friendly talk. One evening over a WhatsApp conversation, I shared a portion of my testimony and how I got to Peru. This was the break thru! After sharing, she put herself out there and said if I would like help in translating my testimony into Spanish and chatting as friends, she would be happy to do it and meet up. Music to my ears!
We met up for coffee and chatted for two hours about anything and everything that came up. We then went to the artisan shops and walked around for another hour in search for some gifts I needed for a conference that weekend. After that we found ourselves walking down one of the busier streets near the main plaza when she pointed out the most incredible full moon coming up over the buildings of downtown. We then chatted in her dad’s office for another 2 hours and it was at this moment that I knew I would one day marry Daniella. I didn’t know when or where or how it would come to be, but I did know that this woman would be my wife one day.
So I began to pray and write and ask God for confirmation.
During this time I began having more and more conversations with Daniella that would go well into the evening. Every conversation with her was (and is) so natural. Very early on we got to the point where we could talk openly about any subject no matter how big or small it was. I had never had a friend quite like this and with each passing day, I prayed that God would make me a man capable of leading her if it was within His divine plan for us to build something together.
He answered those prayers and each day since I have pursued to know this woman more and more. The pursuit led us to our first official date and then our second…which was the following night. We went to a wedding of one of her friends from school and who woulda thunk that the bouquet would land in her hands that night. It makes for a great laugh and one heck of second date story!
Every moment and every detail since then has been a blessing to the both of us. We’re learning a lot about culture, sacrifice, patience, love, and compromise. Our story has really only just started, but man are we excited to continue growing together with our Lord leading us.
To be continued…