Story
Love is...
The best kind of love sneaks up on you when you least expect it. For us, it was a divine serendipity.
Little did she know, when Karen popped in to say hello to the new volunteers, she had made a big impression.
He’d never seen her like this before. Long hair, beautifully dressed in with a silky flowy jacket. For Josh, the way he felt in that moment was like a scene from a movie. But Pastor Karen? Really? How could he… how would he… He cast the thought aside and chalked in up to a fleeting crush.
The thing about love is that it’s patient. God is love, you know. That is why He is so patient with us. As Josh got more involved with the church, he started to see more and more of Karen and she started to occupy more and more of his thoughts. No other woman had matched the impression she had made on him.
Eventually, after praying on this decision to pursue a pastor at the church he’d been attending for several years, and with the insight and advice of some wise men in his life, Josh saw an opening to invite Karen for coffee.
He had emailed her apologizing for accidentally including her in his real estate newsletter without her permission. In their correspondence, Josh took the opportunity to ask her out for a coffee! What? She was shocked. About the same time that Karen popped in on Josh’s class in the fall of 2019, and then again in January 2020, she felt God prompting her to set faith goals to believe for a relationship. Being super stretched she had journaled “OK, Lord, I'll commit to be open to go for coffee with a person who would ask me intentionally”. To her surprise, the very next day Josh entered the scene with that email.
Before this, Karen had brief connections with Josh after he completed the Connect Course. She also had noticed Josh on Saturday morning prayer faithfully, and wondered who he was. The day he asked her out, she thought to herself “Josh is a bold guy!”
After that initial coffee, Josh would find every opportunity to say hello and eventually asked her out again on February 14. She was sick and declined, and also wondered how a younger man would be interested in her. He continued to relentlessly pursue her, and invited her for a walk on her day off. Their first stroll was filled with great conversations and beautiful sights around Steveston. No doubt, Karen was impressed by Josh’s great intentionality, thoughtfulness, and boldness from there on.
As time passed by, their affection grew. Love conquered over doubt for them to define the relationship in the Spring, and shared it with others in summer time. Their relationship is marked by their faith in Christ, a lot of outdoor adventures (motorcycle rides included), and plenty of moments where they encouraged and sharpened each other to grow spiritually and personally.
After a year of walking together, literally lots of amazing walks and hikes, and praying into their relationship, Josh proposed over a romantic dinner he prepared for Karen at the Dirty Apron, and she said yes!
That’s the short version of the story.
Now you are invited to join as they mark the move into a new season of their lives.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 -Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.