We're Engaged!!!

Hello, Sunday, January 20th, 2008, will go down as one of the best days in my life. Last night Sarah and I got engaged!!! It was a perfect evening that I had been planning for many months and it all came together perfectly. Here is Sarah's account of the evening.

"The plan was to just go to a nice restaurant for a date . . . or so I thought. That nice restaurant turned out to be the top of the space needle where we had an amazing dinner, watching the sunset over Seattle, seeing the city turn from day to night and soaking up the view. After a phone call from James' mom saying we needed to come to the church and meet up with some of James' supporters, the date was cut short . . . so I thought, I had no idea what he had in store. We ended up at his church, walking down a candle lit walkway strewn with rose petals into the lounge where there was music, loads of candles and a table set up with lots of gifts, reminders of our time together in South Africa, some of my favorite things, and other special gifts. James started out reading a poem he'd written for me, ending up on his knee, asking me to be his wife!! The ring was hidden in a book that had special meaning to both of us. And his attention to detail and amount of thought put into this special night was astounding! Wine, chocolate and dried fruit brought all the way from South Africa, a candle holder from Uganda, my favorite cheesecake, communion, roses, and a journal from James, with an entry from him everyday while we were apart. We sat in that room a good long while soaking it all in, dancing, and enjoying just being with each other, really letting it all soak in that we get to spend the rest of our lives together. It was the perfect evening and the perfect proposal, and April 26^th will be the beginning of us spending the rest of our lives together."

So there you have it, I am getting married!!! I could not possibly be more excited and also quite relieved that all the secretive planning and little white lies (as I tried to keep the proposal a surprise) are over. Our wedding date will be April 26th, 2008 in her home town of South Bend, Indiana. After a honeymoon and a Wedding Reception in the Seattle area we will then move back to South Africa together to continue ministering there. For me this is better than a dream come true because I never dreamed of anyone as amazing as Sarah and we, along with both of our families, couldn't be happier.

You can see more pictures of the evening on my websites photo gallery, just click on this link: http://tomakehimknown.com/gallery/index.php?album=Engagement

We will both be here in the Seattle area until the middle of March and would love to get together with each of you while here.

Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support. I just can't believe that God has blessed me with a partner as amazing as Sarah to spend the rest of my life with and it is so wonderful to think I will never have to minister and travel alone again.

Sincerely,

James