OUR STORY Darla and I met when we were both twenty-four years old at Bethel Church in Redding, Ca. One of the first things we learned about each other was that we were born just one day apart! This similarity, among many other things, made us very interested in each other as we talked for the first time. Both of us felt an immediate connection during our very first conversation. God would only increase this connection between us as we became very good friends over the next few months. We discovered later that everything about our interactions was orchestrated by God! Darla knew immediately that we would be together, while it took some time for me to get over believing the lie that she didn't actually have feelings for me. Both of us shared a love for reading, a desire to learn Spanish, and most importantly, a God-given heart for missions. It did not take long for us to be together pretty much all the time, as Darla would give me rides to church from Simpson University's campus. I came to Redding on faith that God was calling me to get a Master's degree in Divinity while going to Bethel church. Darla similarly obeyed God's call to go to Bethel and look for a nursing job after partnering with Youth With a Mission months previously. We met in late 2011, started dating in February 2012, were engaged in July, and were married December 1st. God was so clear in his blessing and calling for us to become one! We knew that he would be taking us on some amazing adventures as we started our life together. After being married for a year and a half and finishing up school, I began looking for opportunities to begin the next season of life in missions God was calling us to. I looked for opportunities primarily in YWAM because God changed Darla's life while she was doing her Discipleship training school in Mexico. After a few months of praying and searching, I found a YWAM base in Kona Hawaii that had exactly the ministries we were looking for. We started selling our things, raising money and were on our way to Hawaii!