Elizabeth was born to two loving parents near Newberg, OR on May 26, 1998. She had a wonderful childhood and has always had a deep desire to know and understand the people and world around her. She had the privilege of trying new things and traveling to many incredible places, thanks to her dad’s frequent flier perks.

Elizabeth seemed to always choose the most challenging or unique options in life. She never wanted to be ordinary and has never been afraid to ask questions. As she got older, she started asking questions like “What if I went to the east coast for college?” She dreamed of pursuing her passions of water polo and swimming. But of course, she didn’t want to pick one, she wanted to do both.

When the time came, she couldn’t make up her mind about which university to pursue, so she wrote down her choices on a piece of paper and pulled one out of a cup (Isn’t this normal?!). It was Grove City College, her least favorite option. But it had everything she was looking for, so she trusted that the Lord had a plan for her. She had always dreamed of being an east coaster who got to wear business clothes to important business meetings. Little did she know what was in store…

She had an incredible four years at Grove City, and then the pandemic hit. Despite that, she got the opportunity to work in D.C. She has followed in the footsteps of her father, traveling across the country meeting extraordinary people through her work in fundraising. Throughout her time in D.C., she prayed deeply asking the Lord for a man who was: 1) A strong, faithful Christian, 2) From the west. Ideally the Pacific Northwest, if possible, And 3) A Grove City graduate.

That seemed like it might be too big of an ask, so she’d tell the Lord, maybe just a college like Grove City. If he couldn’t give her all those things, something close to them would do. She focused on her work, traveled the country, and was convinced she may never marry and just live a life of adventure. She thought it was foolish to ask for so many specific things, but they were deeply important to her, and so she kept asking and praying for them. She longed for someone who understood her and could relate to her past.

Gabe was born to two loving parents in Seattle, Washington on May 2, 2000. He had a wonderful childhood filled with sports, friends, and travel. Just before high school, he and his family moved Scottsdale, AZ, where they lived until 2021, when they moved to Virginia. He had a great high school experience, playing soccer, being in band, and making good new friends. He attended Patrick Henry College for his freshman year of college, but quickly realized that it was not a good fit for him and transferred to Grove City the following year. However, he doesn't consider that year to be lost time. He made good, deep friendships, many of which remain strong to this day. He and Elizabeth overlapped at GCC for six months, but never crossed paths.

He majored in biology, with a minor in history, but graduated feeling like he didn’t know where he was being called after college. After 4 years of being away from family, he knew he wanted to be in Virginia and near them. Other than that, the world was a blank slate. He applied and interviewed for many different jobs but kept declining offers because they just didn’t feel quite right. Finally, having stretched his finances and patience to their last breaths, only two options were left. He was excited about an opportunity to serve as the community outreach fellow at a local church, but there was also an opportunity to work at a nonprofit he had never heard of, called The Leadership Institute.

If he had to pick, Gabe was 100% going to work for the church. But the interview process dragged on and on, with multiple rounds of interviews and weeks and months of waiting in between them. Finally, he couldn’t wait any more. LI gave him a good offer, and for some reason, he had a good feeling about it. So he accepted.

One day, Elizabeth was on a work trip when she heard that a new co-worker named Gabe joined the team. He was from Washington and graduated from Grove City. She was shocked and excited to meet this new person who had so much in common with her. As soon as she got back in the office, she walked over to his cubicle and proudly introduced herself as a fellow Pacific Northwesterner and Grove City grad.

Now if you know Gabe, you know he is veeeerrryyyy chill, sometimes too chill for Elizabeth to even know what to do with. He was like, “Ok, cool. Nice to meet you. Yeah, Grove City was alright.” Elizabeth left the conversation thinking that they would never be friends.

Well, a few months went by, and Elizabeth and Gabe started to have more conversations. Gabe would drop by Elizabeth’s office and stay for an unprofessionally long amount of time. They discovered a remarkable number of similarities in their backgrounds and interests, and they couldn’t be in a room together for more than five minutes without getting on some serious topic, whether it was family values, theology, or the meaning of life. To their surprise, they were on the same page on just about everything. They went months without learning trivial things such as each other’s favorite colors or foods, but they knew the life they each wanted to build and the people they wanted to be. Something was unique and different about this “friendship.”

Elizabeth and Gabe had their first date in Costco on February 4, 2023. They both remember walking around the store but not seeing one thing except each other, captivated by the other and wondering if this was true love. (Spoiler alert! It was! And Costco is the best, so…).

Gabe and Elizabeth started their friendship by unintentionally aligning their vision for their lives and their future. They knew from nearly the moment they met that their relationship was meant to end in marriage, and that the Lord was working to that end, but they still had to learn how to achieve this by living in the day-to-day with each other. This has taken time, patience, and communication. But what a joy and privilege this sweet time has been.

After nearly a year, Gabe got down on one knee and asked Elizabeth to marry him. Elizabeth recalls saying, “Yes!” But Gabe remembers that she said, “Of course I will.” Either way, the answer was the same.

The Lord has been working and will continue to work in the lives of Elizabeth and Gabe. He has shown them abundant love, peace, and blessing already in their short time together. His faithfulness in bringing them together and in fulfilling the specific desires of their hearts serves as an example of the love and beauty of their Maker.

It is with joyful anticipation that they invite you join their celebration to unify as one in Christ on June 22nd. Please be praying for Gabe and Elizabeth as they embark on this new journey of marriage, and that in all that they say and do, it may be an unwavering example of what it means to know and follow Jesus.

Registry