Noel & Renee - August 2, 2014

Noel and Renee met in 2011 when Noel came to lead the home group of which Renee was a part. That night, Renee simply had to meet the handsome redhead sitting in a tree hanging rope lights. Despite the dress she was wearing, up the branches of a neighboring tree she went to introduce herself! Over the next 2 years they built a friendship, and Noel shared the love of Jesus with Renee in the darkest time of her life. Noel always encouraged and challenged Renee, and he got to be the carrier of grace that helped transform her into a woman of God.

In the fall of 2012, Renee began to feel a new kind of love for Noel. Genuine friendship had grown into a desire for intimacy and companionship. After many late winter nights by a fire in the same backyard where they had met, Renee began to see that Noel felt the same love for her. In the spring of 2013, after much prayer and talking with their friends, Noel asked Renee’s permission to openly pursue romance and life long commitment with her.

After 10 months of courting her, Noel had fallen hopelessly in love with the girl he met in a tree. Smitten by her passion for life, sense of adventure, loyalty, and love of all living things, Noel decided to ask Renee to marry him. With the help of all of their friends, he returned early from a business trip to surprise her with a proposal. In a meadow overlooking Lake Somerville, he asked her to paint the future with him, and she said YES!