Testimonies
from agaphey and our facebook groups (before agaphey was formed)
Jeremy came to Redding in 2015, looking for the more of God and to discover his identity in Christ. He had a heart to serve in East Asia and thought the ministry school would help launch him into full time ministry overseas. As he was finishing up his first year of ministry school, he realized God was not calling him into full time ministry. After graduating from his Third Year of ministry school in 2018, he stayed in Redding working construction. It had long been his desire to get married but he had not yet found a wife.
Aimée came to Redding in 2018, after needing some rest after serving West Asia for 4.5 years, she thought a year would do it being a part of the school of ministry at Bethel. The Lord led her on a beautiful journey of healing and empowerment. She finished her Third Year in 2021 and felt led to stay longer, while her heart still looking to the nations and leading trips to unreached peoples. Marriage was something God had put in her heart years ago, but the right man hadn’t yet showed up yet.
At the beginning of 2022 Jeremy decided the strategies he had been employing to meet a wife were not producing the results he was looking for. He decided to take a dating course and join a Christian dating website called agaphey. Jeremy also started to serve on the leadership team of the singles ministry at his church.
Meanwhile, after choosing again to put herself out there, Aimée joined agaphey and decided to serve on a leadership team for the same ministry for singles. One of the first nights after launching the ministry, the Lord prompted her to the front row for worship. After the music ended, a man introduced himself to her, sitting next to where she was standing. This was Jeremy! Jeremy had been invited to also join this leadership team but the two of them had been to opposite planning meetings. Aimée had sent Jeremy a message on agaphey several days prior to meeting him in person, but didn’t realize that it was the same man she had met at the singles ministry. Later he friend requested her on Facebook after meeting in-person but had not seen her message on agaphey. She reluctantly accepted this friend request, realizing it was the same man who she had messaged on agaphey, but not realizing it was the same man who she had just met in person at the singles night.
Later that week, Jeremy saw her message on agaphey and apologized and asked her out for dinner. Even though long term overseas work has less of a pull Jeremy and Aimée are excited about a call to be fathering and mothering nations. They quickly found much in common and ways to connect including their love for all things outdoors, Asia, and Jesus. They started talking about marriage a month into their relationship, got engaged at their three month anniversary and will be getting married six months and one day after Jeremy first asked Aimée to be his girlfriend.
Jeremy and Amy (Engaged, 2022)
My fiancé Brooke and I officially met in the Singles Group last summer! We couldn’t be more excited about getting married and are so blessed that this group exists! So, we know we’re not the first, but hopefully we’ll be the best!
I also wanted to mention that it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. There have been some real struggles within our relationship that we have had to push through and make a conscious choice to choose one another because, at the end of the day, commitment means pushing through the pain or even occasional loss of feelings to champion one another! Also, we couldn’t have done it alone. We made a commitment to listen to married couples that were strong in the Lord and not let outside voices from people that were/are within our same season dictate how we operate our relationship.
All that to say, even if things look rocky and times get tough. Even if you struggle with attraction in the moment or your heart becomes disengaged, there is hope. Lean into Holy Spirit, lean into wisdom, and lean into the choice of love! We love you all!
Jeremy and Brooke (Married Oct. 25th, 2021)
In June 2020, I met my now fiancé in the singles Facebook group Bec started. I was first drawn to some things Nick had shared in the comments in the group. Soon he DM’d me and we hit it off well. A week later we had our first FaceTime. Just over 6 months later, we got engaged! And we will be married on the 1-year Anniversary of our first FaceTime. Thank you, Bec, for creating a space for like-hearted believers to meet and for love to grow. Nick is beyond what I could’ve asked or imagined. And for anyone out there wondering if you should take the leap and try it, do it! Be open to possibilities. Most of our relationship has been long distance as my fiancée is stationed overseas with the military. The first few times I had initially noticed him, I ruled him out for that reason. But when I opened myself up to the possibility, God met us beautifully. Our relationship isn’t perfect but we have put God in the middle and He has met us every time and walked us through fear and doubts, brought healing, and continually teaches us how to love unconditionally.
Stephanie and Nick (Married June 14th, 2021)
Our first meeting was straight out of a rom-com! Lisa was cycling to our ministry school, had a flat tire and was very frustrated with God. She was praying for help just as I was cycling past and didn’t see me coming, so she actually thought I was an angel at first. Seriously! But as I fixed her puncture for her, she realised that angels don’t wear school badges. It would be great to say it was love at first sight, but it wasn’t. We actually only had one other conversation later on at school, which Lisa describes as ‘awkward’. No attraction, no further interest for either of us. So she went back to Germany and I went back to the UK.
Three years later, we were both still frustratingly single and joined the Singles group that Bec ran. Lisa put up a couple of pictures and a bit about herself and I noticed the anti-trafficking part and decided to reach out. So we started messaging. She recognised me as being in the same class, I didn’t recognise her despite the fact we were in the same social justice track. Awkward again. And then the conversation just died.
A couple of weeks later, we got on to the European ‘Get-to-know-you’ event that Bec was running and we were chatting in a breakout room. Lisa and I started messaging again and I could sense that if we didn’t actually talk it would die again, so we arranged a Zoom call and then kept going. Neither of us wanted long distance, but as we were talking we found it was worth it! This was when we really clicked – we started being very vulnerable (something I learnt in second year), talking about where this was going and being very intentional about spending time. We were actually so deep at first that my concern was that we didn’t know how to have fun together.
I began to really like Lisa and knew that it was time to meet, so we arranged a time and I booked a flight to Germany. And we had fun, which was a relief! The peace that we both felt in each other’s presence and the vulnerability we were able to share was beautiful. We could also feel the Presence when we prayed and worshiped together every time. So we officially started dating just after that. We went in the relationship with an open outcome, heading for marriage but OK if it didn’t get there. But after visiting between countries for a few months, we got engaged at Christmas.
We are really excited and dreaming together with God about the future. And planning a wedding!
James and Lisa (Married Sep. 1st, 2021)
Benjy and I did ministry school at the same time 10 years ago. We had a lot of mutual friends, but only knew each other on an acquaintance level. I had noticed him at a friend’s party during 2nd year. I thought he was cute and funny, and tried to chat him up. LOL! But then school ended and he moved back to Canada and we lost contact for several years.
Last December, Benjy posted in the singles group that he might be going to one of the local singles events that Bec was hosting. And I was surprised because I believed he was still in Canada. So, I reached out to him and asked if he’d like to get coffee to reminisce about school and share news with each other about our mutual friends. He agreed right away and suggested a time and location.
Both of us showed up to that first coffee not sure if it was a date or just a friendly catch-up. We ended up hanging out and chatting for 6 hours that first day. Later on, we both ended up hanging out together after the singles event, talking more. And the rest is history.
Last night, on the banks of the Sacramento River, he asked me to become his wife and I said yes!!!
I am so grateful that I went to that coffee meet-up back in Dec (and that I decided to dress cute, just in case it was a date ).
I want to thank Bec for creating this platform for all of us (I probably would never have known Benjy was here in town if it was not for this singles group). Also, I want to encourage everyone to stay hopeful (we later found out that we both had been separately given prophetic words in 2nd year that we would meet our spouse that year, and it turns out those words were correct. I left school feeling a little discouraged that it had not happened. But how was I to know those words wouldn’t be fulfilled until 10 years later?!?)
Stay hopeful! Hold onto the promises of God over your life! And stay open to possibilities (you never know how, when or where you are going to go on that last first-date)
Ashlee and Benjy (Married August 28th, 2021)
At my request in June 2020, Bec introduced me to the lovely Michelle via FB Messenger. Though we felt a connection during the first few weeks of chatting, neither of us were in a place we felt a desire to make a long-distance relationship work.
We stayed in contact, though infrequently, and when I came back to Redding in April 2021 we finally met in person for a hike. We hadn’t intended to become anything more than friends. We simply enjoyed talking about anything and everything and discovering more about each other. I reveled in the way she not only enjoyed my humor, but also joined along in the fun. After she beat me in mini-golf and took me to the palisades to eat ice cream and watch the sunset over the Sacramento River, I realized I wanted a deeper connection.
I laid my feelings bare before her soon after and discovered she’d been far more interested in me than I knew. 4 months later, we’re enjoying a trip to visit her family in Colorado. We’re so happy we said, “Yes” to a low-stakes hiking date where we were free to be ourselves.
Encouragement if you’ve been in the group a while and nothing has happened yet:
-Be brave. This dating thing is HARD and it requires so much courage, but you got what it takes.
-Stay open and get to know all kinds of people (e.g. Say yes to a date you normally wouldn’t have, or better yet, ask someone out). Taking a risk will get the “No” sticker off your forehead and will change everything for you.
-Timing is important, so be patient. I wish I would have started dating Michelle a year ago, but we honestly weren’t ready.
-Keep improving yourself. Take that art or dance class you’ve been thinking about. Sign up for Jiu Jitsu or a gym membership. Discover what you love about you. Find the adventure your heart is craving and see who around you is having just as much fun. Get some relational and emotional health tools. Michelle and I both took a dating course. Without it, I don’t know I would have been equipped to handle or be open to the long-distance.
-Daddy God is for you and gave you desires he fully intends to fulfill. You are not in this alone.
Jesus is on the hunt to bring Kingdom couples together for this season! Don’t give up! Dig deep and try again! Bless you all with courage and peace!
Your adventure begins today!
Adam and Michelle (Engaged January 3rd, 2022)
I was on the singles Facebook group for a few months not planning on posting anything or finding my husband on that page but enjoying the environment and reading the questions and opinions others had on topics regarding the world of dating.
During this time, I was praying that God would send my husband to me during the pandemic. At the end of June, I felt God tell me to post an introduction in the singles group. I struggled with the thought of doing that because I am an introvert and do not like putting myself out there.
Before I went to BSSM in 2013-2014, I went to another Ministry school in Toronto at Catch the Fire. Around the time God was telling me to post an introduction, I had an alumni zoom meeting with CTF where a present student gave me a prophetic word about God telling me to jump in and go for it. The student did not know what the word meant, however; I knew the meaning behind that prophetic word the student gave me.
I wrestled with the idea of putting myself out there for a few more days but on July 2nd, 2020, I decided to post an introduction about myself in the singles group. Within the hour, I got a message from a guy named Kevin who was also from Ontario, Canada. We chatted through Facebook messenger for about a month until he asked if I would like to do a video chat.
Our first video chat was the first of several 3-hour long video chats. As we continued to get to know each other via Facebook messenger and video chats, Kevin decided to move forward with the relationship. Even though we never met in person because I was going to university in Canada and he was doing his second year of BSSM in California, we decided to make things official on October 4th, 2020.
In December of 2020, I was finally able to meet Kevin in person during Christmas break. For the first time in person, we spent two weeks together spending time getting to know my family, as well as his family. Once the Christmas break was over, we went back to dating online again since we both went to school in different countries. Online was great, however, it was not as good as being in person.
Both Kevin and I, as well as other mentors and family members, felt that God was telling us to get married in the summer of 2021. There were a lot of prayers and talking to mentors however, on February 14th, 2021, Kevin proposed to me via a zoom dinner date.
Kevin and I were mostly online when we planned our wedding and finished up school. I got to see Kevin in person again in June and spent June and July jumping back and forth between living with my parents and Kevin’s parents. Kevin and I got married on August 7th, 2021. Right after our honeymoon in Mexico, Kevin and I drove to Redding California so that Kevin could finish his third year at BSSM…..and that’s where we are right now.
Kevin and Kendra (Married August 7th, 2021)
Danny and Andrea (to me married on November 5th, 2022)
