The first time we met was in Frankfurt in a christian meeting. This is when Arina found out, that Ben was studying Mechanical Engineering in Aachen, and that he loves to sing at least as much as she does.

Well, we both definitely remembered each other!

Fast forward to summer 2019 when we flew to New York with 7 other students from Aachen and Düsseldorf and drove all the way to Champaign, Illinois to join the North American College Training.

Sometime during the trip Ben fell in love with Arina and Arina fell in love with Ben (although she won’t admit it).

Being a part of the same bible study group in Aachen, we got to see each other each week. As time passed it got more and more difficult to hide our feelings. So after some time of seeking the Lord’s direction, we had our first date, just a day before the COVID-19 lockdown started. 

We enjoyed our time together, exploring the countryside and having many picnics –  bread and butter was always the main course (Arina’s favorite meal, hehe)

After Ben’s time in the bible school in London, it was clear to us, that being apart wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be, so it felt right to take the next step.

On a September evening, we took our bikes out to a lavender field for yet another picnic. Suddenly, out of the blue, an airplane appeared, pulling a banner with Arina’s name. This was an autonomous model plane Ben built and programmed himself (so cool!). Arina could then pull a trigger that released the banner with the ring attached to it.

We ran out into the field to get the banner. He asked, she said „Ja!“ and here we are!😊