We are Andrew and Christina from Maryland. We met during a soccer tournament in 2019. Though we lost every game, Andrew jokes that he “won Christina’s heart.” After several Bible studies, bike rides, and late nights next to the fire, we became an official couple and were married in June 2021. Andrew is compassionate, is driven, and enjoys meeting new people. In January 2024 Andrew started school full-time to be a pastor. Christina’s earliest memories include working at the family greenhouse. Christina has a strong work ethic, is incredibly smart, loves our nieces and nephews more than herself, and always loves to discuss the Bible. Also, if you can’t find Christina, she is probably in the garden! We enjoy hosting weekly Bible studies, spending time with family, and running the four-mile loop. We are active and love good family time, and we look forward to giving that same experience to our children.

We both have close-knit families. Andrew is the oldest of seven kids (three girls and four boys), and Christina has two older brothers and one younger.

Christina’s parents and two older brothers all live within a half mile. Both older brothers are married and have a few children each, all under seven years old. This means we get lots of time with our nieces and nephews. The kids often come to work with Christina at the greenhouse, where she teaches them how to load carts and move plants. One of the highlights of the year is our annual North Carolina beach vacation, where we spend time building sand castles, jumping waves, and digging for sand crabs.

Andrew’s family lives 35 minutes away and loves family traditions. We have our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, our search for the perfect Christmas tree, and, of course, loud, raucous family dinners. It's not uncommon to have several non-family members attend our dinners; we just call them “honorary family members.” We also love to vacation together. From Arizona and Tennessee to Scotland, we always look forward to our yearly family vacations. Both families are thrilled to add another member to our family.

We live around sprawling cow pastures, acres of corn fields, rolling hills, and mountain views. You never know what you might see in the country, from herds of deer, horses and buggies, and teams of cyclists to goats eating our hasta. Though we have traveled to several other countries, nothing is as beautiful as walking out our back door. Our home is the same house Christina grew up in and only 100 yards from the family greenhouse. During the weekends, we love taking walks through the greenhouse and pointing out the different flowers. Our neighbors are kind, hardworking farmers. One neighbor even gives us emu eggs from their local emu farm. We also have two playful cats, Hamilton and Peanut.

We have been unable to have biological children but have trusted that God’s plans are greater than our own. Whenever we spend time with our nieces and nephews, our excitement grows about being parents one day. Christina’s oldest brother was adopted and has always been one of the family. Our love for Billy has encouraged us that adoption is a huge blessing to everyone involved. We have spent the past three years focusing on our extended family, traveling to our hearts’ content, and being more involved with our church. Our marriage has been strengthened as we have started our adoption journey, and we look forward to bringing a child into our family.