Cambria, Noah, Rick, Sophi, Oakley, Dustin, Leah, Jon, Kirsten
Leah: I was born and raised in Colorado. I have been a resident of the Tri-Lakes area for all of my school years and student of the Lewis Palmer School District. I have a younger sister and my parents are still happily married. I was raised in a Christian home attending church regularly and was baptized after my first mission trip at 15. Rick and I met my sophomore year on a trip to a band competition. Little did I know he had his sights on me long before I noticed him. We began dating and he made me feel very special. It didn’t take long for our relationship to become physical. I ended up pregnant my junior year at the age of seventeen. We considered giving the baby up for adoption, but the Lord made it clear to each of us that that was not his plan. So we finished high school, began college and worked as much as possible to pay for childcare. Each of our parents were supportive and critical to our success as teen parents. When Jon, our precious baby boy, was 2.5 years old we committed our lives to each other as husband and wife.
God has been with us every step of the way. He has taught us how to love and serve one another through the example of friends and family as well as through premarital counseling and multiple Weekend to Remember Marriage Getaways.
Rick: I was born in Wisconsin and moved to Colorado when I was three with my older sister and parents. My parents were divorced shortly after we moved. My mom remarried when I was 9 and I got two more sisters. They had two more daughters so I was the only boy in a house full of girls. We moved to Monument in fourth grade and have been here ever since. I met Leah as a freshman in band. Finding out Leah was pregnant was scary, but telling our parents was the scariest day ever. I had not accepted Christ at this time, but shortly after Jonathan was born I made a confession of faith at a Promise Keepers Conference. About two years later, a friend challenged me to trust that God would provide for my family and I took another step of faith in asking Leah to marry me. The rest of our story has been a journey of growing together and growing a family that is built on the foundation of Jesus.
Jon: I was born in 1995 in Colorado Springs. I like working with my hands for work and in my spare time. I graduated in 2014 with my AAS in diesel technology. Following graduation I applied for a job at Lake Powell, was hired, and quickly moved to Utah. What started as a fun seasonal job quickly turned into a full-time opportunity to learn and grow in my skills as a mechanic. I got married in 2015 to Kirsten Carlson (now Root) in Colorado Springs. We are enjoying our life together with our dog Diesel and cat Oreo. I currently run a mechanic shop out of my garage.
Noah: I was born in 1999 in Colorado Springs. I like working with my hands for work and in my spare time. I graduated in 2018 with my AAS in welding. Following graduation I moved to Arizona, to start work and live near my girlfriend. After a few months, I was hired at a metal fabrication shop and worked to hone my skills of welding. Within a year, I knew I wanted to get married, and proposed to my girlfriend. I got married in 2019 to Cambria Steiner (now Root) in Colorado Springs. We lived in Phoenix for about 6 months and have now returned to Colorado Springs to live around family and our church community. We are enjoying life together with our dogs Nala and Denali as we figure out our future.
Sophi: I was born in 2003 at our house in Palmer Lake. I enjoy many things, but my greatest love is horses. I love hanging out on the ranch. Some of my favorite things are hanging out with friends, listening to music, hunting with my dad, outdoor stuff with my family, and doing church activities. I recently married Dustin Mercer and gave birth to Oakley Mercer. We are enjoying being new parents and a newly married couple and are growing together as we discover our future.