Laura was born in Lynchburg, VA and raised in Amherst County along with her younger brother, Brian.  She had many fun times as a child playing with her brother and the neighborhood children.    After disobediance to authority figures and rebellion in her younger years the Lord began to reveal Himself more and more to her that she needed a savior and became convicted of her sin.  By faith in Jesus to take away sin, repentance and turning toward Jesus to live her life for Him and not herself that she could become a new creature in Christ.  It has been a continual and progressive progress, but God is faithful, longsuffering and patient.  God gives more light as we go along in life and we are responsible to walk in that light as we get it.  It is Laura's desire to be a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer and to encourage others along the way as she is continually being challenged by God's principles and plan for her life.
     Mark was born in Lexington, VA and raised in western Amherst County at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  He has three older brothers and a younger sister.  Much of his early years were spent discovering and enjoying treasures in nature and playing with his brothers.  Even from an early age, he sensed a desire to read and know the Bible.  His father, whom he dearly loved died when Mark was ten years old.  After that, he allowed bitterness and rebellion to enter his life.  This resulted from resisted God's wonderful grace and power to submit to authority.  During his teenage years Mark was asked by a man where he intended to spend eternity-heaven or hell? Mark couldn't truthfully say heaven, so the answer must be hell!  Mark determined that morning he was going to settle the matter that day and at church went forward and confessed his need of Christ's forgiveness.  After finishing high school, he started to work at Meredith-Burda-then R.R. Donnelley Printing Co.) In the 30 plus years he has worked there God has used his career as God's classroom.  God used a co-worker to disciple Mark and is thankful for all that were used along the way to bring him to where he is today. 

Our Story:   

Even though we were both raised in Amherst County on Route 130, we had never officially met until the fall of 1998.  After meeting in Sunday School class at church we began praying, hiking, and "hanging out".  Mark sensed early on that God was awakening a desire in his heart for Laura.  But it wasn't until the summer of 2001 that Laura began entertaining the notion of Mark being a potential future husband.  During this time God was grooming Mark as he prayed and asked God to make him a Godly man.  Our God, who is faithful, started to answer and brought problem areas to the surface where they could be dealt with through prayer, accountability and the blood of Christ.  The Lord really started to work on Laura's heart through a mutual friend who became a mentor and asked very probing questions about her intents and goals concerning Mark.  In the spring of 2002, after much prayer and soul searching, Laura came to the conclusion that this was of God and could not see the rest of her life without Mark.  On April 22, 2002 at the corner of Keystone Road and Eastwood Drive faith became sight as Laura accepted Mark's official marriage proposal that he gave on bended knee!
In 2002 we said "I do" - September 21st