"Counting On" star Josiah Duggar is now engaged to his long-time friend, Lauren Swanson! Just over a month of courtship, the two have decided to take their relationship to the next level.
The two first announced their courtship on January 23. Things got serious fast as Josiah now wants to make Lauren his wife. "This is an exciting, big step in our lives, and the whole thing was very meaningful," Josiah told Us Weekly. "The place where I proposed to Lauren is the exact spot where her parents were engaged. There's a lot of family history on this property, making it a special place for Lauren."
As for Lauren, she was caught off guard when Josiah proposed. But she cannot wait for what the future has in store for them. "I'm really excited to be getting married to Josiah. Everything about the engagement was such a special moment for me. I'm especially looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him!" she gushed.
Josiah is really looking forward to bringing their families together in this union, and he even hinted about having a huge wedding. "It'll take a lot of planning since we have big families on both sides, but we're very excited to get started and so thankful for how God has brought our lives together," said Josiah.
Josiah's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, could not be happier for him and think that Lauren is quite the catch. "We are so excited to announce that Josiah and Lauren are officially engaged!!" they wrote on their blog. "We have prayed for many years that the Lord would bring the right spouses to each of our children. We have known Lauren and her family for a very long time and have seen how she has grown in her knowledge and understanding of the Lord."
They described Lauren as a wonderful, caring and compassionate lady who is "full of zeal for Christ," and they are very thankful to have her in their lives. "We pray that their lives together will be full of joy and happiness and that God will use their lives for His service. We are looking forward to another Duggar wedding soon!" the Christian couple added.
Back in 2015, Josiah courted another family friend, Marjorie Jackson. However, after just four months, they decided to break things off and just remain friends. Neither families offered the real reason for the break-up, but they maintained that things ended amicably between the two.
