Even as they embrace parenthood, Jill and Derick Dillard from 19 Kids and Counting cannot help but look back fondly on how they first met and fell in love, and Jill shared how she met "the sweetest man in the world."
Jill and Derick both lived pretty close to each other in Arkansas, but they never met until 2011 when Derick stopped by their house with his church group and sang carols.
"Neither of us remembers each other specifically from that time; all I have is a vague memory of the group of people who came," Jill shared in the Dillard Family Blog.
After that, Derick contacted her father Jim Bob and asked to be his prayer partner as he embarked on a two-year mission in Nepal. Jim Bob agreed, and Derick called him up regularly to give updates about his work and they would pray together.
"As my dad got to know Derick he was really impressed with his Godly character. He started telling me about Derick and also told Derick about me! I listened in on a few phone conversations with my dad without Derick knowing I was doing so," Jill admitted.
And Jill did more than just listen in on their phone conversations. She even Googled him and looked at his social media pages, and she appreciated the fact that they had pretty similar life goals.
"I prayed about him for a little while, but then I prayed that God would allow me to not think seriously about any guys until it was His timing to begin a relationship and 'the one,'" shared Jill.
Back in March of 2013, Jill finally got the chance to talk to Derick. He and her father were talking on the phone as per usual when Jim Bob handed the phone to her. "We talked briefly that evening, however in the months following I didn't think much about him," she recalled.
But in August, Jim Bob decided it was time for their relationship to go to the next level and so he gave Derick Jill's number, and told him to call his daughter.
"What I didn't know at the time was that this was a direct answer to Derick's prayer! He had been praying over the entire summer about when/if he should contact my dad to begin a relationship with me and was asking God to show him clearly! Wow! God is good!" Jill said.
She felt so happy talking to Derick, and laughed that their relationship was "love at first Skype." It also made Jill very secure that Derick had her father's seal of approval.
Of course, it was somewhat difficult given that Derick was working in Nepal, but they tried their best to communicate despite their busy schedules. "Although the distance was hard, we are grateful that we were able to really work on developing good communication, something that's an important part in marriage," noted Jill.
She and her father flew to Nepal in November, and it was then that Derick asked her if they could begin a courtship relationship, and she happily agreed. The more time she spent with Derick, the more she saw his integrity, sweet spirit, and love for God and service.
Shortly after Derick came home, he proposed to Jill and they were married on June 21, 2014. A month later, they were expecting a little baby. Jill just gave birth to their son Israel David on April 6 and the two are now eager to become the best mother and father they can possibly be.
