"Counting On" star Jinger Duggar really fell hard for 28-year-old soccer player Jeremy Vuolo, who is goalkeeper for the San Antonio Scorpions. The two are now engaged, and are excited to tie the knot before close friends and family.
Jinger tells Us Magazine that it was not Jeremy's looks that drew her in, but his deep faith in God and commitment to serve other people.
"Jeremy's background is really neat — he gave up professional soccer to become a pastor. I first noticed Jeremy on a mission trip together in Central America, and I just saw his heart, and I was like, 'Wow, he's an amazing guy.' And so that's kind of where I really remember connecting with him," she recalls.
Meanwhile, Jinger's elder sister Jessa Seewald and her husband Ben already noticed the sparks flying between the couple when they first started hanging out. "I feel like Ben may have known of Jeremy's interest in Jinger somewhat," Jessa says. "I think I saw it from Jinger's side beforehand, though, because I would watch them talk and interact, and I thought, 'Huh, I wonder if she kind of likes him.'"
They only got their answer after Jeremy approached their father Jim Bob and asked for his permission to court Jinger. For her part, Jinger was really surprised that Jeremy liked her as well.
"My dad told me, 'Yeah, Jeremy asked about you — what do you think about this guy?' And I was like, 'Whoa!' I was completely shocked and just blown away,'" she says.
Jinger is the fifth Duggar child to go into courtship. Her eldest brother Josh was the first to court his wife Anna, then Jill was courted by Derick Dillard. Jessa was next to enter courtship with Ben Seewald. All three courtships ended in marriage.
Their younger brother Josiah, on the other hand, courted Marjorie Jackson last year, but their relationship fizzled out. Now they say they're just friends.
