Adriana and Barry met in 2006, when she was in the USA as an au pair for a family with three young boys. The future couple's first meeting saw them sitting next to each other as part of a group going to see Spider-Man 3 in Raleigh, NC. They continued their friendship as members of the same young adults Sunday School class at the same church, which Barry soon became teacher of. Barry got a job as a youth minister at another church in early 2008, and Adriana had to return to Ecuador as her visa was coming to an end. But they kept in touch occasionally through Skype, and their friendship continued. Lots of events happened in both of their lives, including a great deal of sadness, which they shared with one another, and their friendship deepened. In 2017, Barry had moved to Orlando, FL as part of a group planting a new church. He and Adriana were now communicating a LOT, almost every day. That summer, they talked about the possibility of pursuing a relationship but decided it wasn't meant to be. But that wasn't the end. Barry realized that his feelings were growing even more, despite their decision not to pursue a romantic relationship. Finally, in August of 2017, Barry gave Adriana a cartoon drawing of her for her birthday. As they talked afterward, Barry confessed that he had fallen in love with Adriana. He was surprised to find that she was pleased with this revelation, and two months later to the day, on the night of October 9, 2017, Adriana told Barry that she was ready to be in a relationship with him. In February of 2018, she confessed that she loved him too, and the next month he visited her in Quito over the week of his birthday and met her parents. Returning to Quito in late November, Barry surprised Adriana (who wasn't expecting him to arrive until the evening of December 1) at a fancy restaurant in Quito and proposed marriage, which she gladly accepted. As of this writing (early January, 2019) Barry and Adriana are filing their petition with form I-129 F for her to come to the States so that they can marry in Orlando in the fall.
