'We've been friends for a while': 19 Kids And Counting star Josiah Duggar happily announces new courtship with Lauren Swanson
19 Kids And Counting star Josiah Duggar has announced he has entered a courtship with Lauren Swanson.
A long-time friend of the Duggars who has also appeared on the family's reality show, Lauren, 18, said she was truly surprised by Josiah's offer of courtship.
The happy new couple explained to TLC how Josiah, 21, asked Lauren to begin the relationship while she enjoyed a girls night out.
'She brings sunshine in the room': 19 Kids And Counting star Josiah Duggar has announced he has entered a courtship with Lauren Swanson
'I came up behind her at a meal while she was hanging out with some of my siblings and surprised her and sat down and asked her if she wanted to go to the next level from friendship to courtship, and she said -'
'Yes!' Lauren finished for him.
'I was very shocked when Josiah came by. I wasn't thinking he was supposed to be there since it was a girls night out.'
'It was really exciting to hear from Lauren say "Yes, I will start a courtship with you." It was really good to hear that, and she was genuinely surprised.' Josiah said.
Love is in the air! The happy new couple explained to TLC how Josiah, 21, asked Lauren to begin the relationship while she enjoyed a girls night out
'Is this really the one?' He said marriage would be something they would be considering as their relationship progressed
'I was very shocked': Swanson described her reaction to Josiah's courtship offer
'We've been friends for a while and got to spend a lot of time with each other,' he said, explaining his family was very similar to hers.
He said marriage would be something they would be considering as their relationship progressed.
'For us, a courtship means just really a good time to get focused on different things, learning more about each other, with the goal of marriage in mind, and keeping that and just learning, "Hey, is this really the one that is the one?"'
Aww: Duggar took to Instagram to share photos of them walking on the beach during a trip to New Zealand - a commenter noticed Lauren was wearing a ring on her left hand, though the accessory could have been a purity ring
Say cheese! The stars grinned brightly for the camera
'My girl': Josiah wrote a gushing caption about Lauren
'Putting God first and ourselves second,' she added.
Josiah also said their families were similar, saying they both 'have a lot of the same goals.'
Josiah raved about Lauren's compassionate personality and warm heart as he announced the new relationship to People.
'We are overjoyed to begin this new phase of our lives together,' Josiah shared with the website. 'Through the years our families' friendship has allowed us to get to know one another as friends.
Gushing: Josiah, 21, raved about Lauren's compassionate personality and warm heart as he announced the new relationship to People
'I can definitely say I have found a great friend… even better than I could have hoped for or imagined, I so appreciate Lauren's Christlike character and tender heart toward others.
'She bring sunshine into the room and encourages everyone around her. It’s always stood out to me that in every situation, she looks for the one who appears to be sad or lonely and quickly can brighten their day by sharing words of hope, an encouraging scripture, a prayer or even a simple smile with them.'
Josiah took to Instagram to share photos of them walking on the beach from their recent trip to New Zealand.
Family matters: The reality star enjoyed a lunch out with his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
'I’m really enjoying the beauty in New Zealand... Oh, and the landscape is pretty nice too I guess. #mygirl #lauren,' he captioned the photo.
A commenter pointed out that Lauren was wearing a ring on her left hand in one of the photos, though the accessory could have been a purity ring.
Josiah was previously in a four month courtship with Marjorie Jackson in 2015.
The Duggar and Jackson families announced the end of the relationship in a joint statement released to the Duggar's Facebook page.
'A few weeks ago Marjorie and Josiah agreed to end their courtship, keeping in step with what they believe the Lord’s will is,' read the statement.
In happier times: Josiah was previously in a four month courtship with Marjorie Jackson in 2015
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