Meet Daniel and Romy

Daniel and Romy, tell us about your family.

We got married in August 2024 just after Cornerstone launched as a church. We went to high school together at Arndell Anglican College, and we started dating in Year 12. Having grown up in the Hawkesbury and Hills area, we have both seen firsthand the growth in the Box Hill area. We have two very little Chihuahuas at home named Polly and Frankie, and we love them dearly.

What does a typical week look like for you?

Romy currently works as an accountant, but otherwise, her week looks like keeping active, drinking coffee, and eating delicious food. I am currently a student at Moore College while working as a student minister at Cornerstone . When I am not occupied with these things, I like to read, watch sports, exercise, and eat delicious food. 

What do you enjoy doing together on a day off?

Together, we usually like to get a good coffee, do some exercise together, and watch our beloved Parramatta Eels play.

What are the things you appreciate the most about living in the Box Hill area? 

We love the Box Hill area because of the diversity of people that we get to meet and do life alongside. It is great to be a part of what God is doing in Box Hill and this area more broadly. We love the mix of nature, restaurants, and friends that can all be found within a ten-minute drive.

How long have you been Christians, and who was it that first told you about Jesus?

Despite growing up in a Christian home where her parents told her all about what Jesus has done, Romy became a Christian after a mission trip in Fiji in 2016 where she was reminded of the need to trust in Jesus by a school teacher. Since then, Romy has been on a journey to know and love God more and more. I grew up believing that there was a God, and that as long as I didn’t do anything super bad, he was a good God and would let me into heaven. This was despite the fact that I lived for the most part as if he didn’t exist. However, as a young adult, Romy and a few other friends invited me along to a course at church to hear and engage with the gospel. For me, this was radical, and I began to truly understand what God had done for me in Jesus, and I knew that if this was true, then it would change everything.

What has encouraged you from God’s word recently?

Romy and I are currently doing a Bible-reading plan that will have us read through the Bible in a year. As someone who struggles with worry, Romy was recently reminded in Matthew 6 that God deeply cares for us as his children and that she can trust him with her life, knowing that he will provide what she needs and that he has already provided her with her ultimate need, being Jesus himself. As I was studying the parable of the prodigal son in Luke, I again was struck by the love and forgiveness that the father offers the son. Each time I reflect on this, it strikes me afresh of God’s love, which he has shown to me in welcoming me home despite my rejection of him.

What are your hopes for your family?

Wherever God may take us, we hope that we can continue to draw near to him and pour out our lives by telling others about the good news of Jesus and what it means for them. Our greatest joy would be to see our friends, family, and community come to see the ultimate joy that is found in Jesus.

And lastly, is there an amusing and/or strange fact about yourselves that you’d be happy to share with us?

I had a pet pig named Peppa growing up and Romy ‘shares’ a birthday with her mum. Unlucky for her mum!

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