Josiah Duggar Is Courting Marjorie Jackson

The 19 Kids and Counting stars tell PEOPLE exclusively the Duggar who just entered into courtship

Photo: TLC

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So, the last time the expansive Duggar family weighed in on who was most likely to enter into a “courtship” – an older-fashioned way of dating that has couples getting to know each other as a preparation for marriage, with chaperones and side hugs – the Duggar who’s now in one wasn’t even on the list.

Josiah Duggar, 18, reveals exclusively to PEOPLE that he has entered into a courtship with Marjorie Jackson, 17 – a young lady he got to know when he was taking Spanish lessons from her mother, Analucia, 40.

The couple officially began courting on April 6, the same day his sister Jill, 23, and brother-in-law Derick Dillard, 26, welcomed newborn son Israel David into the world.

“It’s been going very well,” Josiah tells PEOPLE. “I met Marjorie a few years ago, when I was taking Spanish lessons at her house, and I was very impressed with the way she was with her siblings and her love for the Lord.”

When they both went on a mission trip to El Salvador in December, Josiah, who currently works in his father’s construction company, says he was particularly impressed with Marjorie.

“She really caught my eye,” he says. “That is really where I noticed her.”

For Marjorie, who is one of five girls born to Greg, 43, and Analucia, “liking” Josiah is something she says she’s done for some time.

“I met him at Spanish class a few years back,” she tells PEOPLE. “For me it was an immediate thing. I have always admired him and his family.”

Fans of TLC’s hit show 19 Kids and Counting can see a special message from Josiah and Marjorie on this week’s episode, airing Tuesday at 9 p.m.

Want more Duggars? Click here to get weekly updates on the stars of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting in the Duggar Family Newsletter.

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