Caleb and I met at church at our young adult’s church group. My modeling jobs kept me away for multiple weeks at a time traveling around the country. It was the fall of 2023 when I finally had the chance to come back to young adults only to be met with some random guy sitting in “my seat”. Of course I sat myself right beside him so that I could give him a hard time about it. I made fun of him for the rest of the night, but it wasn’t until he stood up that his 6’2” self was… kinda handsome:). 

Two week later, the church took us all on a fall retreat. That’s when we really got to know each other. We carpooled, but all the cars were already full except for his. Coincidence, I don’t think so:). He drove and I sat passenger princess. Our friend sat in the back seat. We all chatted about our lives and values. When we got out of the car, our friend said “Alana! I sense a spark between you two!” Throughout the retreat, I made it a point to hang out with him as much as I could. He was there to grow closer to the Lord, but dare I say, I was there for the Lord + Caleb lol. Even tho we spent time as a group playing games, Caleb and I connected on a deeper level when we talked about God. I could sense that there was something special about him because of how naturally he talked about the Lord and his deep love for Him. He was openly sharing his life experiences and his thoughts with the group. For him, it wasn’t just about being a Christian. It was about being a disciple and a follower of Jesus. That’s when I knew I just had to get to know him more. 

Neither of us were looking for a relationship at this time. When we got back to the church after the retreat, Caleb nervously told me that he thought I was beautiful and he would really like to get to know me!! We stayed in touch and continued to grow closer. One day I baked cookies for the young adults (really they were just for Caleb in hopes he’d fall madly in love with me through my baking haha). It worked because he ate almost the whole tray and loved them! About a month later, Caleb asked me if I wanted to make things official and we started dating.

In the fall of 2023, I decided to take my journey with God one step deeper and start attending a young adult group. I contacted one of my old buddies and asked him what time they meet and have sessions. That is where I met her: alana, the love of my life and the person I would cling to until I pass away. Obviously I didn’t know this at the time and reluctantly entertained the idea of being with someone due to my pursuit of righteousness and wanting to root myself in Christ more. Little did I know that God, in those moments, was molding me and shaping me to be Alana’s husband. Alana and I met at this young adults group. We started hanging out after those sessions at church with a group of friends just talking and having fun. At that point we never really hungout alone but I had my suspicions she had a crush on me. It wasn’t too long after that we went on a retreat with our young adult group to a cabin out near Penn state college. It’s funny because i went there pursuing what the lord had for me and it seems like she was there to pursue me ( just kidding but not really ). I could tell Alana was making every effort to hang around me and to get to know me. That weekend talking with Alana getting to know her, talking about her values and convictions in Christ, and her amazing personality. It was hard not to entertain the fact that Alana might be someone worth pursuing. Her kind nature and sweet aromatic spirit that she brought every time I spent time with her was everything I’ve ever hoped for in a woman. Shortly after the retreat, nervously and hesitantly I told her how I felt. I told her I wanted to pursue a relationship and wanted to get to know her on a deeper level. We talked about biblical teachings and how we wanted to pursue each other but most importantly glorifying God in our future relationship. It wasn’t even two months later and I asked Alana to be my girlfriend and the rest is as follows: we fell in love and now we are pursuing marriage. Our love feels like one of those cheesy hallmark movies but i thank the lord because I couldn’t imagine being with someone else. I love you Alana Kaitlyn forever and ever. - Caleb

From the moment we began dating, there was an overwhelming sense that we were meant to be together. Every step of our relationship felt purposeful and we both knew that God had a plan for us. It was as if He had brought us together at the perfect time and we trusted that He was guiding us forward. Looking back, it’s clear that our meeting wasn’t by chance. God placed us in each other's lives for a reason and with each passing day our bond has only deepened. We’re excited to see what the future holds knowing that we’re walking this journey together with God at the center of our relationship. I have never met a guy who loves the Lord more. His words, actions and ways of living all reflect Jesus. He’s the most serving, selfless and kind person I’ve ever met. I would gladly give up “my seat” any day for him!