Austin’s side: I attended River Oak’s college group Bible study regularly, and one night I noticed a pair of blue eyes that I’ve never seen before. I looked at my buddy Noah and asked, “Who’s that girl?” He replied, “I think her names Alyssa.” My response to him was then, “I’m gonna know Alyssa.” After that, I thought and thought trying to think of the best way for me to talk to her. Turns out I didn’t have to think of anything… Noah did it for me. Standing around a bonfire after group the following Thursday, Alyssa was talking to some of her friends, and Noah and I were close by, doing what dudes do, playing with the fire. Noah found it was a good time to say, “Austin’s a firefighter,” for whatever reason. Turns out, it was the perfect thing to say because she was interested in being a part time EMS employee, so she began asking me questions. Did I know anything about what she was asking me? Absolutely not. Did it matter? Absolutely not. She was talking to me and I wasn’t gonna let the opportunity slide by. A couple more college group nights went by, and I secured her phone number. A little bit of time went by and I reached out to her, and she reached out right back. I think we both knew from the beginning we were interested in each other, and looking for the one to spend forever with. From there, it was a slow talking phase, and then we began dating and made it official. The Lord knew what I needed, exactly when I needed it and that’s when Alyssa walked right into my life. I look forward to so much more laughter and adventures in the future with Alyssa, the woman I’ll spend forever with.

Alyssa’s side: I was invited to the young adults group at River Oak Church by some of my friends I had been on mission trips with. The first night I went I met Austin at a bonfire after group. We actually started talking because I thought he could help me get hired as a part-time EMS employee at Chesapeake Fire. He got my number and promised me he would talk to his lieutenant about it, which to this day I’m not sure if he actually ever did. I wasn’t sure what to make of Austin at first, he would randomly walk up to me and ask questions and just as quickly walk away. Every completely strange thing he would do or say made me laugh like I’ve never laughed before. I thought he was the funniest person I had ever met, and still do. One day he texted me out of the blue and I suspected he was interested. We started texting more and more then even started doing weekly phone calls and FaceTimes since I still lived in North Carolina at the time. After our first couple dates I think we both were on the same page that we wanted to continue getting to know one another. Following a very long talking stage, our relationship blossomed and has continued to grow stronger and stronger over the last couple of years. I know that Austin is the man I am meant to spend the rest of my life with, and I am so excited to experience what the Lord has in store for us.