Our Story


When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for a man and a woman to form a more perfect union. If only life was sometimes that simple, but it is often not and our love story is no different. On paper we never should have worked, but it turns out God had other plans. For those of you who know us, you know we are not the normal people most assume we are. It makes sense then that our story is unique. One thing is clear however, our story is one of God working miracles to bring us both together. From enemies to friends to true love our story is full of twists, turns and funny moments that we hope you will enjoy alongside us as we share the story of how God worked to bring two unlikely kindred spirits together. Que The Wilds. This christian camp in North Carolina, which holds a special place in our hearts, is the place where it all began…


Justin’s Side of the story:


I began work at The Wilds in the summer of 2021, but it wasn't until the next year, summer of 2022 that I met Audrey. I remember seeing her for the first time like it was yesterday. She was applying for the position of Music secretary and pianist of The Wilds and was visiting in mid may to start the preliminaries for her new position. From the moment I first set eyes on her I thought her the most gorgeous woman to ever exist. She was tall! (and instant check off of the list) Had dreamy golden brown eyes and the most attractive sense of style. Only one problem…she already was dating someone (well that stinks…guess I can forget about that ever happening.) Audrey was the determined, musically gifted, country girl starting afresh in a new job, with a guy friend and her life together (seemingly) and she was probably too good for me anyway. That summer we did work together quite closely as we were both involved in music together. We also had the same friend group which allowed us to get to know each other in a purely friendly way. From the moment we started getting to know each other it seemed we were destined to but heads. Looking back now, those are fond memories for me. Anyway summer had ended, I started talking to another girl during summer and beginning the fall but that never worked out (now we know God had other plans). It turns out things for Audrey didn’t go well either with the other guy she was dating at the time and they ended up breaking up. Time for Justin to swoop in and whisk her off of her feet to show her how a real man should treat a lady! One problem…neither of us were ready for a relationship after our previous attempts ended badly. We continued to work closely with one another in the music ministry at The wilds. We had quite a few heated discussions over various topics in the offices while waiting for services to start or just talking with friends. We were cordial to each other it seemed, but our conversations seemed to mostly end with one or both of us being frustrated or mad at each other. I remember thinking to myself late fall of 2022 “Is it just me or does Audrey hate my guts” and that was the basis of our relationship in my mind, friends who couldn’t stand each other. Fast forward too late spring of 2023, many conversations had past and forgiveness was always sought when we offended one another or said mean things, but still in my mind, even though I still found Audrey incredibly beautiful in soul and complexion, I never in a million years dreamt that she was into me at all. In fact, I was convinced quite the opposite was true. There were many times I felt my heart drawn to her for one reason or another. Whether it was her fiery personality or her stubborn stance upon things she was convinced were truth. From her zany and fun clothing that she wore, to the absolutely angelic singing voice God had gifted her, I was head over heels for her, but never would I let her know that. Again, I was under the impression that she HATED me. Imagine my surprise then when on May 5th of 2023 on a Friday evening she asked if we could talk privately under the Pavilion overlooking the lower campsite. We both sat down and drank a few sips of our tea making small talk when she hit me with this:
Justin, I'm interested in you.
Of course that's not precisely the words she used, I’ll let her tell that part of the story in more depth, but WHAT ON EARTH JUST HAPPENED!?!?! Stunned, I could barely muster words to say. Did the lovely Audrey Lockhart just tell me she was into me? I thought she hated me!?!? Nevertheless, those words just came out of her mouth, out of all the guys on the planet she found me the most attractive and furthermore liked me enough to approach me first after NINE MONTHS of secretly liking me. Turns out she didn't hate me all this time, she was just afraid that I would figure out that she liked me and was incredibly and cutely nervous everytime we were in the same room together. As the days turned into weeks and after many conversations late into the night I asked her if I could get her father’s permission to date her. I called her father and he gave his permission on May 18th 2023. That same day I asked her to be my girlfriend. 7 months after we started dating I asked her to marry me at an old church in Cades Cove Tennessee. There are of course many details and intricacies that for sake of length had to be left out, but the greatest theme of our story is this: God clearly brought us together. His plan is always good. We are looking forward to spending our lives fully fleshing out the purpose God had in bringing two enemies, turned friends, turned life long partners, together in marriage.


Audrey’s Side of the story:


“Justin was the nerdy, but athletic and arrogant man who was searching for who he was.” This is his own line, but I'll let it stay because it’s true. I went to the Wilds in May of 2022 to start my new job as Music Secretary. I truly believed I knew what I wanted out of life and that I had a purpose for the next 2 years. I started the summer not knowing who Justin was and truthfully, I didn’t care. I had a fairly new relationship, so I wasn’t looking for other options. My first impression of Justin wasn’t impressive (if you get my drift.) I thought he was rude, prideful, and a know-it-all. The truth was, I met someone who mirrored myself and I hated looking at it. I went through my summer either making fun of him or completely ignoring him. There was no in-between. Close to the end of that camp season, my current relationship was dwindling and I was grappling with everything I had chosen up to that point. Before one of the evening services, I received a disturbing phone call that put me on edge. I was trying to concentrate on serving, but it wasn’t working. Enter Prince Charming. Justin noticed that something was wrong and came over to the piano. He quietly asked if we could pray together before we led the service (he would lead singing and I would play piano). We prayed together and all was well. That was the first time I saw that maybe I was wrong about everything I thought about him. During the fall of 2022, Justin and I were forced to work together quite often. Whether that was leading worship, working office, or cleaning the campsite. It often felt like we would never be able to get along, due to constant arguing, debating, or the cold shoulder. During an argument before our Christmas break, I remember banging the table and saying “You just always think you’re right. Maybe you should listen to someone else once in a while.” We didn’t talk for a month after that. I made a pitiful attempt to apologize when I couldn’t take the silence anymore. Slowly, we tried to begin conversing again, but this time, we had more respect for one another. From February to May of ‘23 we had regular conversations. Each time, the conversations grew longer and more in-depth…this was not over the phone. Neither of us ever texted each other outside of work. A beautiful friendship began to blossom and I continued to argue that I was not interested in him. He wasn’t my type. I had bigger plans. Any excuse I could think of always changed the topic. A few good friends of mine called my bluff several times, but I was stubborn. After being approached by another young man who was interested in having a relationship, I realized that I would have to make a decision. I had to choose my pride or being honest. I reached out to a good friend and mentor and she walked me through my thoughts. In the end, I swallowed the pride and told myself I would only need “30 seconds of all the courage I had.” I sat him down and spat out what I had held in for 10 months. “I like you.” He didn’t say anything. I wanted to crawl away and never come back. “I need time to process,” he said. That’s all? I was scared. Don’t worry, he came back and said he would date me. 🙂 We talked even more for the next two and a half weeks. I prayed hard and asked God to be very clear that this was something He had His hand in. I talked to wise counselors and thought through each conversation carefully. I began to ask the Lord that 3 very specific requests be answered. The Lord was gracious and each request was granted, giving me the assurance that this was what He had wanted all along. Justin didn’t wait. He believed my Dad's permission was the most important thing we could have and he made sure he got it. I loved seeing the respect he had for my family and authority. Our friendship has deepened and grown over the past year and a half and I’m thankful to call him my best friend. He proposed in Cades Cove in a church where my parents take their anniversary pictures every year. Justin has strived to honor God, my family, and me since we began our relationship. Now, we get to reach a new level of closeness through marriage as we begin our own family! Thank you for being part of our story and for each person who invested in the tears, the laughter, and the stubbornness of two imperfect people. We are honored that you get to share in our lives and our special day!