~A Love Story Truly Orchestrated by God~

After graduating college, Christian worked as a server at a local restaurant. One evening, a couple sat in her section and asked her about her life plans. She shared her desire to work in the nonprofit sector, and they explained the importance of connecting with "BJ." They raved about this man, sharing his name and number with Christian. She slipped it into her waitressing pouch.

At the end of the night, she realized the contact information had fallen out. When she got home, she showered and prayed, asking God to bring the couple back to the restaurant. Sure enough, they returned, and she approached them, asking for the contact information again. This time, she not only saved it directly to her phone, but also had the chance to speak with him after the couple decided to call him.

It was a Sunday, and Barrington was preparing for church, but he assured Christian they would talk the following day. She texted him that evening, and he responded promptly, saying they would meet for lunch soon. However, "soon" turned out to be two months later (lol).

One random morning, Christian received a call from a man who introduced himself as "Barrington Gibson." She initially thought he had the wrong number because the name didn't sound familiar. He reminded her of the couple from the restaurant who had shared his information and mentioned their planned discussion about nonprofit work.

After talking briefly, Barrington asked Christian to meet him for lunch because he had a nonprofit and thought she would be a great addition to his team. They met, but Christian was not as intrigued as the couple had described. A week later, Barrington asked if she would attend a weekly meeting with his executive team. She agreed.

When she arrived, Barrington introduced her as "Christian Payton, our new Chief of Communications." She was amused because they had never discussed that information. She politely met everyone and privately sent Barrington a message a few days later declining his offer.

Barrington, being the smooth talker that he is (or thought he was) called her directly, asking a series of questions. Christian, being stubborn, told him that regardless of his wishes, she was no longer interested in the nonprofit. Over the next year, they encountered each other at a few networking events and had friendly conversations.

Christian had been working in marketing for about a year and was assigned to interview Barrington. They discussed his drive and the importance of exposure for youth. That year, in the summer of 2022, his nonprofit was scheduled to take 200+ kids and their families to Orlando, Florida, for a yearly summer empowerment trip.

While wrapping up the interview, Christian jokingly suggested she could help with the kids if they needed it. Barrington laughed and agreed. Two weeks later, Barrington called her, asking if she could actually go to Orlando from July 3rd through July 10th to chaperone a group of student leaders, that are called the 'Protege Club'. He explained that his mother had recently injured herself and was unable to fill the role. Everything was already paid for, and he just needed her full name for the flight.

Unknown to Barrington, Christian had recently resigned from her previous role. She arrived at the airport that Sunday, June 3rd not knowing anyone except Barrington (barely). They were waiting in their designated area when they found out the flight was delayed. The delay lasted about six hours, and during that time, Barrington sat next to Christian talking or trying to (she was trying to read).

Everyone at the airport knew each other, so they were curious about Christian. Unbeknownst to her, Barrington had brought his ENTIRE family & few key leaders, so they assumed she was his girlfriend. Christian thought that all of the participants would be at the airport, but she was wrong. None of the trip participants were at the airport with them. The participants were not arriving until that Wednesday. (Nice move BJ lol)

Before the participants arrived, Barrington's family spent time together while he ran errands to ensure everything went smoothly before guests arrived. During this time, the two spent everyday together and got a chance to truly see each other without the personas they had been portraying. Their kind spirits, helpfulness, and patient demeanor (Barrington) and assertiveness, quirkiness, and sensitivity (Christian) proved to be a perfect match.

They have been together every day since July 3, 2022. After 18 days of dating, Barrington asked Christian to be his girlfriend on July 22, 2022, one day before he went on a three-week sabbatical with Young Life! After a year and a half of courting, Barrington proposed to Christian on his 28th birthday, November 22, 2023. She said yes, and they are eagerly awaiting the day they become one. This dynamic couple is just beginning their journey together.

B&C

Our Wedding Celebration

The Kourtyard (Uptown ) - 1605 Marshall Street