The very first place John and Cait met was working at a camp together called the Towers, a Pine Cove camp for 2nd through 5th graders! John (AKA "Boom") was a senior counselor and on his fourth summer... you can tell in this picture. Senior counselors often take sick kids to the Tum Tum, where they are taken care of by the health assistants. This became very important...

Cait (AKA "Dash") worked as a health assistant both of her summers at Towers, and it was the best experience! It was the most strategic position for serving both campers and staff, and she really enjoyed working with the nurses and other HAs. Not to mention, John coming in and out of the Tum Tum frequently was a nice bonus! It was not very long before Cait started noticing John ;)

John was pretty oblivious throughout most of the summer, since he was extra focused on his job and the kids, making sure he kept the Lord at the center of his heart! Cait on the other hand did not do the best job at guarding her heart, and a huge camp crinkle was forming. But God has a way of working in hearts...and Cait has a way of melting them!

Fun fact: Week 10 of this summer John and Cait were put in a skit together! John was Gru and she was a minion named Dave... it was the perfect opportunity. It was this same week that someone finally spilled the beans about Cait's camp crush, and it was in that moment John realized he had been pushing down very strong feelings for her too!

After their first summer working together, John and Cait briefly stayed in touch before going off and doing their own things at DBU and Gordon. Because John was so far away, he wanted to be respectful and not pursue Cait until the right time, even if everything in his heart wanted to go all in on a 1900 mile long distance relationship. Cait was in the same boat, but had no say in the matter, so she just did her best to trust God and continue to pray over her feelings for John. It took a lotttt of self control and faith for the both of them!

Winterfest was the first time John and Cait saw each other again after not talking for a few months. For Caitlin the feelings were only intensified, and little did she know that John was feeling the exact same way!

Interactions at Winterfest continued to feed the feelings, and after the weekend was over John was seriously considering asking Cait out, despite his desire to wait. Life's a Dance, you know?

After prayer and consideration, John finally decided to ask Caitlin to get coffee during winter break while he was in DFW and she was in Fort Worth. They met at Ascension on the Trinity River (this picture was taken a year later for their anniversary of their "first date") and talked for a good while. Cait was confused because John didn't call it a date, but they both dressed up and John paid for everything (plus he told everyone it was a date and called it a date in his head, so like what the heck bro). Needless to say, they hit it off and both wanted to know the other more. This was the moment that John could tell that something was different about Caitlin!

After the coffee date, both of them decided to keep contact to a minimal for the spring semester (per Cait's request in order to guard her heart). John finished up his senior year at Gordon and Cait continued in her sophomore year at DBU. Both were growing discouraged at the potential for a relationship, but hope reignited one day when Caitlin randomly texted John for a recommendation for a commentary on 1 Corinthians. Still, fears were high as both were worried that the other would move on and be in another relationship entering the summer. All they could do was trust in God! Little did they know that both of them were waiting for each other, eager with hope to see each other again in person at camp.

And God proved faithful!! Flash forward 4 months from their "first date", and they were back at camp together! John had just graduated from Gordon, and was back in Texas for the foreseeable future. Within a couple weeks of camp starting, he got the director's permission to start pursuing Cait :)

Dating at camp was a good and challenging thing, but also a huge blessing to be co-laborers for the gospel! They made it official July 19, 2023 (funny story: Cait got sick the night John asked her to be his girlfriend, then he got sick the next week, then after that they BOTH got pink eye, LOL).

Shortly after becoming a couple and finishing their last summers at camp, John entered into a program called The Forge, an 8 month program run through Pine Cove. It was a great opportunity for John, but because it was in Tyler they had to do long distance for the majority of their relationship. It was hard, but through many facetimes, visits, letters, and faithful community around them they made it work :)

John got to do some awesome things during his time in The Forge! Not only was he challenged in his faith and encouraged in his identity in Christ, he got to see some really cool places with some even cooler people. This photo was take in Turkey, which is where a lot of rich biblical history took place.

John completed and graduated from The Forge in April of this past spring, and long distance came to a close. John moved back to DFW, and they got to pursue dating in the same city for the first time! It was a challenging season with a lot of growth for the two of them, but the Lord used it for His glory and for the flourishing of their relationship!

John and Cait completed a premarital course at Watermark Church called Merge, an 8 week class with talks, homework, fun date nights, and fellowship with other couples who were also pursuing marriage! Talks of engagement were on the rise, and ring shopping was in the works ;)

Not only was engagement in the works, but so were job opportunities! John and Cait visited Hot Springs, Arkansas to check out a church that was wanting to hire John to be their new student pastor. They both fell in love with the church and with the town, and decided as a couple that this was where they wanted to settle down together for their future marriage!

John moved to Hot Springs a couple of weeks later after accepting the job as the student pastor at Lake Valley Community Church, and he immediately felt at home! The rolling hills, even tempered weather, and adventurous opportunities of Arkansas make it an exciting place to explore and "get ready" for Caitlin :)

Cait stayed behind to finish her last semester at DBU, trying her best to stay faithful to where her feet were planted. It's hard to stay focused when a move to a new state and a marriage is in the very near future! The second round of long distance has been hard, but with a very visible end in mind and an opportunity for ministry in Hot Springs, the wait has been sooo worth it!

And when we say worth it, we mean it. After two years of faithful waiting, prayer, hard work, high highs and low lows, John finally proposed to Cait on one of their "month-a-versaries". It was such a beautiful day! John took Cait to their first date spot at Ascension (another funny story: Cait cried over where they got coffee because she had no idea John was proposing, but once she saw where he was taking her she finally understood and calmed down, LOL), and then to other important spots in their relationship, each of them followed with a letter. After the second or third letter, Cait finally started catching on ;) The day ended underneath their favorite picnic spot, a huge oak tree with a swing. John had put up lights in the tree that morning, and underneath the tree his faithful friend Garrett Nelson (HUGE shoutout to Garrett, love you bro) had helped set up a quilt with flowers, photos, a bible with Cait's new name on it, and a picnic basket with a *surprise* inside! It was truly magical!!

The very next day John surprised Cait AGAIN with an engagement party! Friends and family from all over came to celebrate, and it was truly a sweet time to commemorate the faithfulness of the Lord and share in the excitement of a future marriage covenant!

Now here we are, getting ready for MARRIAGE, and we are so excited to celebrate with everyone!! We are looking forward to all the memories that are still to come! :)