Back in 2017, Justin's sister Sarah and her husband Joseph moved to Raymond to lead music and youth ministries at my parish. Involved in their youth group, I began babysitting their children throughout my high school years.

While there were few occasions where we had crossed paths during Masses or golf matches, we had not completely met one another.

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Although I was involved in Youth Ministry at St. Raymond's, it wasn't until college where I had a true conversion to the Catholic faith at the EIU Newman Center. Following my freshman year, I spent the COVID summer discerning religious life. One night, while talking with a friend, she advised me to prayerfully discern both options. While I signed up for "Come and See" retreats at convents, I also began to discern the qualities of the man I would need in life. Writing them down, I knew I needed someone who prioritized family life, loved children, had a deep love for their faith, was outgoing, and had a servant's heart. Going to bed that evening, I surrendered my vocation to the Lord.

The next morning, I woke up to a message from Sarah. Feeling called in prayer that same night to reintroduce Justin and I, she told me all about her brother: his love for the faith, his family, his desire to be with a Catholic woman, how good he was with their children, and how he was serving his country overseas. Talk about a God moment.

While we later connected that Justin was also praying for a sign on whether or not he should discern the priesthood, we were sure of God's hand in our lives. The long distance was a huge challenge for us as we often went nearly a year without seeing one another. It tested our communication skills and I can truly say that he became my best friend. With a 7 hour time difference, we persevered through 3AM FaceTime calls and very...very expensive flights to see each other on breaks.

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While we only spent about 8 weeks together in person before our engagement, we are beginning to make a home for ourselves in Normal, IL. Although Justin has been living with his sister (Laura)'s family until our wedding day, we have spent recent months just 10 miles apart... what a blessing after 3 years on opposite sides of the world!