Hannah and Michael met at the Univerity of Houston Baptist Student Ministry, where they led freshman Bible study. Michael transferred to UH in the Fall of 2021 after going to Blinn, where he was involved in the Aggie BSM. There, he helped lead a freshman journey group, so when he transferred to UH, the BSM directors from the two schools talked, and Michael was asked to help lead the freshman Bible study at UH. Hannah asked Shannon, the UH BSM director, if she could help lead freshman Bible study that year because of how much that same Bible Study impacted her as a freshman. This happened separately before the two had any idea who each other was yet.

The first time the couple met was in person on the first day of school when the UH BSM hosted a game night for students to welcome them to campus and the ministry. Hannah sent over two of her friends to the table Michael happened to be sitting at. As the event was ending for the night, Hannah joined the table with her friends and Michael because not many people were left in the building. This is their official first time meeting.

Hannah: What I remember from this first meeting on the drive home with my friends, who went and sat at the table with Michael. is someone asking what everyone's favorite book was, and Michael said, “The Bible.”

Michael: I really think that I met Hannah before the event since I was in and out of the BSM between classes, but Hannah does not remember this, so I am unsure.

As the semester progressed, Hannah and Michael became closer and better friends through all the time they were spending together. Planning and leading Bible study, seeing each other at BSM events, and texting any chance they got, week after week, their friendship grew deeper.

Michael: Hannah became a good friend to me, being new to UH; however, excitement to see where a dating relationship would lead swept my mind. I could definitely tell something more was there and that God had a plan. It was October 11, 2021, when I had a moment with God driving home after Bible study, praying through feelings and what a decision to ask Hannah out would mean for the future and our ministry together.

Hannah: Because Michael and I led Bible Study together, I saw his heart for the Lord and how much he cared for people. On October 16, 2021, while at Fall retreat with BSM, I talked with a friend who went to a different school about liking Michael and not knowing exactly what to do because I had never liked a boy like this. I did not think anyone could tell, especially my roommates/best friend, that I liked Michael; however, they could tell I liked him.

From here, Hannah and Michael texted and talked as often as possible. Their first date was on November 12, 2021, and how they got on this first date is a funny story told from Michael's point of view with a few notes from Hannah.

Michael: Hannah had a great idea of seeing the new movie, “Eternals,” because she was excited about the movie. As an American Sign Language Interpreting major, she was really excited about the movie since there was a Deaf actor in it. When Hannah broached me with the idea of seeing “Eternals,” I thought Hannah was trying to get me out on a date, which flustered me because it made me get serious about whatever feelings I had for her.

Hannah: I was just excited to see the movie and wanted to talk about it. I would NEVER be that bold to ask him out. I was always looking for more things to talk to Michael about.

Michael: I decided I wouldn’t let a girl ask me out on a date, so as any gentleman would, I put together a plan to formally ask Hannah to the movie as a date.

Hannah: I was so worried that when he said to make plans for the movie in person, it would just be a friend thing, or he would invite others along and not be on a date, or others would overhear and invite themselves too.

Michael: It turned out that hiding Hannah’s backpack in a public room where friends could interrupt a private moment did not bode well for me that Monday afternoon. Hannah texted me asking about seeing the movie since plans were not made when we committed to talking about it, and I grew pretty flustered with this too.

Hannah: I like a plan, and he said we would talk about it in person, so when he did not, I asked. I was nervous about what would happen with this movie plan because I had a suspicious feeling, but it was not a sure thing.

Michael: It was almost as if she was asking herself on a date for me! I could not ask a lady to date over a text message, so as any gentleman would do, I put together a second “foolproof” plan for the next day. I texted Hannah back, asking her to wait one more day, and she agreed.

Hannah: This made me smile a ton, knowing he was going to ask me out the next day; I might have screamed, and all my roommates ran to see why.

Michael: Tuesday, seeing Hannah from across the room, I exited my conversation with some friends over BSM’s weekly free lunch. I grabbed her wrist and led her into a small room at the front of the building, the BSM’s prayer room. At that moment, I got to ask Hannah to go on a date to dinner and see the movie she was interested in. She accepted :)

About a month later, after going on many dates, FaceTiming at night, learning more about each other, and seeing how each other prioritized the Lord, Michael told Hannah that he loved her on December 16, 2021, and she told him she loved him back.

Hannah and Michael continued to lead Bible Study together at UH BSM. They continued to see the Lord at work in their relationship, using them as a couple to share the gospel at UH, which was their priority in the relationship. They met each other's families and continued to spend more and more time together. Hannah graduated college and went to Tennessee for the summer on a mission trip; even with these changes and the long distance for the summer, Hannah and Michael continued to grow in their relationship and how to love each other better and better. Hannah began working on staff at the BSM, and Michael was still a student at UH, which meant they could continue leading freshman Bible study together, which was a joy for both of them. Nine months into dating, Hannah knew she would marry Michael one day. (Michael, from the beginning of their relationship, never wanted to break Hannah's heart, so he knew he would marry her, but he did not tell her this until after they were engaged). They got to continue doing life and ministry together. It was such a sweet time; even though Hannah was starting graduate school, they continued to grow in commitment to God and each other. In November of 2023, they began to have more practical conversations about marriage and what life would look like if they were married.

Conversations surrounding life after college continued, and when Michael graduated from college in May 2024, he began to plan when he would propose to Hannah. After obtaining Hannah’s parents’ blessing, it took Michael two long months to find the right ring and two longer months to plan to ask Hannah to marry him. He proposed to Hannah on September 22, 2024. Hannah had been anticipating the day for the entire Summer, and at long last, she found herself walking with Michael through the busy Japanese Tea Garden at Hermann Park. Hannah had put the pieces together that Michael intended to propose that day and was extremely excited that the day had come when they would get engaged. Michael got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and at the asking of the question, Hannah could not wait to say, “Yes!”