In the summer of 2013, two pairs of bright blue eyes met for the very first time at a Vacation Bible School. A little blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy stood in awe of a girl with long, blonde hair and eyes just like his; eyes filled with light, innocence, and curiosity- mouths full of laughter and hearts full of joy. When he climbed into the car that sunny afternoon, he announced to his family, with the pure joy only a child can hold, that he had met the fastest, most fun and prettiest girl. He giggled as he announced from the backseat that he was going to marry her one day!

She was the kind of girl who could make races exciting, competition fun and memory versus feel fun to learn. He was enamored, not just with her speed and beauty, but with her spirit. From that summer forward, their paths stayed close for years and their friendship, as well as trust in one another, grew. Wednesday night youth group meetings, competitive game nights, silly contests and treasured texts filled the years. He often showed off his backflips, secretly hoping to impress the girl who had captured his heart back when they were just young kids.

In 2018, life shifted. The boy, now growing into a young man, began volunteering at a new church. Though miles and ministries created space between them, his prayers for her, hope for God to bring them back together again, and devotion to keeping himself for her and loving her with hope never ceased. Quietly and faithfully, he lifted her up to the Lord along with his parents, who could see God had given their son someone special to love and care about with a God-given hope for their forever from the first day he met her. For years, he carried the love that God planted in that summer soil of his heart so many years earlier.

Time passed. Life unfolded in unexpected ways. In the summer of 2024, love for another brought them back into each other’s lives – this time through shared grief. A funeral gathered them for Pastor Chris Millet, an incredible man of God, who had been the young man’s mentor as a young boy, and whose family had also been special to the young girl’s family. However, at the funeral, their eyes only met, but no words were exchanged; the young man had to leave early to also support one of his close friends at his high school graduation. God did what only He can do: He began to restore, redeem and reweave their stories more evidently together. At that second, something sparked again. Not just a memory, but a movement- subtle, sacred, sure. In the weeks that followed, what began as reconnection turned into revelation. God had been writing a love story all along.

Today, we don’t just celebrate our engagement and preparation for marriage with the continued support of wise counsel and people who love us; we celebrate God’s goodness that never fails, His grace that heals and surprises, His love that is unconditional and everlasting, and His miraculous timing that makes everything beautiful in its time.

From backflips and back again- this is a love story not written in a day, but over years, held together by faith, friendship, and a faithful God who was always working behind the scenes.

What began with a sparkly, wide-eyed little boy saying, “I met the funnest girl,” now becomes a sacred promise to his forever Beloved. And that super-fast sprinting, beautiful, fun, precious girl that won over her Beloved’s heart, she will tell you with all sincerity, “I don’t know; it just happened.” As only God can, preserving the best surprises of His divinely interwoven plans until the miraculous day of His revealing, we now knowingly and assuredly choose one another- to love, to treasure, and to celebrate- forever.

To God be the glory, forever and always!