OUR FIRST DATE

We thought it would be more fun to tell our story from each of our perspectives!

Isabelle's version:

I remember the first time I saw Nate. He was wearing a Santa hat and sunglasses, looking so red from the Maceió sun. The moment I saw him, up on stage beatboxing, I was so impressed by how handsome he was—but then I reminded myself that I was on my mission and still had 17 more months to go as a missionary.

Seven months later, I was transferred from Aracaju to Maceió, and there I was, in Elder Spangler's district. We started to build a friendship, but he wouldn’t talk to me and my companion for more than 2 minutes. So, for 6 weeks, we went from 'Hi Sisters, how are you?' to 'Hi Sisters, how was your day?' Just kidding—he probably said two more sentences before hanging up the phone. The transfer ended, and we switched districts for a few months.

When I had been on the mission for a year, I was transferred to his district again. I was training Sister Johnson, and he was training Elder Neeley. Our transfer was so fun and happy, full of miracles. I was the best version of myself, and so was Nathan. We were both so determined to be our best selves for those new missionaries, and the Lord blessed us with many blessings. One of the greatest blessings I can say today from my mission was serving alongside Nathan.

I loved listening to Elder Spangler speak and teach us. Through his teachings, I could feel the pure love of Christ, charity, and virtue. I remember a deep admiration starting to grow in my heart.

I still had six months left on my mission, and I admit, I thought about what could happen after, but I also needed to stay focused on my missionary purpose. It was hard for me, especially because I never imagined he could ever think of me in that way. He was so obedient and focused. I wanted to be like him, so I locked away those thoughts and finished my mission.

As our missions came to an end, we returned home on the same day. I remember how much I wanted to hug him before leaving, but I didn’t want to be disobedient, and I knew that if something was meant to happen, I had to let it unfold naturally. It wasn’t easy, but I don’t regret it, because what came afterward was so much better than one moment. In our last moments in Maceió, I was so sad thinking that it might be the last time I’d see him for a long time, but I was determined to tell him I wanted to go to In-N-Out with him—to take that first step. But Elder Spangler didn’t even stand up to say goodbye! (You can imagine my reaction, right? I didn’t understand anything and thought to myself, 'Yep, I was right, there’s nothing on his end.')

I headed to my boarding gate, and when I looked back one last time before getting on the plane, I saw Elder Spangler looking at me, with a smile and saying goodbye. In that moment, I felt like there was still so much of our story left to unfold.

I arrived in São Paulo, spent the day with my family, and the next day, I wanted to know about him. So, I asked to follow him and sent the first message, and since then, we haven't stopped talking. Long-distance dating was never part of our plans. We thought it would only last a few weeks, but we faced many complications along the way with college, denied visas, and even airline ticket websites that stopped working.

After six months of long-distance dating, I finally moved to Utah. I arrived in December, a time so full of happiness and surprises, and nothing could have been more perfect for the two of us. We've enjoyed life together, shared special moments, gone on many dates, laughed a lot, and he finally took me to In-N-Out. And in the end, he asked me to marry him. It was the most anticipated 'YES' of my life. Since January, I’ve been living a dream—every day, I come home to my best friend and the love of my life. I still feel my heart race when I see him, and I still admire him when he shares his studies and knowledge of the scriptures with me every day.

Living life by Nate’s side has been so special to me, and thankfully, to my joy, we’ll get to live like this for all eternity. Nate is caring, he makes me laugh, he cooks for me, and he completes me. Nate is everything I’ve ever wanted and dreamed of.

Meeting Nate during my mission was perfect for me; I wouldn’t change a thing about our story. I will be eternally grateful to have him by my side and for how much he takes care of and loves me.

I will always be infinitely in love with him.