Emmanuel

Following the start of my graduate studies in 2019, I felt it was finally time to give relationship a chance. However, I wasn’t sure if I was up for such commitment in addition to my rigorous schoolwork. Nonetheless, I was praying intensely and trusting God for clarity and guidance. I considered one or two of my friends but never got a go-ahead in my heart. After a while, I just gave up “searching” and went with the flow, focusing on my schoolwork.

The thought of Iyin as my wife came to me out of nowhere in November 2019, on a Saturday. We weren't close before that, but we do talk once in a while. I was literally taken aback at the thought. I reviewed her against my checklist and she appeared to check all of the boxes. Lol! I decided to get closer to her and strengthen our friendship.

Interestingly, Iyin was always teasing me to go get married every time I posted a friend’s wedding on my timeline. In 2020, we got a little closer and began conversing more around June. It was always a pleasure to speak with Iyin. I discovered she was far more than I had thought. As we approached the end of 2020, I knew it was time to take our beautiful friendship to the next level. However, I had some reservations. I was undecided about pursuing a long-distance relationship. The thought of ‘immigration complexity’ was also freaking me up. Nonetheless, the more I spoke with Iyin, the clearer it became to me that she was God’s will for me. At some point (December 2020), I took time to pray about it and relayed my silent fears to God. I could perceive God’s assurance to go ahead and His demand to walk in faith and fully trust Him. During this period, I spoke with my pastors and parents and received further confirmation.

I made my intentions clear to Iyin and asked her out on her birthday, January 16, 2021. She literally laughed. I guess the thought of the “serious-minded” AKT asking her out cracked her up. In fact, I had to join her in laughing too. Lol. She later asked me to give her some time to reflect and pray. On February 24, 2021, Iyin agreed to do life with me. That’s one of the happiest days of my life! It’s been an amazing journey of faith, patience, and love ever since.

Iyinfoluwa

For me, 2019 was a difficult year; I felt as if God was turning my life inside out. Most of my post-graduation plans were falling apart, and it felt like God was telling me to do something else. I resolved to rest in God and yield to His will and instruction towards the end of 2019. It had nothing to do with “man gist” by the way! Hahaha.

Fast forward to the year 2020, I had a joy for bugging everyone on my timeline to go become hooked. Since we were all in the same ‘single’ boat, it was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed teasing AKT because it looked like someone was getting married on his timeline all the time. I’m still surprised at how we went from chatting once a month to every other weekend, twice a week, and then every day. There was always something to talk about!

At some point, it appeared something was going on between us and I had to ask Emmanuel what we were exactly doing. He stylishly replied with a question asking if he was leading me on. What?!! I was pained and resolved to start my hard girl mode. Lol. Anyways, Emmanuel asked me out three months later and I said yes on February 24, 2021.

It’s been an incredible experience, to say the least. Emmanuel is amazing and I’m grateful for the gift of him. I love you Emmanuel and I look forward to the fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

Welcome to our event!