Jacob:
It was the beginning of 2023, and already several men and women of God had told me this was going to be the year that I would find “The One.” Working every day at our school in Beirut and weekends at the church, I began to feel as though it would never happen. I prayed and completed several fasts, including a difficult 52-day fast of bacon, and asked my pastor to really pray for me. He prayed for me the next morning, and that afternoon my mom got an unexpected message from a lady we didn’t know. She said: “I know you don’t know me, but the Lord impressed me to tell you that your son should really meet this beautiful young lady here in Mississippi. She has a heart for God and a love for people everywhere she goes. Her name is Haley Berry.” I was surprised and also curious. The timing was so uncanny. Was this the answer to all the prayers that I had been praying?


Haley:
It was the final night of SCR WPF Camp meeting in June of 2022 and Jacob Azar was asked to share about the mission in the Middle East. The moment he stepped to the pulpit and began to speak, several friends and acquaintances of mine, looked at one another and said, “This is Haley’s husband.” Directly following service, a pastor friend came to my dad and said, “Bro. Berry, I see the flag of Lebanon in your daughter’s future.” The next day as my family shared these details with me, I laughed and thought that it was impossible for me to ever cross paths with Jacob Azar. Less than a year later, a church acquaintance came to me at a youth service, stating that she felt that I needed to meet Jacob Azar. Once again, I laughed and admitted that she wasn’t the first one to say this. Very much in disbelief, we both agreed to pray and see what God would do. Three months later, the day after graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I received a message from this same lady. She informed me that after much prayer, she felt impressed to contact Jacob’s mother.

Jacob:
A few days later, my dad and I flew to the US unexpectedly at the news of our Bishop Copeland’s passing. After the funeral, we roadtripped from Tennessee through Mississippi down to the coast. My dad called Brother Hicks along the way, who invited us to minister for Sunday services.
“Oh also,” he said, “there’s a young lady having her graduation party tonight. We’ll stop by before dinner if you all wouldn’t mind.” We agreed, and I wondered to myself who this lady could be. Little did I know God was about to let me meet “The One.”
I found out later that my dad had also prayed that if Haley was the one, she would be the first to greet him at the door. He had thought this would be at the church, but when we arrived at the Berry home that night, she was the first to greet us and welcome us in. Meeting each other for the first time, I immediately noticed her beautiful blue eyes and her golden hair. She had graduated with her degree in education, and after introductions I congratulated her. She said thank you and smiled sweetly, and that moment was the start of our divinely woven tapestry of this love story we get to call our own.


Haley:
A few days later, due to unforeseen circumstances, Jacob and his dad made a special trip to the U.S. During this time, they felt to take a road trip, and along the way contacted my pastor who extended an invitation for them to be in service with us that Sunday. My pastor also invited them to attend “a graduation party for a young lady in the church” the Saturday night prior. This young lady just so happened to be me, and at the knowledge of this, I made a desperate attempt to convince myself that them being in town was just a strange coincidence. Inwardly, I hoped and prayed that it wasn’t simply a happenstance. In a crazy and unexpected whirl of events that I later realized to be God’s handiwork, on May 20, 2023, I met Jacob Azar on my doorstep. As I reflect on this meeting, I know that it was the divine hand of God that had been leading us to one another for a long time. Finally, the fulfillment of every prayer and prophecy had stepped into my life and since that moment there has been no denying that God created the man of my dreams specifically for me.