In Fall 2018, Matthew and Julia fell in love… but not with each other! In their own individual experiences, Matthew and Julia fell in love with Jesus Christ and chose to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. Why is this the beginning of their story? Because, without knowing Jesus, Matthew and Julia would lack the greatest model of sacrificial love that is to be reflected in their marriage.

While they were students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette involved in Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, Matthew and Julia spent two years strengthening their love for God simply by reading His Word and choosing to pursue Him daily. In December 2020, Matthew and Julia finally met face to face, and they were lost for words… Not so much because they fell in love yet but because they were at a Silent Prayer Retreat.

A couple months later, Julia made the first move! She was wrestling with some thoughts in her faith and, needing answers, approached Matthew without prior conversation or small talk to ask one of the most challenging questions possible. Daily conversations continued as they began the journey to the deepest companionship they would ever experience. Through these conversations, Matthew recognized and was drawn to the depths of Julia’s desire to know and follow Jesus and her desire to love others as Jesus did. Simultaneously, Julia recognized and was drawn to the patience that Matthew had towards others.

Confident in who the other was, they officially started dating June 28, 2021. In the beginning, Julia and Matthew both assumed that the other expected perfection. However, they grew more secure through opportunities to gain trust, communicating with each other, and knowing that with each other was a safe place to make mistakes. They learned that mistakes provide opportunities for one of them to step out to show grace and to be understanding, proving the committed love that they have towards each other.

The blessings of the relationship have far outweighed the struggles of the relationship. Matthew says “Julia is the most incredible person I know, and I am blessed to be able to marry her. On one side of the spectrum, Julia can be the weirdest and goofiest person that I know, making me laugh more than anyone else ever could. But on the other side of the spectrum, she has the deepest desire to love others and to lay down everything to follow Jesus that I have ever witnessed. Her unique combination brings greater depths to our relationship because, in one moment, she is my best friend who makes every small moment the most memorable moments. But in another moment, she is my soon-to-be wife who will be full of grace, who will push me towards being right with God, and who will selflessly love me no matter the situation because of the vows that we will make with each other.”

Regarding Matthew, Julia says “When people ask me how I knew Matthew was the one, I usually just prefer to tell stories to better illustrate my answer. There are several moments I can pinpoint as times that I fell deeper in love with Matthew, but my favorite story is actually when we were first getting to know each other. When we first met, we wanted to spend as much time together as we could. We found excuses to be around each other constantly. One time, we both came to the cafe to hangout with our friends (which is code for we actually came to see each other), and as we started talking, Matthew noticed a new person walk in and sit at a table alone. Rather than continuing our conversation, he respectfully said, ‘I’d love to talk to you, but I need to go sit with that guy who is eating alone.’ While this may be a small example, it showed me that Matthew saw the needs of others greater than his own. He’s proved that to me throughout our relationship by consistently putting his comfort aside for the best interest of others. I’ve been able to better understand Jesus’ character by watching Matthew live out his life. Just as Jesus was concerned with the broken and oppressed, Matthew lives his life in search of the broken to show them the love of Jesus.”

Saying that Matthew and Julia are excited for marriage would be an understatement, for what words could express the joy of committing to honoring and serving one another, to cherishing a family together, to partnering in inviting the broken to be loved, and to pursuing the Father as one until they join Him for eternity.

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