Justin and Kate met at a Superbowl party hosted by a campus ministry at Radford University in January 2020.
They were in the same friend group in the ministry for about a year and a half. Justin showed interest in Kate over that year and a half. However, Kate hadn’t talked to Justin enough one-on-one to reciprocate those feelings.
After a year and a half went by (April 2021), Kate and Justin kept in touch over Snapchat. Then one night, Kate felt in her gut that she should ask Justin to hang out with a group of friends- and the rest was history.
Justin then asked Kate out (as friends) to Starbucks, then Cracker Barrel, then the school semester ended but that didn’t stop them! They both took a day to pray and see if this relationship was what the Lord intended, and they both felt that this relationship would be good if it was built on the foundation of the Lord and if God was the center.
As summer break began, Justin drove to Kate’s hometown two times a week to see her. On days they didn’t see each other, they would stay up talking until 4am just getting to know each other more. Then, on May 23rd, 2021, Kate and Justin became girlfriend and boyfriend.
After dating and growing together for a year and a half, Kate and Justin knew they wanted to be in each other’s lives long term. Justin asked Kate’s dad for his blessing and Justin did his best to keep the soon to be proposal a secret.
Justin chose to propose at Bisset Park, which was one of the first places they had a date and where they frequently went on walks. Justin invited their best friends, Cate and Jeremy, to come be there for their special day. Then Justin proposed, and of course, Kate said “Yes!” (January 2023).
Gods timing was perfect, and they are so thankful. They will continue to keep God the foundation of their relationship.