As we share our story, we can’t help but praise the Lord for how He works in ways we never could’ve planned ourselves. God had a funny (and pretty perfect) way of bringing us together at a place called Clearwater Cove (CWC) in Lampe, Missouri — a Young Life camp that has played a huge part in both of our lives.

Now, if you ask each of us when we met, you’ll probably get two different answers. One of us would say 2016, and the other would say 2020. Here’s how it all happened…

Hunter was serving on Work Crew right after high school at Clearwater Cove, and Kayley happened to be there that week with her high school. Hunter was actually the server for Kayley’s high school — though he didn’t know it then, it would be the first of many times their paths crossed.

Kayley returned to CWC for a Work Crew weekend while Hunter was wrangling in the kitchen. One morning, they made pancakes together! Kayley remembered Hunter right away… but Hunter had no idea who she was. Except he remembers working with someone that was wearing a KU sweatshirt.

Kayley spent a session on Summer Staff at CWC, and Hunter stopped by one day to help out. They ended up making French fries together — clearly, God likes to bring us together over food. This time, Kayley finally told Hunter that he had once been her server — a fun full-circle moment!

When COVID turned everyone’s plans upside down, Kayley’s internship at CWC changed, and Hunter had just graduated from Mizzou. They both spent about five weeks as Volunterns (volunteer interns) at camp — working hard, having fun playing disc golf, and really getting to know each other for the first time. This is when they truly became friends. They stayed in close contact for a little over a year until they parted ways for some time.

Fast forward a few years — Hunter was working in Kansas City, and Kayley was at Pitt State. The Lord brought them back into each other’s lives, and before long, that friendship started to turn into something more.

Hunter got down on one knee and asked Kayley to marry him! Her perfect response?

“Yeah, sure!”

For their engagement photos, they returned to Clearwater Cove — the place where the Lord first brought them together. It couldn’t have been more fitting.

After lots of miles, long drives, and countless FaceTime calls between KC and Pittsburg, we’re so excited to finally be starting this next chapter together. We can’t wait to see what the Lord continues to do in our lives — He’s been so faithful every step of the way!