Layne’s Perspective:

In early 2023, my friends Hannah and Liam told me they wanted to set me up with their friend Colby. Even though they told me about his incredible character, passion for God, and our shared interests, I was still hesitant. I remember saying, “you can give him my phone number, but I just don’t think anything will come of this.” A couple of weeks later, Hannah told me she gave my number to Colby... I still didn’t think anything would come of it. I think we can all recognize that I was quite incorrect.

After Colby reached out asking me on a date, we met at a coffee shop on February 4th and talked for nearly four hours. In general, I can talk to a brick wall. But, after that first date, I walked away saying, "wow, I really like talking to him." One date turned into many dates and before I knew it, I fell in love with Colby and wanted to marry him. I fell in love with his kindness, calm presence, servant-heartedness, smile, humor, joyful attitude, and pursuit of Jesus. I also sensed the Lord's peace and comfort when I prayed about Colby. Every time I prayed through a hesitancy or fear about our relationship or the future, the Lord answered it with Spirit-led peace, encouragement from community, and more instances in which Colby's character was proved by his actions. This season is yet another marker of the Lord's faithfulness. He is a trustworthy, loving Father.

I am so excited to keep talking to Colby for the rest of my life! He is my best friend and my love. I could not dream of a better teammate to build God's Kingdom beside.

Colby's Perspective:

In January of 2023, I was pretty dead-set on not dating anyone for a while. I was planning on moving to the Northeast later that year, and I told the Lord that I was going to stay single until I got there. However, I felt like God laid on my heart to keep an open mind about meeting someone here, so I filed that in the back of my brain. That next week, I needed to bring some things to a friend's house, so I stopped by the Wooten's with the intention of staying for ten minutes and then leaving. What followed was a three-hour long conversation in which Hannah, the wife (who is also in our bridal party), mentioned that she had a friend that she wanted me to ask on a date. Typically, I would be entirely against a blind date, but for some reason, I said yes. A few weeks later, I wandered into a coffee shop not knowing who I was meeting, other than the only clue I received was that she was probably taller than me. I found out that she wasn't (Praise God), but that girl I met would be the woman I'll soon take as my wife. However, in that moment, I wasn't even sure if I'd get a second date. We talked for a few hours, and from that moment onwards, I slowly fell in love with her. 12 months of theological conversation, snarky humor, and sweet moments later, I bought a ring and asked for her "forever".

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