Let’s go WAY back for a second…Jack and I went to the same pre-school and were in Sunday school together through first grade. As I grew up, I knew his name, but I didn’t remember him at all. I heard about him when people talked about his family, or when friends talked about how much they liked him. Then in middle school, Jack started coming to youth group at First, but we still didn’t interact much. He hung out with all of my friends, just not me.

Fast forward to Freshman year of high school, the Freshman Center brought us and a handful of others from church together, despite being cross-town rivals. That year, our friend group was established, and we were together all the time! I grew very fond of Jack, as many people do, but didn’t realize that deep down, I really liked him. After a couple of years and a few failed dates with others, I realized I was comparing every guy to none other than THE Jack Johnson! This realization was a BIG DEAL; for the past 2+ years, I had heard from many sources that Jack liked me or that he was trying to get over me (I’m very thankful that never happened).

In February 2021, as Juniors, Jack and I started flirting over Snapchat and FaceTiming here and there. Almost two weeks later, on February 27, Jack came to pick me up for a very romantic first date…Culvers! I was so giddy, so nervous, and I can still tell you what he wore.

In true Maryn fashion, I made some things complicated a few months in. I was very head over heels, and that scared me – a lot! So, I didn’t talk to Jack at all the week before Prom (sorry, Jack). After Prom and a COVID quarantine, Jack and I were finally able to see each other and talk through things. To my surprise, Anessa (Jack’s mom) had guessed exactly how I was feeling, and Jack shared he’d play the long game…WHAT?! So, that night we decided to keep going on dates and to take things VERY slow! It was so sweet!

After a few more months of dating, Jack asked me to officially be his girlfriend on August 14. He said “I love you” first, on January 7, 2022; I think I was silent and just hugged him lol BUT don’t worry, I finally said it back on January 23.

After a year and a half together, it was time to move to college! I moved to Dallas, and Jack moved to Manhattan, KS. Thus, our long-distance journey began. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy in any way; however, it grew both of us individually, as a couple, and really allowed us to FULLY trust the Lord. After our freshman year, I transferred to K-State. However, we continued to do long-distance over the summers.

Jack and I had an incredible community at school and if you didn’t know, in Christian circles at our age, LOTS of people get engaged. This past year, we had friends getting engaged almost every weekend. I was DYING for it to be my turn – honestly, not very patiently (again, sorry Jack). We both wanted the proposal to be a surprise, but I’m a nosey gal. So, I started to figure things out and put the pieces together. That’s when Jack had the performance of his life. On the fly, on my birthday, he made up the “joke” (I would call it a lie) that he wasn’t going to propose any time soon. I was devastated, but his plan worked – he fooled me, really well. A few days later, on April 26, 2025, Jack surprised me with the sweetest proposal and had all our family in town to celebrate after. It was truly a dream!

& here we are…we’ve had many ups & downs, lots of lessons learned, growth, and so much fun together, and I say with the biggest smile on my face, this is just the beginning of our story. I couldn’t be more excited to love and serve alongside Jack for the rest of my life!

God writes the coolest stories; life is never easy, but it’s better when we do it in obedience to our Creator. Jack and I have walked through loss, sin, hardship, and uncertainty together, but we’ve also experienced the fullness of joy, abundance, blessings, and mercy as we’ve strived to live a life and relationship that is modeled after Jesus’ example. We’re not perfect, but what made me fall for Jack in 2020 remains the same today – God is the author and perfector of his life, and he wants everyone to know that. If you've gotten to do any life or ministry with Jack, you may have heard him say, “My goal is to show others that Christianity is fun!”

It is so much fun & we can’t wait to celebrate God’s goodness with you at the Glasshouse on February 22!

M&J

Wedding Day