While they haven’t known each other long, Max and Sam have already seen God’s sovereign guidance and clarity provided throughout their relationship. In spring of 2023, Max somewhat reluctantly agreed to join a summer mission team that would help smaller ministries throughout Utah and Idaho. He left Michigan and hit the road right after his mother mentioned that he’d probably “meet a girl” out there and then be very happy he went. One week into the trip, the team was set to help a couple serving in Marysvale, Utah – a town of under 400 people.

On July 17th, Max was unloading his luggage with his 6 other team members when he noticed a dark head of curls in the kitchen. Two weeks earlier, Sam moved from her home in Florida to help the couple and their new church plant for the summer. Max told the other team members to check for a ring, and when they confirmed that the unexpected host wasn’t spoken for, he told them it was time to set her up with one of the other men on the team. However, Max knew from the start that he was the one that wanted to pursue her. Both Sam and Max were strongly interested in one-another after three days of minimal interaction… and both were secretly discouraged after Max left Marysvale without making a move.

A few days later, they reconnected thanks to the power of social media, and decided that they’d call one another after the trip had concluded. After a few days of nervous texting, Max dropped his friend off in Illinois after 24 hours of driving and was finally free. He prayed, and called the awaiting Samantha. The call lasted for the remaining 6 hours of his drive home. “Pretty good sign”, they both thought. Max very confidently informed his family that this girl was the one.

The next few busy months were filled with daily facetime calls which grew more natural (and longer) each night. Come September, the Lord provided an opportunity for Sam to visit Max in Greenville. This was the first real time they had spent together in person, and they joyfully made things official two months after meeting. During this visit, they also finally confessed their love for each other.

Thankfully, Max was able to spend some time in Florida, and Sam made a trek to Michigan. Once again, through a few very unexpected circumstances, God made it clear that it was time for Sam to move up to South Carolina, and He provided opportunity to do so. She moved up right after Thanksgiving and got a job not long after that.

After a few months of growth together in person, the Lord continued to draw them closer and give clear signs of confirmation. On February 17th, exactly 7 months after they first met, Max drove Samantha up to an overlook at sunset. Thankfully, the spot cleared of all people just in time for Max to fully shock Samantha by getting down on one knee. It’s been a whirlwind of a year, but both Max and Sam are extremely thankful for how the Lord has and will continue to lead them into this next exciting phase of life.

First photo of Max and Sam sneakily taken on the day they met.