First Blush

Nate and Megan's first memories of each other were at Christian Youth Theater rehearsals of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat in 2010. For several years the Jureks and Clarks would carpool to and from rehearsals together. Both families were also involved in Faith Bible Church and Paces Paidea classical school. Their paths diverged when Megan graduated high school and moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to study at Sight & Sound Theaters. Eventually Nate graduated too and moved to Austin to study art at The University of Texas.

Reconnecting

In the summer 2022, Nate moved back to The Woodlands area and discovered that Faith Bible Church was starting up a young adults ministry. At the end of Nate's first night at bible study, Megan came up to him and introduced herself in an effort to make the newcomer feel welcome, not recognizing him after so many years apart. Nate responded with, "I know," introduced himself, and they began to catch up. They both stayed heavily involved in the community and began to develop a friendship. Megan will proudly admit to having had budding interest from their first reconnecting, and began to play the long game in terms of their relationship.

Early sparks

After a year or so, Megan asked Nate to lead a small group, and a few months later she invited him to join her team to write bible-study curriculum for their young adults community. In both instances, Nate took a few weeks to pray and consider before eventually agreeing. As they began working closely together, meeting up at the library weekly to write curriculum and occasionally grabbing food together before or after the meetings, Nate began to feel as though they were going on dates. Megan sought counsel from her brother and his wife, and requested that they try to determine his interest. A long story made short, within a couple days Nate showed up unannounced on Megan's brother's door step, where the opportunity presented itself to investigate. Nate shared that he was conflicted in his feelings, having a deep appreciation for Megan's character and personality but also being content in his singleness and enjoying his pursuit of the Lord.

Talking

In the beginning of 2024, having taken some time to seek the Lord's guidance in how to make her feelings known, Megan approached Nate after a meeting and asked him to pray about being more intentional in their friendship and seeing where it might go. Nate agreed to pray about it, but was left very confused about her intentions, given that she did not explicitly communicate any romantic interest. True to form, Nate took his time to pray and consider before agreeing. They agreed to meet up for dinner the following week to figure out what exactly he had agreed to, and it was there that they expressed they both had some romantic feelings and interest in each other. At the same time, however, Nate desired to honor his previous obligation to their curriculum project, which required a high level of emotional vulnerability in order to critique each other's work and produce a quality product, and he didn't see that it would be fair to the rest of the team for them to throw relationship drama into the mix. So, Nate and Megan agreed to hold-off on pursuing a relationship until the curriculum was finished. Even so, in their spare time they had many conversations discussing the nature of relationships, their expectations, past relational experiences and what they learned from it, and the like.

Dating

In April of 2024, the writing for the curriculum had been completed, and Nate took Megan out on their first official date! He offered to make the relationship official, but they decided to revisit the conversation the following week after they had celebrated the official end of their curriculum process. On April 21st, Nate took Megan out for a third date and they went hammocking afterward, where he asked if she would be his girlfriend, and she eventually agreed. The first couple weeks of their relationship were intense; Nate traveled to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip, then drove up to Ohio with Megan and her family for their grandfather's funeral.

Life continued at a breakneck pace, and the two faced each fun adventure and unexpected challenge together; from cars breaking down, trips to San Antonio, interning at their church, a hurricane, helping run a ministry retreat, writing more curriculum, book signings, and much more. They spent time serving together, laughing together, solving conflict with each other, building Legos, sharing their hurts and fears, seeking counsel from older couples, playing the Legend of Zelda, managing work, and studying together when possible.

After a few months, Nate decided that Megan's devotion to the Lord, willingness to face conflict, and ability to work through problems made her someone that he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Megan may have laid some subtle hints to encourage him to consider these truths. Nate began making the necessary arrangements to engage her in marriage.

Engagement

One Friday evening, Nate picked Megan up from work and they grabbed some food and adventured around until finding a park at which to eat. After dinner, they decided to explore the area and discovered a wooded path with lamp posts lining either side; it was extremely romantic. 'This is it,' Nate thought to himself, 'This is where I've got to propose.'

A few weeks later, Megan's father had given Nate his blessing and the ring had been finished, and on November 13, 2024, Nate invited Megan and some family back to that park for an evening picnic. He eventually pulled Megan off to the side for them to stroll the path. They sat at a bench and he shared with her all the ways he had seen God working in both their lives to bring them together at this time. Then, expressing that he found her to be the perfect one for him, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, Nate got down on his knee and asked Megan to marry him. She pulled out a note she had written beforehand and read it in response, eventually saying "Yes, I will marry you" and asking Nate in return if he would marry her. The answer, of course, was "Yes." They celebrated that evening by going back to their parents' houses to share the news with everyone, which was a sweet and exciting time.

Nate and Megan continued to invest their time in each other and their community, as well as in their studies and work. The holidays quickly arrived, and they got to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with each other's families, including a trip up to Washington state for Megan to meet Nate's extended family, all of whom she immediately fell in love with. As the new year rolled around, the couple has continued to make every moment an adventure when possible, including diving headfirst into planning this wedding!

Thank you for being part of our story, this is only a snippet of everything that has happened for us in the past couple of years, and the mercies God has laid upon our lives. We appreciate the moments we have gotten to spend with you as we have gotten to know each other, and are looking forward to making many more memories with you as a married couple! -Nate and Megan