God always keeps His promises.

No, we won't stop there... but that sentence truly encompasses our love story.

Peter and I met at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at our college, Southern Connecticut State University. Peter was studying nursing, and I was studying elementary education. One seemingly insignificant Tuesday Bible study turned into the night we met... not knowing we had just met the person we would marry 5 years later. The leader of the group put Peter and I in the same small group of about five people. I remember being impressed at how beautifully beaten up and written in Peter's Bible was, and his profound knowledge of the Word was more than encouraging, not just to me, but to everyone else in the group. Though we didn't speak much that night, we will never forget the Tuesday night that we met as just juniors in college.

Weeks and months went by without seeing each other after that night. Oh, well... we did happen to walk past each other around campus at times. More specifically, I once passed Peter in the gym, remembering he has visited InterVarsity, and therefore, I said, "Hi!" to which he replied ".....hi." in a rather stern, emotionless way- haha! But what happens next is our story is what began it all...

Peter never forgot about meeting me that one night at Bible study... even after an entire year. I began student teaching at an elementary school in New Haven, and someone named "Peter Ziegler" began messaging me on social media about how he was encouraged by the Bible verses I posted often and the convictions we both shared. Not remembering even who this man was, I replied, "Thanks!" Not thinking the conversation would continue... but little did I expect, it still hasn't ended since that night of March 2021. We began to ask about one another, recalling meeting just about a year ago. We immediately clicked, we laughed til we cried even over messages, and bonded over our love for Christ and our desires to live for Him.

Peter began showing up at the school I taught in with coffee... or an apple, a donut, or just anything he could make an excuse to see me with. With shaky hands, Peter asked me out on a date... I said yes, thank God, and truly, God has given me more peace, more joy, and more confirmation that Peter was the one He designed for me than I could have ever imagined.

I quickly learned how different we are- from his extrovertedness to my extreme introvertedness, to his ability to belly laugh on a turbulent plane ride while I'm quite literally writing my will, to his immense knowledge of the Word that he is constantly sharing with me to my love of learning it all, absorbing every piece of wisdom. I fell in love with the way Peter lives- fully for Christ and completely dead to his own desires. Peter puts my needs before himself, as well as the needs of the homeless man down the street to the woman in the grocery store needing him reaching something on the shelf. We quickly realized how distinctly and perfectly God made our differences to honor Him as a couple and also to compliment one another. The more we fell in love with each other, the more we fell in love with Christ- the One who bounded us together in love.

Both Peter and I have always prayed for our spouse. Before we even met, both of us individually made promises to God that we would be patient and wait for the one and only one He had planned for each other, and neither one of us was willing to settle for someone who was not THE one or to lose hope that God was providing exactly, precisely, and perfectly who we prayed so earnestly for.

Peter shared with me that he had always prayed that his spouse would be kind, meek, and love the Lord with all her might. I always prayed that my husband would be selfless, my best friend, and that he would love the Lord more than he loved me. And God kept His promises to us by answering those same prayers we prayed for what seemed like an eternity. If anything, our story is a love story from God to us- a story of His grace, His careful hand, and His abounding love that never ceases.

Peter is my best friend, in every sense of the word. He is selfless, humble, and there's no one who can make me laugh the way he does. I could not have imagined a better man for me than he. God heard every prayer and gave me even more than what I asked for with Peter.

Through our two years of dating, we have not only fallen more and more in love with each other, but we have fallen more in love with Christ and His plans for our lives that will soon be joined as one. Through every hardship, loss, season of mourning and season of praising, God has been nothing but faithful to us. We have found the one our souls love. Song of Solomon 3:4

God truly does keep His promises to us, and finding each other is the fulfillment of the greatest love story and promise yet!

Philippians 1:6

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

“Great is HIS faithfulness…”

Nothing better encompasses Kayla and my story, than Lamentations 3:22-23. In the middle of this set of poems where Jeremiah is mourning and lamenting the fall of Israel, he still takes the time to still worship and thank God, saying, ‘Great is His faithfulness’.

Our story begins well before we actually met. I can still remember the nights throughout my time in high school and my first 3 years in college, when I lay, reading God’s word and praying for God to show me who my wife would be. The only thing I requested of the Lord was that my wife love Him way more than she ever loved me, little did I know the Lord planned on blessing me SO much more.

Then the fall of our Junior year of college came around, and I finally decided to give the campus Bible Study a shot. My first two years of college I never went, partially because I was a commuter, but also because I did not want to go alone. Thankfully, my Best Man, Brandon, agreed to come with me. Although the specifics of that first night are kind of a blur, I do remember seeing Kayla for the first time and seeing the love for God emanating off of her, but I also thought ‘There is no way that someone that beautiful and special would have any interest in me.’ So, that night I left and only returned to the Bible study a few times.

After winter break that year, Covid hit. We were all so isolated and I rarely went to campus anymore. Eventually, everything slowed down in the winter of our Senior year, almost a year after meeting Kayla the first time. I had seen her in the hallway several times (which, according to her, I was not so kind when she would say ‘hello’). Nevertheless, that beautiful woman from the bible study was still on my mind.

Then one rainy night in March of 2021, I was walking out of a basketball gym when I saw that the beautiful girl from Southern had posted a bible verse and tagged one of my favorite songs, ‘Promises’ by Maverick City Music. I immediately pointed out how much I loved that song, to which Kayla replied, ‘thanks’ and since then the conversation has not stopped.

From that first message, I began to see Kayla on campus more. Similarly, while she was student teaching, I began to drop off treats/coffee. Finally, we had spent so much time together, talking, reading our bibles, and even meeting during her lunch breaks, that I thought it was about time I asked her on a date.

I had the plan set, I would show up to Kayla’s school, bring her a coffee from her favorite coffee place, and a little treat, and then after walking and chatting for a bit, I would ask her to go on a date… But this did not go as planned. Once I got there I was TERRIFIED, so much so that I was shaking so viciously, Kayla even noticed it when I handed her coffee to her. I remarked ‘I have just had a lot of caffeine today’, which was the truth, although not the reason I was so shaky. Later, I eventually got the courage to ask her on a date, one that I had so meticulously planned, since I was so worried about anything going wrong.

Since that first date we have not looked back. Quickly, I was invited to a wedding with Kayla as her plus one, then we graduated college, took our licensure exams, and got our first jobs. Everything was going so well, as, even though our jobs were tough, we ended every night reading the bible and praying together.

Then one night shortly after Kayla’s sister, Dayna, got married, my Father passed away in front of me. This was a rather traumatic ordeal. Yet, the biggest light in all of the tragedy was Kayla. She was by my side through ALL of it, always making sure I was okay. Kayla prayed for me, encouraged me, and cried with me as I mourned my Father. She even stood right beside me at the service we had for him. I had already known that I was going to marry Kayla, well before this, but her selfless actions during that time only solidified my love for her.

Since that time, me and Kayla have only grown closer. Each day falling more and more in love with one another. We have chosen to always prioritize God and keep Him the center of our relationship. We have strived to live together with God as Solomon writes, ‘a cord of three strands is not easily broken’.

Kayla has the most precious and beautiful heart out of anyone I know. She is quiet and calm, all while remaining so selfless and loving. ‘She is worth far more than rubies’. She has always been a voice of wisdom to me, full of honor and grace. Just as what initially attracted me to her, Kayla still fears the Lord above all. Kayla is the greatest blessing from God, apart from salvation, that I will ever receive. She is the God fearing woman I prayed for, AND so much more. I have found the one that my soul loves.

Through our 3 years of growth and hardship, God has always been there, pulling us closer and closer together in love. To this day, everytime I look at the beautiful and selfless heart that God gave Kayla, I am always reminded that ‘Great is HIS Faithfulness’ to me.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23