I first saw Molly while standing in the back of the Worship Center at Bridge Cities Church! I saw someone go up to meet her and I remember being so excited seeing someone new meeting a friend so quickly.

The next day. I got to meet her! She had been invited to our small group bowling night (shoutout to Madi!) and we were introduced! Within a few minutes she shared some of her experience being a teacher in China and I was instantly engaged in knowing everything I could about her. 2 hours of holding up our friends bowling later, we had covered a lot of ground and I needed more of this human in my life.

I had a flight leaving for Virginia to visit my brother a few days later. After waiting through a storm most of the night my flight was cancelled and I was stuck in O'Hare. In driving back to the Quad Cities the next day, Nick and Katie (our small group leaders) hosted a game night! I was so hoping Molly would go. Running on 3 hours of sleep, I went to the hangout. 3 minutes after Molly walked in with cookies, I didn't leave her side. On our way to our cars afterward she stopped to share how much she appreciated me sharing who people were when they were mentioned in stories in conversation. She made me blush, and I fumbled through an ask to go get coffee with me next week.

Thanks to the kindness of our small groups friends filling in with clarity what this coffee was for - we had a date!

I went home to Houston that week and the Lord humbled me down to my core. Conversation after conversation - with Austin, Lee, Duncan, Parker, and Bryce - left me so aware of God's kindness and my need for His grace. In those days of humbling, I was reminded only He could make something beautiful of my exploring partnership with another. So, with lots of prayer, I returned to Iowa excited to drink coffee with Molly.

That date included 6 hours of coffee shop convo, impromptu lunch at Lemongrass, and a target run, and we were off. Within a month of dating Molly I was telling friends I was ready to buy a ring. After her visit to see my family in Houston I was sold. She was already planning a way to join me for another trip in the Winter. She wanted to invest into my family 1000 miles away! I purchased a ring 2 days after we got back.

After months of engagement, I still have so much to learn about her! And so much humility to learn for myself. The Lord is so kind to give us the gift of a partner to sort through so much of the mess in our hearts. Jesus chose me in the midst of my sin, and Molly and I get to choose each other in the same way!

Jesus is the King of our story, and the only one who could convince me I was worthy of trying to know Molly Mickley. Now, a year later from a bowling night. I get to commit to knowing her and seeing her beauty grow forever! What a sweet deal.

I met Tom at a small group bowling night on July 24, 2023. I had been back in the country for about three weeks and found this group to join the day before. I walked in extremely nervous, not knowing anyone. Tom was the last person in the group I was introduced to before we started to bowl. I was making small talk with some of the girls when I heard Tom say that he had just gotten back from Honduras. If you know me, you know I have a huge heart for international missions and was so excited to talk to him about it. We started chatting and I just didn’t want to stop talking to him. We talked, both went up to bowl, and then kept talking the whole night. I waited a couple days to follow him on Instagram to be ~chill~, but I watched my phone constantly until he followed me back (very not ~chill~). I couldn’t stop thinking about how cool this guy was and how easy it was to connect with him.

On July 29th, a friend hosted a game night. Madi, the girl who invited me to group originally, reached out to me and specifically asked if I was coming. I decided to rush over there in hopes to build relationships with friends, but I was really hoping Tom would be there too. I opened the door and saw him wearing a Wheaton sweatshirt (which is where I got my masters) and thought that was so cool. As we played games, Tom and I continued to hit it off, talking and laughing the whole night. Something I appreciated about Tom from the beginning was the way he would include me in conversations. Our friends would be talking about someone and Tom would turn to me and explain who that person was. He always made me feel included and seen in every conversation. As we were walking out, he walked me to my car and asked me to get coffee to hear more about my time in China. I was so excited, but as I was driving away, I wondered if it was really a date or if it was just a Student Pastor asking a missionary to get coffee with no feelings behind it. After chatting with a couple other girls in our small group, I learned that it really was a date and that Tom’s communication is not always the best!

Falling in love with Tom was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. On our first date, which included lots of coffee, Thai food, and Target, I realized that he was a truly faithful man pursuing Jesus with all his heart. He made me laugh, think deeply, and reminded me that I was worth pursuing in a way that honors God. We started officially dating a week later and have been inseparable ever since. Tom very quickly became my best friend and my favorite person to be around. He has shown me the love of Christ every day and has helped me share my faith with others. If you know Tom, you know he just pours out kindness and encouragement constantly. He is one of the best people I have ever known and I can’t wait for the day I get to call him my Husband.