I moved from Florida to Oklahoma for a fellowship, not necessarily intending to stay long. I had no doubts God had led me there, so I embraced the season, however temporary it might be. Since I only expected to be in Tulsa for a few months at the end of my fellowship, I rented a room from a retired couple through a website called Furnished Finders. Their home, which was across the street from where I would be training, also allowed pets, making it a great fit. I pulled up to their house for the first time, sweaty and exhausted from moving. From the moment the front door opened, the retired couple welcomed me like family. They had arranged for someone to help me move my things in. He was actually moving me into his old bedroom as he was one of the couple’s sons. Yes, Andrew moved me into his old bedroom haha and yes I unknowingly moved in with my future in-laws! We didn’t connect right away though, I barely thought twice about it. At the time, I was dating someone else and wasn’t looking for anything more than a temporary home. But temporary stretched longer than I expected. Fast forward six months, and I was still in Tulsa—months after I graduated from my fellowship. I had incredible job offers on the table, the kind that should have made my next step obvious. But no matter how great they seemed on paper, I felt no peace about leaving Tulsa yet. And if I’m being honest, I was frustrated. I had followed God’s lead to Tulsa and now had my dream job offers—so why wasn’t He giving me peace to take the next steps? But I knew His plans were better than mine. He had proved that time and time again. So I stayed, still renting that same room from that same sweet couple, waiting for the Lord to show me what was next. In March, again sweaty and disheveled (I should have known something was coming -- Hallmark has taught us love happens when we aren't dressed normally or have make-up on), I rushed late to watch a musical with the couple I was renting from and some of their family. As it wrapped up, I noticed Andrew leaving. Over the prior six months or so, we’d crossed paths at family gatherings or when he’d visit his parents. Our conversations had never gone beyond small talk. We found out both of us were heading to a Brandon Lake and Jon Foreman concert that night by ourselves…so we decided to go together. What started as a simple outing with an acquaintance quickly turned into something unexpected. Within minutes our conversation skipped past the usual pleasantries and dove straight into how we’ve each learned to follow the voice of the Lord. Not your typical “getting to know you” chat. The concert was incredible and we had a fun time. Afterward, we stuck around, hoping for one of Jon Foreman’s famous impromptu performances. As we waited, the conversation kept flowing effortlessly. Talking to Andrew felt different—organic, fun, inspiring, peaceful. It was easy to be myself with him. Then, Jon Foreman appeared, gathering a small crowd of about 30 people. He debuted a brand-new song, one that somehow felt deeply personal and perfectly timed. It was one of those moments that feels like a relaxed and intimate evening with close friends, although neither of us realized how significant this night would become. After the mini concert ended, we weren’t ready to say goodnight. We stayed up until 2 AM talking —and almost every night since. We didn’t officially start dating until nearly two months later, but we both count that night as our beginning. I never saw this coming. Neither did he. But God did. And I never knew I could feel this connected, this loved. There are several other details that connect us before we even met we can tell another time. We are so grateful we trusted and waited on God’s timing and plan when it was so much easier not to. God is so faithful and He has good plans. “Why wouldn't God?” is a phrase we say to each other to remind us that God gives good gifts and we are thankful.

Finding Carisa was such an unexpected, amazing surprise. I’ve lived in Tulsa Oklahoma my whole life—from Jenks public schools, to getting a degree in music and business from ORU. Throughout this time I had my share of love interests, plus well-intentioned suggestions from friends and family. I was definitely eager to find the right person to marry, but none of them felt quite right. I had fervently prayed about it many times but I still had peace and this sense that God would send me a wife. After I moved out, my parents converted their upstairs into a space with multiple bedrooms to host tenants. I would help from time to time with moving tenants in or setting up TVs, etc. In the fall of 2023 they asked me to come help a new tenant move into my old bedroom. This cute girl had a lot of stuff to bring upstairs and I helped with that and setting up wifi. That girl was Carisa! It wasn’t an instant connection in a romantic way. We saw each other in casual settings here and there when I visited my parents or saw her at family events, but everything truly began when we happened to go to the same Jon Foreman and Brandon Lake concert in March 2024, which Carisa mentioned above. We connected so deeply and felt so comfortable in our own skin. We started talking on the phone for hours every day, and made it official a few weeks later. The rest is history! I truly believed God would send me a wife. However, I didn’t expect Him to literally send her to my old bedroom! Carisa and I joke that God has a sense of humor. The site she used to find that house was furnished finders. It might as well be called “furnished find her.” ‘He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favor from the lord.’ Proverbs 18:22