On May 22nd, 2023, Brooke began her first day at Haskell. After months of applications, interviews, and prayer, she felt certain that God had led her to this company, and she was excited about the journey ahead. Her team took her out to a welcome lunch, providing an opportunity to meet everyone. While most of her new colleagues asked about her background and interests, she noticed Anton observing her intently. Although he didn’t say much, only offering a brief introduction, she later learned that he had been more intrigued than he had let on. As time went on, Anton and Brooke found that they had more in common than initially thought. They spent more time together, and Anton realized how much he enjoyed her company. Their conversations never seemed to run dry, and he became captivated by the kindness and love she showed. One afternoon in August, Anton gathered the courage to ask Brooke out on a date. Unfortunately, her answer was no. Brooke had sensed early on that she and Anton shared chemistry, but she didn’t realize how much he was interested until he asked her out. She felt it wasn’t wise to pursue anything with him since they worked together. Fortunately, their work friend group often hung out together, which allowed Brooke the opportunity to get to know Anton outside of work over the following months. As time passed, her feelings for him began to grow. Months later, Anton decided to ask Brooke on a date again, hopeful that her answer would be different this time. But once again, she declined. Though Anton’s feelings had deepened, he knew he couldn’t change her mind and accepted her decision. Even though she had turned Anton down a second time, Brooke realized that her feelings for him were more than platonic. She struggled with the situation, as Anton possessed many of the qualities she was looking for in a partner. However, she lacked God’s peace about moving beyond friendship. For the next several months, she prayed, seeking guidance about their relationship. By mid-January, she began to feel peace about exploring a romantic relationship with Anton. God gave her Proverbs 24:26, “An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship,” and this verse provided the confirmation she needed to open up to Anton about her feelings. On January 20th, they attended a music festival in Gainesville, and that evening, Brooke knew she needed to be honest. After offering to carpool, they returned to Anton’s place, and as they stood in his kitchen, Brooke felt nervous but knew she would regret not sharing her heart. She finally told Anton that she had been sitting on her feelings for a while, but after much prayer, she felt peace from the Lord to go on a date and see where things could lead. Anton was overjoyed to hear that Brooke was willing to give their relationship a chance. What Brooke didn’t know was that earlier that morning, Anton had surrendered his pursuit of her to God, trusting that if it was meant to be, God would make it happen. Less than 24 hours later, Brooke was in his kitchen, saying what he had hoped and prayed for since August. Anton was ecstatic, realizing that God’s timing had brought them together. The following day, Anton and Brooke had their first date, and from there, they began building a loving, Christ-centered foundation. They are both grateful for God’s guidance in their individual lives, which ultimately led them to one another, and they cherish the story of how God brought them together at just the right moment.