Sammy and I met in high school through a mutual friend when we were about 16. One day, Sammy Snapchatted me his number (no “hi,” no introduction, just his number). Big ego, haha. We started talking, but things faded. At that time, we were both seeking validation in the wrong places, through the attention of others. About seven months later, I slid into his Snapchat story with heart eyes, bold move, I know! From that moment, we never stopped talking. I was in my senior year of high school, and he was a freshman in college. We began talking that fall, and on December 19, 2019, while he was home for break, we went on our first official date. We fell in love quickly, and before he returned to Delaware, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Dating young came with its challenges. Neither of us fully understood what love meant at the time. Sammy grew up in a Christ-centered family but had moments of doubt through life’s trials. I grew up culturally Catholic, later becoming an atheist. Both of us were left searching for love and fulfillment in all the wrong places. In 2020, Jesus saved me by revealing His grace, mercy and love to me, gifting me the true joy and peace I had been longing for all my life. Through this, God also reignited Sammy’s faith, a faith nurtured by his grandmother, the matriarch of his family, and faithfully carried by his parents. As he reflected on his life, he began to recognize God’s faithfulness through every challenge and trial. Gradually, he started to root his identity in Christ rather than in accomplishments or success, and together we began pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly. “Pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Even as teenagers, Jesus took our young, infatuated love and shaped it into a relationship grounded in Him. With Christ at the center, we learned what it truly means to love another person. Ever since, Jesus has blessed our relationship, giving us confidence, joy, and peace in the love we share today. We wouldn’t be here without Him, nor would we know what it truly means to love fully. Thank you for joining us as we continue to grow together and reflect Jesus’ love in our marriage.