This was a highly anticipated day for Bethel. On this day, she was getting her first tattoo with her best friend, Alli. It was to be an extremely monumental day. That much, Bethel was sure of. Bethel and Alli had set the date over a month before. The appointment to get the tattoo was at 5 PM and Bethel had to be at her first small group bible study by 7 PM. No problem! The reason she was getting this tattoo on her right forearm, which said "free," was because she finally felt completely free, completely herself in a way she'd never felt before. Unashamed, unafraid. “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.” Psalm 118:5 Then it was time for the Young Adults Freedom Group. Bandaged up, Bethel drove over, arriving a few minutes after 7. She walked in thinking, "Okay, I’m here. Number one to be fed, two to meet people, and three, most importantly, so I can attend the Freedom Conference in May." Obviously, as the tattoo she got earlier that day signified, she was already free. She didn’t need this curriculum to tell her she was free (or so she thought). But her therapist thought it might be a good idea. So she tried to go in with an open mind and open heart. Bethel saw Austin as she walked in, standing between the island and the door to the bathroom, but purposefully gave him no attention. Interestingly, she noticed how intentional she was being about NOT giving him attention. Bethel gave Daniel and Clarissa, the hosts, a hug and proceeded to talk to some of the young ladies in the room. Then they all sat around a table for dinner, and Austin sat directly in front of Bethel at the center of the table. Still, Bethel tried to talk to the people beside her and avoided making eye contact with Austin. Going from one end of the table to the other, listening to the conversations around her, she caught the tail end of one conversation just as a guy named Jess was talking about the show called The Chosen. Bethel had been following the show since 2019 and was obsessed. “Binge Jesus!” So immediately she jumped in, “Wait, what’re y’all talking about.” There was some chuckling and then Jess finally said, “He looks just like Peter from The Chosen.” And Bethel looked up and met Austin’s eyes for the first time that evening and immediately she lost it… She became hysterical. It was true! It was him! But very quickly, Bethel realized the resemblance to the actor who played Peter wasn’t the only reason she couldn’t look away… No, no, there was something about Austin. Something about this guy. He was stunning. They then went around the table, sharing testimonies. When it got around to Bethel she shared about being a Christian mutt, church hopping all her life, wandering down the promiscuous path, overcoming alcohol/drugs, addictions, and abuse… She shared openly, with zero inhibition. Again, she was free. Free to be as vulnerable as could be. Besides, these were strangers. Then he went. Austin Booth. Bethel didn’t take her eyes off him. She hung on his every word. He had an impressive way of storytelling. And his life seemed to be parallel to hers. They struggled with some of the same vices and God called them both back to Himself around the same time. They both surrendered fully in October of the previous year which seemed more than mere coincidence. When he shared his age, immediately she was thrown off. “Dang that’s young! There’s no way...” she thought to herself. Nonetheless, she couldn’t shake this feeling that he, along with the others sitting around that table, was going to change her life… They weren’t strangers for very long. Truly, this day was marked. At the end of the night, as they were packing up leftovers and getting ready to head home, Bethel went around and gave everyone a hug and very intentionally gave Austin a light side-hug. Some may call it the "church hug." She did not want to give him even the slightest idea that she was into him.

"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Mark 10:9 There's not much agreement on whether he called her or she called him that night, but one thing they know without a shadow of a doubt is who called them to be together. It was God. Exactly 12 days after Bethel met Austin, God spoke to her saying that Austin would be her husband but she's not to pursue him in any way. "Be still." God confirmed His word to Bethel but she wanted to be certain so she asked for three specific signs. And she waited 12 days, in peace. She waited and watched as the signs began to unfold. The first sign came the day after she prayed for signs. Austin would send her a direct message. The second came 7 days later. Austin would hold her hand in a nonromantic way. The third, and the culmination of all her prayers, came during a phone call on February 28, 2023. Austin would ask her on a date. Bethel did not pursue Austin. She didn't propose they be romantically involved. In fact, she told him it was alright that they were just friends, even though friends of theirs thought they should be a couple. But then God spoke to Austin, telling him that Bethel would be his wife and together they would accomplish great works for the Kingdom of God. And that He would reveal another side of Himself to Austin through the covenant of marriage. That was the promise of God. On that phone call, Austin explained all of this to Bethel. And then he asked her on a date. And that sealed the deal.

I, Bethel, somehow did not see it coming. At all. Austin and I have been talking about marriage since the first week of dating so it was going to be pretty difficult to catch me off guard. But my man's always up for a little challenge. It's football season and our Lead Pastor, Buddy Thompson, announced Jersey Sunday, where everyone would wear their favorite sports jersey to church. Since dating Austin, I have willingly adopted the Seattle Seahawks as my beloved team. So I borrowed a Seahawks jersey from a friend named Ashley. I also decided I didn't feel like making the effort to do anything with my hair that morning, so I just twisted it and threw it into a bun. Edges undone. I showed up at church and Austin wasn't wearing a jersey but instead an outfit that I had picked out for him at Marshalls one day. We worshiped and heard a message from Pastor Buddy, and as we were walking out, I noticed something was off about Austin. He seemed moody, which made me moody. We went to brunch with some friends where Austin was asked to share his testimony. Reminded me of the first night I met him. Then we went to his nephew's 1-year-old birthday party. At one point, I remember Austin asking me if I wanted to change out of the jersey and I said, "Why?" He didn't really have a good answer so I said, "No, I'm fine." While at the birthday party, he asked me if he could take me somewhere. And I said sure. He wouldn't tell me where, just to follow him in my car. So I did. We ended up at the place where we ended our first date. Libby Hill Park, Downtown Richmond. It was sweet and I imagined we would watch the sunset because it was a beautiful, warm day with clear skies. I thought nothing of it because we had been back to this spot a few times since that first night. So we're laying there on a blanket, the sun beginning to set, and I'm on my phone looking at credit card plans. Yes, completely oblivious to this romantic moment Austin was attempting to create. I could see he was getting irritated so I put my phone down and looked into his eyes as he proceeded to tell me how beautiful mine were. "Ehh, they're pretty average if you ask me." I would not get with the program. Finally, he just kissed me. And then he suddenly looked up and Julie and Geoff and Julie's nieces were behind us. Julie's holding a phone up taking photos. I thought she was just trying to be funny. Even then, I remained completely clueless to what was happening. Finally, Austin asks me to get off the blanket to let the nieces sit. And I kind of refused. "We can all fit on the blanket," I said. At that point, he said, "Bethel, just stand up!" So I did, and he got down. On one knee. And finally, I understood. And for the next several minutes, while Austin read me a letter he'd written asking me to be his wife, I was crying uncontrollable tears of joy. The easiest YES I've ever given. But yes, had I not been in a jersey, hair up, no makeup, and nails undone, I might have been more suspicious. But Austin had favor that day. I was wonderfully surprised. Afterward, we had dinner reservations at Bookbinder's Seafood & Steakhouse. Austin said I wasn't allowed to wear the jersey to dinner. So he drove us to Marshalls, we ran in (literally!), and he picked out and bought a formal dress and some jewelry for me. We both changed in my car. And drove over to the restaurant where we enjoyed the best meal I have ever had in Richmond, paid for by our wonderful family and friends (Geoff, Julie, Daniel and Clarissa). They brought sparkling tea and flowers for us, too, and we dinned over candlelight. It was magical. I wouldn't change a single second of our story. If you've read this far, we know you're a true A+B fan! We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in Dinwiddie!