We’re getting married !!!!

Brenda’s side : I promise, I was just minding my own business, juggling commuting, pioneering, and work. Dating? Not even on my radar. But everything changed in September 2023. I met Deechan at the shipping dock of Tuxedo Bethel. For six months, it was just "hi" and "bye"—seriously, we were pros at the casual wave. While I didn’t like him romantically at first, I absolutely loved his cheerfulness and work ethic. Fast forward to a mutual friend’s gathering where we finally had a real conversation. Without realizing it, Deechan hit all the right notes. He mentioned how he didn’t want to just coast in his congregation and wanted to do more for Jehovah. He had even applied to help a congregation in Washington Heights and was eagerly waiting for their call. Brownie points?I loved this because he was doing it for himself and Jehovah, not to impress anyone else. We started hanging out at more gatherings, and I began to realize I liked him. (His cupcakes may have played a role, just saying haha). One day at work, I saw him and got so excited that I gave him the biggest, goofiest smile ever. So embarrassing! But even though I liked him, no way was I confessing my feelings—no way, José! So, I prayed to Jehovah. This was a prayer I’d been holding off because I know Jehovah answers all our prayers. I told Jehovah that there was something about Deechan I wanted to get to know better but wasn’t sure what. That same day, I asked a sister how you know if someone is "your person." She said, "When you know, you know." I thought, "What in the world does that mean?" I wouldn’t be asking if I knew what I was supposed to know! So, I quickly took out my phone and made a list of qualities I’d observed in him. To my surprise, I came up with a good number of qualities and some questions about his goals if I ever got the chance to talk to him. That same night, I got lost in Bethel. I called Deechan and said, "Hey, I’m not sure how to get back to the parking lot. Can you guide me over the phone?" He replied, "No, I’ll come get you." I insisted he just tell me, but he ran down five flights of stairs to rescue me. He tried to play it cool like he wasn’t hyperventilating and walked me to my car like a gentleman. It was hilarious! Before I left, he said, "Not sure if I’m reading this wrong, but I want to get to know you, court you—whatever they call it these days." Although I liked him, I asked, "WHY? Why do you want to go out with me?" He said, "When I’m with you, I’m just so happy and I want to keep feeling that way." Little did he know, I felt the same. Now I get it. It’s hard to explain, but you’re just so excited to be with this person. It’s like an aha moment! There’s a deep sense of comfort, joy , excitement. It can’t be put into words, but now I finally understand when they say, "When you know, you know." I can’t wait to keep getting to know you along with our dear father Jehovah, as a threefold cord. -B

I was simply dropping off some pallets at the Tuxedo dock. As I was doing that, two sisters came to the dock with a pallet and asked me where they should put it. I said they could just leave it there and I’d take care of it. Afterward, I introduced myself as Deechan, and she introduced herself as Brenda. Her friend said her name was Victoria. Now, I wasn’t interested in any of those sisters, though I did think Brenda was cute. But I wasn’t planning on pursuing anything. For the next six months, whenever we ran into each other, our conversations lasted no more than two minutes. It was simply, “How you doing?” and “Good to see you,” followed by “Have a great day.” It wasn’t until mid-February that a mutual friend invited both of us over to hang out for dinner. That’s when I saw how cool Brenda was. She was fun, hilarious, and frankly, just a breath of fresh air. But even then, I wasn’t interested enough to pursue her. The next day, while working at the Warwick dock, she approached me and asked if I was free for a dance party. I said I might have plans already but she could text me the information anyway. So, we exchanged numbers, and she sent me the invite. I told her I couldn’t go but invited her to my place for cocktails and food with some of my friends. Surprisingly, she came. This cocktail party was on a Friday. As I was in the kitchen making drinks and serving food, Brenda was the only one who repeatedly and regularly thanked me for all the work I did. It made me feel appreciated! As the gathering continued, I got to know her a bit more and saw how awesome she was. She didn’t stick to herself, she wasn’t clingy to one person, and she made an effort to talk to everyone—a very attractive quality. It’s safe to say that my interest was now piqued. But it wasn’t until the end of the night when she asked if she could host her friends in my room the following Friday. Then she said the magic words, “I’m going to cook for you!” All the alarms in my head went off, and I thought to myself, “I need to marry this girl!!” That’s when the prayers started happening because I wanted Jehovah’s perspective and his opinion on whether or not I should pursue her. I specifically asked for signs to see if she was actually interested. And sure enough, throughout the week, her expressions showed that she was excited to see me. The best was when she gave me the cheesiest smile in the world! So cute. We had been texting and calling a lot since then. At this point, I really liked her, but told Jehovah that I would ask her out after the special and Memorial, in mid/late February. When she and her friends came over that Friday, I was her sous chef, and we both just had a blast cooking for everyone. The very next morning, I knew I had to ask her out immediately. So, I began to pray a lot more and asked Jehovah if I could ask her out in person. And sure enough, on Monday after our Bethel family Watchtower study, she called and said that she was lost. Haha, worked for me! So, I hustled down five stories, completely out of breath, and walked her to her car. As we walked, I then asked her out. I had never been so nervous in my life! We talked for two hours after that. She said she’d think about it. The very next day, she said yes! - Deechan

D: I would have to say it was before we started dating and before I was interested in Brenda. It was the day I was her sous chef. She was teaching me to make homemade tortillas and I was responsible for chopping the veggies. Just us working together to create an amazing meal was just a fun time. I was reminded of how much fun we had that day when we made homemade tortillas again 9 months later. I’ll never forget that day B: Warning all our answers will include food !! Just saying So for me I've never been a fan of doughnuts 🍩 because I always thought all doughnuts tasted like Dunkin' Donuts. (I know, I know, I was wrong. And if you like Dunkin', my bad! 😂) Anyway, Deechan loves doughnuts because, according to him, California has some of the best doughnuts (I need to see if that's true). So, we're in Chicago and we decide to buy a dozen just for us from a fancy hole-in-the-wall doughnut shop called Doughnut Vault. Seriously, 10/10, highly recommend! We just pigged out and tried ALL 12. It was a blast. I know it's cheesy, but it was so much fun for me! I guess you could say we went on a "dough-lightful" adventure. 😄🍩 🙈

D : It’s gotta to be our first family worship together. We were enjoying a meal, but in bethel we keep the door open. And who decides to chime in ?! Brother Losch, he just chit chatted with us for a few minutes, made a couple of jokes then left! Our first chaperone. Wish we could have recorded that moment so we can live it again. B: Yes you should of seen our faces !! Lol 🤣 One of my favorite memories with Deechan is from his special talk in March. It was the first time I got to hear him give a talk, and I was absolutely blown away by how amazing he was! But the funniest part was when a video started playing. We locked eyes while he was on stage, then I winked at him and he completely blushed—it was so cute. He looked so flustered and didn't know what to do with himself. For the rest of his talk, he avoided looking at me to keep his composure! 😂 I love supporting his talks and seeing him shine on stage. It's moments like these that make our time together so special. ❤️

D: You know what?! It was probably when we went to the Goku kitchen! I'm a well-known nerd, and Brenda definitely has a coolness factor that I'll never catch up to. But the fact that she let me nerd out and even joined in on the geeking with our friends made that meal extra special! The food was great, but the experience I had with her was unforgettable. It's moments like these that make our time together so meaningful. B: So here in NJ/NY, I haven’t found any good taco places, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and started making them myself. I found a fish & shrimp taco recipe but, of course, had to add my own twist. When D had them for the first time, I watched him take his first bite, and his eyes rolled back like he had just discovered the meaning of life. We couldn’t stop laughing! 🤣 I lost count of how many he ate, but seeing him so happy made it all worth it. Now, we have a hilarious game where we watch our friends try my tacos and see their reactions. It’s like our own version of a food reality show, and let me tell you, the reviews are in – these tacos are legendary! That’s why I love to make these for him 🥰

D: I Love how much she just loves people! To the point where she would sacrifice her time and energy to assist the friends in her congregation, to be happy to host people she’s never met before, and of course her amazing skills in the ministry! Her Love for Jehovah shines through when she shows Love towards others! How can I not Love that about her B: I recently re-read the list of qualities I had written about D before he even asked me out, and since then, I’ve added so many more. Getting to know the secret person of the heart has been the most beautiful gift for me. While I won’t mess with his street cred, I’ll tell you the main qualities I absolutely love about him 1) his love for Jehovah when there’s an issue, we always turn to Jehovah for help, and that brings so much comfort and strength to our relationship. 2) I adore how grateful he is for everything I do, but most importantly he never forgets to give Jehovah God the credit He deserves . 3) His care for the friends in the congregation and his desire to show love through hospitality warms my heart. And I truly respect how seriously he takes his Bethel assignment I mean 10 yrs that’s amazing ! 4) I also love how transparent he is , there is no guessing of where he’s at & because of that we can be our authentic selves with each other, and that’s truly priceless to me. 5) And if you know D , you know your going to laugh . His jokes remind me to take things lightly and appreciate the little moments we share. 😊 Deechan for me , just equals = happiness ! That’s who he is and he makes me so happy and loved