Our Story (From the Groom’s Point of View) ________________________________________ I was good. I always desired a wife and a relationship, but I wasn’t in a rush. I was okay with letting things flow as they came. But a few years ago, the desire to find my person intensified… almost overnight. I was entering my mid-30s and had a deep longing to settle down. So, like any reckless knucklehead, I proceeded to try and orchestrate something in my life that only God could conduct. After several bad dates and failed relationships, I was finally ready to call it quits and let God bring the woman He had for me… in His way. It didn’t take long at all. The day after I made the decision to trust God, I felt Him nudging me to reopen the Facebook dating app that I had just shut down. I was confused and fought the idea for a while, but I gave in. I let God guide my scrolling and was only looking for three things: • She had to have clear signs of a relationship with Jesus Christ in her profile • She had to be classy and beautiful • She couldn’t be more than 2 hours away It didn’t take long at all. After a few swipes, I saw Briana’s profile, and it was a no-brainer. I quickly sent her a message, and we were chatting the very next day. (Bride here! - It was SO very interesting that Nikao and I both had only been back on the app for about 2 days). It was nothing less than a God thing because we clicked almost instantly. After a few weeks of phone calls and endless text messages, I was ready to take the next step—meet up and see if the connection was as strong as I thought. But… Briana hit me with a bombshell that would have been huge for most people looking to build a relationship. She let me know that her Army Reserve unit would be deploying soon and she’d have to go overseas for the next nine months. Surprisingly, that news didn’t phase me at all. There was something about Briana that drew me to her, and I didn’t mind the wait. I proceeded to meet up with her, and over the next four weeks, we went on three dates before she deployed. The connection was even greater than I could imagine. I could see myself marrying this lady! The deployment was probably one of our biggest blessings. During those nine months, we didn’t have all of the normal distractions that a couple would face. We were in completely opposite time zones, so we had to intentionally make time for each other. And because we could only talk on the phone, we were forced to really get to know each other and truly have deep and meaningful conversations. By month three of the deployment, I was shopping for engagement rings. I’ve never been more sure of a decision in my life. God brought Briana and me together, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds.