When the clock struck midnight… Joseph's friends sat on his couch boycotting to leave his home until he made a dating app profile. Since being a "bi-annual dater" (aka maybe going on 1 date with a girl every other year) was his reputation, his friends were serious about their refusal. With low expectations and a need for sleep, he finally gave in. 12 hours later he opened the app and a girl named Brooke liked his response to the prompt, "I will brag about you to my friends if you..” in which Joseph responded, “actually love Jesus." Brooke had a rule to only like guys that mentioned their relationship with Jesus directly in their profile so Joseph made the cut and so began their first conversation… Joseph asked Brooke to meet him for a coffee after church that week. When the day came, Joseph showed up on his motorcycle 10 minutes early and Brooke showed up flustered 20 minutes late. Sitting by the window of Second State Coffee shop with the hustle and bustle of the city on a Sunday afternoon turning into white noise, Brooke and Joseph had a very average and unimpressive first date. With an awkward side hug goodbye, the two parted ways unsure if they would ever meet again. Although they both admit they knew they were the type of person each other wanted to be with, they were uncertain if there was a spark between them. After a few hours went by, Joseph texted Brooke out of the integrity of his heart and lack of dating experience that he wasn’t sure if they would be a good match or not, but he would like to go on a second date if she’d be willing. Both Joseph and Brooke had always been told to go on second dates, even if the first was average and unimpressive, so Brooke agreed with his uncertainty but accepted the chance at a second date. Thanks to Elizabeth and Keri, Joseph started pulling some moves and his uncertainty changed into a charming pursuit. With a few weeks passing between the first and second date, the two began finding every reason to talk to each other. Sending 5 paragraph text messages, daily photos, and hours long phone conversations, this seemed to be going somewhere. The second date went much differently, and the sparks kindled. As their interest in one another grew, so did the time they spent together. On one occasion early on in their dating relationship the couple spent most of the day at Mepkin Abbey, a peaceful public park nearby Charleston, SC. This is where Brooke says she fell in love with Joseph and became confident in her desire to be with him. From Colorado to Tuscany, the two have begun exploring life as a couple. It has become evident that they are better together and marvel at the way they compliment one another. On May 11th sitting on the same bench they spent the day at in Mepkin Abbey last fall, Joseph asked Brooke if she would marry him and Brooke exclaimed, "absolutely yes!" Brooke and Joseph have confidence that the love they've been given is a gift from the Lord and they want to share the celebration with others. They are excited to foster a deeper love for one another and their Savior, Jesus Christ, as He scripts marriage into their story on November 23rd, 2024.