Brynnah and my story has God’s fingerprints all over it. He placed this woman in my life at the perfect time—when I was at my lowest—knowing she would be the person to help lead me to Him. I first met my now-fiancé, Brynnah Kirk, in 2016 at Flower Mound High School. We quickly became good friends and spent a lot of time together that summer. But life got busy—or at least what I thought was busy as a teenager—and we lost touch. Even then, I knew there was something special about her. I would still reach out from time to time, but never got a response. Still, I stayed persistent. A few years went by, and I began working and moving all across the state and country. Eventually, at the start of 2021, I had the opportunity to transfer back home. Before that, I had spent a year in New Mexico during COVID, doing nothing but working and partying. I was lost, and my friends and family saw it firsthand. Within a month of being back in DFW, I decided to reach out to Brynnah one last time. This time, I went around the usual texts, calls and messaged her on Instagram. Thankfully, she answered. We went on a dog park date, where we each got to meet our “competition”—her dog Koda, and mine, Layla. Brynnah was the same sweet, lovable, and funny girl I remembered from years before. After that first date, I was convinced—it was only a matter of time before we made things official. We dated for three years, with ups and downs and some unexpected turns along the way. One of those turns was when Brynnah’s sister, Julia, became pregnant with her daughter, Ellie. That moment became a turning point—not just for Brynnah and me, but for both of our families. At the time, we didn’t fully see what the Lord was doing. Looking back now, it’s incredible to think that little Ellie already had quite the evangelism story before she was even born. The pregnancy drove Brynnah and Julia to begin attending church at The Porch at Watermark in Dallas. I watched as Jesus began to move in Brynnah’s life. I would go with her and participate, but my heart wasn’t fully in it—I was there more to please her than to know God. Over time, that began to create tension. Brynnah had a growing desire for me to truly know the Lord, not just go through the motions. In November 2024, we made the difficult decision to step away from the relationship so we could each pursue God individually. That season changed everything. Through intentional time in church and in community, I began to understand who Jesus really is. In February, after a lot of prayer and time apart, we decided to try again. This time, everything was different. Our relationship—with each other and with the Lord—grew rapidly. In May, I gave my life to Christ. Over this past year, I’ve learned to love Brynnah the way Christ loves me. That has changed everything. It’s opened my eyes to what it truly means to build a life together. She makes me a better man every day. She’s there for me when I’m down, and she continually points me back to the Lord. I couldn’t ask for a better partner, and I’m beyond grateful that God brought us back together—this time with Him at the center.

I met Dakota when I was 15, going on 16. It was my sophomore year of high school, and I was just a teenage girl trying to find my place in the world. During that time, I was searching for attention from my peers and relationships with guys to fill a void I felt inside. I found myself at a lot of parties, surrounded by the wrong crowd. One of my closest friends at the time introduced me to Dakota. From the very first time we hung out, I had the biggest crush on him. He drove a black Camaro, listened to 90’s alternative rock, and had these big, beautiful blue eyes that could stop you in your tracks. Any 15-year-old girl would have fallen for it! I remember thinking there was something different about him. We grew close that year, but eventually drifted apart. God still had work to do. The next four years were filled with a lot of hidden sin that brought darkness into my life. At the time, I didn’t have the eyes to see it, but I was slowly wasting away internally. I developed serious anxiety that sometimes left me debilitated and hopeless. I turned to the wrong things for relief. In 2020, I experienced a traumatic event that brought me to rock bottom. In my continued search for comfort through unhealthy relationships, I found my way back to Dakota. This is where Romans 8:28 became real in our story. Our relationship didn’t begin in a healthy or Christ-centered place, and my heart was far from where it needed to be—but God, in His grace, knew the story He was writing and how He would redeem it. Dakota had just moved back to the Flower Mound area, and we decided to meet up at a dog park. It had been four or five years, but it felt like no time had passed. Within minutes, we were laughing hysterically, making fun of the dogs running around us. From that day on, we were inseparable. We became best friends and did everything together. Our relationship had many ups and downs—we were both messy, just trying to love each other the best we knew how. We started going to The Porch at Watermark with my sister, Julia. Around December 2023, something began to shift in my relationship with God. As I walked alongside my sister through an unplanned pregnancy, I began to see God differently—not just as a distant figure displeased with my actions, but as a loving Father who was present in every detail of my life. I was just as precious as this baby girl my sister was carrying. I fell in love with Jesus—His Word, His grace, and the way He completely transformed my identity. In June 2024, I was baptized at Watermark Church in Dallas, with Dakota there to witness it. I was still learning what it meant to truly follow Jesus—and I still am. While Dakota said he believed in God, that belief hadn’t yet become a life-changing encounter with His love. That season became one of the most challenging and heartbreaking times in our relationship. I struggled deeply with control and wrestled with what to do. We weren’t connecting on the same level anymore, and it felt like he couldn’t understand such a huge part of my life. By November 2024, it became clear that I needed to step away and trust the Lord. God brought me to a place of surrender where I genuinely wanted new life for Dakota—even if it didn’t include me. More than anything, I wanted him to know Jesus. And because you’re reading this, you probably know how the story continues. Dakota began seeking the Lord—not to please me, but to find truth and peace for himself. Men at TVC stepped in and walked alongside him, pulling up a chair for him at the table. In May 2025, I had the incredible privilege of watching Dakota publicly declare his faith through baptism. Over the past year, we’ve pursued each other with Christ at the center, and it has been the most beautiful, real, and life-giving experience. I am so incredibly thankful to God for the gift He has given me in Dakota. He was a gift in the beginning—one I had to surrender back to God—and in His goodness, He returned that gift tenfold. Thank You, Jesus.