What started out as a friendship blossomed into something more over time, really like a slow brew. I met Tin when I started attending his church. We became fast friends over our similar foodie tastes (literally food twins) and love of music. Graciously, Tin took a chance on me and let me join the EM Worship Band, where he was serving as worship leader. I was drawn to his love for the Lord and commitment to serving as well as his nature of being very family oriented. It wasn’t for several years that we decided to pursue a relationship, and when we finally did, some challenges were brought into our lives as I moved back to Florida for a season to go back to school and pursue graduate studies. Transitioning to long-distance was far from easy, but it made our relationship stronger. The Lord has since brought me back to Texas where I am finishing up my Master’s degree. We are still long distance, but now it is only a drive rather than a plane ride away :). After all these years, my favorite thing to do with Tin is still serving alongside him on the worship band. Exploring the city, trying out new restaurants and playing Mario Kart are fun too, haha. We look forward to what God has in store for us as we get closer to spending the rest of our lives together, and we look forward to the gathering of family and friends from near and far!

The first time I saw Lizz was when she came to visit our church. I was immediately blown away. I had to get to know her. And I was immediately friend zoned. Ouch. Rejection is painful, and against my better judgment, I suppressed my feelings and became friends with her. It was difficult. But if I'm honest, I wasn't a person worth marrying. Why should I be looking for the right one, when I wasn't even the right one for someone else? The Lord used that season of my life to refine me. I wanted to show Lizz that I loved God, that I took my responsibilities seriously, that I could be a head of the household: a provider and protector. I wanted to be someone worth knowing and marrying. I'm not sure what came over me, but one day, after years of friendship, I mustered up the courage to ask her out on a date. I told her we would be eating sushi. She loves sushi. She said yes. The rest is history. And the work continues. I feel like an impostor sometimes, and I'm still not sure why she chose me. I'll spare you the clichés about being the luckiest man in the world. God is overwhelmingly good, and I cannot thank Him enough.