I had no idea that the conference where I was serving, would end up serving me all the more. 
 The last session of the conference had just wrapped up, and the night had officially come to an end. But little did I know, I was getting ready for a whole new beginning. She was sitting right behind me that night. I would occasionally look back to see if she was looking at me, or if she saw me looking at her, but her eyes were completely glued to the speaker. After he had finished, I tapped my friend, and asked “Who is that?” With a huge smile, she began to brag on this woman, and her missions work. “Do you want me to introduce you?!”  she said, exuberantly. I told her no, but of course, she did it anyway. I introduced myself, and she did as well. But honestly, I wanted something much more than an introduction. A few minutes go by, and I see Brittany standing all by herself. I walk towards her, my heart feeling like it was about to burst out of my chest. I opened my mouth, barely able to get any words out, and said “Can I have your number?” She responded with a “Sure.” I really couldn’t tell if she was interested in me, at that moment, but I knew that I was interested in her.
 The conference was set to end the next day, and I was ready to make my move. I reached out to her, and asked if we could meet up to “talk about missions.” She said yes, and I was elated! We met, and began to talk, and slowly but surely the conversation began to shift from missions to favorite movies, favorite food, favorite color -- favorite everything. The conversation was so rich. We talked until the restaurant was set to close, and if it weren’t for it closing, I felt like we would’ve kept talking forever. In hindsight, we both agree that this was our first date. The date that would lead to the most memorable date - the date of our union. 


If you had told me at the start of 2020 that by the end of the year I would be engaged, living in a new city, and preparing to build a life with my future husband, I would have asked you if you needed medical attention because clearly something was amiss. The irony in this response is that it completely negates years of prayers and being "re-directed" countless times by God. It didn't take long for Alex and I to recognize there was something special developing between us. We maintained contact after our first few meetings, initially in a professional sense, and then quickly becoming friends. Alex lived in DC and I was still in Charlotte, but due to the pandemic we were both grounded from the travel and activities we would have otherwise been involved in vocationally. This provided unexpected opportunities for us to grow a deeper bond, sharing dreams, fears, laughter and tears while helping each other cope with the uncertainties that came with all the chaos 2020 held. In April, Alex declared his plan to pursue me intentionally. In May, we began alternating visits, one month he would drive to NC, the next I would drive to DC, and on it went. This allowed us to get to know each other's closest friends and families, as well (as best we could with COVID restrictions). Neither of us wanted a long, drawn-out courtship, and in October, I packed up and moved to DC to see what dating in the same city would be like. Little did I know, Alex was already planning to propose, and on November 21, he asked me to be his wife. Of course, there are so many details that won't fit here, but I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the countless ways that God guided us, confirmed and and reaffirmed our calling to journey with one another. There have been so many details that only He could orchestrate, and I am forever grateful to the Lord and to our community supporting us in one of the best decisions we'll ever make.

We are excited to make DC our home for the foreseeable future. Alex plans to continue in his role as Campus Director with Campus Outreach, and Brittany plans to continue working remotely for SIM USA. We look forward to your visits as we begin building our life together!