We both felt called to a summer of service on the Georgia coast for different reasons, having no idea what the Lord had in store for us. Monica was swooned at the first sight of a tall, deep-voiced southern boy with aspirations for the priesthood. Meanwhile, the oblivious Ben was, in fact, just thinking about the priesthood. As we worked to adhere to the dating fast, we found ourselves growing in friendship through our time working together at Sea Island, hanging out with friends, and bumping into one another at our neighboring apartments. By the end of the summer through much individual prayer, discernment, and sincere conversations, we felt ourselves being led to take an unanticipated step. Even with the impending challenges of a long distance relationship, neither one of us could deny where we believed God was leading us. So, after one whole day of dating in person, we began our new normal: long distance dating.

FaceTime and airplanes became our best friends, except, of course, when technology didn’t work as intended and flights were inevitably delayed or canceled… 3 days in a row. Nonetheless, we got to make memories and meet people all over the U.S., and Ben got to go to states he didn’t even know existed. Each monthly trip was a gift we cherished all the more because we didn’t have the simple luxury of living daily life together. Though distance caused plenty of frustrations over two years, it helped us grow in communication, gratitude, and love in ways we may otherwise never have realized.

As we finally live minutes instead of hours apart, we have no idea what we’ll learn and how we’ll grow. But leaning on how His Provision has guided us thus far, we know God will continue to be there every step of the way. We can’t wait to have y’all celebrate the gift of this vocation with us soon!