The first day I met Julia at church, I saw her leading worship up front and thought, “Wow, she’s little cute.” But since it was a church, I felt like I had to be careful with both my thoughts and actions. As time went on, I found myself thinking about her more and more. Every time I did, I prayed to God, “If this person isn’t the one, please take these feelings away.” But instead of fading, my thoughts about Julia only grew stronger. Somehow, I kept ending up in situations where I was around her, and as we talked more and more, we naturally opened up to each other—and started a “Thing” that felt a little different from everyone else’s. Then few days later, she said, “Go get your parents’ permission about our relationship.” So I thought we were already together and went all the way to Mexico to tell my parents, “I am meeting someone with marriage in mind.” My parents asked a few questions about Julia and then said, “Why would someone like her date you?”—clearly worried. Later I called Julia and told what happened, and I got scolded—“I told you to get permission, not to announce we’re already dating!” At that point, I was just left thinking, “Wait… what are we, exactly?” and came back to Georgia feeling confused. That very evening, I went for a walk in the park with Julia, and on the way back home, I finally confessed my feelings to her. And that’s when we officially started dating. A month later, during Easter week, my parents came to visit the U.S. still a bit worried, so I introduced Julia to my family. Only then did they finally relaxed and said, “My son! You are doing great!” and they went back to Mexico with a relief and a huge smile!

It was just after the start of the new year in 2025. I had, for the first time in my life, such a severe sore throat that I could barely speak, yet I somehow managed to lead praise that day. Since I stand at the front during worship, I can see where everyone sits and when they arrive. That day, I noticed Hayden walking in from afar, sitting in the center, and beginning the service in prayer. It’s not something you commonly see among young adults these days, so it left a strong impression on me. He also looked so much like an older friend I know who lives out of state that I briefly thought he might just be visiting, haha. The way he worshiped was so full of grace, and I could sense a deep sincerity. But honestly, I was so unwell that day that I didn’t even have the energy to pay him any further attention. A few weeks later, after completing the newcomers’ class, Hayden was assigned to my small group. It was my first time leading a group, so I was full of energy and enthusiasm. Since he was traveling over three and a half hours every weekend to attend church, I felt that if I didn’t take good care of him, he might stop coming. So every time he came, I did my best to look after him. Still, as a group leader, I thought it was important to keep clear boundaries. Towards the beginning of March, there was a time when my heart felt especially heavy. Around then, Hayden and I had started texting, and before I knew it, I found myself wanting to keep the conversation going. So that week, I intentionally didn’t cut off our communication. We ended up talking late into the night, and eventually, even staying on phone calls until early morning. I wondered if I was leaning on him simply because I felt lonely, so I prayed to God: “God, is this person the partner You have prepared for me?” But I still didn’t have certainty. He didn’t match the external qualities I had always imagined. I had hoped to marry someone older with a stable career, but Hayden was younger and still pursuing his aviation studies. Yet the more I prayed, the more my feelings for him grew. Then we discovered that we shared the same prayer topics for our future spouse. From that moment on, the way I saw him began to change. I became convinced that God might use him to bring healing to the wounds I carried. So I prayed again: “Father, if this is the one, please let everything lead to marriage without any obstacles.” In the end, we had our families meet after just six months, registered our marriage after eight months, and today, on the 15th month since we first met, we stand before you to make our covenant of love.

Because we started our relationship with marriage in mind from the very beginning, we began to look at wedding venues just six months in. Meanwhile, I secretly started shopping for a ring behind Julia’s back. I kept wondering, “What kind of ring would look good even on Julia’s short, chubby fingers?” I spent several sleepless nights researching, but nothing felt quite right—so I ended up designing one myself. During the process, there were so many unexpected hurdles. At one point, the diamond I had spent days carefully choosing got damaged, and I had to rush to pick a new one all over again. It was a whole journey just to get the ring ready… But in the end, the surprise proposal I had been secretly planning behind Julia’s back was a HUGE success. Honestly, I feel like I can proudly live with my head held high for the rest of my life!!