Our story is one that demonstrates the goodness, love, and faithfulness of God. After both experiencing challenging seasons before meeting one another, we individually allowed God to heal and make us whole. Serving alongside one another on our church’s worship team for about a year and knew each other as a church family. Little did we know, we would soon become much more... Shawniece caught the eye of Raphael and captured his heart with her delicious cheesecakes as he became an eager new customer. But it wasn’t the cheesecakes that drew him in. It was her classy and graceful presence, her beautiful voice, and the way she parented and cared for her son. One faithful day in June 2024, Raphael took a chance and asked Shawniece out for lunch/brunch. In true Shawniece fashion, she told him that she would need to pray about it first. Raphael agreed to wait for her answer. As she did with every potential mate during her single season, she asked and depended on the Lord to guide her decisions when getting to know a guy. She asked the Lord to move any man out of her path who is not from the Lord. History has proven God’s faithfulness in doing just that. Little did she know, Raphael was praying his own prayer while waiting for a response from Shawniece. One week had passed. Then two. After patiently waiting and becoming unsure if he would get an answer or not, he asked the Lord “If she is not for me, please tell her No”. This was about the same time that Shawniece felt an internal pressure to give an answer. After encouragement from a mutual friend, Shawniece agreed to tell him yes. While still waiting, Raphael sent bereavement flowers to Shawniece and that led to a yes form Shawniece. They talked everyday until their first date 2 weeks later. The first date was EPIC and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Along with salvation and the birth of her son, Raphael has “quickly become one of the best things to have ever happened to her” as well as “the love of her life”. A man “so loving, so patient, so gentle”…Raphael has proven to be “an extension of God’s love” for Shawniece. Her heart has “never felt so safe”. Raphael describes Shawniece as his “best friend, one of his biggest supporters, the woman called along side him to fulfill Gods purpose, the woman he wants to nurture his children, and the woman who makes him want to give her the world.” Much more than fleeting feelings of infatuation with one another, their love and union has been marked and confirmed by God over and over. They are beyond excited about their lives together and adding to their story.