We're Getting Married!

Our story together begins at our alma mater, TCU. Though we crossed paths through mutual friends several times in college, it wasn’t until our senior year that we had our first direct conversation with each other. When I (Jake) struck up a conversation with Kiana while out with a few friends, I knew I had to see her again. I immediately invited her to our next fraternity event as my date, and was thrilled and shocked when she said yes! Over the course of the next few weeks, we went on dates and spent more time together around each others’ friends. The more we got to know each other, the more we knew God was building something special between us. On March 20th, we first went to church together for the first time. When I dropped Kiana off afterwards, I was so excited about us that I knew I had to make things official. I texted her right away: “Do you like sushi?” We made plans for dinner that night, but I couldn’t wait. As soon as she got into the car, I asked her to be my girlfriend. Less than two months later, we visited San Diego to meet her family for the first time. We loved going there together so much, it ended up being the first of over 15 trips we’d take. We had our first hike at Torrey Pines as a couple, not knowing that I'd be proposing to her there three and a half years later. One of the funniest moments of that trip was when we had our first “family game night” together with Kiana’s family. We played the game “Do You Know Your Family?” and I got second place despite just having met all of them! In the months following, we graduated from college and each moved to Austin, where neither of us had lived before. We joined a community group together and found a home church, where Kiana truly committed her life to Christ and was baptized, which was one of the most incredible and emotional moments of our relationship. From there, Christ’s presence in our relationship grew exponentially. One of our favorite things we started doing was sending each other our “takeaways”—our daily summaries of how we felt God was speaking to us during our time in the word and in prayer each morning. Soon, we’ll get to talk about our takeaways in-person every morning! Other highlights during our three and a half years together include going to Disneyland with Kiana’s siblings, many amazing birthday and anniversary celebrations, raising Kiana’s golden retriever puppy, Ellie, going on dates at our favorite speakeasy “Here Nor There” or to get ice cream, joining a volleyball league, and trying numerous new activities together (many of which definitely did not stick)! Now, we spend our engagement in Dallas, TX, where we are not just planning a wedding, but are intentionally preparing for a Christ-centered marriage. Our wedding date marks exactly four years since the day I asked her to be my girlfriend in the driveway of her college house. On March 20th, we’ll look back on four years of blessings that came through many peaks and valleys. Speaking of 3/20, early on in our relationship, Kiana’s mom shared Ephesians 3:20 with us—a piece of scripture we look to seal our relationship with for the rest of our lives: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this spiritual union at our wedding surrounded by those we love. This wedding is not the end of our story, but in many ways, it’s only the beginning, and we look forward even more to what the Lord has in store for the future. As we begin our life as husband and wife, we’ll also be moving to San Diego! We’re so excited to see how God will use our family to glorify Him and make disciples of all nations.