Lauren and Chris first met in Houston in 2016 when Chris came into town to hear his cousin give a talk at the Kingdom Hall. After the talk, Chris’s cousin introduced the two of them. Chris couldn’t help but notice Lauren right away, and Lauren thought Chris was pretty cute too. Even so, neither of them was interested in starting a relationship at the time, so they decided to simply remain friends. Over the years, their friendship grew as they continued getting to know each other. They shared conversations, laughs, and encouragement, but they still kept things firmly in the “just friends” category because neither of them felt ready for dating or marriage. Eventually, though, something changed. Feelings began to grow between them, making it harder to stay just friends. Wanting to do the right thing and not lead each other on, they made the difficult decision to step back from their friendship. During that time apart, both Lauren and Chris found themselves missing each other more than they expected. Chris had already begun to feel that he wanted to pursue Lauren with the goal of marriage, but he kept those feelings to himself because he knew Lauren wasn’t ready yet. In time, things began to change for Lauren as well. Through prayer and reflection, she came to realize that she actually did want to be married one day. She was still nervous to tell Chris, but one of Lauren’s close friends eventually shared the news with him that Lauren’s view of marriage had changed and that she was now open to dating. Not long after, Chris asked Lauren out to dinner. That night, he shared his sincere intention to date with a view to marriage. Lauren was still a little hesitant, but she decided to take a step of faith and accept his invitation. It turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made. Their friendship blossomed into a beautiful relationship, and today Lauren and Chris are excitedly looking forward to the next chapter of their lives together as they prepare for marriage. 💍