M & A

We first met in eighth grade — though “met” might be a stretch, since we barely talked. Abby was convinced Max was way too confident (and maybe a little rebellious) to ever be someone she would date. Still, she couldn’t help but notice that he was an undeniably impressive athlete, fearless, and hilarious… even if his jokes didn’t always have the right timing. She admired that he never cared what anyone thought of him. Max, on the other hand, thought Abby was the classic teacher’s pet — intelligent, sweet, confident, outgoing, and (in his words) “pretty,”— but he didn’t think much about dating her back then. After high school, life took us in different directions. Abby joined Alpha Delta Pi at Missouri State University, and Max headed to MidAmerica Nazarene University on a golf scholarship. We both enjoyed our independence and spent most of freshman year single. Max insists he tried to “make moves” on Abby during that time… Abby swears she has absolutely no memory of this. (The jury’s still out on who’s right!) It wasn’t until the summer of 2024, when we were both back home in Carthage, MO, that something shifted. Abby suddenly found herself drawn to Max and started little conversations here and there. After a casual golf “date” in July, Abby was awestruck. Max, however, didn’t follow up for a couple of weeks, leaving Abby wondering if maybe God was closing that door. But as it turns out, God had other plans (doesn’t He always?). Once the fall semester started, Max came to his senses (as Abby likes to say) and reached out again. Our first real date in Springfield ended with a kiss — and in that moment, Abby knew in her heart that she wanted to marry him. Max didn’t waste much time either; on our second date, September 6th, he officially asked her to be his girlfriend. From there, everything just clicked. We’ve built our relationship with the Lord at the center, and with each step, our love has only grown deeper. The timing, the second chances, the joy — it’s impossible not to see God’s hand in our story. Every day we thank Him for bringing us back to each other at just the right time, and now we can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together side by side — Max still making jokes at questionable times, Abby rolling her eyes but laughing anyway, both of us cheering each other on, praying together, and always keeping God at the heart of it all.