It was the summer of 2023, and the youth had journeyed to the breathtaking lands of Zion National Park. On our very first hike, my eyes were drawn to a black cowboy hat that seemed to glow beneath the sun. Beneath it was a face I recognized, one that belonged to a boy from the media team at the NCC conferences. That same day, he had asked if I’d slept well. Half-asleep, I hadn’t answered quickly, and a quiet guilt lingered in my heart for not having been kinder. Still, something deep within nudged me toward the boy in the cowboy hat. On the final day, just after our group picture, a moment shimmered before me like fate offering its hand. I gathered every ounce of courage from my shy spirit and walked toward him. “I like your cowboy hat,” I said, softly, a smile blooming on my lips. He turned with surprise, glancing around as if unsure this was real until a wide, radiant grin spread across his face, like he had just won a treasure he never expected. We talked gently as we walked toward the shuttle that would carry us to the Narrows. I found myself sitting alone, my cousins already paired off, and noticed he, too, was alone. Then came his voice, tender and warm: “Can I sit with you?” he asked, already settling beside me as I nodded. And from that moment on, God placed us side by side on the shuttle of life, guiding us to know each other more deeply until, in time, we found ourselves together.