OUR STORY By Brydon (please talk to Mina for her version) 🎁 BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! Mina’s from New York. I’m from Missouri. We met in Germany on Christmas day, 2013. I was there doing shows with my family and Mina was traveling with a gospel choir. We “just happened” to be performing at the same Christmas festival for one night only. I saw her sing that night and said, leaning over to my brother, “I’m gonna marry that girl.” 🐘 THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mina comes from an Apostolic Pentecostal background. Mina is African-American, I’m…clear. Mina is from the East Coast, I’m from the Midwest. There are a lot of differences between us. We both knew that on December 25, 2013. But, we still felt compelled to continue—to text, to call, to FaceTime (for 8 hours at a time), to meet in Nashville, then St. Louis and then multiple trips back and forth between Branson and Newburgh. For 5 years we long distanced this thing. We fasted and prayed. We took sabbaticals from one another. It took a long time, but we’re finally starting to comprehend more of what the Lord is trying to do in and through us. 🌉 A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER We don’t have all of the answers, but we trust God. We have learned that there is purpose in the “divide” in our faiths and cultures. We have learned that Mina and I—and all of us—have a lot more in common than all our differences, which is why we feel a unique calling to be bridge builders for the Kingdom of God. 🚀 TO INFINITY AND BEYOND We wouldn’t necessarily recommend our path to the youth we pastor or to our kids or to anyone else. Our journey is OUR journey. BUT we would recommend following God’s voice no matter where it leads. His voice has led us here and we couldn’t be happier—no matter how unorthodox it may seem. We praise Him for His goodness in bringing and keeping us together. From Missouri to New York to Germany and beyond—we can’t wait to see where He takes us next!