Kylon and Olivia met when Olivia was on a temporary assignment in Food Service at Patterson Bethel, where Kylon had just arrived as a "new boy." Olivia worked in the kitchen, and Kylon in the dining room. They didn’t cross paths much during the workday but were part of the same group that enjoyed playing ping pong during lunch and after work. Although neither of them remembers the exact moment they first met, they both recall their very first conversation. One afternoon, the entire kitchen crew was busy with end-of-day tasks when Kylon walked in, looking for his coordinator. As he glanced around, he saw everyone scrubbing floors and sanitizing work areas. Then there was Olivia, sitting on the corner of a table casually swinging her legs. Worried that Kylon might think she was being lazy and unhelpful, she quickly said, “I promise I’m working.” She wasn’t lying—her job was to apply pressure to the newly superglued leg of the table so it could properly cure in place. If only they knew where this introduction would take them.

Over the next few years, Kylon and Olivia remained good friends. While some friends came and went, they were a constant presence in each other's lives. During this time, Bethel went into lockdown. Although they didn’t keep in touch much one-on-one, they enjoyed spending time together in group settings, sharing in the ministry on Zoom, or playing Among Us, Codenames, and other quarantine activities. Eventually, it was deemed safe for Bethelites to leave for vacation. Whenever Kylon spent any of his vacation time in the area, Olivia was there. If his family came to visit, Olivia was there too. Finally, when Bethel was no longer under lockdown and everyone was free to socialize locally, guess where Kylon went first? 220 Walsh Ave, of course—Olivia’s apartment. Kylon’s brother, Nolan, was soon thereafter accepted to Wallkill Bethel. From that point on, Kylon and Olivia began spending even more time together, as Olivia and Nolan had grown close during the early morning service groups during the pandemic. As their friendship strengthened, it became apparent to those around them that there might be something more. Kylon, along with his friends, would visit Olivia’s family from time to time. Friends and family frequently asked Kylon or Olivia if there was anything going on between them. Kylon would say, "Definitely not." Olivia would respond, "Not yet, but I hope so."

Time went on, and eventually Kylon and Olivia got caught up in their own lives. Kylon was busy with his new assignment in the Art Department, and Olivia was enjoying her new role in Tours at Wallkill. After several months of both of them doing their own thing and not keeping in touch, Kylon realized he couldn’t live his entire life without knowing if there could be something more with Olivia. So in December 2023, he reached out to her and respectfully asked for a conversation. To Olivia, this seemed completely out of the blue, but Kylon had been contemplating it for quite a while. They met at Wallkill, and after catching up, Kylon expressed his feelings for her. Olivia ended the conversation with, “This is a lot of information. Can I have some time to think about this?” Kylon, of course, agreed. Then to his surprise Olivia asked, “Do you want to play ping pong?” Kylon was completely shocked and confused—after what had just happened, she wanted to play ping pong? Nevertheless, he said yes, and the two of them met up with Nolan and some other friends for a game. They both went home that night riddled with anxiety. This was just the beginning of various conversations over the next month. Eventually, on January 24, 2024, they met at the Fishkill Starbucks and decided to begin their courtship. They then immediately went on their very first date next door at the Red Line Diner. The rest is history.

Here’s the thing: in the early stages of planning, Kylon thought this would be easy. However, Olivia is smart (sometimes a little too smart), which made his plans more challenging than he had anticipated. But Kylon wasn’t worried—he had an amazing team of family and friends to help him pull off a memorable surprise for Olivia. Under the guise of having dinner in Jon and Brenda Jaime’s room (thank you both, by the way), Kylon led Olivia up to the Patterson kitchen to grab a few last-minute items. What Olivia didn’t know was that the team had been decorating the kitchen for hours before she arrived and had created a beautiful path for her to walk down, leading her to the very spot where she and Kylon had their first ever conversation. When they reached that spot, Kylon got down on one knee, and after Olivia managed to contain her nervous laughter, she said yes to spending the rest of her life with him. Kylon then walked with her to the Bethel lounge, where their family and friends were anxiously waiting to yell “Surprise!” They all celebrated and enjoyed dinner as a group.