In October, Olivia decided to “try going on a few dates in NYC” and signed up for two dating apps shortly after her birthday trip to the city. With no expectations—and certainly no plan for what might happen if a date actually went well—she set out to see what the Big Apple had in store.
 After a handful of uninteresting and inconsequential interactions on Hinge, Olivia sent her first—and only—“like” to Sam on Upward, a new Christian dating app. He responded within minutes, and immediately made plans to meet.
 They met at the World Trade Center the next day on October 22nd around 9:30 p.m. After losing track of time at World Spa in Brooklyn (whoops), Olivia arrived to the date makeup-free—an unplanned but confident move that somehow made the night even better. What began as a simple first date turned into more than 24 hours together, and by Day 2, Sam was already introducing Olivia as “his wife” to colleagues at Stevens Institute of Technology—a declaration made in confidence, well before it was official. Olivia didn’t correct him. Over the next 24 consecutive days, they continued spending time getting to know one another—asking hard questions, being deeply intentional, and approaching marriage seriously from day one. For most people, going from dating to engaged to married in under three months might seem impossible. For Olivia and Sam, the pace has felt exactly right. Sam visited Portland for the first time over Thanksgiving, where the entire Serrill family quickly fell in love with him too. It became clear that plans for engagement and marriage were no longer “someday,” but very soon. Sam aka “Kofi” says Olivia is perfect for him, and Olivia says Kofi checks every box—and that God has been preparing her whole life for this moment. They are deeply grateful, believing God has faithfully answered their prayers by bringing their paths together in His perfect timing.