Her Side of the Story: The first Bonnell to meet Paul was my dad. He met Paul and his brother Philip at Church one Sunday, and went over to their house the following week to visit them. He ended up staying so long at their house, that my mom and I thought he had been kidnapped. The next day, my dad invited Paul to come to the Church to help set up a gigantic army tent in the sanctuary that had been donated for a men's retreat. Paul, with his servant's heart, came to the Church to help set up for the weekend. We officially met in the midst of all the chaos as my dad brought Paul around to meet everyone in the office. I remember being impressed by how willing he was to come and serve when he didn't know anyone there. I also remember noticing how he always had a bright smile on his face. From that point on, I began to see Paul more and more. He would come over to the house to meet with my dad, or come to play board games and hang out. In July, we were able to go on a mission trip together to Cosby, TN. It was here that I really got to know Paul, to see his heart for others and his passion for evangelism. After the mission trip, Paul asked me to get a cup of coffee with him, and the rest is history! His Side of the Story: I was introduced to Rachel on April 9th of 2025 at Immanuel Baptist Church, and I knew immediately that there was something different about her. Her smile was very contagious, and she had the most amazing personality. I like to tell her that I believe that it was love at first sight, because I truly cannot explain how I felt. One of the earliest memories that I remember of Rachel was one afternoon when I was waiting at her front door to get a book. Expecting to see her dad open the door, I was greeted by her beautiful smile. I believe that I called everyone in my family that day to tell them how pretty and amazing she is. I knew very early on that I wanted to make a move. After spending a lot of time together over the summer, and after spending a week together serving on a mission trip, I fell in love with how she pursues the LORD and has such a big heart for others. Everyone who meets her is welcome by a big smile and a special warmth that her presence brings. She has a big heart for sharing the gospel and telling people about Jesus. After we got back from the mission trip, I finally outgrew my fear and asked her out on a date. We spent 3 ½ hours in that coffee shop, and we spent time together just about every day after that. Looking back at our story, we have been able to see the LORD’s faithfulness in how He ordained our steps to each other. I asked her to be my girlfriend on August 28th, and to marry me on December 20th. Every step of the way has been like a dream better than you could ever imagine; some would say a match made in heaven… ;)