Time to say “I do”!

It was the day before New Year's Eve 2018. Bianca & Joseph happened to share a pew at the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. They only exchanged a few words, but it was enough to inspire intrigue. They would spend the next few weeks wondering when they would see each other again. On January 27, 2019, they did.

It was the 4th quarter of the fiscal year and my business needed a boost. When you are down and out, who do you turn to? Yes, God. So I decided to ask the Lord for some help. I showed up in time for the 9:30 am service. Little did I know (since it was my first time visiting the church), there would only be two services that day (8am and 11am) due to the the New Year's Eve Holiday. I decided to wait patiently. Around 10:45 am or so, a flood of people rushed in and started filling up the space in my row. The person seated directly to my left was Bianca. I thought to myself, "She is breathtakingly beautiful but dude, that’s not why you are here! Focus!" We cordially introduced ourselves, exchanged a few words, and I casually mentioned to her that I was interested in joining a church. As service came to an end, I decided to try to beat the church traffic by calling an Uber. As I was confirming my location, I felt a nudge in my side. It was Bianca. I was completely shocked that this stranger was holding me accountable. I told her I wanted to join a church and there was no time like the present. I did not get the chance to thank her on that day, but I spent the next several weeks attending church and sitting in the same seat hoping to find her. On January 27, 2019, we finally ran into each other again. Unbeknownst to her, I had spent the last month looking for her and I was not going to let her get away. I signaled for her to wait for me so I could talk to her. We walked toward the entrance of the church then I walked her to her car. I asked her for her phone number that day, and we went on our first date on February 1, 2019. She remains breathtakingly beautiful to me to this day, and she always will.

The Sunday before NYE 2018 started off like any other Sunday. I arrived at church in time to get one of the good seats; but on this particular Sunday, I ended up seated next to a gentleman I had not seen before. We exchanged a few words before service started, at which time he told me that he was looking for a new church home. The "call to worship" ended our brief exchange. Pre-COVID, it was customary for the congregation to join hands to sing “Sweet Holy Spirit,” a church favorite. I could tell the gentleman was pleasantly surprised that the opportunity to hold my hand had presented itself so soon. I also noticed his smile and how nicely his shoulders filled out his blazer, but I kept my eyes and my mind on the Lord. :) When service ended, an invitation was extended to anyone interested in joining the church. I noticed the gentleman did not move. I gave him a look and a nudge for encouragement—unsure of what his response would be. He looked at me, smiled, and approached the altar. I was moved by this stranger's willingness to consider and trust my opinion. Something told me we would meet again. And we did. On January 27, 2019, in the Church vestibule, the gentleman introduced himself to me as Joe Paul. His smile was infectious, and his confidence was unmatched. I would eventually tell him that the world could call him “Joe”, but I would call him “Joseph.” We exchanged numbers that day, and the rest —as they say— is history.