because He first loved us.

Ryan and Kai met at their home church; Faith Celebration Fellowship in 2008. Being in the same youth group, they shared many church events and activities where they got to know more about each other. They became close friends after finding out they share the same birthday. They thought it was crazy and weird, but they later realized it might've been God showing off ;) One youth night, Ryan came up to Kai sharing about his “Dragon Ball Z” dream and, to his surprise, found out she, too, was obsessed with it. Since then they “clicked." Ryan would come over to Kai's house in Sylmar to hang out and watch the show together, but that’s not where their story started. They were just friends. Two years later, some church friends decided to do a “Walk-a-thon” together. They would meet every day at 6:30 PM and walk up the Woodley Hill. Kai, being slow and asthmatic, would be left behind, so Ryan initiated to stay back and walk with her. Their friendship deepened as they spent more time together. Little did they know they would develop feelings for each other. Kai was not allowed to date at the time (after college!), so they were not able to pursue dating. Although they knew deep inside they had "feelings' for each other, they went on their separate ways. Within these years, they struggled and went through hardships, lessons, and growth. But through it all, their faith was strengthened and brought them back to their first love, their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Fast-forward to February 15, 2022: they decided to pursue a relationship that was God-centered. Ryan started calling Kae "Kai" (which was also her childhood nickname) as a reminder of God's full restoration. They dated for about a year and soon after, got engaged in March 31, 2023. They never thought they would make it here and it is only through God’s love and grace that they have found true restoration and are able to say "I do." "He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it." - Philippians 1:6