It was a beautiful Tuesday evening when Joseph was attending his local church’s college/ young adult group. Generally, at the beginning of these weekly gatherings there are announcements, news, and introductions for any new attendees. It was at this time, he looked over to his right as the most beautiful girl in the world stood up to introduce herself to everyone. As she was speaking, he thought to himself, “wow she sure is pretty”. After the evening was over, as everyone was leaving, he made a quick exit to be sure to go up to her on the way out and say hello, welcome her, and give her a handshake. (A handshake that still plays over in his mind when he holds her hand today, but now he does it in a different way. A way of love.) After introducing himself, they said goodbye and he hoped to see her next week to talk to her again in hopes to get to know her more. But when the next week came around, she had to leave early and he did not get the chance he wanted to talk to her. Then, she stopped going to the group and it seemed that it would not happen as he had hoped. As time went on, they saw each other around church sometimes and said hello, but weren’t really able to have a conversation together until about a year later when Sarah was helping a young man find a roommate and their friend Mark Padilla connected them in a professional setting to discuss the situation. They talked at her job with the young man, and after meeting him, Joseph and Sarah got a chance to sit down together where Joseph tried to impress her by showing her the potential living space in the home that he lives in and pays his own mortgage in. He later found out that after that interaction she discussed with her friend that if Joseph were to ever ask Sarah out, she would say yes. But alas, again the opportunity seemed to slip away and they did not see each other again until a little over 2 months later, at a different church gathering of young adults. As the evening was coming to a close, Joseph and Sarah got a chance to say hello again, and catch up. As they were standing there and talking with each other, Sarah asked Joseph if they wanted to sit together and continue talking, which ended up being a longer and more personal conversation about themselves. That evening Sarah had come with a friend and her friend was ready to go. Which of course meant it was time for her to leave as well. As Joseph and Sarah stood up, he said that he would like to continue to talk to her more about their conversation and suggested getting a coffee together. To which Sarah replied “are you asking me on a date?”. He said “yes”. And she agreed. He then gave her a fist bump and they both said goodbye for the night. That was on Sunday, February 4th. The next day he texted her and officially made plans to get together. On Tuesday, the 6th they went on their first date. And then they went on another. and on the night of their 3rd date, he asked her to be his girlfriend. On April 17, he told her he was in love with her. She said she was in love with him too. And on July 21st he proposed. On November 30th, they will be married and will be looking forward to spending their lives together with love for each other and for God, who brought them together. ❤️

In January of 2023 I started attending a young adults group at our church. During my first visit I was asked to get up and introduce myself. I remember standing up and sharing my name and one fun fact about myself. Joseph stood out to me because he was looking at me and smiling. I thought his smile was nice. Later as I was walking to my car he came up behind me because he was also heading out. He introduced himself to me and we parted ways for the night. I remember leaving that night and thinking, "That guy likes me". But at the time I was not anywhere near interested. I was finishing up my last semester at school and was focused on finishing strong and to be honest I was content in my singleness. I attended this young adults group again but had an emergency with a friend and had to leave early. I decided after that time that this group just wasn't going to work for me. I was busy and I also just felt a little to old. So I didn't talk to Joseph again for a while. We went to different services and at times I saw him from a distance. At some point that spring Kevin Lockwood (a dad figure in my life) mentioned that there was this guy in his bible study named Joseph and that he was a nice guy. I said, "Oh yeah, I know Joseph." and basically proceeded to tell him that I wasn't interested. Fast forward to November 2023...I had a client at work that was looking for a place to live. I reached out to our church to see if anyone might have a room. They got back to me with Joseph's number and said to reach out to him. I texted him and we ended up meeting professionally at my work twice. He got to meet this client and after the second time we talked for a little bit after the client left. When he left that second time I walked away and thought, "if he ever asked me out on a date I would say yes." I had learned that we were the same age and he seemed like a nice guy and someone I would want to get to know a little better. Fast forward again to February 4th, 2024...our church started a new fellowship group for adults ages 25-35 and I decided to try it out. I noticed that Joseph was there and at the end of the night I went over to say hi. We started talking and I asked if we could sit down. We sat and talked the rest of the night. He shared his testimony with me and shared a bit about the evangelism he was doing. At some point I looked around and realized that everyone was pretty much gone and mentioned that we should head out. We stood up and Joseph said, "Hey, I really enjoyed talking to you, I would love to get to know you better and hear your testimony. Would you be down to get some coffee?" I looked at him and said, "Are you asking me on a date?" He said, "Oh, ummm, yes, I guess I am." We laughed and I told him I'd love to go on a date with him. And he won't let me forget that he said, "Ohhh yeahhh" and gave me a fist bump before we left. We went on a few dates over the next couple weeks and on February 20th, 2024 he asked me to be his girlfriend! We dated for a total of 5 months and 1 day before he asked me to marry him on July 21, 2024. I never would have guessed in January this year that by the end of the year God would bring me a man that loved me despite all of my flaws and imperfections. And I definitely didn't imagine that I would meet and marry this man in less than a year. I am beyond thankful for Joseph, I am thankful for how he loves me, pursues me, encourages me, and points me to the Lord. I am thankful that the Lord has blessed me with him and us with each other and I am excited for our marriage and to see how the Lord is going to use us for His glory.