Well, we all know how it goes. For most of my life (and maybe for a lot of you out there), I considered boys to have a thing called...dun dun dun...COOTIES. Since I was led to believe so, I grew up with very little interactions with guys, aside from family/family friends. However, in the middle of my college experience, my parents decided to flip a switch and told me to be on the lookout for "my life partner." Sigh. I had barely batted an eye at a boy and now I had to find one to marry? TALK ABOUT AWKWARD. Then ensued my journey of finding a life partner. Of course, at this time, I wasn't really concerned about boys and was more focused on my relationship with God, family, and friends. As college came to an end and as I stepped into the workforce, my parents approached me to converse about what they had told me 1-2 years prior. Since I made no strides of my own, my parents decided that they would help on "said" journey. Quite honestly, I couldn't wrap my head around it and struggled with the idea of it. I knew that I wanted to get married, but I knew many prospects of the male population (that I knew of) at that time were not ready for a family. So, I approached the Lord with my concerns. The Lord spoke to me concerning a few things and gave me deep reassurance that I would get married to a wonderful man and that I should trust Him in the journey ahead. I never really told anyone about that, but I kept it deep in my heart. LET ME TELL Y'ALL. For the next 6 years, the journey was extremely rough. Aside from the plethora of personal life experiences, the dating experience was one of the most humbling experiences ever. Though there are so many details I could share about my journey, I will give all of you the gist. In the waiting, I found myself becoming extremely weary and the only solution I found was to find solace in the Lord. Walking with the Lord and following His lead was the only thing that helped me in my dating journey. In fact, clinging to the Lord is the only way to find peace, even when your community/family/friends/loved ones question you and etc. At the end of 2022, I once again experienced exhaustion and frustration in the dating journey. One of my best friends, Rachel K. (shoutout!), told me that she knew a few people that had started a matching/dating service recently and asked me if I would be willing to talk to them. I prayed about it, and felt the Lord say to go forward. Fast forward, in January of 2023, The Secret Place, which consists of Allen G., Jeswin T., and Shanna V. (whoop whoop!), reached out to me for several conversations and presented me with a list of men. They told me names/general descriptions/a picture of each and told me to pray about it. I was unclear on what to do, so I spoke to the Lord about it. GUYS. In my whole dating experience, the Lord was never so clear with a resounding YES. I felt a deep peace and a strong reassurance to continue with a certain prospect. In excitement, I hid what the Lord said in my heart. I let The Secret Place know about my decision and they reached out to Jess to see if he had an interest before we swapped numbers. He said yes.... In February of 2023, Jess reached out and we haven't stopped talking since. :) As we get ready to say "I do" at the altar and walk into a lifelong covenant, please continue to keep us in prayers.

Just about every Indian can relate to my story: finish school, start a career, and then immediately be bombarded with questions about why I'm still single. After several years of striking out on all of the matrimonial websites (Dil Mil, Shaadi, M4Marry, etc.), I was ready to give up on true love. Then, one February afternoon, I received a text and picture from my brother regarding a possible "match." I looked at the picture that was sent and, for whatever reason, thought, "I can't let this one get away from me." However, I received her information on Valentine's Day, so I deliberately waited until the day after to reach out to her. After just a few weeks of talking and video chatting, I knew this is who God had planned for me to marry. Looking back, I should've reached out as soon as I got her information. It would've given me the chance to get to know her a day sooner.