Our story is proof that God’s plans and timing are perfect. Meeting each other for the first time at Biola University back in 2009, neither of us could have predicted the journey our relationship would follow. We met when Ali started hanging around a group of lacrosse players in college that just so happened to include David. Ali’s interests were focused elsewhere at the time, but eventually realized there might be some feelings developing for David. In typical fashion, David was a bit oblivious at first but came around to the idea of taking her on a date. That first date included mini golf, frozen yogurt, and Wendy’s - very classy. After dating for some time in college, life took us our separate ways and David moved to Bellingham, WA while Ali moved to Seattle about a year later to start her kindergarten teaching career. We kept in touch throughout the years, but struggled to understand if there was a real future for our relationship. David ended up taking a software sales job in Seattle a couple years later, and during a period where we had stopped keeping in touch, God’s providence prevailed. David pulled up at a local coffee shop looking to pass time before meeting his new prospective roommates (another amazing God story for another day). As he sat down with coffee in hand, in walked Ali! Unbeknownst to David, this coffee shop just so happened to be the regular meeting place for Ali and her friends. Even despite the clear evidence of God’s presence and provision, it took time for us to begin dating again, and even more time (5+ years!) for us to decide to enter into marriage. At times, that waiting for clear direction about our future was painful. But as 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” God wanted to do a work in our hearts to draw us closer to Him before granting our heart’s desire for marriage. Our lives as individuals and as a couple are firmly centered on our desire to glorify God and make His love known to the world around us. We are so excited to enter into marriage with this shared purpose as our foundation, believing that we can bring more glory to God as husband and wife than we can on our own. We believe God started a good work in us and will continue that good work as a married couple (Philippians 1:6). We hope our story encourages those whose life hasn’t gone the way they planned, who are looking for hope, or who need to be reminded that God is WITH us and is FOR us. As Lamentations 3:22 and 25 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness…The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”