It all began in the spring of 2023 at a birthday party for Bill’s friend, Morgan. During the celebration, a mutual friend, Rachel, struck up a conversation with Bill, catching up on life. In the middle of their chat, Rachel mentioned a wonderful girl from church that she thought Bill HAD to meet. Intrigued, Bill asked a few questions, and Rachel shared that the girl—Jakelyn—was a teacher spending her summer vacation with her family in Michigan. Rachel promised to arrange a meeting when Jakelyn returned, and Bill agreed to the idea. Meanwhile, Jakelyn had just returned to Georgia in the fall of 2023 with plans to wrap up her time there and move back to Michigan to be closer to her family. She’d made a commitment to herself not to pursue a relationship unless she truly felt it was part of God’s plan. Little did she know, God was already at work. When Rachel reached out about setting up a blind date, Jakelyn felt a sense of peace and decided to say yes. On August 25, 2023, Bill made the journey from Augusta to Athens to meet Jakelyn for their first date—a detail she didn’t know at the time! The date was special not only because it marked the beginning of their story, but because it also happened to fall on the anniversary of Jakelyn’s grandparent’s wedding. It was a beautiful connection that felt like more like fate than coincidence. That first meeting was the start of something neither of them had anticipated but both were ready for—a relationship grounded in faith, trust, and the certainty that they had found something truly meaningful in one another.