Samuel and Sydney met in May 2024 in Philadelphia, PA. Sydney had just graduated from Temple University with her bachelor’s degree and was ready to start her new life! (Which meant moving back in with her dad while she financially recovered from five years of school). So, naturally, she did what any wise post-grad would do and begged her father to let her move back home (she didn’t have to beg—he basically begged her). Bored out of her mind in post-grad limbo, Sydney downloaded Upward, a Christian dating app. She figured it couldn’t hurt. Nobody could break her heart because… hello? She had a degree, right?! She had accomplished everything she wanted thus far, and nobody could dull her shine. What did she have to lose? Maybe she’d meet her husband (an actual thought that she had, but brushed off humorously). But probably not… right? She swiped and swiped and swiped, entertaining a conversation or two, but nothing serious. It was always “Hey, how r u?” or “wyd?”. Nothing deep. Nothing stimulating. Nothing Godly. And she desperately craved substance, especially with no homework or essays to occupy her brain anymore. On May 30th, Sydney was packing the last of her things into her car to follow her dad back to Maryland, where they lived on a large patch of land surrounded by corn, chickens, and fresh air. It was on that very day that she met Samuel, her future husband. Then she matched with Samuel Burke—a tall, Trinidadian man who looked more like a prince than a regular guy. One swipe turned into something real, and suddenly, the love story of the century began. A loud, extroverted, Jesus-loving woman who commands the room met a quiet, stoic, Jesus-loving man who observes from a distance. They fell in love, and just like that, they became the Burkes. They are living proof of a loving God. The Lord answered prayers they didn’t even know they had, and nothing in their wildest dreams could have prepared them for the blessings He poured out.