3/7/26

2024 was a year of growth, and Vallen and Israel were on different paths. A mutual friend repeatedly messaged Vallen about a cute, godly man at her church that she wanted her to meet. One day in August, Vallen took her word and went! It wasn't love at first sight, nor were there any sparks. Two weeks went by, and Israel decided to reach out to Vallen to see if there was anything that could potentially arise from our conversation at church. She had gone to a Christian show one night and decided to call Israel and tell him all about it. She was nervous for this phone call because it was their first. Little did they know they would stay up until the early hours of the morning talking about their life, morals, and values. It seemed God brought them together; it seemed as though God was intentional in all the details. After feeling as though this was heaven-sent, Israel asked Val out on a date. Quickly, they knew this was going to become something more. After a month of getting to know each other, they prayed. Israel and Vallen decided to do a 3-day fast to get full clarity from God, because they dated with the intention to marry. On the second day of their fast, Vallen nonchalantly opened her bible after talking with God that morning about Israel. She gave thanks to Him for being intentional with their hearts. As she opened up to a random verse, she saw a footnote she had written that said, "He is so intentional." Now this was written for a different reason and a different season, but Vallen was drawn to read the scripture it correlated to. Psalm 115: 12-15 spoke "The LORD hath been MINDFUL of us: He will bless us; He will bless the house of ISRAEL; He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, You and your children. Ye are blessed of the LORD Which made heaven and earth." In that moment, she knew this was the man who would be the father of her children and the husband she had prayed for. This testimony has carried them through the highs and lows, a reminder that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. It was never sparks or butterflies, it was just peace, purpose, and God's quiet ‘yes.’"