For quite some time, I did not know anything about Jose Abello. Apparently, there was a set-up in the works for months, but it seemed like the timing was never right. Jose was friends with Shelby and Tyler first, and they had discussed him taking me out on a date, which I was open to, but didn't ever feel wildly excited about since I didn't know Jose more than having a handful of conversations with him. Time went on, and life kind of just kept going at a normal pace - no date and no expectations. I very rarely saw Jose since I was working full-time and he was finishing up his music degree. Then, there was a week that I saw him three days in a row, and where there was only slight interest before, an instant crush developed and grew before I knew what was happening. Each time I saw him that week, I couldn't seem to grab his attention for long, and at that point, I wanted his attention. I saw him first at a chapel worship service when he came to talk to Shelby. The next day, I saw him at a lunch that I decided to attend last minute with my friend Amal. Guess who walked up and sat down at our table? Not only that, guess who shared his testimony at the lunch? Talk about melting my heart. The third time we ran into each other, Jose had been in a prayer/worship time and, I learned later, was still praying when he passed by me. We briefly talked and I walked away from that interaction thinking "he must really not be interested in me". Little did I know, he was in conversation with Someone else (God) and had been praying for months about starting a relationship with me. About a week later, he asked me to go to the symphony with him. He picked me up for the dreamiest first date I've ever been on, complete with fresh strawberries, a rental car, live music, and Latin food. From there, our fun and sweet romance took off pretty quickly - and here we are, almost to the altar! I feel so honored and thankful that God is the One who lead us into this relationship, and that God chose me to be Jose's wife. Jose is one of the most sweet-hearted, fun, faith-filled, patient, loud, confident, gentle, and intelligent men I've ever known. For everyone reading this, thank you for being a part of our story - we can't express how grateful we are for you.

Though I can not recall when was the first time I saw Sara (specific date), I do remember her serving students at Dallas Baptist University while she worked in Student Life. She always had a big smile on her face. A smile that I repeatedly found beautiful and enticing. I thought to myself, she must have a lot of guys pursuing her and if I ever tried, I would be one more in the long list of guys. The idea of dating Sara seemed too distant and impossible for this Colombian immigrant. Because of this, I did not even know her name nor did I attempt to make any moves. I kept this crush on the shelf of, "This won't happen. Please, look elsewhere". Years later (Yes! Like three years later), I became good friends with Sara's sister, Shelby, thanks to her heart for international students. One day, when I was having dinner at her house with her husband, Tyler, Shelby brought up the idea of asking her sister on date. I did not want to entertain this idea. Why? Because I enjoyed Shelby and Tyler's friendship and I feared if things did not work out our friendship could suffer. After a few weeks and more conversations, I said I would ask Sara on a date. Meanwhile, I would joke with my roommate and people I worked with that Sara was going to be my wife, but she did not know that yet (lol). At the end of 2021, I experienced different mishaps like getting covid, my car breaking down, etc. The idea of inviting Sara on a date didn't look possible. Yet I started praying for her and believing if this was God's idea, everything would fall into place. I went home for New Years and I remember my parents asking if there was a girl... To which, I answered, "there is this girl that I am praying for". I assured them there was nothing going on, but I asked them to pray for us to cross paths often and get to know each other if this was in God's heart. I returned to the States for the Spring semester of 2022, and I still did not have a working car. "How am I going to invite this girl on a date without a car?", I thought. Until, all of a sudden, I started seeing Sara in random places at random times. This felt like a little wink from heaven and I thought to myself, "maybe, I should invite her on a date". With no car, no detailed date plan and, honestly, no real hope she would say yes, I asked her on a date. If she said yes, I would have to figure out the details. Well, she said yes to go to the symphony with me. I had to rent a car, buy tickets, book a restaurant and create a plan for the date. It was an amazing night, and we had a lot of fun. After this, we spent a lot of time together FaceTiming and asking each other a lot of questions. Wow! I have never met anyone as kind, sweet, and compassionate as Sara. She is the most patient and cutest of all. She is all I ever needed, wanted and more. Through the challenge of dating long distance and the challenges that come with me being an immigrant, I could say Sara loves so well. She is so faithful and loyal. I love her so much that I had to ask her to be my bride. I get to marry my forever crush. I am grateful for each one of you who have chosen to be part of our story. This marriage is the beginning of a couple devoted to each other and the pursuit of God's heart. Thank you for being a witness of our covenant with God. Thank you for supporting us and praying for us. <3