I was so overwhelmingly excited, I forgot how to open a door. I had been trying to figure out a way to meet Zack Parker, the newly-hired tall, dark, and handsome Bible teacher, for weeks, and he had just introduced himself to me in the copy room! The beginning of my first-year of teaching was kind of a blur, especially since I was struggling through some serious jet lag having returned from Asia the morning of our first day. Even in my dazed state, Mr. Parker made quite the impression on me from the very start. A godly young leader with a heart to disciple the next generation? AND he’s easy on the eyes? How could I not be interested? After this first introduction, I was already quite the fan AND already making quite the fool of myself by struggling to get out of the door on my way out.

Our first real connection was a couple days later. I had come out to a Friday night football game to support my second-grade cheerleaders. I was happily surprised to see Mr. Parker in the score booth. Lucky for me, my friend Zach Kingsley was announcing and dj-ing the game which gave me an excellent excuse to go up to the score booth with all my song requests 😉. Zach quickly caught on to the fact I was interested in far more than Katie Perry’s “Roar” playing after our touchdowns, so he invited me to come up there and “help him”. I continued my awkward streak by passing an opportunity of sitting by Mr. Parker to sit on the end where I then talked over my buddy, Zach, all night – trying my best to know Zack Parker, this man who seemed to have inspiring ambition and a heart of gold. Soon after that game, I emailed Mr. Parker, offering to partner with him on a new ministry he was starting at our school. THIS is where Zack would say I “made the first move”. Whatever. It was all for the kids… creating a need for Zack Parker to have my number was just a bonus. 😉 After chatting back and forth about F.C.A. only – for a while (much to my anticipation for things beyond), Zack called me for the first time. By the end of the evening, we had plans to meet for breakfast, and I couldn’t have been happier. I caught myself humming “Dear Future Husband” that morning at Ossorios in the village, and little did I know the beautiful foreshadowing God was penning in that moment.

These past 14-16 months (depending on when you read this) since that first date have been God’s greatest gift to my life apart from His mercy in salvation. Zack and I have walked already through great joys and sharpening transitions, and I look forward to a lifetime more. Zack is patient, compassionate, selfless, wise, and kind. He is constantly helping me to refocus my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. I am so thankful for God’s grace bringing us together and His faithful leadership guiding us forward. My prayer is that our union would be used to magnify an even greater love story – that of God’s never-stopping, never-giving-up, unbreaking, always, and forever love for us. The love Zack and I share is something I dearly cherish, but the love of God is always greater. His love is the ultimate story worth celebrating, and Zack and I would love nothing more than to share it with you. “But— When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7