Matthew and I met as students I was a sophomore and he was a junior. It was not love at first sight for me, but I knew he was someone I wanted to get to know more. As months went by, it didn’t take long for him to ask me on a date. After a few dates, we officially began dating. Our first year of dating was no cakewalk. Quickly, COVID happened, and we were forced to find ways to see each other after moving home. About 9 months in, we found ourselves on a brief break, not sure what the future would hold for us. But the Lord is good, and our brief break allowed us to build a new foundation in our relationship.

Our relationship continued to strengthen, and before we knew it, Matt had accepted a position with FOCUS as a missionary and finished school. During his first year of mission, we found ourselves in a dating fast as a long-distance couple, as he was placed at Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach. The dating fast limited our communication and visits to each other. It was definitely an adjustment at first, but those 9 months became a time to focus on the people and things in front of us and ultimately forced me to rely fully on the Lord in times of need. As our dating fast ended, I graduated and found myself accepting a position with Catholic Campus Ministry at NC State.

Our engagement is definitely one of the most memorable experiences we have shared together! This past summer, Matt led his students at Coastal Carolina on a mission trip to the Amazon of Brazil. Naturally, I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity like this. After 11 days of living on a boat on the river, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! Fast forward to now, four years into our relationship, we have continued to grow in our love and support of each other. We can definitely say that we are not the same people we were when we started dating.