Put on our glasses and take a look through our lenses.....

J: So imagine finally saying yes to God and walking in your calling and BAM! you meet the love of your life..... that's exactly what happened to me.

A: Just like all stories there's multiple points of view. If you look at It from my lens imagine thinking all hope for love was lost. Thinking that It was time to put your heart on hold, and in the snap of a finger God drops a blessing into your lap. That's what happened to me when I met my soulmate.

J: Here I am sending the link to my toy drive for my organization to random people on Facebook to reach my goal and Antione Harper donates at the last minute lol. Better late than never, but he had questions "where and who his money was going to?" Not knowing his interest in my passion would lead to a real interest in me.

A: Here I am scrolling through social media, and I get a message about donating to a toy drive. I let the message sit for a couple weeks because I didn't know this woman, and I didn't know what the toy drive was for. Something in my mind and in my heart made me revisit the message and I donated. I also began to look beyond the surface, and reached out to this woman with a beautiful face and a beautiful cause.

J: The next morning I woke up eager to answer more questions he had. Sharing things that It would take other people years to get out of me. Talking to him was as easy as breathing.... It still is. This was December 11th, 2023. As days went on interest turned into speaking with the intent of forever.

A: The initial conversation was great. I became educated on her story, her trials and tribulations, her will to push limits, and her drive to defy the odds. I learned of her heart, her connection to God, and I learned that this meeting wasn't just by circumstance. I had finally found the woman I had been praying for, and I had no plans of letting her slip away.

J: A promise ring 3 weeks after meeting...... some would say we moved fast and we did, but I like to say our steps were ordered. From the beginning things were divine. As time went on we realized we had so much in common. We had always been so close to one another but always at a distance. For example, we knew a lot of the same people, our phone numbers both started with the same numbers, my Grandmother worked at the factory that made his favorite candy, our maternal Grandfathers share the same birthday, my grandmother and his mother share the same first name. I could go on and on forever. Our timeline didn't make sense to others, but It always made perfect sense to us. Nothing was a coincidence.

A: As things progressed we both quickly realized this was the start of something special. From our first "date" to spending Christmas and New Years together. To the outside world you'd call us crazy for how fast things moved. When you trust God and are truly connected to him He answers your prayers when you least expect It. I moved in the path and took the steps that He commanded me to. In the form of a ring I made a promise that I would stand by this wonderful woman, and when God said the time was right I'd ask her to be my wife. With so many similarities and connections which often times were scary, who were we to question what was being ordained into our lives?

J: God moves with intention and so did we. We have valued God in our relationship and that is what has been our strength, He was our anchor during our shakiest times and He has been our captain during this relationship. Learning to love selflessly and grow in love at the same time has been a daily lesson. I'd like to believe that we have passed every test.

A: No relationship is all sunshine and roses. We've had our rocky roads and hills to climb, but when God wills something to be nothing can destroy It not even the devil himself. We have stayed true to our values and worked through everything with God as our lead. Milestone after milestone, and moment after moment we pressed forward every step predestined by God our love grew and we pressed on to our ultimate goal.

J: After day one we never questioned IF we would get married, but just a matter of when. From the beginning marriage had been the end goal, forever had been the talk.... and now we get to walk that walk July 18th, 2026.

A: From the first message we shared to the moment I got on bended knee there was never a moment of doubt and there was never a moment of question. I knew she was my wife to be and on July 18th, 2026 we confirm another love story written by GOD!

Travel

Quality Inn & Suites Orland Park - Chicago