In the fall of 2022, God urged me to start attending Faith Church. I loved it right away and started serving in the students ministry and attending events for young adults in hopes of finding godly community. Many months passed and in the summer of 2023, the students ministry at church had a conference. It was a great event and so many students attended. There was the first time I spotted Lai’Erricx. I just remember thinking “Oh a black man that loves the Lord and kids? He is a gem 👀.” I didn’t think much of it after that. I didnt even say a word to him. A few weeks later Lai and I crossed paths officially serving at a back to school event. I introduced myself to him and offered him one of the Krispy Kreme donuts I brought for the team. He declined and didn’t really say much to me after that. I honestly don’t think he even remembered my name lol. I watched as he interacted with the students and parents. he was in the zone. We ran into each other many times after that serving and along the way, I guess I developed a crush. I didn’t act on anything though. Doesn’t the Bible say HE who finds a wife? :) Plus it was important for me to be friends with someone before I allowed my feelings to grow. Fast forward to December 2023, I hosted a YA Christmas Party at my house. I originally planned for the day to go smooth with setting things up but that quickly changed when last minute things at work came up. I remember praying for God to help me because I didn’t know how I was going to have enough time to pick up the food for the party and decorate and finish work. 10 minutes later Lai’Erricx texted me asking if he could bring or do anything to help set up for the party. (God I see what you did there lol). I asked if he could pick up the food I ordered and he agreed. That really took a load off of my plate. He even arrived early and took out my trash and put sodas in the cooler. The whole time God was whispering the word “helpmate” to me. The party went well but there was a moment during the games when I realized, that I wanted to learn more about him. Shortly after, he asked me on our first date and the rest is history. He quickly became my best friend, my safe space, my home and I can’t wait to marry him.

It all began in 2023! I had just finished working as a PE teacher and stepped into full-time ministry at the church. At that time, Kadesha and I hadn’t met yet—but God was already setting things up! Then, boom—we crossed paths at a Back-to-School Fair outreach event. She was kind enough to offer me a donut, but I declined (because, fun fact: I don’t like donuts!). Funny thing is, I didn’t remember her after that—oops (PS: I definitely should have). Our second encounter was at her campus’s Back-to-School Bash a few weeks later. I spotted her and thought, Hey, that’s a familiar face! Since I didn’t visit the Ferguson-Florissant campus often, I was surprised to see someone I recognized. We started talking, I met her sister, and that’s when I actually learned her name—Kadesha! We exchanged socials, and looking back, that was the moment the seed was planted. I’ll admit, I skipped over some of the summer details because they were just filler episodes! But after the summer, I launched the Young Adult (YA) group at the Earth City location, and Kadesha started attending. Through the group, I got to see her character and build a genuine friendship with her. That was something I always wanted in a partner—someone who could be my friend first. A few months went by, and I started thinking, I think she likes me. But, being me, I was totally missing the hints! Then one day, she posted a picture of her BBQ on Instagram, and I slid into her DMs, jokingly asking where my plate was. And, just like Yo Gotti said—"It goes down in the DM!" From there, we got to know each other better, and by Christmas, I was invited over to celebrate with her and a couple YA’s. That day solidified my feelings about this amazing woman. We continued being great friends going into 2024, and by mid-January, we agreed to see what it would look like to be more than friends. Now, I get to marry my best friend!