Sophie and Graham have been so blessed to watch the Lord’s plan unfold in each step of their story! They are so grateful that He guided a girl from Bellflower, California, and a boy from Brighton, Colorado, to both end up at Dallas Baptist University in Texas! Their story is yet another example of how God continues to be so faithful!

During their senior year of high school, Graham committed to play basketball at DBU and Sophie also committed to DBU to play soccer. God allowed their paths to cross during their freshman year at DBU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The two became Monday night acquaintances that first year, until they were each offered a leadership position with FCA before sophomore year. As they each stepped into their respective leadership roles, Graham and Sophie became good friends and had many opportunities to continue to get to know each other within that leadership group. After an FCA event in the spring, Graham took the opportunity to ask Sophie to get lunch. She eagerly agreed and they had a great afternoon continuing to learn more about one another. The outing ended with Graham kindly asking if he could take Sophie on a date later that week. A few days later, they went on their first date together (and not that it matters, but Sophie did indeed beat Graham in soccer golf!) They continued to go on dates the next few weeks, and on April 16, 2023, Graham asked Sophie to be his girlfriend!

The couple spent as much time as they could together before the school year ended in mid-May, and then they had to go their separate ways for the summer. Graham served as a counselor at Kanakuk Kamps in Missouri for the first half of the summer, so he and Sophie wrote letters to each other and got to talk once a week when Graham had his weekly day off. While communication was limited over the summer, the two looked forward to long-distance FaceTime calls, texts, and letters until they both returned to Texas for their junior year at DBU. They enjoyed another year full of great memories, friendships, leadership opportunities, and time together between their busy schedules. The summer before senior year, Graham and Sophie had to resort back to digital communication for the majority of the break, but they were able to be each other’s plus ones at three different weddings. With each wedding they attended, they continued to have many great conversations about their future together, but always ended those talks with unknowns and said the timing was in the Lord’s hands. Little did Sophie know, Graham may or may not have already begun to work on plans for a special day in the coming months! On September 21, 2024, Graham asked Sophie to marry him, and she said yes! The happy couple got to celebrate with family and friends as they rejoiced over their engagement, and now, they are planning their wedding as they finish their senior year at DBU. Graham and Sophie will both graduate in May, and are beyond excited to celebrate their marriage with their friends and family on July 12, 2025!