Kendrick: We first met at Bible school, like any typical Mennonite couple, which is somewhat humorous since I had vowed never to date someone from Bible school. We shared a 7:30 AM class titled “Knowing God,” fittingly, since you should know God before getting to know people. I greatly appreciated the insights Janae shared in class and soon realized her intelligence. This led to an unspoken challenge between us to achieve better exam scores than the other. I even had my sister ask Janae about her exam scores, as I wasn’t bold enough to inquire directly. My sister and Janae became good friends at Bible school, and since my sister and I were close, this resulted in the three of us spending time together. The more I got to know Janae and observed her character, the more I appreciated her. However, with a move to LA looming for at least the next 1.5 years, I suppressed any feelings I had for her.
Fast forward a year and a half, I found myself asking her to start a relationship with me. Was I in Brazil, having just accidentally consumed some laced fudge given to me by a stranger? Quite possibly. But that’s a story for another day. We began dating, and I soon realized that, fudge or no fudge, asking her out was the right decision. Our relationship has been a blend of weekly WhatsApp video calls, excessively discussing our fondness for sleep, enjoying many relaxing yet adventurous weekends together, and engaging in countless meaningful conversations. Looking back over the past two years, I am amazed at how God worked everything out.

Janae: My side of it begins when I was 18 and going to Bible school for the first time. Naturally because I was so young, I went definitely not wanting a relationship and was content to enjoy the other aspects of EBI.  I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and social life, and at 4th term, met a wonderful brother and sister duo. Mariah (Kendrick’s sister) became a close friend of mine and therefore I hung out with Kendrick a lot as well. I definitely thought he was a very solid guy but I didn’t think too much beyond that because I had thoroughly convinced myself I was going to escape EBI without a boyfriend. Besides, he was my friend’s brother and for some reason, that just seemed to solidify it in my head that we would never go beyond just friends. For a year and a half after Bible school ended, I assumed my predictions rang true. I saw Kendrick a few more times after our term, but I was still naive to the fact that he might feel differently about it. Fast forward to November of 2022 to a busy Friday afternoon where I was attempting to conquer my first parent-teacher conferences as a new teacher. My final conference was over the phone so I looked at my phone for the first time all day. I immediately freaked out as I read a very unexpected message from Kendrick asking me out. My shock lasted for about 30 seconds before I had to begin my phone call and carry out my professional duties. When my phone call ended, I resumed my freak out session and tried to remain as calm as possible under the circumstances.  I spent the weekend thinking and praying about it and discussing it with my family members. By the next Wednesday night, I had said yes, he had secured my father’s permission, we had our first official call and as the cliche goes, the rest is history 🙂

Janae: My side of it begins when I was 18 and going to Bible school for the first time. Naturally because I was so young, I went definitely not wanting a relationship and was content to enjoy the other aspects of EBI.  I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and social life, and at 4th term, met a wonderful brother and sister duo. Mariah (Kendrick’s sister) became a close friend of mine and therefore I hung out with Kendrick a lot as well. I definitely thought he was a very solid guy but I didn’t think too much beyond that because I had thoroughly convinced myself I was going to escape EBI without a boyfriend. Besides, he was my friend’s brother and for some reason, that just seemed to solidify it in my head that we would never go beyond just friends. For a year and a half after Bible school ended, I assumed my predictions rang true. I saw Kendrick a few more times after our term, but I was still naive to the fact that he might feel differently about it. Fast forward to November of 2022 to a busy Friday afternoon where I was attempting to conquer my first parent-teacher conferences as a new teacher. My final conference was over the phone so I looked at my phone for the first time all day. I immediately freaked out as I read a very unexpected message from Kendrick asking me out. My shock lasted for about 30 seconds before I had to begin my phone call and carry out my professional duties. When my phone call ended, I resumed my freak out session and tried to remain as calm as possible under the circumstances.  I spent the weekend thinking and praying about it and discussing it with my family members. By the next Wednesday night, I had said yes, he had secured my father’s permission, we had our first official call and as the cliche goes, the rest is history 🙂