Our Story
Our story began in 1981 when we first met in 6th grade. We were on the same middle school team and graduated high school together, but we’re not quite sure we ever talked to one another.
Decades later, we sadly found ourselves in parallel situations: each of us experiencing the brokenness of a failed marriage and the heartbreak and guilt that come with it.
Divorce was never going to be part of our story…until it was.
Without a doubt, this was the low point of our lives. Divorce signifies the death of a relationship and affects not only the parents but also the children, resulting in confusion and pain that are almost too much to bear.
We each asked ourselves the hard questions by seeking out professional and personal godly counselors. It was a time of self-reflection and growth. But mostly, it was a time of surrender and healing, trusting in God and His plan for our lives. It was during this time that each of us relied heavily on our relationship with the Lord to see His beauty beyond our brokenness.
As we walked God’s path for our separate lives, we wholeheartedly believe He did something entirely unexpected.
In the fall of 2021, Travis was walking an actual path behind his neighborhood when he sensed the Holy Spirit prompting him to reach out to Karen. It was so out of the blue because they had barely ever spoken.
So he delayed.
Meanwhile, Karen saw Travis’ post on her feed about a painful season he was going through like Job in the Bible. Though his posts rarely appeared on her feed and she hadn’t seen him in decades, she just “knew” she was to reach out to him as a sister in Christ. She reached out saying, “Hi Travis. I just saw your post about Job. I could not tell from the post what you are going through, but know that my prayers are with you! You are an amazingly faithful man of God.”
Travis replied that unfortunately he was going through something similar to what Karen went through. Over the next 3 weeks, they shared encouragement and developed a friendship. They began realizing there might be something more. Since Travis’ divorce was not legally finalized, he asked a mentor for advice. The mentor said we had to cut off all communication until things were final. He said, “You can’t build the house before you buy the land.” It was December 2021. That was the last time we talked or texted until Travis reached out (after he was legally divorced) on November 23, 2022, EXACTLY one year from the time Karen initially reached out. It had been 341 days since they talked.
Our story continues.
In the months that followed, we sought the Lord together and rejoiced that He is the most important priority in our lives. Our love for God grew stronger as He grew our love for each other.
We engaged on March 23, 2023.
We married on September 23, 2023, committing our lives to Him and each other. God’s love, joy, and redemption in full bloom!
Through the brokenness of our lives and the beauty God is demonstrating to us, we both sense God leading us to minister together to encourage others who are also experiencing life’s heartbreaks, messiness, and imperfections. Beauty Beyond Brokenness is that ministry.
