If we’re talking about clueless people, go ahead and sign me up first. Brenden and I met at a gathering back in January—before he moved. At the time, he hadn’t told anyone about relocating, but that night he mentioned to me he was moving to Minneapolis! A couple of weeks later, he ended up moving into one of my friend’s apartments (Thanks, Becca!), since she was heading to Florida. 


He showed up at the perfect time. I was feeling a little discouraged with my ministry, and then here he came—full of zeal, motivation, and contagious energy. Honestly, he reignited everyone’s enthusiasm. He was the breath of fresh air that was needed (or at least I definitely did).


Still, me being completely clueless, a month or two passed, and I was just being my usual not-so-graceful self. He got a front-row seat to my lack of patience when it comes to assembling furniture—and what I prefer to do instead. I basically bribed my friends with home-cooked meals to help build my new Murphy bed, and he got looped in as the “new guy.” It took four meals to finish that bed… hmm. After that, we kept hanging out—game nights, dinners, casual hangouts. He even witnessed me ugly-cry watching The Wild Robot. All in all, not exactly my most glamorous moments.


Then came a Wednesday evening while out in service. A sweet sister asked me, “Cynthia, what do you think of Brenden?” I said, “As a human?” She laughed. “Nooo, as a potential mate.”


“Susannnn,” I groaned. “I don’t think he’d be into me. There’s just no way.”


But Susan had her reasons. She’d been very observant. That night, I went home and realized I had been texting him regularly… while leaving other messages unread or on ‘read.’ Ugh. I liked him. Still, I was convinced he wouldn’t ask. They never do. It usually takes months—or it’s just harmless flirting with no intention.


But Brenden was different.


Two days later, he looked at me and said, “Sooo… I like you. Do you think we can get to know each other?”