In late 2023, Razzel tapped me on the shoulder and asked for help with admin tasks for the 2023 His Toy Store event in December. I had just started working part-time at the church, and thanks to my new role and our shared volunteer efforts, we ended up working together quite a bit over the next couple of months. By the time of her 2024 birthday in mid-February, we had become “good friends”—her words, not mine.
One particular moment stood out in December 2023 during an outreach event on Rikers Island. After a powerful time serving the COs, we gathered to pray and give thanks. The care and support I felt through holding her hand in the prayer circle was unlike anything I had experienced before, and for the first time, I started wondering if God might have a bigger plan for us. From that moment on, I was becoming more and more drawn to Razzel—her spunky personality, sense of humor, and absolute commitment to Jesus were so incredibly attractive.
A few months later, I realized I was falling in love with Razzel AND felt a clear call to be with her—support, befriend, and minister together with her. One afternoon, I invited her to a coffee shop to talk. She came prepared for a ministry meeting, but quickly realized that wasn’t my intention. I’ll let her share the awkward details, but suffice to say, I practically declared my love for her without using those words. I did, however, tell her, “I’ve never been more attracted to another human being in my life.” (You can judge for yourself). I even had notes, which she asked to see, and so she got to read my thoughts on her.
Her expression during that moment was priceless—shock, amusement, and flattery chased each other across her bright features. Despite the awkwardness, she was completely engaged and was far from being put off, but asked for time to think things over. Two weeks later, she responded: “I can only give you friendship, but I’m not going to tell you how to feel.” While disappointed, I was thankful she didn’t cut me off and that we could still be friends and ministry partners.
But, I quickly realized that being “just friends” with someone I was in love with was very challenging. By mid-year, Razzel had enough, and requested some space. I was asked to step back from her life and all the ministries where we served together. It was one of the hardest moments of my life. I was heartbroken, but I chose not to be offended, lean into God, and trust His plans despite the pain. Through this process, God spoke to me one night, after offering my life in submission to his will and plans. He clearly said that He would bring us together in His timing, despite the current uncertainty. And I believed it, though I didn’t know when or how. And I believed it, despite having to give her up, without knowing if we were ever to be friends again, even.
As I took a step back and focused on trusting God, Razzel gradually started inviting me back into her life. Over the course of August and September, she invited me to group hangouts and shared more of her life with me. In October, I felt led to invite her on a day trip to see the fall foliage upstate. She eventually agreed—but had a great idea: that her mom come along too. I was thrilled. We had an amazing day, and it was clear how much Razzel trusted me to include her mom.
A couple of weeks later, Razzel asked me to chauffeur her and her mentor around New York for a couple days. I was honored to spend time with her and the Filipino community here in NYC. The connection was beautiful, and I felt blessed to share that time with them both. I bonded with her mentor over the mutual challenge we faced in helping Razzel eat all her food 😁 and I felt his unspoken approval, which blew me away.
By late November, Razzel continued to open up to me more, but I still faced uncertainty about where we stood. She continued to re-clarify that she could only provide friendship, even as I continued to declare my intentions. But, with the help of my best friends, I realized I needed to be patient and let her work through things on her own.
Then, in early December, everything changed. One evening, while having dinner with Razzel and her mom, we casually discussed marriage. Razzel asked, “David, isn’t there something you want to ask my mom?” I was caught completely off guard, but at that moment, I asked Mama Nena for Razzel’s hand in marriage. Her response? “Of course! What are you waiting for?”
It was the first time Razzel had given me clear affirmation about us being together; It was obvious that she not only liked me romantically, but she had been seeking God's clarity regarding me as a future spouse. Wow! She then said, “Yeah! Why do you think I’ve been inviting you into my life so much?” I was over the moon. It felt like all our prayers and waiting had led to this beautiful moment.
Later that night, Razzel asked for a short break from communication to seek God. With her intentions now clear, I was happy to honor the request, and agreed to fast that week and pray with her. The next day (Saturday Dec 7, 2024) after some brief texting, I was expecting radio silence for that next week, but was full of joy. To my great surprise, around 3pm, Razzel texts me and asks when I was getting off work that night.
I was a bit confused, but told her that I was closing, and would be off work around 11:30pm. She replied with this exact text, "I thought you're getting off work @ 8.. wanted to see you but that's not possible. Maybe tomorrow after the 6 PM service 😚" I was on the phone with my parents at the time, sharing how Razzel and I had finally come onto the same page, and was able to relay that text and the following conversation with them in real time. I was completely amazed and overjoyed—It was happening!
We ended up being able to meet the next day, Sunday December 8, 2024 for our first date. After church, we went to a little cafe nearby, and had so much fun. Razzel had completely opened up! She was so affectionate, and even told me that she loved me during that meal. Wow! Lord, the praying and waiting and trusting was not in vain! I think I even cried tears of joy in that cute cafe.
The following days were a whirlwind. We shared our exciting news with our church's servant leadership team, who celebrated with us.
One of the pastors was smiling from ear to ear the whole day, and declared this to be a "Christmas Miracle!" Their support and joy was a wonderful confirmation, and deeply appreciated.
We decided to announce the engagement that Thursday at our church's all staff Christmas party, which meant I had Tuesday & Wednesday to make it official—buy a ring and propose. With the incredible help of my best friends, I was able to surprise Razzel with a quiet proposal at my new apartment in Washington Heights, our future home. It was just perfect; It was truly a beautiful moment.
Since then, we've been enjoying sharing our story with lots of people and witnessing so many of them be completely befuddled at the news. Apparently, nearly everyone thought we were just close work friends. We've realized this was a blessing, as gossip or public attention could have easily derailed the process. And as we've both been learning the other's thoughts and perspective about our own story, we're just so grateful to God for his ability to work things out, even when we don't understand.
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