“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. “
1 Corinthians 13: 13 (New King James Version)
We know you’re probably curious about how we met, so we’re giving you a little sneak peek from our points of view. Join us for the ride!
Paul’s POV
It all began in 2016 at the International Youth Camp at Faith City. It was a cool December evening, and saints gathered together for the Campfire. That was the night I truly noticed her. We’d been in the same fellowship before, sure—but that night felt like the first time we met.
The campfire was one of those perfect moments. Everyone was gathered around, listening to music, poetry, and the D.S.’s message. My plan? To sit with a friend (not Deborah) and her siblings, just to enjoy the evening. But then, something unexpected happened.
Teju (you’re part of this story, no avoiding it) and I spotted Deborah and Fiyin (yes, you’re in this too). The next thing I knew, I ditched my original plan and asked the ladies to save us seats. It’s funny how little choices like that turn into big moments, right?
But honestly, I didn’t think anything more would come of it back then. Deborah was just someone I could talk with for hours, and Fiyin was great company. But somehow, we started texting more, sending each other New Year messages, meeting up at school, and asking those typical “getting to know you” questions. Slowly but surely, we grew comfortable teasing each other, and with Deborah, you can’t help but feel her deep friendship.
We went through different phases—close friends, a bit of distance, separation, then friends again—until we both started feeling like God was guiding us toward something bigger, something more… like marriage.
And children of God, here we are.
Deborah’s POV
I first met—or more accurately, saw—Paul at my campus fellowship during my first few weeks as a college freshman, back in November 2014. I was there not because I wanted to be, but because I had to be. Sitting on a pavement listening to people I didn’t know sing, testify, and preach wasn’t exactly my idea of college life away from home. For me, it was just another thing to check off my list before getting back to “real” school life. While my mind was wandering, I heard someone start sharing his story as a 3rd-year freshman—I mean, seriously, SMH. Could this get any worse? Well, of course, that someone was Paul.
The part that really caught my attention was when he made a joke and laughed at it—completely by himself. Everyone else just chuckled along out of politeness. I remember thinking, “Okay, this guy either thinks he’s hilarious or just doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.” From that day, I couldn’t help but notice him everywhere—talking, laughing, and making friends with literally everyone… except me (laughs). I stayed in the background as a silent observer (winks) until I upgraded to just another fellowship sister.
Then, IYC 2016 campfire night happened. Nothing spectacular, except that my friend, Fiyin and I had snagged front-row seats—by “snagged,” I mean we denied deserving youths of seats for Paul and Teju, who had the nerve to be late. Perhaps, Paul felt a little remorse because he started texting after that night. You know, the usual: “Did you get home okay?”, “How was the journey?”, “Happy New Year!”, “When are you going back to school?”, “See you at fellowship?” And so on. It got to the point where my friends started noticing how I always stayed behind to see this new “friend” after school. They were curious because typically, Debby was quick to leave school after classes without a second thought.
Now, I’m not one to miss people easily (well, except for my mom). I went to boarding school and would always rush to hug her when she visited, not caring about the stares or smirks. But by Easter 2017, it felt like I had known Paul forever, and the thought of a month-long holiday without him? It almost seemed unbearable and I knew I was going to miss him. I did! And no, we weren’t even dating.
Right before that break, in the moment we stood together and agreed that a month was too long a break, I realized I’d found something special with Paul (cue the eye roll because I denied it for years). I won’t bore you with all the drama I put us through with my denial and ridiculous ideas, but here’s the bottom line: God gave me a gem in Paul, and I am forever grateful for him.
Fast forward a few years, and we went from fellowship brethren to friends to close friends to distant friends to best friends to lovers… to soon-to-be married (full smile).