Hannah Stewart: [00:00:00] “Someone asked you out, you should like be open to it.” And I remember thinking like, “Yeah, if Joseph were to ask me out, I would be open to it.” Then like literally the next day I hear that he’s dating someone and I’m like, “You go for it, Joseph. Like, I’m totally supporting you.”

Dawn Pruszkowski: Love stories fill us with joy and inspire hope for the future, and a true-life romance can remind us that sometimes just one spark is all it takes to change everything

She went to college with goals, and dating was not one of them. He was hoping to find a lifelong friend while in college. Neither of them saw love coming. Welcome to Unexpected Love Stories. I’m your host, Dawn Prushkowski, and today I’m honored to welcome Hannah and Joseph Stewart with their inspiring story.

Here’s a little something about them. Since high school, Hannah has loved using her artwork to spark meaningful conversations about [00:01:00] faith. That passion led her to study art at Biola University, where she learned how to use her creativity to shine the light of God. Today, she teaches studio and digital art to middle and high school students in Henderson, Nevada.

Joseph also attended Biola University, where he studied computer science and grew in his faith and knowledge of scripture. While in college, he interned with Logos, a company that develops Bible software to help people grow a deeper understanding of God’s word. Today, he serves as a senior software developer on the Logos web app team.

Welcome, Hannah and Joseph. How are you?

Joseph Stewart: Hi, Dawn. Hi. Thanks for having us on your show.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Oh, we’re so excited to hear you. I mean, you guys still look like you should be in college.

Joseph Stewart: We get that a lot. Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Okay. So Hannah, let’s go back to when you first arrived at Biola. What was your life [00:02:00] like, and I heard that you had, like, a prayer to God that he would wait before bringing your future husband into your life.

Could you, uh, go further into that?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. So I, uh, went to public school my whole life, and in high school really wanted to grow more in my faith and being able to share my faith, um, through, uh, not only, like, teaching and, like, being able to, like, share stories from scripture, but also, uh, through the art that I was making.

And so, uh, I really wanted to go to Biola University, which my older brother actually went to, and quite a few, like, different family friends and connections that I had went there. Um, but I knew it was a lot of money, and I really wanted to focus on my education there, um, in art and in scripture. And so I wanted to make the most of it, and actually thought that dating would get in the way of that.

And so, um, I would I basically went [00:03:00] in, like, really trying not to, like, find anyone. Uh, but before I actually started attending school, I had quite a few different people in my life tell me, like, “Oh, Hannah, you’re gonna meet your husband there, like, just you wait.” And I was honestly really nervous, like, about that idea.

Um, I really wanted to focus on my studies and didn’t want, like, any, like, relationship to get in the way of that, and really wanted to focus on friendship and just pursuing, like, life with others. And so I didn’t wanna focus on just, like, a, like, a single guy that I would, like, end up marrying one day. Um, so, a kind of funny story where the prayer kinda came in was during orientation, every single guy that I met, I couldn’t help but think like, “Oh, could that be the one?

Could that be a guy that I would date eventually?” I, like, kept thinking that, and it was actually preventing me from, uh, being really present during orientation, actually getting to know people and getting to make friends. Um, and so I just distinctly remember during that week, [00:04:00] I just wrote in my prayer journal, like, “Lord, help me to focus.

I really wanna get rid of this, like, thought that I keep having of, like, meeting every guy, thinking that it’s gonna be my husband.” Um, so I actually prayed that I wouldn’t focus on that, and that I wouldn’t meet my future husband, uh, or boyfriend or whoever. Um, I just wanted to focus on meeting new people and, uh, just making new friends.

And funny enough, the day after that prayer, I actually did meet Joseph, and those thoughts didn’t even linger on my head, like, while we were talking and when we actually met. Um, like, “Oh, what about him?” Like, I honestly was just genuinely happy to just meet a friend, like, on that day. So yeah, that’s kind of the interesting, um, thing of, like, the timing of that prayer was like, oh, I actually met Joseph the following day.

Dawn Pruszkowski: God was like, “Hmm, well, let’s see.” Which was like kind of hard. Okay, so Joseph, while Hannah was praying for God to [00:05:00] wait on this, um, what was life like for you? What brought you to Biola, and what were you hoping your college years would look like?

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Um, I came to Biola first and foremost because I wanted to, um, continue in Christian education.

I went to a, a K through 12, uh, Christian school all my life, and it wasn’t really until I got into high school that I started to, like, really get serious about, uh, serious about my faith. Um, and I really wanted to prioritize that in going to university. I didn’t wanna, like… I didn’t want that to just kind of fall away because I wasn’t in that, like, environment anymore, and I felt like I was really starting to, like, learn how to read the Bible, learn how to study theology, and I wanted to grow in that, um, more.

So that was my, like, biggest priority in picking a university. And then, um, vocationally, I wanted to study computer science ’cause I’ve always been passionate about, um, programming. And so I had a lot of friends and family in my life that were saying like, “Oh, if you wanna go somewhere that’s, like, [00:06:00] really, like, theologically excellent and also has, like, really good, like, academics, like, try Biola.”

I didn’t go in, um, not wanting to date, but it wasn’t, like, the first, my first priority. Um, although while, uh, I had, like, started to get to know Hannah, I actually had kind of a, an attachment from back home, and actually started a relationship there at the beginning of, uh, that first year. And, um, it didn’t end up lasting very long, um, but I thought it was important that that had happened in my life because I think it taught me a lot about, um, what to look for in a relationship and, like, what I wanted out of dating.

And I don’t think if Hannah and I had started dating, like, right at the beginning of school, um, I don’t think I was really the type of person that would’ve been able to um, like, be what Hannah needed for, for a boyfriend, if that makes sense.

Dawn Pruszkowski: So you guys met [00:07:00] the s- the day after the prayer. So how early in college was that?

Hannah Stewart: So that was during, like, our orientation week. Um, it was, like, on the, one of the last days of the week. It was, like, a beach day, and it just so happened that, like, my orientation, like, small group, and Joseph’s orientation small group was in the same bus. Um, and on that bus we actually sat across from each other and sparked up a conversation, um, which was kind of fun.

It was a little nerdy of a conversation. We talked about, like, Marvel movies and stuff, but, um, but yeah, that’s actually, like, the initial, like, that’s when we, like, first met. Um, yeah. That’s

Dawn Pruszkowski: always a good place to start-

Hannah Stewart: Yeah … Marvel

Dawn Pruszkowski: movies.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. At least that’s what we talked about- That’s a super

Dawn Pruszkowski: place to start.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. We- Yeah … we thought we talked about that.

Joseph Stewart: It was really, it was really windy on the bus, so it’s very possible we were having different conversations.

Hannah Stewart: And I didn’t have my hearing aids on that day because we were going to the beach. Um, and so we probably had different conversations, but [00:08:00] we think it was about Marvel movies.

Dawn Pruszkowski: So what was your impression of each other, since you said that that, the thinking of, of boyfriend and stuff wasn’t even there when you talked to him. So what was the impression? Did you… And did you think that you were gonna see each other, I mean, talk to each other anymore, or what happened?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. Um, so on that bus ride, funny enough, my first impression was like, “Whoa, a fellow Marvel friend that I can have while at school,” because all these movies were coming out.

This is a friend that maybe we could go see those movies together, and we ended up doing that actually. Um, but, like, I guess through that conversation and even, like, conversations after, I quickly realized that Joseph was really easy to talk to. He listened really well. Um, and yeah, just, like, really appreciated that about a friend, especially, like, a, a friend who was a guy.

Um, because I had, like, previous friends, um, like, in the past where, like, we connected really well or, [00:09:00] like, different, um, had, like, similar interests, but that was always, like, something that I really, like, looked for in someone is, like, do they listen well? Um, and that was something that instantly I, like, noticed about Joseph.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. My first impression of Hannah was that she was literally made out of sunshine. That’s

Hannah Stewart: very sweet of you.

Joseph Stewart: It also helped she was, like, sitting right in front of a window, and, like, the sun was, like, right behind her, so it was, like, giving her this kind of, like, beautiful halo effect. Kind of like a, like an old Renaissance painting of a saint.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Am I talking to an angel? Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: That’s what it felt like, yeah. Um, and I think that’s a lot of people’s first impression of her. Maybe not quite so literal as mine, um, but I think that’s kind of the sense that people get from her. Um, she is very easy to talk to, and she’s always so smiley, and she just radiates joy, and, um, genuinely interested in other people, too.

Um, like, in any event or gathering, she’s always, like, looking for people to include. I remember, um, we had this, like, [00:10:00] floor event. Uh, I think it was towards the end of orientation week. But, like, uh, people were, like, playing this game around this, like, pool table, and she was, like, bringing in people from… that were, like, standing outside on the edges, and, like, bringing them in to, like, play the game, and that’s just, like, who, who she is as a person.

That’s

Dawn Pruszkowski: precious.

Joseph Stewart: That’s very

Hannah Stewart: precious.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Okay. So, so you had became the light of his life. Um- How did this friendship begin to grow past the bus and the beach?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. So funny enough, there was actually one more time that we saw Joseph before we, like, really, really, uh, reconnect, before I saw Joseph. Um, because shortly after the beach day, there was, like, a waterpark day, and I remember trying to, like, wave at him and, like, say hi, but he didn’t have his glasses on.

I also didn’t have my hearing aids on because it was water, and so I just thought, like, “Oh,” like, “maybe I’ll see him again later.” And then, like, a whole week went by, um, and we didn’t… We saw each other on, like, the second day [00:11:00] of school. Uh, we actually ended up in the same Bible class. Um, and I … That was, that’s kind of a funny story.

Um, I, I thought I came in a little late, and so I, like, chose to sit, like, further in the back when normally I would sit in the front. Um, well, Joseph came in much later, um, like five minutes, maybe, late to class. I think it

Joseph Stewart: was more like 10 or 15

Hannah Stewart: minutes. And then he recognized me, and so he decided to sit with me.

Um, and in that same day, the professor said, like, “Oh, look at the people around you. You’re gonna make a cohort with them. Um, and, like, for the rest of the semester, you’re gonna meet with them, like, every week to, like, have different discussions or, like, do different assignments and stuff.” Um, and so the two friends who were, like, a part of the cohort with us, uh, actually had class, like, right after that class.

And so Joseph and I decided, like, “Oh, let’s, like, get smoothies and, like, get to know each other, like, a little bit,” um, and realized we had very similar, like, friend groups back in high [00:12:00] school, um, that we were both really into, like, a lot of the same, like, kind of nerdy video game, movie, like, kind of stuff. Um, and that was also the day we discovered, like, oh, we’re in the same, like, cohort, or the same, uh, not cohort, um, dormitory, uh, the co-ed do- dorm.

Um, and that we were actually, like, diagonal from each other in the dorms, which was kind of funny. Um, remember? Like, you were- Yeah … at the bottom and I was at the top. Um, and so, yeah. And, like, our friendship continued to grow, like, not just from that class and, like, being in the same dorm, but also, uh, we actually ended up joining the same ministry together, uh, which was a ministry that I was actually mentored by back in high school.

Uh, at the time, it was called California School Project. Now it’s called Decision Point, and that ministry was a huge part of our friendship. Just, um, teaching students how to share their faith on campus and how to, uh, tell their friends about Jesus and just making those connections, and it- That was a really cool, like, point for us to, [00:13:00] like, really, like, care about the youth.

Knowing the gospel and, like, knowing how to share their faith was really, really special to us.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Yeah, and we continued to serve in that ministry, like, all throughout, uh, college, eventually, like, being on, like, part-time staff by the time, like, we graduated. We actually both had, like, seriously considered about staying there- Mm-hmm

full-time after, after graduating. So that was, like, a, that was a really important part of our college experience to both of us that we got to share.

Dawn Pruszkowski: So was there, like, a specific moment when you started to realize, “Wait, this might be something more than just my buddy, my, my cohort, my friend”?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Um- There was definitely people in that ministry that were like-

Hannah Stewart: Oh my gosh

Joseph Stewart: Lora- Lorabelle probably more than most-

Hannah Stewart: Yeah …

Joseph Stewart: uh, had, like, encouraged you a lot to really more just, like, acknowledge the feelings that you were having.

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm. Yeah. ‘Cause when Joseph was in that, um, [00:14:00] like, relationship with, like, a friend back in, uh, high school, I remember, like, that was kind of at the point where I was like, “You know what?

Maybe it’s okay to, like, start dating.” Because I had a really close, um, mentor of mine who was, like, my small group leader, but also, like, a really good family friend in my family, um, who just, like, really encouraged me, like, “Hey, like, college is the time to, like, try new things. Like, be open to it. Like, if someone asks you out, you should, like, be open to it.”

And I remember thinking, like, “Yeah, if Joseph were to ask me out, I would be open to it.” Then, like, literally the next day, I hear that he’s dating someone, and I’m like, “You go for it, Joseph. Like, I’m totally supporting you.” Um, because I, like, cared so much about our friendship and just really valued him, like, a lot in that.

And so, um, I feel like during that time, I was kind of, like, developing feelings for, like, other guy friends and just, like, kind of navigating, like, “Oh, dang, like, this is, like, kind of tough to, like, navigate, like, these feelings that I have,” but just not, like, admitting them [00:15:00] ever to, like, anyone. Um, and so that’s when, like, our friend Laura, like, was really, like, honest with me.

Like, “Hey, like, you should be, like, honest with yourself about, like, these feelings.” And I distinctly remember after Joseph, um, uh, like, his relationship ended, that was also another moment where I prayed, like, specifically, “God, don’t give me g- feelings for Joseph because, like, I just wanna be friends.” Um, and then, like, that day when you, like, your keys got locked in the car.

Yeah. Do you remember?

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Yeah. I locked, I locked my keys in the back of my trunk, and we spent literally, like, what, three hours trying to get them out together?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. And that was the first day back, like, during second semester, um-

Joseph Stewart: Of our freshman year …

Hannah Stewart: of our freshman year. And I remember being like, “Oh, dang it.

Like, why do I still have these feelings for you?” Um, which was funny because it was, like, such a funny, like, incident, I guess.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. De- definitely not my most attractive moment.

Hannah Stewart: Fine.

Dawn Pruszkowski: And at that time, Joseph, were you still dating the [00:16:00] girl back home?

Joseph Stewart: No. So that relationship had ended over, um, winter break.

Like, the winter break, yeah. It, it lasted for, like, three months or so. Um, it wasn’t a very long relationship. Um, but it was, like… I think Hannah and I were at a place where I had f- I had the impression that I had kind of blown my chance with Hannah, so I was kind of giving up on that idea of like, “Okay, well-” We, we were kind of, we were developing a really strong friendship, and then I started this relationship, and I’d kind of closed that door.

At least that was kind of my impression. So when I came back, I was like, “Okay, that door is probably still closed. Like, that’s understandable. Try and move on.” Which I, I think I had started to develop, like realize that I had feelings for her, um, over those like first, first few weeks back at, at school.

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: But I, I had kind of accepted like, “Okay, that’s probably not gonna, not gonna happen,” and my friends were all like, “You’re stupid. That’s-” Like, “What are, what are you [00:17:00] saying? Like, just, you know, be friends and see where it goes. Don’t like, don’t give up completely on that idea.”

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that’s where like our friend Laura, and like quite a few different friends from like the ministry we were in, my like roommates, um, were really helpful and like, like, “This is…

Joseph’s worth pursuing. You should definitely like consider like, um, him like a lot more.” And I felt bad having feelings for like multiple guys at the same time, and something that like one of my friend, I think it was Laura actually, um, really like helped me like focus on is like, well, what is it specifically that you like, like about him?

Like sure, you have the feelings, but is, can you like name specific things? Um, and I just remember we had a really neat conversation about how Joseph loved the gospel and scripture, and just really desired others to know like sh- scriptural truth. Um, and that was something I really like admired about Joseph, and his willingness to, um, listen really [00:18:00] well and, uh, have like really good conversations was something I also really admired.

Joseph Stewart: It came to a point eventually where that same friend, I think had encouraged you to just kinda lay the cards out on the table.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. ‘

Joseph Stewart: Cause I was still kind of at the point like where I was like, “Yeah, that’s probably not gonna happen. Like it’s, I’m sad about it, but it’s kinda my decision.” Um, it’s ki- it’s kinda my own fault.

And then Hannah invited me to go on a picnic, and she basically just said like, “Hey, I have like feelings for you. Um, I still don’t really know like what to do with them, but like I like you.” Yeah. Um- And- … I was like, “Oh, so this door isn’t closed.” Um- And I re- … that’s

Hannah Stewart: awesome. I remember when I told you that too, I like said like, “Yeah, but I wanna wait a year of knowing each other.”

Remember

Joseph Stewart: that? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was- Um … the condition. You’re, yeah.

Hannah Stewart: And after like our friends, specifically the ones from the ministry, heard that they’re like, “That’s so dumb. Like why are you doing that?” Um, because my, my thinking was like, “Oh, like I just really wanna know someone like before like actually [00:19:00] pursuing a relationship.”

But yeah.

Joseph Stewart: And before that time, we were spending a lot of, a lot of time together.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Um, so like we had, we had become like pretty close friends by that point. Um, and so- Yeah, I think your, your friends were like, “You guys are basically already dating. Like, why are you-“

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. “

Joseph Stewart: Why are you waiting?”

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. Because I was, I was afraid of the idea of dating, and, like, the commitment just, like, seemed like such a weighty thing to me.

Um, and so I distinctly remember, like, having a conversation with Joseph, like, “Hey, like, I actually am reconsidering this because, like, I realize I’m saying it out of fear. I don’t know what to do with it.” And, like, shortly after that you’re like, “Oh, wanna go on a date?”

Joseph Stewart: And you said

Hannah Stewart: yes. Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: And it-

Hannah Stewart: That was kind of a long answer to your question, but

Dawn Pruszkowski: It didn’t stop after that, huh?

It was one date led to another, to another?

Hannah Stewart: Yep. Yeah, yeah. That’s true. Um, which our first date is actually pretty special. You, you want to [00:20:00] tell the story of it? Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: It’ll be, it’ll be relevant later. Um- Yeah, so our first date was in LA. Um, we had both… We had bonded over, um, both liking the movie La La Land.

Um, and I’m not from California, and so I’d never been to LA before, and I was like, “Oh, it’d be cool to do, like, an LA-themed, like, La La Land-themed date.” Um, and in the movie, they go to this, like, jazz cafe in Hermosa Beach, and then go to the Griffith Observatory, and I don’t remember if those movie… if those scenes were actually close together in the movie, but I reme- I had this impression that they were close together.

Um, and I saw they were only 30 miles away, and so I was like, my Las Vegas brain was like, “Okay, that’s 30, 45 minutes. That’s… You can drive from one to the other.” No, it’s like a two-hour drive in LA. You don’t measure time. You don’t measure, you don’t measure in miles. You measure in hours in Los Angeles, apparently.

Um, so I had that plan. It kind of crumbled when I saw how far away they were, especially, like, when we were leaving to go on the date. Um, and so Hannah’s like, “Well, my brother’s always talked about, uh, The Last Bookstore in downtown LA,” which was closer to Griffith, and [00:21:00] so just kind of on a whim, we went there first.

Um, and it was really good. Like, we just, we walked around and we talked, and, um, Hannah showed me Calvin and Hobbes for the first time. I, like, didn’t grow up with that. Um, yeah, and we talked a lot about, like, our childhood and our families, had really good conversation and got to know each other on kind of, like, a deeper level.

Um- Yeah … and so we ended up- Sounds like it was going to a personal level. Yeah, going to a very personal level. Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. In, like, a romantic context, too. Like, not just, like, “Oh, we’re, like, friends talking.” It’s like, “Oh, we’re actually, like, trying to see if this, like… if we work together, like, romantically.”

Um, and so we actually ended up talking for so long, by the time we got to Griffith, it was 15 minutes before closing. So we walked around, and then, like, basically left. Um- It was really pretty. And also, apparently, I don’t know if anybody here is planning, like, if anybody listening is planning a trip to Griffith, um, there’s a parking lot at the bottom of the hill, and it’s free, and you can drive up to the top, and it’s paid.

And so I was like, “Okay, we’re gonna park at the bottom and walk up. It’ll be a nice [00:22:00] little walk. We’ll talk.” And it was a nice walk, and we did talk, but it’s, like, a 30-minute walk. It’s a really long walk. Um, so I think we, we had gone back since our first date, and, uh, parking up top is definitely worth the couple dollars it costs to park there.

Um, but it was really nice for our first date because we actually got to, to talk some more, and-

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm …

Joseph Stewart: that was really the special part of it.

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Wonderful. For sure.

Dawn Pruszkowski: So how long before you knew?

Hannah Stewart: So with me saying like, “Oh, I wanna wait a year,” um- On that day actually, where it was like the year mark, um, and we s- like were officially dating at that point.

Uh, and Joseph actually wrote like a letter to me talking about how love is a promise, and that was like the time that he first said, “I love you.” Um, and I remember feeling like wanting to say the same thing, and I did, but I wasn’t like fully ready [00:23:00] to like say I love you back. Do you remember-

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, I remember

Hannah Stewart: that? And we just had like a super great like conversation of like what is love? Like what does it mean that love is a promise? And, um, yeah, I feel like that was just like a really neat like conversation that we had.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. And like I don’t, I don’t really like the idea of like being in love, um, ’cause I think the way that I think about it is like love in a romantic sense is about commitment and trust.

Um, and both of those things, like you develop in strength over time. So there wasn’t like a moment for me where I was like, “Oh, I’m in love with this woman.” Um, it was more like dating her, spending time with her, like confirmed in my mind who she, who I thought she was from the beginning. Um, and so yeah, then the dating relationship is more about like building up that, um, that level of trust and that like level of commitment.

Um, and so like saying I love you is not an expression of [00:24:00] like, “Oh, like I feel this way about you.” It’s like, “Oh, I’m making this promise to you to… Like I’m making this commitment to you.” When did you start sharing

Hannah Stewart: this with your family that you think this is the one? Like us dating? So there was a thing at Biola called Get Your Roommate a Date, um, called GYRAD, but you were already dating- Yeah

at that point. So we were just going as friends, um, but I actually met your parents on that day.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Do you remember? Our parents kind of gave each other a glance like, “Hmm.” Um, but yeah, it was like- That was funny … they were very casual, more like group hangout type activities of not actually a date. But even on our first date, um, my parents were also in town, weren’t they?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, your mom and sister were. Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Because we had hung- we went to Disneyland with them.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, to Downtown Disney.

Joseph Stewart: To Downtown Disney.

Hannah Stewart: The day before.

Joseph Stewart: The day before our first date. Um, and, uh, they had known… I had told them I think I was taking you out on a date. Probably, yeah. They were, they were very, they were very excited about that idea because when they first met Hannah, like I said, [00:25:00] like everyone’s first impression of her is like she is sunshine incarnate.

Um, and so they really like her. Um, they’ve always liked her. In fact, when we started dating like officially, my… Pretty much everyone in my family told me, “If you guys ever break up, we’re keeping Hannah.”

Dawn Pruszkowski: Okay, so how and when did God let you know, “Psst, this is the one”?

Joseph Stewart: I don’t know if I have, like… I don’t know if I ever had that sense of like, “Oh, this is like the, the one.”

Um, in the sense that, like, I think two people devoted to God with the right mindset and a lot of time, you can really make, like, any relationship work. Um, and so yeah, like I said, Hannah, throughout our entire dating relationship, was showing herself to be someone that I would wanna spend my life with. Um, even from, like, when we first met.

Um, and, like, all my first impressions of her were pretty much spot on. Like, she is pretty much who she seems to be. She [00:26:00] is, um, endlessly caring, always seeking to include those around her, um, unwaver- unwaveringly devoted to the Lord, and just, like, the sweetest, kindest person you’ll ever meet in your life.

Um, and so, like, over the course of our dating relationship, um, it just confirmed all of those attributes of her personality to, like, much deeper extents. It’s not like just… You know, I’d r- I’d come to learn that those things weren’t just, like, surface-level things about her personality. It’s, like, actually who she is.

Um, and so I don’t think there was ever a moment where I was like, “Oh yeah, you’re like the one.” It was like, “Person that I want to marry.” Like, “The person that I wanna marry is someone like you.” I don’t know if that makes sense.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. Uh- How about you, Hannah? Yeah. I think, um- It’s kind of tricky because, like, the whole idea of like, oh, the one person, was actually what made me terrified of dating in the first place, because I felt like I had to get it completely [00:27:00] right, like at the very beginning, and like especially for the first time.

Um, and throughout high school, I saw a lot of friends just go through, through like really hard, like hardship and heartbreak through like the relationships they were going through. Um, and I just remember I really wanted like the first time I ever tried to go correctly. Uh, and through dating Joseph though, I realized I was putting so much pressure on like myself and even him, uh, by making sure everything went smoothly, that there was never a problem.

Joseph Stewart: If you’re doing things the right way.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, if we’re doing things like the right way. Um, and so, but like of course in dating someone, you like realize that the reality is that relationships are just messy, um, and are supposed to be continually worked on and developed, and continually like, um… Like it’s a process.

Like it’s a whole, kinda like an art. It’s a whole process before you actually get to the final out- outcome. And so, um, I think it’s true that I can only really see [00:28:00] myself with Joseph, and I only ever want to be with Joseph, and I think the Lord was paving the way for us. Um, but I don’t know if I could necessarily call Joseph like the one, like for me, because I believe that God gives us like, um, like He leads us and He guided us together, but it was ultimately like our decision to pursue each other, the intentionality of like making it work, the intentionality of like praying through it, um, that like led us to choosing each other.

Um- So yeah, so I would, I would say like I got to the point of like, “Oh yes, I really wanna marry Joseph,” probably during like my senior year after you graduated.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, that’s when- I would say … we had like started talking seriously about it. But like, you know, our intention from the beginning was like, “Hey, we’re, you know, we’re not just dating to, you know, have fun.

Like, we’re dating because, um, we’re starting to date.”

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. So

Joseph Stewart: that’s like the purpose.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Was there a time like when you guys just were like, this peace kind of came over you and was like, “Yeah, we, this will, this-“

Hannah Stewart: Oh, that’s a good [00:29:00] question.

Joseph Stewart: There was one day- This- … we went to, um, Big Bear, and we had been dating long enough where we were like, “Okay, we need to like actually sit down and have a serious conversation about our future, and like see if like, you know, are we, like s- are we thinking seriously about marriage?”

Um-

Hannah Stewart: He was also about to go into his senior year, because Joseph graduated a year early from college, and so I think that also was like what was kind of pushing it.

Joseph Stewart: That’s right.

Hannah Stewart: And your internship with Lagos.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Uh. It was the summer before my senior summer.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Um, and so we went to Big Bear, and like we had a really long conversation about like everything we wanted out of life.

Um, even things that we had already talked about before, just like laid it all out on the table, like number of kids we want, like, um, you know, how we, y- you know, what we, what we care about in life, where we wanna go, like where we wanna live, stuff like that. Um, and we just laid it all out on the table, and we were like, “Yeah, this is, like, like we’re committed to this idea of like [00:30:00] getting married one day.”

So I guess if we had to pick a moment in our relationship where we’re like all in, that’s probably it. Right.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. I was very clear though from the very beginning, me going back to really wanting f- to prioritize school, I didn’t wanna get married or engaged while in school. That was like something I made really clear to Joseph early on.

Joseph Stewart: Right.

Hannah Stewart: Um, which you respected actually. You, you really valued that. Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Yeah. So that leads me into, so when did you propose and how did you do it?

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Yeah.

Hannah Stewart: The proposal story is so funny.

Joseph Stewart: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Stewart: Um, so for context too, Joseph graduated, uh, spring of 2019. I graduated, uh, spring of 2020. And so my art gallery, my final, like, semester was all online.

Um, and that really shifted our plans drastically I feel like.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Um,

Hannah Stewart: especially being in Southern California during COVID when like lockdown was a [00:31:00] little bit more intense, spread was like a little bit more intense.

Joseph Stewart: So we actually, I proposed during, um, during like COVID time, uh, late in, in 2020. In- It

Hannah Stewart: was August.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, August. Um, so I guess not too late. Um, but we had this like tradition, uh, during our dating relationship where, um, on the day we met, right, on our friendiversary-

Hannah Stewart: Yeah …

Joseph Stewart: uh, we would take a pack of playing cards and we would write different things on the different suits. Um, so like diamonds we would write like our favorite memories from throughout the year.

Um, and hearts were like things that we had learned, um, throughout the year, like lessons that we had learned. Um, and then spades were things that I appreciated about Hannah, and then clubs were things that she appreciated about me. Um, and we would write those things separately throughout the year. Like, as we noticed them, we would write them down, and then we’d have a list of 13 by the end of the year for our friendiversary.

Um, and so on the day that I proposed, it was a week before the day that we had first met. Um, I recreated our first date. Um, we started [00:32:00] in, we call it Warty Duck Park. I think it’s actually called La Mirada Park, but-

Hannah Stewart: It’s, like, right by Biola.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, it’s by Biola. University,

Hannah Stewart: yeah.

Joseph Stewart: There are all of these ducks that you can, like, people feed grapes to, and they’re all super warty and kind of funny-looking, so we call it Warty Duck Park.

Um, and we ended in Griffith Observatory. Um, and throughout the day- Parking

Dawn Pruszkowski: at the top, right?

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. No, actually this time we parked at the bottom. We did

Hannah Stewart: park at the bottom.

Joseph Stewart: Oh.

Hannah Stewart: Because it was, like, part of the first date, like, kind of recreation.

Joseph Stewart: It was intentional this time. Um, and throughout the day, I gave her these cards along with a letter for each card, um, from starting at two and ending at the, at the ace.

Um, and I also had commissioned, um, her sister Emma, who’s a really talented artist, to, um, draw a picture of us in, like, the style of Calvin and Hobbes, um, which I gave to her at, um, The Last Bookstore, along with a scrapbook that I had my mom make, who loves to make scrapbook and, like, digital memory books and stuff like that.

Um, and then I ended at [00:33:00] the spot where we actually held hands for the first time, um, on the road down to the observatory. Um, and on the first date when we were walking down, I was like… I wanted to hold her hand, but I was, like, afraid to. And I think she could sense that because she was like, “You know, it’s okay if you, like, wanna hold my hand.”

Um, and so then we held hands down the, down the road for the rest of the, that walk. The first date, yeah. Yeah, for the first date. Um, and so on our walk back down on, um, the day I proposed, um, I wrote in the letter, the, like, last letter for her, that, “The last time we were here, I was too afraid to ask for your hand, but I’m not afraid anymore.”

And then I got down on one knee, and I gave her the ace of spades, which, um, I kind of meant as, like, a symbol of something that is, like, both a beginning and an end, ’cause the spade can be both a one or a 13.

Hannah Stewart: And we love games- Or

Joseph Stewart: a

Hannah Stewart: ace.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, we

Hannah Stewart: love games too … too, so that’s part of why we did, like, the card game thing.

Joseph Stewart: Um- Um.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: And on the card it said, “Will you marry me?”

Dawn Pruszkowski: Aw. And was this kind of unexpected for you, Hannah?

Hannah Stewart: Uh, yes Oh, okay I was not [00:34:00] expecting it actually at all because … funny enough, um, I actually thought Joseph would propose on a different day. I thought he was gonna propose on our friendiversary because like a month before, I think, uh, Joseph sends me a picture that I’m like, “Hmm, I don’t know if I’m supposed to see this picture.”

Turns out he was trying to send his sister a picture of, um, the model for the engagement ring, and it actually said, “Love is a promise,” which is something he said, like- You can show it … yeah. Oh, yeah, I can show it. Um, love is a promise.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Aw. Yeah.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: So that’s the ring.

Hannah Stewart: So that’s the ring. Beautiful. That’s beautiful.

And it says, “Love is a promise.” Um, and so I, I was thinking like, “Oh, like, if it says that, then he’s gonna propose on the year, or like on the day that we met.” So like, “Oh, this whole date that he put together that’s like super sweet is just part [00:35:00] one,” is what I was thinking. And then part two would come the following week when it was actually like our friendiversary, and so I was like not expecting it at all.

Mm. Um, also like funny enough, before he actually gave me the last card, he could kinda tell I was like getting emotional and was like being very sentimental, so he like even said to me like, “Oh, like you don’t have to say anything, just like read the card, like don’t worry about it,” um, like sensing that I was getting emotional.

And then like I remember when you were on your knee, you said like, “I know I said like not to say anything, but one word would be nice.” Um, and another thing, right when he dropped on to his knee, like in the corner of my eye, I actually saw a family like that was in like that same walking path, like grab their kids and dart across the street because I think they were worried about getting in a photo.

So- … part of me really wanted to laugh because I saw that, but also like Joseph just [00:36:00] asked me like the big question, and so I was just like, “

Dawn Pruszkowski: Ah.” That’s the emotions.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, just a lot of emotions like all at once. Um- Aw … and so I feel like after like me kind of like in shock, like with a pause, like I eventually said yes.

Dawn Pruszkowski: If you’re enjoying this story, would you do me a favor? Would you just take a moment and give us a thumbs up or leave a quick comment right where you’re listening? This actually helps more people discover these stories and the hearts behind them. Thank you.

Okay, so since this was during the COVID time, how did that affect your wedding plans-

Hannah Stewart: Yeah … and experience? Great question. So I have a huge family. Um, growing up, I go- I went to a lot of weddings actually with, like, different cousins and aunts and uncles, and they were always big events. And so I remember, like, coming to the realization, like, “Oh, shoot.”

And I think we even talked about this, like, beforehand, like, before we got engaged, like-

Joseph Stewart: That wasn’t gonna be practical.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, that probably won’t [00:37:00] happen, especially in, like, southern California. And even if we were to go, like, somewhere else, like, it’s so far, like, for people to travel and that kind of stuff.

And so we decided to do just immediate family and then, like, a bigger celebration later. Um, which I remember we were both, like, pretty sad about, like, at first- Yeah … like, deciding that. But in the long run, I loved it. Like, I think it was, like, the best way, um, for us to go about it because it made it a lot more intimate and, like, really, like, got to be close with the family, which was, like- Yeah

really nice.

Joseph Stewart: Nobody had to go into debt.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, no.

Dawn Pruszkowski: So do you have any special memories from that wedding day?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. Um, one that comes to mind immediately… So I keep saying I didn’t wear my hearing aids at certain points of us, like, knowing each other. Um, I really should have worn my hearing aids on my wedding day, but I decided not to, and I shouldn’t have made that decision, um, because apparently you guys were waiting for a while for, like, me to walk out.

Mm-hmm. But [00:38:00] I just didn’t hear it. Um, and I was supposed to walk with my dad, and I think he didn’t hear it either because we were just, like, chatting, like, really excited for the day, and you guys were probably waiting for, like, two minutes, like, before I actually walked down.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Right?

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. Which was funny.

We got married in a park, um, in a, like, Anaheim Hills, like, area in California. Um, it was super gorgeous, like, location. Um-

Joseph Stewart: It was a really pretty

Hannah Stewart: venue. Yeah. And so, yeah, that’s, like, the first memory that comes to mind- Yeah … like, for me. Um, and we wanted to do communion, like, at our wedding, and I think you forgot the wine.

Yeah. So there was that little, like, detail. Um, we probably should’ve gotten better sleep, like, that… leading up to that day, but…

Joseph Stewart: I don’t think anybody sleeps the night before their wedding.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, that’s true. Um, so yeah. So just, like… Yeah. That, that was really exciting. I think some of my favorite moments was, like, just really getting to, like, have more of that one-on-one time-

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, it was really-

Hannah Stewart: um, with, like, family was really sweet.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, it was definitely smaller than I think we had always expected, but [00:39:00] it was really nice to have just, like, that intimate time with, um-

Hannah Stewart: Like, with my siblings- Yeah, our immediate family … and Joseph’s siblings. Yeah. That was really cool. Um- I, I do remember that because it was so small, there was only like 17 to like 20 of us there.

Um, part of why we did that was that we didn’t want like anyone to get sick, and it turned out that only Joseph and I got sick, we think because neither of us slept that whole entire week. Um, but also Joseph actually like the day before our wedding, because we were gonna go camping for our honeymoon, went to get firewood on Black Friday, and it was like super packed.

Yes. Yeah. Where you were at, so that, that was kind of funny. We’re like, “Oh, thank goodness no one else got sick,” but we actually did a staycation for our honeymoon.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Oh, no. Yeah. So you, you guys got married just after Thanksgiving?

Hannah Stewart: Yes. Yeah, November 28th, um, 2020.

Joseph Stewart: So- Okay,

Dawn Pruszkowski: so-

Joseph Stewart: Sometimes our anniversary falls on Thanksgiving.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. [00:40:00]

Dawn Pruszkowski: That’s, that’s great. Okay, so you planned a honeymoon, and like it seems like honeymoons always seem to have some great story in there. Um, you guys were sick in Sweden?

Joseph Stewart: Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Hannah had COVID pretty bad. Um-

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, it was like a headache and just sore-

Joseph Stewart: Like, it was- … overall … it was hard for you to breathe too.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, I think that was part of it.

Joseph Stewart: Um, and you had, she had like a really high fever. Um, I didn’t have it as bad, so I was like mostly like cooking and taking care of her, and also like we were just trying to feel better. Um, we, we spent… So I took two weeks off of work, uh, ’cause originally we were gonna go on a camping trip and like go stargazing, because whenever we would take road trips, on our way back from road trips, we’d usually drive at night, and we would stop and like look at the stars.

Um, and that like was always like a time for us to talk and like hang out, and we’d always have like really good conversations. And so- Mm-hmm … we wanted to do that like for our honeymoon, since that’s like, stargazing had been a big part of our relationship. Um, [00:41:00] we did not go camping. Uh,

Hannah Stewart: I was not feeling well enough.

Joseph Stewart: We played, uh, Legend of Zelda and watched Lord of the Rings for two weeks. And honestly-

Hannah Stewart: And like finished Narnia, remember?

Joseph Stewart: And we finished- We finished the series …

Hannah Stewart: we

Joseph Stewart: read the Narnia books.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. That was fun.

Joseph Stewart: No, we finished Narnia on our makeup honeymoon trip, ’cause we finished that-

Hannah Stewart: Oh, you’re right. Yeah, yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Anyways.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Um, it was honestly- … not the honeymoon we expected, but it ended up being, uh, really fun.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. And I think it was helpful to have like, we like settled into our apartment and, um, because you were there like basically our whole engagement. Yeah. And so I was able to like have all my stuff moved in and kinda set up our home- Yeah

like a little bit more, was like really nice to like be able to do that together.

Joseph Stewart: And

Hannah Stewart: we- But also just like sleep a lot.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. And sickness or no, I think we were just really excited to be married.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Yeah. We- So

Joseph Stewart: did I hear

Dawn Pruszkowski: you say you took a second

Joseph Stewart: honeymoon? Yes.

Hannah Stewart: Yes. It was kinda like six months later, um, our makeup honeymoon.

Is that what we called it? Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and so we always wanted to go camping together, so [00:42:00] we actually went all the way up to the Redwoods and, um, camped up there. Went to a very specific spot where episode six of Star Wars was filmed, and that was sick and really awesome. That was another thing that we bonded over, was Star Wars.

And so, um, yeah, we just like got to like do a camping trip there and also stay in a tiny home on Clear Lake, and that was like a full like, “Oh, this is like a just us kind of like trip that we got to do.”

Joseph Stewart: Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Precious. Okay, so now that you are married, like what life adjustments did you have to make?

Joseph Stewart: Yeah.

Um, I definitely think like marriage amplifies a relationship more than it like changes it. Um, like who you are before you say, “I do,” is pretty much who you are after you say, “I do.” Um, except you end up spending a lot more time with that person. Um, and so like the things that, um, are minor annoyances in a dating relationship where you’re seeing each other like, sorry, for a couple hours a day, [00:43:00] you know, are a much bigger issue when you’re around each other all day every day and there’s no way to, no way to escape.

Especially, especially when your, uh, marriage starts during lockdowns, um, and both of you are home all the time. Um, so I’d say like the thing that changed the most I think in our relationship is we’ve just had to, we’ve had to learn to communicate like way more- Mm-hmm … and be candid with each other about even like small things.

Um, which can be like a really vulnerable experience to like bring up something that like feels like it shouldn’t be a big deal, but to like, like have a conversation about it. Um, to like… ‘Cause it’s so easy for, you know, tensions to rise and to like, it’s hard to trust like, oh, what I’m telling you will be received like in good faith.

Mm-hmm. Um, and with like the be- giving the benefit of the doubt. Um, and those are, those are things that are, um, difficult to learn. Um, but yeah, I [00:44:00] think we’ve, we’ve grown a lot in like being patient with each other and learning to have those conversations and, um- I think it’s been, it’s been really, a really great growing experience for both of us.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. And I, I think a, a good example of what you’re talking about, Joseph, is I’m a major extrovert. He’s a pretty big introvert, and I knew that when we were dating. Like, it was, like, apparent in, like, the way that we would hang out or the way that we would make plans.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah.

Hannah Stewart: Um, but because of lockdown, uh, we only really hung out with people, like, online, um, or, like, with social distancing and, like, saw my family a ton, which was, like, I was thriving in that.

Um, and so once things, like, opened up and, uh, you know, it was, like, better to, like, be around, like, other people, I was, like, making plans, like, no joke, like, every day, like, with people. Like, “Joseph, we’re gonna host this night. Joseph, we’re gonna, like, go out to see these people and, like, do all this stuff,” ’cause I was just, like, really wanting that connection [00:45:00] again and community and was just really, really wanting that again.

Um, and that was, like, a big, like, okay, this is a lot, like, for Joseph, and he’s like, “Okay, we need to, like, back up.” But that was, like, a really, um, kind of like, big stretch, like, I think for us, and something that, like, we’ll continually go back to. Um, ’cause I feel like we’ll go through seasons of, like, “Oh, we just traveled a ton.

Now let’s, like, have a break,” when I’m like, “No, let’s, like, do all these things.”

Joseph Stewart: Yeah, Hannah, we’ll go on a trip and we’ll come back, and Hannah will be like super tired.

Hannah Stewart: I was like, “I already have

Joseph Stewart: plans.” Like, “Oh yeah, let’s keep the party rolling,” and I’ll be like, “I need to sleep for a weekend.” Um- … and yeah, that’s definitely, uh, I’ve, I’ve become a lot more, um- a lot more willing to do things and go out and do activities and be more extroverted.

That’s challenged me a lot. And I think you-

Hannah Stewart: But I also, like, had to, like, kinda slow down and be like, “Oh, let’s, like, value, like, just us-

Joseph Stewart: Yeah …

Hannah Stewart: like, together. Let’s value, like, our family time, like, a little bit more. Let’s not, like, pack our days, like, so intensely.”

Joseph Stewart: [00:46:00] You’ve kind of adjusted in the opposite direction of me.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. So I guess that’s, like, a really, like, I feel like a good, um how would I phrase it? Like a good- Compromise. Yeah. It’s a good co- well, that’s, like, a big part of marriage, I feel like, is, like- Like you- … being willing to compromise, being willing to see, like, what can you adjust to.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. It’s like you became

Hannah Stewart: balanced.

Yeah. Definitely. Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. And I’d say, like, a lot of our, like, marriage has been stuff like that of, you know, differing expectations, and then finding ways to work with each other.

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm.

Joseph Stewart: Um- Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Well, how did you guys get from California to the, to Nevada?

Hannah Stewart: Joseph and I were just, like, really honest with each other about, like, debt is a lot.

California is a lot of money. If we wanna be able to, like, start a family one day, like, Joseph really cared about, like, owning, um, property and, like, being able to, um, afford to, like, raise kids. And so that was just, like, a really big thing, like, for us to discuss, because I grew up in California. My heart and passion is still, like, [00:47:00] California.

Um, especially ’cause I was doing a lot of ministry work and wanting to, like, serve, like, by teaching art and getting students to know their, like, value in Christ. Um, and that was just something, like, I was kind of building, like, a, um, like, a career and, like, a community, like, centered around that. And so I really didn’t like the idea of, like, leaving.

Uh, but this job opportunity actually opened up at Joseph’s former school, which is the school that I teach at now, where I get to teach art in- with a biblical perspective. And so that was, like, a really big, like, “Oh, dang. This is something, like, we should really pray about and, like, really, like, see if the Lord is, like, leading us to this.”

Joseph Stewart: Yeah.

Hannah Stewart: It, it, it took me, like, probably a year, actually, before we actually, like, “Yes, let’s, like, go do this.”

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Having that, like, job opportunity is kind of a big, like, clue from God, like, this is- Maybe something we should start, like, thinking about more seriously.

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm.

Joseph Stewart: Um, I think, and I [00:48:00] think, like, um, moving back here, something that, a benefit that I think God had intended for us that we didn’t really fully appreciate before moving was having so much family with small, like, with kids.

Um, as we start thinking about having our own kids, like, having a community of cousins that they can grow up around that are all, like, in, uh, like, Christian households that, um, they can, like, do life with and, you know, be, be friends with. Like, right now we live a 10-minute walk away from, um, my cousins who have a, have a small, a small kid.

A

Hannah Stewart: two-year-old. Yeah.

Joseph Stewart: Two-year-old. Yeah.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. And so I think, like, with us making that initial decision to like, “Oh yeah, let’s go, like, to Nevada,” I was, like, terrified the whole time. I really didn’t want to do it. Um, but I think, like, God has, like, been provid- like, paving the way of like, well, here’s, like, this community that you got, or here’s, like, this family that you, like, made, like, deep connections with.

Oh, you’re still really [00:49:00] close to, like, your family back in California. Like, um, so yeah. So that, to answer that question, we moved here, like, expense was a really big, like, part of it, but also, like, the ministry opportunity and the opportunity to, uh, kinda connect more with Joseph’s family that we haven’t really gotten to do, um, before in our dating relationship or marriage.

Um, and so that’s been, like, pretty cool to, like, see in this season of life, like, what the Lord is, um, giving us.

Joseph Stewart: And I think you’ve also been surprised in, like, how connected we’ve stayed with our California community.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Because we try to go, like, every, like, other month about, and, like- Mm-hmm

still connect well with, like, family and friends. Yeah. Yeah.

Dawn Pruszkowski: What advice would you give someone who wants to find- That, that person, their spouse

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah.

Joseph Stewart: I would say, I would say the biggest thing is to keep relationships in their proper place. Um, it’s a, it’s a second thing, not a first thing. [00:50:00] Um, and I think it’s easy to make an idol out of someone, um, especially, like, when you have really strong, um, really strong feelings involved.

Um, and there sh- there should be feelings involved in relationships, and, like, that’s a good thing. Like, God created feelings. Um, but it’s important to remember the order of things, you know? Um, it’s important to, I think, focus first on honoring the Lord and becoming the type of person that can love and support another person.

Um, ’cause there is a lot of, um, commitment and responsibility that comes along with marriage that can be pretty difficult if you’re not, um, you know, preparing yourself for that.

Hannah Stewart: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I feel like in our story, like, we didn’t start dating right away because the Lord was, like, working in that, in both of us.

Yeah. So-

Joseph Stewart: Definitely.

Hannah Stewart: Yeah, yeah. Um, I would say, yeah, same thing. Uh, seek the Lord’s guidance, um, through daily prayer is [00:51:00] actually a really big thing. I know for me, um, especially during my time in college, I, like, had a prayer journal that helped me just process everything that would pop up in my life. Um, it helped me navigate, like, my thoughts and feelings about Joseph and all the things that I went through my first year of college.

Um, but also, like- I guess another, like, advice I would give is, like, be okay with failing. Like, be okay if it doesn’t work out with, like, the first person. It’s okay to just end up being friends or just, like, end up moving on. Um, and even if you have to get through, like, a ton of different people that you have to pursue, like, you’re, like, navigating.

Dating is all about navigating what you, like, want in a person and, like, desiring them. Um, but I think also, like, remember that you’re both imperfect people attempting to date another imperfect person. Um, and so when you put your priority in Christ, and you seek humility and give grace when it’s necessary, I think, like, it makes the [00:52:00] relationship so much easier.

Um, not to say that those things are easy. N- like, to put Christ as your priority, seek humility, and to, like, give grace, uh, when needed. Um, but, like, in really, like, seeking to do that, I think, uh, the Lord will pave the way for you. And, um, I– for me at least, I had to give up my ideas of what a perfect relationship was supposed to look like, and I think it was much easier to pursue Jos-Joseph and be aligned with God’s desire over my own once I actually gave that up to the Lord and was like, “Okay, Lord, this is, like, your, your doing.

Um, help me to be humble in this, and help me ultimately to, like, seek, uh, seek you and to display your love in all that I’m doing in a relationship.” Um, and I always say, like, seek to be friends first. I think it makes it so much easier when you, like, have to have, like, a heart-to-heart, um, and, like, have those harder conversations with, like, “Oh yeah, we’re friends first,” and then that makes it a little [00:53:00] bit easier to have those conversations.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Perfect. You know what? I think that your story is such a great reminder that God’s timing is usually so different from our own. Mm-hmm. But like you said, Hannah, the greatest love stories seem to begin when we’re pursuing God instead of pursuing dating relationships. So I just wanna say thank you, um, Joseph.

Thank you, Hannah. Your story is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us today.

Joseph Stewart: Yeah. Thank you, Dawn, for having us. Of course. Thank you.

Dawn Pruszkowski: Oh. Well, I’m so, so honored that you came on. Friends, remember to look at the show notes below and click on the link that says More Info and Photos Here. That’ll take you straight to Hannah and Joseph’s episode page on our website.

You’ll be able to explore more of their journey, see additional photos, and learn how to connect with them all on that one page. Or you can just [00:54:00] simply visit unexpectedlovestories.com. Right now, would you give hope to someone today? ‘Cause as you were listening to Hannah and Joseph’s story, there was one person that came to your mind, someone who needs a reminder that God is still writing beautiful stories with their life.

Would you share this episode with them? And I also just wanna say a big thank you for following this podcast and subscribing and leaving comments, ’cause you’re making a difference by helping more people to discover these incredible stories. Oh, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Unexpected Love Stories Podcast or on TikTok at The Unexpected Love Stories.

Well, I hope that your heart feels lighter and full of hope after hearing this beautiful story. As you know, often the best love stories are the ones we never saw coming, so keep your heart open, ’cause love truly is waiting for you. We’ll see you next [00:55:00] time