The year is 2016 and Gavin boards a plane to Taiwan with one goal in mine, to visit family. He could never have ever seen the ways that this one single trip, would change his life forever. So many things on the agenda for Gavin in this new country! From sightseeing, to exploring new foods, and of course, visiting the local congregation. He walks in the kingdom hall, locks eyes with Talia and … Nothing. They saw each other for a second time before Gavin returned home and … nothing. Their introduction to one another could be easily summed up and one word… uneventful. Gavin went his way and Talia went hers, neither thinking anything about the other. Of course this isn’t the story you came here to read. Let’s fast-forward to a year we all love and hold deer to our hearts… 2020. The year of the pandemic brought forth so many changes and new normalcies. Who could forget the empty streets, the empty grocery shells, and for Jehovah's people, lots and lots of letter writing. The one beautiful part of such a tragic time, was the opportunity we all had to work out in service with ones you may not have normally gotten a chance to work with. Sometimes it was with friends from neighboring states, neighboring countries, or in this case, clear across the world.
There the moms were, enjoying a letter writing date via zoom, where Gavin catches his first glimpse of Talia in four years. She strolled by the camera, and THIS time, that’s all it took. Gavin found himself intrigued. He immediately knew he wanted to see her again. So, he did the only thing he could do to see a girl who lived halfway across the world in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. More zoom service!
Our Story
From uneventful, to just a glimpse, to now spending time together in the ministry, Gavin and Talia's friendship began to bloom. With zoom service, movie nights, and hangouts. Before they knew it, they had become a regular feature in each other‘s lives. Soon, Gavin‘s friends were Talia‘s friends and vice versa. As they continued to observe Gavin and Talia together, friends on both sides started to come to the same conclusion - that Gavin and Talia's compatibility was clear. Even with that observation, Gavin and Talia both knew that they had their own individual goals that they wanted to remain focused on. They both knew and understood that for each of them, their service to Jehovah came first, and truly giving Jehovah their best was something they valued above pursuing a relationship.
Even still, their friendship kept progressing. As their friendship deepened, it became clearer and clearer that their goals indeed aligned. They were as compatible as their friends told them, and they both could see that this was a relationship that Jehovah could easily support. So there it began. Gavin started making monthly trips to visit Talia in her new home, New York. It became apparent that they both could have a future in Jehovah's service in New York. So, after dating a few months, Gavin made the big move!
Now the pair gets to work alongside each other in their assignments, continuing their friendship and service to Jehovah and their most eventful journey yet!
