In the spring of 2018, Janelle was ambitiously seeking ways to improve her skills as an art teacher. In her time at John 3:16 Mission, Janelle had worked with Mingo Valley Christian School intermittently, so she reached out to their art teacher for guidance. It just so happened that this art teacher was Kimberly Bartlett ... John’s mom! Once Kim met Janelle, she immediately rushed home and told John, “Do I have a girl that you need to meet!” Kim arranged her and John to go volunteer in Janelle’s art class one day, but John didn’t get a chance to do much more than introduce himself. Three weeks later, John and Janelle unknowingly showed up to a YoungLife banquet ... a ministry that neither of them were an active member in. They had simply been invited by friends to go and hang out, and they both somewhat grudgingly agreed to go. Once John saw Janelle walk in, his heart immediately fell out of his body, and he stepped into her path to reintroduce himself. After the banquet was over, he turned to his roommate, the friend his who had invited him to the banquet, and said “That is God ..that she showed up to the banquet tonight.” His roommate replied “well what are you doing talking to me then?!” John immediately walked over to Janelle and her friends. He asked when he could come back and volunteer with her at John 3:16 again, and she invited him to come that Tuesday. After volunteering with Janelle that day, John invited Janelle to a youth event the next day at his church. She agreed, and after the youth event was over that next day, John asked her out on their first date... to which she said yes! John and Janelle went out on at least 2-3 dates every week for the next month, spending all the ither nights in between on the phone. After a month of dating John asked Janelle to be his girlfriend after a night of throwing acrylic paint at canvas and each other! 10 months later, John proposed on January 11th, 2019 .. and she said yes!