We believe so strongly in community, and even though it has its challenges, it is so worth to have people you can do life with.

Looking back, our life looks so different to what it is now, and we owe a lot of that to the people we have surrounded ourselves with.

So our prayer is that if you do have a community, great, keep investing in it.

But if you don't, may this inspire hope to search and seek out a community that will love,

push you in your faith, and support you through the ups and downs of what all life has to bring.

Welcome to the Storytellers Live podcast, where everyday women share stories of hope found in Jesus.

I'm Robin and I'm here with Lindy and Katie and we are your podcast host. And it is Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day. And we are so excited to bring you a story from a couple. We don't get these very often.

And today we have Aaron and Shannon Isler from Tupelo, Mississippi, sharing a sweet story. You know, and I'm telling you, it is no small feat for a couple to tell a story and to go back and forth and be cohesive, but they do it so well. You're going to hear about a little bit about their past. You're going to hear how they met through their church, the orchard, which is actually we did a retreat at the orchard. We've been there. Yes, we've been there in Tupelo, Mississippi as well. So you're going to hear them mention the Orchard. But, you know, if you're single, don't turn this off because it is not a story about marriage. It's really a story about community and the important role that community plays for each one of us. And on this Valentine's Day,

for our Patreon Insiders, we are kicking off a marriage series that you do not want to miss.

So just scroll down in our show notes. If you want to join our Patreon community, you can click

the link or simply visit our website at storytellerslive.org. Here are the Islers.

I'm Shannon. It's Here are the Islers.

I'm Shannon, and this is Erin, something we call Sharon. We have a dog pink that we love and adore. We can't not give him a shout out. And we have a short story

that we want to share. But first, we thought it was

really important for you all to know a little bit of Aaron's background. He was raised in Alabama.

And then a little bit about me. I was raised here in Mississippi just 30 minutes away.

And how our 14-year age difference didn't stop us from meeting each other.

Yeah, so a little bit about my story. I was raised in Alabama by my two wonderful parents,

and of course I had two older brothers as well. But life looked a lot different for me before

due to some choices that I made. My parents did everything in their power to teach

us proper morals and work ethic. They were absolutely the best in every way. But due to some

...