涩里番

This is the story of Mac and Molly.

It is a love story.

Mac and Molly are mascots for the 涩里番.

So, while their love story isn鈥檛 necessarily typical of all the college students who fall in love on this beautiful campus and eventually marry, there are some similarities.

Like Ram Rush.

That was the day Mac first noticed Molly. Mac was an upperclassman. He had been hanging around UM鈥檚 powerhouse NAIA athletic program and had started showing up at all the basketball games. He was such a big fan that he dressed in a basketball uniform every chance he could, which was pretty much all the time, since he was a rather large ram and it was hard to find clothes that would fit.

Mac was also super involved in student life, like the Student Government Association and Campus Activities Board, and all the organizations that plan the events that make being a college student at UM so much fun.

Events like Ram Rush.

Now, this is a good time to mention that rams are a big deal at the 涩里番. It all started back in 1963 when the first freshman class was picking things like school colors and the name of the yearbook. They considered a lot of possibilities for a mascot 鈥� knights, saints, pioneers, bucks, elephants and falcons.

It is also a good time to mention that the 涩里番 is a Christian university, and faith is the foundation for everything they do, from the classroom to the athletic field. So it鈥檚 no surprise those students looked to the Bible for inspiration. Turns out, there are 44 verses in the Bible about rams. And rams are strong and powerful, which are good qualities to have in a winning athletic program. So a ram it was.

But we digress. Back to the love story.

Mac was a Ram Rush leader, which meant that he was in charge of a small group of new students known as a Ram Fam, short for Ram Family, that spends about a week going to orientation and events together.

When Molly showed up at the designated time at the designated place for the designated Ram Fam meeting, it was all over for Mac.

He was head over hoofs in love.

It took Molly a little while longer to fall in love. There were the traditional courting rituals, like meeting in the caf for their favorite lunch 鈥� fried chicken and mac & cheese. They sang in the choir together, over the years participating in both the Boar鈥檚 Head Festival and Christmas Spectacular. They had a few classes together in Weaver Hall, went on a few international mission trips, and spent a lot of time cheering on the university鈥檚 many athletic teams.

In fact, Molly became such a rambunctious Rams fan that she special-ordered a cheerleading outfit that coordinated beautifully with Mac鈥檚 attire.

But it wasn鈥檛 until one fateful afternoon that it became obvious to everyone that Mac and Molly were a couple.

They sat beneath an old live oak tree to talk, and it got everyone on campus talking. Because they sat in what students call 鈥渢he love swing.鈥� It seems that, more often than not, when a couple spends time together talking and swinging beneath that old oak tree, what they end up talking about is their future.聽 It鈥檚 about as close to a declaration of love as a marriage proposal, alumni say.

That鈥檚 been awhile back, and Mac and Molly seem to be happy with the current state of their relationship. Most times when you see Mac, you will see Molly, too 鈥� usually leading enthusiastic fans in cheers at a Rams sporting event. Marriage may be in the future, but word is they haven鈥檛 reached a consensus on whether to have the ceremony in Pharr Gym, at The Jungle soccer field, or on Mike Jacobs Baseball Field.

So that鈥檚 the short story of how Mac and Molly became a couple. It is possible this isn鈥檛 the true story. Like most good stories we tell, some parts are completely true, and some parts are somewhat true, and some parts are not true at all.

But it鈥檚 a nice love story for Valentine鈥檚 Day, isn鈥檛 it?

Even though they grew up living 30 minutes away from each other, Hannah and Dallas never officially met until they were both coincidentally placed in the same Ram Rush group.

Ram Rush is the term used for the 涩里番鈥檚 freshman orientation. Through Ram Rush, new students are able to meet new people, take part in fun activites, and get to know their way around campus.

Hannah and Dallas鈥檚 friendship quickly blossomed as they discovered their shared passion for missions. Both were majoring in intercultural studies and attended many of the same classes together. Over the course of their freshman year, Hannah revealed to Dallas that she felt the Lord calling her to ministry in Asia. Dallas responded by telling Hannah that God was calling him to Central and South America.

鈥淏ecause we were being called to different areas,鈥� Hannah explained, 鈥淒allas and I never dated because we didn鈥檛 want to interfere with the Lord鈥檚 plans.鈥�

However, God works in mysterious ways and, during their sophomore year, Hannah and Dallas were chosen to lead a Ram Rush group together.

鈥淪he wasn鈥檛 even supposed to be my partner.鈥� Dallas laughed. 鈥淭he girl who was originally paired with me had to drop out at the last second, and Hannah was put in as a replacement.

Through this second Ram Rush experience, the two developed an even closer bond. This special relationship grew even deeper when Hannah began taking a Spanish course. The class drew Hannah into the Hispanic culture and allowed God to nurture within her a love of the people from Central and South America. It wasn鈥檛 long before she realized the Lord was calling her to minister to these people.

鈥淭here came a point when I started to refer to Dallas and I as 鈥榳e鈥�,鈥� Hannah said, 鈥淏ut I wasn鈥檛 thinking in the context of a romantic relationship. I was more thinking along the lines of, 鈥榃e can go to seminary together, fly to South America, plant a church and be neighbors!鈥欌��

These talks of future goals consumed most of their sophomore year together.

鈥淲e went to the same church and, after the service ended, we would stay up and just talk.鈥� Dallas said, 鈥淐hurch normally finished at 10 p.m., but we would often find ourselves up till 4 a.m.鈥�

One week in December, a few days before final exams, Hannah and Dallas were watching movies together when Dallas suddenly said, 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e supposed to get married.鈥� Hannah wholeheartedly agreed, and they both called their parents that night to tell them the news.

The couple became officially engaged in March of 2018 and were married soon afterward in August. Dallas鈥檚 father officiated their ceremony.

Hannah and Dallas have been married for a year and a half and will both graduate in May 2020. They cannot wait to see how the Lord is going to use them as they prepare for both the mission field and another task they both feel the Lord calling them to 鈥� becoming foster parents.

(Photos by Justine and Wayne Photography)