As fate would have it, when we were both sophomores at UW, Cheng and Mark first met in 2018 in a suspicious white van touring Austin, Texas (at a job interview). We didn't speak too much at that time and only one of us got the job. This was a short crossing of paths and not until later did we have a chance to get to know each other.
In the winter of that year and into early 2019, we kept bumping into each other through mutual friends, school events, and seeing each other at Blue Sky Church. One night, as Mark and Cheng were heading back after the Blue Sky Church Christmas party, we started talking in the lobby of our dorm. Before we knew it, it was 3am and we found ourselves opening up to each other.
Mark’s initial impression of Cheng was that she was complex, deep, smart, and beautiful. Cheng’s first impression of Mark is that he is intriguing and different. The closer we got, the more Mark realized how caring, thoughtful, and easy to talk to Cheng was which led him to develop feelings. With those feelings, Mark asked Cheng out and of course Cheng denied him. Later, Mark was able to ask Cheng out again and they started dating.
Throughout the next three years in our dating journey, we grew and changed in so many ways that we couldn’t even have imagined. Through God’s grace, Cheng and Mark were both saved and baptized at Blue Sky Church. While following Jesus, our bond grew stronger and we fell more and more in love with one another. We navigated through ups and downs in life, and with each trial, our faith and commitment to each other deepened and we saw how we complement each other in many ways. We continued to discover new love for another we never knew existed - a love that is profound, unconditional, and everlasting.
On December 17th 2022, Mark led Cheng to one of their favorite spots on campus at UW, by Lake Union, where we had shared our first kiss. So much was the same, yet so much was different. There he got down on one knee, and asked her to be with him for the rest of their lives. Cheng said yes.
P.S. Mark and Cheng got their cat, Dunkin, in March 2022. Cheng believes Dunkin likes her more, Mark disagrees and this remains to be seen.