Although I knew of Sharon in college, my conversations with her never exceeded a simple hello in passing.  It didn't even cross my mind that we might one day be together, because I always thought she was way out of my league!  I eventually got a consulting job working in Houston after I graduated, where I told myself I wouldn't date anyone until I was 30; and when I got to that age, I would just sign up on an online dating site and try my luck with finding my wife online :)

Then God brought Sharon into my life. 

I will never forget the conversation we had on one of our first dates sitting in our booth at Mi Luna.  We must have talked for hours, and I got a glimpse into her passions in life, her heart for God, her deep compassion for others, and her desire to live life to the fullest.  I definitely fell for her very hard and super fast.  Within a few weeks I knew I didn't want her dating anybody else but me, so I asked her to date exclusively.  She said yes, and the rest is history!  It has been such a joy and blessing getting to know Sharon more intimately each and every day the past few years.  Every time I am with her, it is a reminder of God's grace to me, and how undeserving I am.  I can honestly say that I fall in love with her anew each and every day.  We have been through so much together, through times of joy, and through times of deep sorrow - and there is no other person in my life who points me toward God through all those times more than Sharon.  It has also been such a joy for me to love her family as my own: her father, Yaling, and Scarlette; and her mother and Steve.  They have all welcomed me into their families, and been such an encouragement to both Sharon and me over the past few years.

Sharon continues to teach me so much about compassion, about God's heart for others, and about living a life full of meaning, not wasting any moments.  The joy she has is contagious, and she continually brings me joy and laughter each and every day.  God has blessed me more than I deserve, and looking back I can see how He orchestrated the events of our lives preparing us for one another.  There is no other person I would want to share the rest of my life with, to serve God with, and to love. 

Gene and I first met each other my freshman year at UT Austin through the formerly known organization of Chinese Bible Study. He was among the few of the older guys that I highly respected and admired because of how he treated others in our fellowship. He was also the Bible study leader of one of my good high school friends, who later accepted Christ through his small group. And so, I knew that Gene was definitely an example of Christ's love to others through his actions. However, we were merely acquaintances at the time, and I never imagined that I would be dating him 5 years later.

Still a freshman, I remember one night I wrote a list of several qualities that were important to me in a husband. I prayed over it a few times, then hid it away and never looked at it again. My last year of pharmacy school was spent in Houston, and that's how God made sure that our paths would cross once again. It turned out that I kept in touch with a few of his closest friends, such as Alan and Johnny. Also, one of his other best friends, Bryan, happened to live in the same apartment complex as I did - out of all the places in Houston! And so during the early fall, we all ended up hanging out and eating together a couple times. Then one night, Gene came over and taught another friend and me guitar. And it was at that moment, that my heart melted not only from his incredible guitar skill, but also from his kindness, gentleness, humility, and patience. Johnny actually wanted to set us up, but I already starting liking him, so that was an easy decision for me.

I always had this perception of Gene as this passive, shy guy that would let the other fellows have their chance first. Boy, was I wrong. Not long afterward, Gene took me by surprise at how quickly and aggressively he pursued me - he asked me to be his girlfriend after a mere 2-3 weeks of getting to know each other! The more I learned about Gene through our relationship, the more I realized that he was everything that I had prayed for that one night during my freshman year. Throughout the two years that we dated, God also blessed me with the opportunity of becoming close with his family in Houston. I realized that they were the ones who first spurred him on to become the incredible, amazing, wonderful man that he is today.

Gene is truly a man who loves God above all else, including me. He is one of the most selfless, compassionate, generous men that I have ever met who never takes recognition for himself but attributes everything to God. He genuinely loves and cares for people, and people love him as well. Gene is a man of character that I would want my future child to look up to and follow after. God has faithfully answered my prayer, and to this day I feel so undeserving of this second chance, after all the blunders that I had made in past relationships. Our relationship is a personal testimony of God's abundant grace, for He is a God of second chances. And for that, I am forever grateful to Him, who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.