Rachel Duncan and Mark Zimmerman first met at Capital Bible Seminary in 2004. Rachel didn’t notice Mark, but Mark certainly noticed Rachel. But nothing would happen between them until 2018. The natural question is: Why didn’t Mark ask Rachel out way back then? The best answer is that the timing wasn’t right. God had lessons to teach them and tasks that He wanted them each to accomplish—things they had to learn and do on their own. Between 2004 and 2018, Rachel and Mark found and settled into their careers: Rachel became a high school Spanish teacher and swim coach, and Mark became a technical editor. Rachel went on missions trips, and Mark taught English as a Second Language and mentored children who came to the U.S. as refugees. During those 14 years they made friendships and had experiences that shaped them into the people they are today. Rachel and Mark’s first date was on Wednesday, June 13, 2018. They went to a book reading at Politics & Prose bookstore in DC. After the talk, they went downstairs to the café and had their first conversation at a table near the window. That café remains a special place for them. Rachel and Mark were engaged late in the evening on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. A few weeks earlier, Mark had asked Rachel’s parents over the phone for their blessing, and they had graciously given it. Mark then purchased a ring that Rachel liked from a jeweler in Albuquerque, which is where Rachel grew up and where much of her family still lives. The ring came in on Tuesday afternoon. Mark called Rachel from work later that evening and said that the ring had arrived and that he wanted to propose to her that night. She agreed, and so Mark picked her up and they drove out to Annapolis. They walked out on the dock and Mark got down on one knee and proposed to Rachel at the same spot where they had held hands for the first time the summer before. The newly engaged couple then celebrated by going to McDonald’s and eating cheeseburgers and ice cream.