Yamkela and Karen met at a Student Christian Fellowship called Funtalk while pursuing master’s degrees in International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University in Taiwan. It wasn’t love at first sight — in fact, they weren’t initially interested in each other. But after about a month (and maybe some divine intervention), they realized the treasure they were looking for was closer than they thought. Here's how they tell their story.

The first time I saw Karen was on campus at Wenzao—she stood out because of her curly hair. I initially assumed she was super liberal based on her gym clothes and dismissed her as a potential partner. But I was surprised to see her at the Christian fellowship and later discovered we were in the same program, just a year apart. We first hung out when she helped me apply for my work permit, and I began to appreciate who she was. I had a “Life Partner Requirements” list based on Proverbs 31 and godly role models, and she kept ticking all the boxes. As I prayed for guidance, I felt a deep sense of peace, which I took as a sign to pursue her. After feeling confident she matched my values, I asked her for courtship. How she responded? Well, that’s her side of the story—and let’s just say, you might not be on her side after hearing it!

At first, I wasn’t interested in Yamkela—he just wasn’t my type. But during a student fellowship, his wisdom caught my attention, and I decided to keep him in my circle of friends. I realized he was interested but I wasn’t looking for a relationship, I told him I wanted to focus on my relationship with Christ hoping for us to be just friends. After feelings have grown on Yamkela's end, he honourably asked me to enter into courtship with him—which I immediately rejected. That night, I had the dream that changed my entire life. After prayer and understanding what the dream meant, I realized that he was and is the man that God intended me to have. On November 9, 2023, we officially began our journey together—and the rest is history!