Early in 2022, Simon started attending Living Water Church's young adult small group. He immediately noticed Grace as a girl who loved to laugh and share stories. The thing that amazed him the most was her heart for the Lord. She always had a story to share about the ways the Lord was working in her life. The funny thing was that all his observations happened via Zoom. The small group transitioned to Zoom during the pandemic, so Simon and Grace had no way of meeting in person. They also went to the small group every once in a while since it was on Friday nights and they had other obligations. So, the chances of them getting to know each other well at the small group were slim. Fast forward a few months to April 2022. Grace shared a prayer request during small group. She was nearing finals week and was overwhelmed with graduating from college and going to job interviews. Simon was absolutely astonished. He had no idea they were 8 years apart! He had been liking this girl for months and now it seemed that this would definitely not work out, so he immediately prayed that the Lord would take away his feelings for her. He prayed for months. He went on dates that his friends set up for him. He did all that he could to forget her, but no matter how hard he tried, the Lord did not take his feelings away. Meanwhile, Grace did not have a clue that this was happening. She was always amazed with the stories that Simon shared during small group and was impressed that he could turn things that were so mundane into things that were so funny within seconds. She prayed that the Lord would let them meet and be friends, but she had no romantic interest in him. In January 2023, Simon and Grace happened to meet in-person at the small group's fellowship meal for Chinese New Year at Living Water Church. When Simon saw how friendly she was with her Wheaton friends, guys and girls alike, he immediately looked away and started wrapping dumplings. He thought to himself, "See, this confirms that you have to put aside your feelings for her. She's probably dating and wouldn't think once about liking you." Grace, on the other hand, was oblivious and didn't notice anything amiss on Simon's face even though he was clearly sad. In August 2023, Simon and Grace met again at Living Water for another fellowship meal. The fellowship meal was open to the entire church right before a conference. The likelihood of them running into each other was slim, since the church had over 1000 people attending. However, they did run into each other... in the parking lot! Simon waved hello from a distance and ran over to help Grace as she was unloading her car. They immediately struck up a conversation. They talked a few times one on one that night and had a blast. A month later, Simon processed his feelings for Grace with his friends, and a mutual female friend encouraged him to ask her out on a date. A month after this conversation, Simon did. He took her out to dinner and they had the most wonderful time sharing their testimonies, theology, families, and hobbies. 1 date led to many more dates. On their 2nd date, Simon took Grace out for pickle ball and lunch. During lunch, she mentioned that life was not only about having fun, eating good food, and hanging out with friends. She said that her ultimate goal in life is to glorify Christ in every situation. Simon immediately knew that she was the right girl. On their 3rd date (Thanksgiving Day 2023)... Grace asked, "So, are we gonna become official or not"? Simon immediately expressed his feelings and asked her if she'd like to be his girlfriend. She said yes! After 5 1/2 months of dating, Simon proposed at North Ave. Beach with the help of his friends and roommate (it was his engagement day too) and Grace said yes to a lifetime of adventures!