From our earliest days at Wheaton College, Sophie and Luke had eyes on each other but never had the chance to really connect. Our shared memories began in Wheaton's sports center, where we were each so self-conscious, we're almost relieved we didn't meet. Sophie was particularly concerned with her tendency to puke on the ergs and avoiding any presentation of "weird missionary kid," while Luke was later accused of reading his Bible between sets of weights (an allegation he has now dismissed as untrue). The summer after graduation, Luke moved overseas to do humanitarian work and Sophie moved to southern California to live by the ocean for a season. It wasn't until our close friends got engaged in 2022 that Sophie and Luke were hearing each other's names again. As Luke arrived for the wedding, he reported to friends that he had the best bridesmaid to walk down the aisle with, and Sophie had her eye on Luke (who was wearing his Britney Spears shirt) from the first night of the wedding weekend. Later that night, she shared with her friends the “spicy secret” that if Luke asked her out on a date, she would be really excited. What followed were two days of walking down the aisle together, dancing together, giving the best maid of honor and best man speeches ever heard at a wedding to date (no bias here) and Sophie perpetually wishing that conversations lasted just a littleeee longer. When Luke drove away the morning after the wedding, he was wondering how on earth he would be able to carry on with life overseas as before. Two days later Luke sent Sophie what became an infamous text: "Hi Sophie, this is Luke." Needless to say, those five words were enough to send her over the moon. What followed were five months of weekly What’s App calls (averaging at a whopping 4-6 hours in length) and a dreamy week reuniting in Madison in January of 2023. This week confirmed for us that we wanted to "officially” start dating, as well as that we were pretty sure it would be impossible to imagine the future without each other. By the time we both moved back to Chicagoland in August 2023, we had pushed through a challenging and rewarding year of international long distance. Our relationship has traveled through six countries, 11 states, 2 major job transitions and moves, one year of grad school, our first church membership journey, four funerals, three weddings and so much growth! Luke proposed to Sophie on March 16th at the Oak Park Conservatory, prompting the easiest yes she has ever given. We celebrated with family and friends as a special surprise that Luke had thoughtfully planned, a sweet little foretaste of what wedding week celebrations will be like! We could not have arrived at this day without your love and support. From when Sophie was a little red-headed toddler running around Chinese preschool in Shanxi and Luke was a little red-headed toddler running around the farm in Iowa, we have both been formed by our family and community to be the people we are today. We are each immensely grateful for how you have played a role in forming the other. Our story is a testament to God’s provision and goodness, both as represented in each of you and in our joy at receiving the gift of each other. We can't wait to celebrate and worship with you as we commit to spend our lives together! "The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3