Our Story

Question

How did Natalie first notice Zach?

Answer

You could say that Zach sang his way into my heart. My first memory of Zach is when he sang “A Whole New World” at our campus ministry’s mission trip talent show. He came out onto the gymnasium floor shrouded in darkness and mystery. After a few moments of stillness, the lights came on and he started to sing while only half of his body faced the audience. He was dressed as Aladdin and sang quite well. Then he turned around and suddenly he was dressed and singing as Jasmine! His performance shifted from cute to hilarious and I enjoyed every moment of it! I could barely control my laughter as I watched him sing covered in make-up while clad in a bikini top and yoga pants-it was hysterical. I was interested. However, I wanted to make sure he was a man of character, not just a funny guy. I was on the cooking team that year, and I observed that he was one of the guys that always helped our team carry equipment and supplies. I began to pray for a way to get to know him.

Question

How did it feel to meet each other?

Answer

Natalie: The Lord provided when Zach posted on our campus ministry group asking if anyone had an extra dining hall swipe which he could use. Here was the opportunity to get to know Zach! I offered to provide him dinner at a nearby dining hall. During our meal we talked about our lives for several hours! I remember journaling that Zach was the most interesting man I had ever met. We talked about musicals, the pipe organ, literature favorites, missions, and family. After this conversation, I wanted to know more about him, but I wanted him to want to get to know me as well. Soon Zach was giving me regular rides around town and we were going on dates.

Question

How did it feel to meet each other?

Answer

Zach: God’s timing is good. Entering college after three gap years, I certainly wanted to fall in love with somebody, but I also didn’t want to date during my first year of school. Natalie and I were both part of the same Christian ministry (and even part of the same friend group), but somehow it took over a semester for us to actually meet. Once we did, I quickly saw I was talking with a remarkable, intelligent, beautiful, and caring person. I was so impressed with Natalie’s heart for others and the way she loved the residents she was in charge of in her RA position. I also found that we could have dinner and talk for hours, and it would seem like only a few minutes had passed. While initially I was wary of starting a romantic relationship, I couldn’t help but quickly fall in love with this incredible woman of God I had met. Before long, we were going on dates together, and whether we were waltzing together or watching an opera, I always had a blast spending time with Natalie.

Question

How did the dating relationship start?

Answer

Zach: After the school year ended, I chose to spend some time back in China, so we decided to take a summer to go on a “communication fast” and pray over the relationship. While that summer apart was really difficult, it was a time of growing closer to God, and also a time of great clarity from Him about the relationship. I later realized that our time apart summed up to exactly 40 days, a form of wilderness fasting for us both. But that time apart was so worth it, and the moment I returned to the States, I officially asked Natalie out, and our dating relationship began. Natalie: While Zach was overseas in China, we both took the summer as a time to pray and think wisely about the relationship. God used that summer to teach me patience and how to trust Him in the process of waiting. Finally, July 20th rolled around and Zach returned. Unbeknownst to me, Zach had asked my dad for permission to date me. After a picnic dinner of fajitas, Zach asked me to be his girlfriend. I was elated!

Question

How did dating lead to engagement?

Answer

Zach: I am sometimes amazed at how much God has allowed both me and Natalie to grow throughout this relationship. As time progressed, Natalie and I learned more and more how to communicate with one another, how to serve one another, and how to continually have grace and love for one another. I have seen Natalie completely flourish in the way she loves my family without inhibition, and I am constantly filled with joy when watching her servant’s heart. I have loved all the wonderful milestones we’ve passed, from the first time we held hands to the first time I told her I loved her. And the gaps between those big events have been full of fun times, from wearing cheesy outfits together during Halloween to singing along to musicals in the car. And through it all, I have been so blessed to have Natalie by my side, encouraging me during the stressful times and laughing with me during the carefree moments. After a year of dating, I knew this was the woman I wanted to marry.

Question

How did Natalie feel as dating progressed?

Answer

As time passed, I learned a lot about Zach and myself from our relationship and I began to feel like he was a puzzle piece fit for me. Who else would quote General Akbar while playing Jenga? Who else would look forward to learning about anything and everything under the sun? Who else would make me feel so at home with them? I began to feel like Zach could be the one and started praying in earnest about what the Lord wanted. I felt supernatural peace about the relationship and continued to fall more in love with Zach.

Question

What led up to the proposal?

Answer

Zach: I was overjoyed when my parents let me know that they wanted to invite Natalie to join us on our trip to Greece, and I realized that this was presenting itself as a perfect opportunity for a proposal. My mom helped me out by choosing our final Greece destination as the island of Santorini, one of the most beautiful (and romantic) places in the Mediterranean! I got to work designing the engagement ring with a jewelry friend, and got to work writing a book of poetry for Natalie. Before long, we were flying to Greece, Natalie with excitement for traveling to Europe and me with an engagement ring and a stomach full of butterflies

Question

What happened in Greece?

Answer

Zach: Our first part of the trip was spent serving at a refugee camp, and that just made me fall all the more in love with Natalie. Seeing her completely embracing the difficult work of the camp while loving the refugees with her whole heart just blew me away. I was in awe that God had brought someone into my life who loved missions and wanted to serve others like Jesus. Natalie: In December, 2019, Zach’s family and I traveled to Greece for a family vacation. I am so thankful that the Shepard family brought me to Greece. I loved getting to see how their family is passionate about missions and adventure from their time overseas. We got to work in a refugee camp and meet people from over 40 different countries-it was incredible!

Question

How did the proposal happen?

Answer

Zach: After a week, we went to Santorini, where the sun decided to hide behind rain clouds with thirty mile-per-hour winds! But after two days, the clouds parted and sunshine warmed the island. Spur of the moment, I decided to propose a day early than planned, and frantically started running around the island with my siblings trying to find a beautiful spot. We settled on a gorgeous cliff-side view, and soon I was walking there with Natalie in a pretend photo-shoot. I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life, but I also knew that God was there supporting me. We reached the cliff, and I read Natalie my poetry, ending it by pulling out the ring. Seeing her surprise and joy felt incredible, but it didn’t compare to hearing her say “Yes!” My family was cheering farther up the hillside as I slid the ring on Natalie’s finger, and just like that, I was hugging my future wife. I am so thankful to God for carrying us to this point in our relationship, and I can't wait to marry Natalie!

Question

How did Natalie feel about the proposal?

Answer

When Zach asked if I could take some photos, I quickly got ready and we made our way to a beautiful cliff at sunset. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, Zach was holding a book of handwritten poetry. Zach held me in his arms while reading poems based on 1 Corinthians 13. They were so romantic and ended with a line about seeing me in white walking down an aisle. My heart started pounding and I was sweating despite the wind around us. Zach bent down to put the book on the ground and then stood back up without anything. I reassured myself that it was okay even though there was no ring. But then he bent over and pulled out a hidden ring box. Immediately I started screaming and did that cheesy “hands over the face” pose. To be honest I have no idea what he said during the proposal, and I did not even look at the ring before I launched myself into his arms. It didn’t matter to me what the words were or how the ring looked because I love Zach and cannot wait to marry him.