Part I - The Initial Encounter

The year was 2005. Sarah actually knew who Blake was a couple months ahead of when Blake figured out who she was! This kind of thing is pretty normal for Blake though, who is probably one of the best known students at UNCG. Sarah and Blake had both been attending the same fellowship meeting on Thursday nights. Actually, Blake had been a part of that fellowship for 2 years, but had his various issues with the fellowship and their ministry all along. Still, Blake considered everyone his brother and sister, and signed up to be in the group's Halloween 'Talent Night/Coffee House' and perform. His talent? Storytelling. Meanwhile, Sarah, only a freshman at the time, had been coming to the fellowship group since August in her own, coy way. She only had 5 or 6 girls that she knew and went with and didn't attempt too hard to meet more people. Anyone who knows Sarah knows she likes to be as inconspicuous as possible, like in our music appreciation class we are taking together! Good NIGHT she is terrified that the professor will single her out!! but that's another story...

It was a clear Fall night when everyone arrived, some dressed in costume, others in Fall collegiate clothing (i.e. hooded sweatshirts and jeans). Blake had driven from the house he was living in on Friendly Ave, the one with three guys who were always either high on drugs, stealing something, making a mess of what Blake had so recently cleaned, or throwing a huge party (Blake found it as one of the last possible, cheapest places he could live when he got back from New Hampshire that Summer), and parked near the Associated Campus Ministries building, where the event was scheduled to take place in the second floor salon. Even though Blake had decided not to participate in Halloween festivities since they are satanic, he decided to wear a black silk jacket in Chinese Tang Dynasty style that he had taylored for him back in Zhengzhou. Nobody understood the outfit until the very end of the Talent Night when Blake took the stage to tell the true adventure story he has come to term "My Last Night in China". It was the first time Sarah got an idea of who this guy named Blake was.

Following the event, many people decided to go to Joel's house for an after-party. Sarah and Blake both went, but neither of them remember seeing the other there. Blake did, however, have an extended conversation with Karen, the leader of that same fellowship group, on his disapproval of dating and his general displeasure of romantic subjects. Little did he know what was in store for him in God's plan with a beautiful girl at that very party! The rest is history, and will be related in this 72-part series.