On a hot, sunny mid-summer day at Calvary Corvallis church, Amanda sat by herself at a picnic table. She was a newer attendee and hadn't yet made connections with anyone. A few months prior, God told her she needed to leave her old church and attend Calvary. She was a bit sad at first, but knew it was for the best. Now here she was, alone. Suddenly, three strange men came up and asked to sit with her - one of which had sunglasses on and looked younger than her. (Amanda was staunchly against dating younger.) She wasn't so sure about the one in sunglasses, but introduced herself to all three. Shades said his name, "Merritt." Amanda repeated it and Merritt said it again. Amanda got confused and wondered if he had hearing problems. They all ate in awkward silence, then Amanda left. "Merritt" had decided to attend Calvary through a friend, Mike Kendrick. He'd been wanting to go for a while and it was eventually revealed that both he and Amanda began attending the same month. That week, Merritt came to Bible study - still with his shades on. As she was leaving Amanda had the aha! moment that the guy who'd signed up for small group on their group chat named "Marak" was indeed "Merritt." She felt stupid, and from then on called him by his given name. A week later at service she noticed a chair and Bible pitched next to hers in the courtyard. To her surprise it was Marak - the man who'd spoken less than 10 words to her. During lunch after service Marak stood next to Amanda in line. She said something that made the man smile... and Amanda instantly knew something was different about this one. Even if he seemed younger than her. (Eventually, she found out he was indeed a year older.) At the end of service Marak was offering extra tickets for a church event Amanda wanted to attend. She opted for a ticket and they went together. They spoke barely at all, but there were... vibes. When Amanda got home she called her mom and said, "I think this guy may've wanted to ask me out tonight." Not long after, a ding sounded on her phone. She looked and, sure enough, Marak had asked her out. Their first awkward date was at Coffee Culture, where Marak left his shades at home. Amanda was finally able to notice his beautiful eyes and felt a little intimidated. Then the second awkward date at the movies. Then they texted the following week, as Amanda was out of town. They asked each other all the hardball questions, ones people are afraid to ask. One more awkward date when she got back sealed the deal. Marak asked her to "go steady" and Amanda agreed. Over the next couple months, more gas was spent driving to each other than ever before. But they both felt it was worth it. They continued to grow closer, especially through weekly Bible studies. Not long into dating, Marak told Amanda he loved her. (This was the first time a man had told her that.) She was shy toward reciprocating for a time, but eventually realized she was falling for him, so said it back. They continued to grow closer, until one early grey morning, Marak drove Amanda out to the Willamette River in Independence, Oregon. There in the truck he began taking out the ring box saying beautiful things. (Amanda interjected and asked if he could get down on one knee outside. Marak graciously agreed.) They moved and Marak began again. Amanda of course said yes. On the way back she realized they hadn't gotten photos, so they circled the block and took them later. Now, they are more than in love: They are each other's best friend. They're goofy together, laugh uproariously, read quietly and go on walks. Dream about the future and talk deeply about their pasts. And both have a sense of peace on where life will take them.