Both students in Fargo, North Dakota at North Dakota State University, Dylan and Amanda crossed paths for the first time their sophomore year in an online class. While they never interacted with one another during that semester, Dylan remembered Amanda from the class and a few years later they met in person volunteering for a concert. This occurring at the end of their junior year, they soon left for the summer, Amanda moved to Michigan for a job with FOCUS' Summer Projects. Dylan worked for a children's bible camp in western North Dakota.

As their senior year started, Dylan and Amanda now knew of each other but didn't interact much at the beginning of the fall. Dylan slowly started to come around NDSU's Newman Center (where Amanda spent most of her time) as the semester rolled on, this eventually culminating into both of them interviewing for FOCUS in November. For their interview, they travelled to Denver, Colorado together, where they visited for most of the long weekend. This was the first time that they were able to talk without the company of other friends around.

Following their trip together to Denver, the two began to spend time more intentionally together. Their first "date" was babysitting a friend's son. As the fall semester of their senior year ended, they knew that they liked one another; Dylan, however, was worried about asking Amanda out because he left for his student teaching in Italy at the beginning of January and was afraid to begin dating long distance.

Before he left for Europe, Dylan visited Amanda in Fargo to celebrate New Years Eve together, and on January 1st of 2023, they started their relationship.

After almost three full months of calling each other from across the world, Amanda, along with her friends Rachel and Ellen, accompanied by her dad Jason, took their spring break to come see Dylan in Lake Como, Italy. They spent time in Milan, Assisi, Venice and Padua together. Dylan was very nervous to meet Jason for the first time but the trip ended up being a great time to bond with some of the people Amanda loved most. They spent ten days in Italy before traveling back home to North Dakota. After Dylan made it back to the U.S. they graduated together in May of 2023.

Graduation was quickly followed by FOCUS training where the two received their placements for their mission the next two years. Amanda was heading south to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota and Dylan was placed further west at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. While excited about the next stage of their lives and confident that FOCUS was the right choice for both of them, they were also saddened at the distance that they would have to navigate once again.

Their first year of mission flew by and they were able to spend the entire summer of 2024 together. Soon after they moved back to their schools in August, Amanda visited Dylan in Montana and left with some extra luggage. On September 20, 2024, Dylan (in tears) proposed to Amanda on the top of Mount Helena. This was the best day of their lives.

Now, as we look forward, Dylan and Amanda look forward to the day that will replace that. On July 25, 2025, they will be married as one: Dylan and Amanda Heggedal! They cannot wait to begin their life together and soon family.

To be continued...