Alyanna was born in Manila, Philippines to Robert & Annette Gan. She has an older sister and two younger brothers. Her family immigrated to Los Angeles, CA in 2002 where she then spent the majority of her life. Most of her time was spent enjoying family, friends, basketball, surfing, hiking, and appreciating all that California encompasses. John was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, (8,664 miles away from Alyanna) to Greg and Georgia Saylor. He has one older brother. John grew up spending his time playing in his neighborhood with friends, at church, playing music, and going to camps in the summer. Before meeting each other, John and Alyanna spent their lives curious about the world, God, and the people they met along the way. They experienced and grew a lot. Eventually, they found themselves at a point in their lives where they felt ready to find somebody. Somebody, to love and wonder about life with together. Always ready for an adventure, Alyanna found her way across the country to North Carolina for grad school. On June 18th, 2022, the two finally found each other and went out on their first date over burgers and milkshakes in the town of Graham, NC, which was hosting a Summer festival. Immediately, they both knew something special had just occurred. Many dates quickly followed and they became a couple soon after. Living in different towns, they developed their own way of getting to know each other via a shared note on their phones. Throughout the day, they would add questions and answers for each other. Then, at night they’d take long walks talking over the phone about what they wrote. When John asked what goals she had in life, Alyanna replied simply saying, “To get to Heaven.” Stunned at this reply, John’s heart was opened to true love. They learned how much they complement each other in the areas where they think differently. They loved being with each other, though the distance did not make it easy, often traveling an hour or two to see each other. At one point they were again on opposite sides of the country. Regardless, they made it a priority to experience many places and moments with each other to continue to build their connection, however possible. To date, they’ve visited every corner of North Carolina, from the mountains where they got engaged to the Outer Banks. They’ve also enjoyed being with family in South Carolina and attending weddings in Maryland. The pinnacle of their travels so far was their trip to California to visit Alyanna’s family, and road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway where they soaked in the outstanding natural beauty of the golden state. Learning about each other’s families and what life was like growing up has been a source of joy and understanding for each other. And after all of the challenge and travel that has come with building their relationship, they finally reunited at the beach in South Carolina where they surfed every day with each other. It was the best. Since being together again, they continue to surf every wave God grants them, and love being united so much that they decided to journey their way to heaven together. They are so excited!