It all started the 18th of May 2018 when Benjamin Gerdes walked across the gym floor at Twin Rivers Church, and Susanna saw this tall, handsome boy! She thought to herself, “Why haven’t I seen this friend of Ronen’s before? He’s soooooo handsome.” However, they didn’t officially meet until their friend, Elli’s, graduation party the next day. She was captivated by this handsome blonde and blue-eyed boy, and he was captivated by this girl with a beautiful smile and great laugh. But because Ben lived four hours from where Susanna was, they only saw each other occasionally. Each time they met, their love grew. They both loved volleyball, hiking, and got kicked out of Walmart for being goofy and loud. They eventually started texting back and forth, but it took a whole two years before they started dating. When they started dating, Susanna was in Tennessee, and Ben was in Oregon. Susanna came to visit, and they ended up going snowboarding with family. However, four months into long-distance dating, Susanna decided she needed a break due to some spiritual battles. She needed to put God first in her life and rely more on Him. So, there was a year-long break, but they still talked as friends. One year passed, and Ben asked Susanna about their relationship. Susanna said she needed to pray about it. When July rolled around, Susanna was planning to go back to Oregon for her 21st birthday and a family reunion. She hadn’t made a decision but knew she was going to see Ben because he was living in Springfield at the time and hung out with her family! When she got into town, she saw him and fell so much more in love with him. When Susanna left for her family reunion, she decided to pray about their relationship. When she did, she felt so much peace. Ben was house-sitting for the Morse’s during that time and fully gave his and Susanna’s relationship to the Lord, deciding that God’s will would be best whether they got together again or not. So, when Susanna came home on July 21, 2023, she said to Ben that she would give their relationship another chance. Ben was shocked but excited. Then, in August 2023, Ben moved to Indiana to be closer to Susanna. He and Susanna, have been making the nearly five hour drive back and forth from Indiana to Tennessee on the weekends. Then came the proposal. On March 9th, Ben took Susanna to the spot where they had their first date and proposed! And now, they are preparing for marriage on July 6th!