Going off to college sometimes means meeting that special someone. But what if he or she is not a believer?

I have been WELS my whole life. I was born and raised in Ft. Collins, Colo., where the congregation of St. Peter gave me a sturdy background and a solid foundation in my faith.

When I graduated from high school, I decided to attend college in Gunnison, Colo. The college was small, but perfect for what I was looking for. Even though the nearest church was in Montrose, over an hour away, I was confident that my faith would stay strong. And it did.

In the second semester of my freshman year, I met Tyler. We started dating, but all too soon the semester ended and he went home, all the way to New Hampshire. Throughout that summer, we built a strong relationship over the phone, and I even got to visit him for a week in June.

When the school year began again, I looked forward to our relationship. There was, however, one thing that made everything a little less bright: Tyler did not believe in God.

I knew this could be a problem for me because it could weaken my faith. I was also concerned for him. I wanted to share the comfort I have in knowing Christ as my Savior. So whenever my pastor in Montrose would drive up to visit or I would drive down to church, I would invite Tyler along. He never once said yes, and I never once forced him to do anything he didn't want to.

I did, however, encourage him along the way. I offered opportunities to join me for worship and shared my faith whenever I could. I knew that if faith was going to work, it would have to be because the Holy Spirit would work and bring Tyler to the point that he wanted to learn. No amount of me forcing him would make him believe.

We fell in love. Yet Tyler still did not attend church. I never forced him to go, but I never gave up.

Another summer came and went and another school year started. One Sunday, I invited him to go to church again. This time, he said yes. I couldn't have been happier. I asked him what had changed his mind. He said he had seen how important it was to me and that he wanted to share that and support me.

Soon after, he started asking me questions. We began having discussions about religion. When I couldn't answer something, we would e-mail my pastor from Montrose, and he would provide us with an answer.

We have since graduated and moved to Denver. Tyler is working at an accounting firm, and I am working at DishNetwork. Whenever I ask, Tyler goes to church with me.

Tyler still doesn't believe, but I consider it a blessing just looking at the progress he has made. He went from totally denying God to asking about him and pondering him. He went from not wanting anything to do with church and Jesus to going to church.