You, my friend, are no longer just my people or just wife’s people. . . . you are now mine AND my wife’s people!
Paul calls it a great mystery–how marriage symbolizes and foreshadows the eventual union of Christ and His Bride, the Church. We were so blessed to have our Lord’s presence smiling over us as we became one on August 20th. The wedding and honeymoon were everything we have waited for, everything we hoped they would be. Thanks to everyone who celebrated along with us and made our wedding day super special!
First, we love being married! We are almost to our one month anniversary! Currently, we are settling into our apartment and enjoying married life on the outskirts of the temperate, mountainous, and ethnically diverse city of K-town, where I have lived for 3 years raising up college students. My wife is in the middle of a very difficult transition, having left behind her beloved Beracha House to jump into life here. She has already started language classes at the local Minorities University and is also teaching a local sister piano. I have reconnected with many of my old friends who we will continue to disciple. We are currently living in K-town, but feel the Lord’s leading us to the frontier in the Northwest!
Father has been so faithful to provide abundantly for our every need. Check out this story about a Lion, a Bed, and a Wardrobe! (C. S. Lewis pun intended 😉
We were blessed to be able to stay at my wife’s brother Daniel’s place for a few days after getting back while we fixed up and cleaned my old apartment. There were a few things we needed to get to make it feel like home — namely, a bed. We got in touch with a guy in the city who had a nice-looking bed for sale at a great price, but when we called, he said there were already a few others interested and that we would be third on the list. So we prayed, and guess what? Neither of the others ended up buying it! We went to take a look. Arriving at my house, I remembered seeing this man at K-town’s international fellowship, but I had never met him. My wife had actually met him briefly more than a year before while visiting. We went to look at the bed, but what we didn’t expect was that as we shared about who we are and what we feel called to (a beautiful and unique people group in the NW of this nation we’ll call the STs), he looked astonished, and told us, “That’s what my life is all about!” This brother has been around these parts for 25 years, and is a really great contact for us moving forward. Praise Him! BTW, we bought the bed and a wardrobe as well;) Isn’t it cool how the Lion (Jesus, of course) orchestrates these wonderful surprises in our lives?
We will be sharing more with you soon about our upcoming trip north to the people and place mentioned above, and how that fits into our long-term vision. He has planted us together like two trees, and we are so excited to be called to show forth His glory and make His name famous to the ends of the earth!