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Published: February 13th 2010
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What's cutting? Hoe gaan dit? Sawubona? And what's going on!?!?!?! So turns out I absolutely suck at keeping you guys updated, up to date, and date to up... Please forgive me for being horribly busy in my own life and not communicating to you. It is weird, such a lot has happened over the last however many months it has been, and it's been an age since I have talked or even seen any of you and yet it feels like I was hanging out with you the other day. I think it is probably because I think of you guys all the time and have imaginary conversations with you in my head...that really happens…really…
Well, where to begin...hmm...Natalia and I are MARRIED!!!!!! Yeah for like nearly five months. CRAZY! All I can say to people dating from other countries is... read the Bible and get married! It is way easier. So yeah, we are married. My parents and sister came out for the wedding which was awesome! It was so much fun having them around and having people to talk to during the day. We had a lot of fun with them. Visited NASA, ate Florida seafood, went to
Busch Gardens Theme Park, ate at Wendy's (fast food chain), walked around the Island we used to live on, ate Mexican food, swam in the Gulf, ate Burger King, and lots of other fun stuff. It was great just to be a family again.
Then of course we had the marriage ceremony. We were married in the Church that we attend, Calvary Chapel Sarasota(this is like saying Westville), and had our reception in the beautiful back garden of a friend of a friend's house. Yeah figure that out! It was really beautiful. Friends and family helped set up the back garden and Natalia did an awesome job with her design skills creating a beautiful scene for our guests. The garden had a pool in the middle, giant trees and a pristine shrubbery (wow that sentence should be in the next "Garden and Home"). The friend of the owner of the house helped us line the garden and giant trees with Christmas lights which really...lit things up😊 No it was super pretty.
So the big day came. I had never been more nervous in my life. My stomach was tight the whole day. My friend Chase from YWAM was
a groom’s man and my Dad was my best man. My sister Caitlyn was a bridesmaid and Natalia's sister Celia, the maid of honour. We had a small wedding; about 60-70 people came to the ceremony and about 40 to the reception. I really missed having all you guys there. It was kind of weird; although we had friends there, other than Chase and our two families I didn't really have any close friends, it was a happy day no doubt, but I definitely noticed that you guys were missing. Just know that you are all very close to my heart!
So we said "I do", with out too ado, {I nearly married a Natasha, but Pastor Carl quickly corrected himself, and I married Natalia😊}. Thanks to all who watched online! What a blessing that was from my Church. The photos after were tons of fun and I managed to relax a little. The reception was great, and short😊 We ate some great food, danced to a song sung live by our friend Matt (YWAM) who came all the way from California to do worship and the first dance song. Awesome speeches from my Dad, Natalia's best friends, and superb
toasts from Cooks (Caitlyn), Celia, Nat's Dad and Chase. After that we sped off to our honeymoon, spending the first two nights in a bed and breakfast in town, having breakfast with my family Monday before they left, stopping by the court house for our marriage certificate to get for our lawyer on the way to the "official" honeymoon in Orlando! What a blessing that was! We really just enjoyed the week together, relaxing and hanging out.
So that was the wedding and honeymoon; a lot more too say but not enough space! Two more things to update you guys on and then I will let you go. Firstly Natalia and I live in a lovely little one bedroom apartment. Being married is really fun. For Natalia and I marriage is definitely more about the friendship over the months and years that follow, than the one day ceremony and reception. The only thing that really matters on your wedding day, and for the rest of your life, is that before God you promised to love that person until death...everything else is fluff! Fun, but fluff.
Secondly: God's guidance and provision. As most of you know the months before
I came to the States were really dark for Natalia and I. We tried so many different options and things, and even in coming here we were still in the dark. But we spent a lot of time in prayer and trusted God. All the doors in SA seemed to shut so we tried some in the US. As we knocked on one, it would open so we would walk through, not knowing where we were going or what we were doing, just acknowledging God was in control and He had a plan. We continued knocking and continued opening doors. God had it figured out. As we trusted and walked the doors seemed to open with increasing speed, government things just fell in place, even our lawyer was amazed at the speed of some things. And then came the bomb shell from God in the form of Pastor Jim’s phone call… “Sean, Pastor Pilgrim (youth Pastor) is leaving to plant a Church in a few months, do you want to be our new Youth Pastor? Give it some prayer and thought, and let us know if we are on the same page?” *Extreme loud explosive noise goes here!* I wish
I could explain in more detail the series of events that followed in coming to the decision to come on board but it may take another few pages. However it was amazing to see God guide and lead myself as well as the elders to His plan as opposed to our plan.
We think we know what we are doing, we think we are in control, but if you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you really aren’t steering the ship, and things couldn’t have worked out better. His timing was perfect. So now, for a reason God only knows, I am a Youth Pastor for Calvary Chapel Sarasota. I have “inherited” an awesome leadership team, and a ton of awesome new kids that I am really excited to disciple and get to know. One word that can describe this first month of being a Youth Pastor… “stretched”. You can’t grow if you are not stretched. You can’t trust God if you are not stretched. If you do something that doesn’t need you to trust in God with all your heart and pray like mad, then you are wasting your time. As I stretch, He grows me. As Natalia
By the Pool
We spent like four out of 7 days of honeymoon right in this spot! and I stretch He grows us. We were concerned that maybe jumping into ministry in our first year of marriage was going to be hectic, and it has required some sacrifice and adjustment, but it has brought Natalia and I closer together and allowed me to see things in Natalia I have never seen before. Natalia works full time as an activities co-ordinator at a “home for the aged”, as they say here, and yet she has been amazing in making time for the youth girls and building relationships with them. She has been such a blessing, and I have seen her step out in incredible ways over the last few weeks. God knows what He is doing, trust Him.
Well sorry if that was a long one, kind of general and bland but I tried to get so much in such a short space. I love you guys and miss you a heck of a lot, but fear not, for on the 6th of April Natalia and I come and visit for three weeks! I am super excited to see you all! I will try keeping you more up to date in the future, and would love to
Date Night
This was on honeymoon. Look how our hair matches...just noticed that. hear from you guys! God bless and much love, Sean.
PS: The KFC menu here is totally different from back home…Macdonalds however, identical.
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