As many of you already know, on August 18th I was home in Minnesota to participate in the beautiful wedding of my brother, Zach, to the gorgeous HannahLee Bartell. Words cannot describe the joy and beauty of that wedding! But I'll give it a go anyway....
Basically, my family and I have been waiting for this wedding for the last 2.5 years. HannahLee is the kind of woman for which words don't really do justice. But right from the start she just "fit" so well with our family, and brought out an even better side to Zach than we knew existed. We were her number one fans from day one! I was lucky enough to have been at Bethel finishing up my senior year when the two of them met. And Zach, being the savvy guy that he is, suggested that I take "his good friend Hannah" out for coffee sometime ("I think you two would get along really well!"). So Hannah and I had coffee together, and we just clicked. She shared her heart with me and I was floored by her depth and her loyalty and love for Christ. I walked away from that first coffee date thinking "Lord, if there were ever two people fit for pouring into one another and being Christ, being YOU, to each other, I think it might be them. Could it be that I just met my future sister-in-law?" Fast forward 2 years or so, and bam! Wedding of the Century!
The weather was perfect, the bride was stunning, the groom quite handsome, and the setting for their wedding (Stonewall Farms)... perfect. My father officiated the ceremony, and I bawled through the whole thing. No one but my Dad could express the trials and joys that lay ahead for Zach and Hannah, and also describe the mystery and holiness of marriage (especially in a world where marriage and vows don't hold a lot of meaning). It was beautiful. God was there.
Basically, my family and I have been waiting for this wedding for the last 2.5 years. HannahLee is the kind of woman for which words don't really do justice. But right from the start she just "fit" so well with our family, and brought out an even better side to Zach than we knew existed. We were her number one fans from day one! I was lucky enough to have been at Bethel finishing up my senior year when the two of them met. And Zach, being the savvy guy that he is, suggested that I take "his good friend Hannah" out for coffee sometime ("I think you two would get along really well!"). So Hannah and I had coffee together, and we just clicked. She shared her heart with me and I was floored by her depth and her loyalty and love for Christ. I walked away from that first coffee date thinking "Lord, if there were ever two people fit for pouring into one another and being Christ, being YOU, to each other, I think it might be them. Could it be that I just met my future sister-in-law?" Fast forward 2 years or so, and bam! Wedding of the Century!
The weather was perfect, the bride was stunning, the groom quite handsome, and the setting for their wedding (Stonewall Farms)... perfect. My father officiated the ceremony, and I bawled through the whole thing. No one but my Dad could express the trials and joys that lay ahead for Zach and Hannah, and also describe the mystery and holiness of marriage (especially in a world where marriage and vows don't hold a lot of meaning). It was beautiful. God was there.
If you would like to see more photos from the wedding, check out my Facebook page - I've posted a couple albums there! http://www.facebook.com/meghann.burton.37
And now, folks, I am back in Nepal :) It has been sunny and gorgeous since I arrived - I really have missed this place, and the people. Work picks up like crazy next week - another ELL camp, another visit/check-in from my boss, new volunteers moving to the area...and of course, slowly moving forward on our ELL business start-up. As always, prayers are appreciated! Love to you all...
