Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Psalm 95:2

Our hearts have been full of thanksgiving throughout the month of July as we have celebrated the marriage of Rick and Rebecca both in Georgia and now in Michigan. This past Saturday we held a Tea at the Christian Family Centre in Adrian to allow family and friends from the area an opportunity to extend best wishes and blessings to the newlyweds. Over 200 people from every area of our life came and enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship and food with an opportunity to congratulate Rick and Rebecca.

Words cannot express how thankful we are to the friends who gave of their time, energy, and many of their own decorating materials to help make the event a beautiful and spectacular occasion. They certainly went above and beyond our expectations, to the point of picking flowers from their personal garden for the centerpieces. Not only that, they created a garden theme including fountains knowing of Rick and Rebecca's love for flowers.

We also found the staff at the Christian Family Centre to be extremely helpful and cooperative. They put on a beautiful buffet of food for those who attended and kept it supplied during the entire time of the Tea. Instead of a second wedding cake for this event, we decided to go with gourmet cupcakes, displayed on a special cupcake tower, which were a big hit.

                                                              Cupcake tower

                                                              Rick and Rebecca

                                                                 The Palpant Family

During the Tea we thought most people would stop in, greet Rick and Rebecca, grab a bite to eat, and leave. Surprisingly, many, if not most, stayed for several hours. It was such a blessing to see people enjoying themselves as they got caught up with old friends. There were many who traveled several hours in order to be a part of the celebration. Everyone who attended helped to make the event very special. Both Rick and Rebecca were overwhelmed by everyone's good wishes and went away feeling very blessed and encouraged.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul and Gail

For we are God;'s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   Ephesians 2:10

Recently the word "preparation" has been in the forefront of our vocabulary.  Before the July 7th wedding of our daughter Rebecca, there was a tremendous amount of planning and preparation for the wedding and reception, which were held at the very same place.  The 600 miles between where we live and the site of the wedding made the preparations for the event that much more complicated.  When all the planning, preparations and work that went into the wedding were completed, we were so happy that it turned out very well.

Now there is a second event taking place this Saturday here in Adrian so that people who were unable to attend the wedding of Rick and Rebecca in Georgia can extend their blessing to the newlyweds in a much closer venue. We are so thankful for some ladies who have come along side to help with the planning and decorating for the reception, which we are calling a "tea".  After many meetings and much planning, all is in readiness to decorate and have in place everything for the event.  In order to have the tea turn out to be a nice event, it requires much planning and preparation.  

During our lifetime there are times that God calls us to action.  It may simply be taking a meal to a shut-in or sharing our faith with someone who is searching for answers.  As we live our Christian life, we need to be prepared when God taps on on the shoulder and expects us to obey.  It is not if God will call us.  It is when he calls us.  We need to always be prepared. 

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul and Gail

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.       Genesis 2:24


We haven't written our blog the last two weeks as July 3rd we were in Georgia preparing for Rebecca's wedding, and July 10th we arrived home that evening exhausted from the wedding and travel. So, we are now renewing our Tuesday blogging. We apologize for missing the last two Tuesdays.

On July 1st we left for Georgia to prepare for our daughter Rebecca's wedding. When we arrived in Atlanta, the first thing we did was help her move out of her apartment. This meant packing up all items that remained such as pots and pans and then cleaning each room. Late Tuesday afternoon we arrived at her fiance, Rick's, home where the wedding was to be held. There was much to d,o but fortunately many of Rick's family gladly pitched in to help. The house and yard needed to be decorated for the wedding and the food for the reception needed to be purchased and prepared for the 170 people who were going to attend. It was amazing to see how everyone worked together to make it a special event for Rick and Rebecca.

Having the rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception all in the same place made preparation that much more difficult.  Cleaning up after the rehearsal dinner Friday evening and getting ready for the wedding by 10:00 the next morning kept all of us hopping. Thanks for everyone's help all was in readiness by the time the wedding was to begin. It was a special blessing to have four couples from the Adrian area attend as well as my brother, sister-in-law and our niece. It meant so much to Rebecca as well as us for them to travel such a distance for the wedding.

                           Rick and Rebecca feeding each other cake.

As we write this blog, we are now a week and a half after the wedding. It seems like such a whirlwind and went by so quickly. It took us several days to recover once we got home. The pace we had to go to prepare for the wedding was fast and furious, but we have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Now a tea is being planned in Rick and Rebecca's honor for July 28th here in Adrian. Thanks to the help of many friends, the decorating for the tea should be relatively easy.

We are so thankful for the many in Georgia and here in Michigan who have helped and are helping carry the load to make it a memorable time for the newlyweds.  These helpers have truly been a blessing from God. This has been such an encouragement to us as we have been the recipients of so much help during this time in our lives.

Below is the blessing that the minister gave at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony.

May God the Eternal keep you in love with each other,
So that the peace of Christ may abide in your home.
Go forth and serve God and your neighbor
In all that you do.
Bear witness to the love of God in this world
So that those to whom love is a stranger
Will find in you generous friend.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
And the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amen

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul and Gail