Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like had certain people not been in it???
What if I had never gone on that mission trip to Panama as a 16-year-old...
and met Hannah from Alaska...
who would become my pen pal...
and visit me in Elkhart...
and Chicago...
and Chicago...
and send such thoughtful packages to me in India?
What if we had never gone on that wild road trip from Indiana to Mexico, driving 5,256 miles across 15 states and 2 countries on a grand two week adventure...
being awed by the beauty of creation...
meeting some inspiring people...
and begging God not to let our gas tank run empty in west Texas?
And what if we had never stopped in Birmingham, Alabama, to visit the Church at Brook Hills...
being awed by the beauty of creation...
meeting some inspiring people...
and begging God not to let our gas tank run empty in west Texas?
And what if we had never stopped in Birmingham, Alabama, to visit the Church at Brook Hills...
and meet sweet Anita...
who, two years later, during the lowest point of my life, would invite me back to Brook Hills for some counseling and encouragement...
back to the city where I would eventually move and live and meet my husband???
Who could have predicted all that?!?!
Hannah, I thank God for bringing you into my life as a 16-year-old and for knitting our hearts together even then. Your friendship has been SUCH a gift in my life!
You care deeply. You love big. You listen well. You live to the full.
You know Jesus. You love Jesus.
His love and joy spill out onto everyone you meet.
I was so honored to share my wedding day with you here in Alabama...
and am absolutely thrilled for your upcoming wedding to Kenny!!!
I praise God for your faithful friendship and the influence you have had on my life!
I love you, Hannah!!
Oh, this is so beautiful. Just the thought of Hannah = Happy. Tears again. And you even forgot to mention that you both have mamas named Jan. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love that both our moms names are JAN too!!! (LOVE YOU JAN!)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that God brought us together so long ago, sweet Amanda Seibert... You have been an encouragement and example to me, and you have pointed me to truth when it was difficult for me to see clearly... and you have brought life to dead places... and I'm so thankful that you and I met... so long ago. Thank you for being crazy enough to take long adventures across the country (even though we didn't know what we would learn... God did... and He had a reason even bigger than we had imagined... thankful to meet our dear friend Anita Bucher!)
And thank you for loving Jesus, loving life, loving your family, loving you friends. God is good to us... and it's exciting to do life together, even from far apart...
And I'm so excited to enter into married life with you and Danny... again enjoying a new season with you... somehow together, but really far away.
I am looking forward to adventures with you two... someday soon!
LOVE YOU!