Thank you all for being here to share this special day for Con and Dan. For those of you who don’t know us, I’m Con's dad, E, and this is my beautiful wife P. We're honored to be here and give a speech to congratulate these two wonderful young people as they begin their lives together.
I would like here to compare Daniel and Con to an ox and a cow. Actually this metaphor is not from me, but from the Bible. It is said in Proverbs 14:4, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean” (ESV). Probably everyone who have ever had parenting experiences all hope for a chaos-free household. But the second half of this verse continues, “abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” In the process of raising children, we have actually gained abundant “crops.” That does not refer to material prosperity, but to the happiness and sorrows our children have brought into our lives, through which God molds us into the likeness of Jesus. Therefore, here I would like to thank Con and her sister Jes, and brother Jer. As we’ve watched they grow up, we’re continually so proud of each of them. Con was a curious, stubborn and smart kid, who always scraped her knee from running too fast with the other kids. She always liked reading, back scratches and the beach, and she was always there for her siblings even when she was away at university and in Calcity. Time moved way too quickly and she’s grown up into a beautiful young woman. Compared to other kids while growing up, Con and her siblings didn’t make our “manger” too messy. Moreover, for mom and me, they indeed brought many “crops” to our lives.
Actually we started to pray for Connie’s future husband when she was thirteen years old. And we had been waiting for GOD’s time and arrangement. We first met Daniel over Skype about 3 months into Con and Dan’s relationship, but by this point, we were already very impressed by everything Con has mentioned about Dan. When Con talked about the way Dan loved God and people, he had our approval before we even talked to him. Dan and Con stayed with us in July for a week, and then for a few weeks last Christmas in Florida, and we were so happy to watch their relationship grow.
In Matt 19:6 and Mark 10:9 our Lord Jesus said God “joined” two persons together. We are sure that Daniel and Connie could walk together into relationship and finally into marriage, which absolutely is GOD’s work. I still remember when Con finished University and she got two job offers, one from Federal Government in B city and one from University of CalCity, but she surely chose Calcity. Now we understand why. We thank GOD that her decision is God’s arrangement and His ways are above ours.
Congratulations, Dan and Con, as you two become united as husband and wife. You two are like an ox and a cow from two different families. Today, not only are you to become united, but also to become “yoked together. The yoke upon you two is the yoke of our Lord Jesus, given with the purpose to learn from Him. He promised us, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:29~30). Don't forget to turn to Him whenever you feel the yoke is too tight and the burden is too heavy.
I am sure that Dan is going to be a wonderful husband and Con is going to be a great wife because we trust GOD make the union as they walk together in GOD. Know that we love you two so much, and that we’re so excited for you two as you make this commitment from tomorrow! We hope to see you do things together to love God and love people that you couldn’t do alone. Finally, in God’s time, a few calves will be added to you, so that you may have a taste of a messy "manger," and also gain abundant crops in your lives. May God bless the couple, hold you tight in His grip, and lead you to walk in His way all the days of your lives.