Ground Breaking Video and A Very Romantic Engagement

John Volz put together a video from our church's ground breaking ceremony... it's long (over 9 mins) but if you're wondering what our church is like, this will give you a taste of the awesome people we are building relationships with and what God is doing most recently in our church as we give Him glory for providing land and soon a home for our church!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbQwbdzZr6M

Also... I have to post this totally romantic story about my cousin's wife's sister... she just got engaged and it is such a sweet story! It's written out by her sister and she included all of the girlie details... so if you love romance, enjoy!

Hi!I’m sure with the speed of Facebook, you already know the news, but MISSY IS ENGAGED! Leo proposed to her last night. We are all thrilled! Thrilled with him, thrilled with the Parrises, thrilled with the way they have walked out their courtship, thrilled with our great and gracious God to give us so much better than we deserve. Em wrote up this description of how Leo did it: As for details, in true Missy and Leo form, they had not only taken plenty of pictures to document the event, but they were also able to set up a SLIDE SHOW of them to show those who came to congratulate them!!!

Now for details on the proposal (I will try to be as descriptive and chock full of details as I can): The day began the night before (as it usually does) with a frustrated Missy plopping onto her bed and resigning herself to a very single summer. She had EVEN been grooming her nails in hopes that Leo might potentially ask by July. Usually a consistent "nail biter,” she had consciously and tediously kept her nails long and filed so that she could get a lovely manicure to showcase her new hardware. But in a heap of frustration, she grabbed the nail clippers and clipped every nail (one for each of the months she had been waiting) without a second thought. The next morning she rushed off to breakfast with a friend without a clue that a certain man had chosen THIS day as the day he would ask a question that he had been dying to ask for quite some time. She had the day off and knew that Leo was planning a special date. So she went through her regular routine of choosing a pretty outfit and completing what the Farmer girls call the "Beautification Process.” Not once did she notice the fluttery way her mother was watching her every move, quick to assist her by grabbing the mascara to hand to her or following her into her room "just to chat.” After completing her routine, off Missy went, resigning herself to the fact that this was Leo's "Make-Up" date, a sweet, but disappointing way to try to make-up for the fact that it would be another couple months before they got engaged. They started with a dinner theatre in Lancaster showing “Singing in the Rain.” (It was one of Missy’s favorite musicals and very fitting for the weather!) . Then, Leo told her that there would be like a scavenger hunt and that he would be taking her to different stops throughout the day. He gave her a photo album he had made of pictures of them from the womb to present. He only let her look at one page at a time (and then they would go to the corresponding location). The scrapbook of pictures that he had given her was a story: a story of a little girl playing dress up, waiting for the day she would really, truly walk down the aisle to meet the man that God had created especially for her. The story was also of a little boy, an oblivious little boy. His head was in the clouds and his eyes never rested on one thing more than a few moments before they became distracted by something else. It was a story of a little boy always on the go, always moving. But then, one day, that boy's eyes saw a girl and his world, as he knew it, stopped. Through pictures, you watched a little girl dramatically posing in wedding gowns much too big for her or staring into the camera wistfully with her hands clasped in "prayerlike" position. Through pictures, you watched a boy whose face was always turned away from the camera, never able to stay still long enough to take a picture. That is....until he saw this certain girl. The final picture is of that same little boy, now a man, staring at that same little girl, yet now a woman. He found her.

Their first stop was the place in Philly where Leo was driving when he got the call from Missy that (after much prayer) she said “yes” to courtship with him. (They got out of the car and took photos to document each place.) Then, they went to Delaware County Hospital (where both had had siblings born) to represent their births. The next was the first place that Leo remembered her (the Harvey's old house in Drexel Hill). He told her how he remembers playing a game of chase with her. He would run and catch her...and then wouldn't know what to do after that, so he would let her go. She would run and the game would begin all over again. At this point, Missy was very impressed, but still not suspicious. "WOW, if THIS is JUST a DATE, I can't wait to see what your ENGAGEMENT idea is!" she told him. He made a funny face and continued driving. Their next stop was her house in Drexel Hill, he let her show him where she used to "go fishing" with her Dad and the swing on the porch and the old mailbox that we all loved. He then took her to a park that we all loved growing up that we affectionately called the "Dark Park" (since it was in the middle of a forest, it barely got any sunlight---thus the name). They ended this part of the date with Goose Creek Park in West Chester, where they had had many wonderful memories in their courtship. They got up to the pavilion and a man was sitting inside working with his laptop. Missy thought that Leo must be disappointed that it wasn’t ending the way he had hoped, but Leo seemed unfazed. He told her he had one more gift for her in the car. He handed her a note (the “gift”) which said, "I promise that we will be engaged by the end of July." Leo had dated it and signed his name in cursive at the bottom. That popped the last bubble of hope that Missy had for today to be THE DAY. But she was grateful for the note because it at least let her know that it was coming soon. She guessed that he would ask on July 31st. So as they drove to their next stop, she started dreaming about what she would wear and what nail polish would best suit the sparkle of her ring. Yes, the nails would have to be grown out again! All these plans started swirling in her head as they drove to one final stop. There is a farm land near the Welches where Leo had always dreamed of proposing to his wife at sunset. He had gone to meet the elderly lady who owned the property the week before and asked her permission. It has a gazebo overlooking a pond with swans. He drove her to the gazebo which his best friend Tom had painstakingly transformed into what looked like a tiny palace, full of beautiful flowers and lace that gleamed in the candle light. (Ask Tom later how all that was accomplished...it's pretty funny. Let's just say that he actually went out and BOUGHT a weed whacker for the occasion.) Leo's guitar was propped onto one of the chairs. Yet even seeing all of this, Missy was not in the least suspicious. Instead, she was busy dreaming up proposal scenarios in her head and wondering how she would respond when he asked. Would she cry? Should she refrain from saying "yes" right away (just to make him squirm)? On the table was another book that Leo made. This scrapbook contained all of Missy's letters and encouragement notes. He had saved every single one. In it also was a story. It was a very long story that tells of a man who fell in love. She skimmed through it (figuring she would read it later) when she came upon the last few words that made her catch her breath. There were three to be exact and ones that he had been waiting to say for a long time. Her mind started racing. He has SOME NERVE to tell me that he loves me and then make me WAIT another two months!!!! But as she looked up to challenge him, she saw him slowly get down on one knee. And she burst into tears. Here it was!!! It had come! All of her tearful prayers were for THIS DAY. And on June 17, she said, "Yes!" He then took his guitar and sang her a song that he had written for their engagement. And in the precious moments that followed, they looked out at the pond with the swans as the rain softly fell, marveling at God’s goodness to them.


Isn't that romantic?? I just had to share the story with anyone that wanted to read it!! Will post Father's Day Pictures soon...