A Special Weekend: Daniel's Dedication And Our 17th Anniversary

This past weekend was very special. On Sunday, we dedicated Daniel to God at our Church. It was a way for us to publicly thank God for Daniel and entrusting us with his life; acknowledge our total dependence and trust in God for raising Daniel, and commit to teach Daniel about Jesus. It was also an opportunity for our Church to pray for us and promise to support us in our mission as parents. It was also special to dedicate Daniel next to other couples and children who are part of our Church family - we are so blessed to be part of this community.

We also had 7 other close friends join us at our Church and their presence there made it extra special: Tia Nena, Jean and Jim, Chris and Corinne, and Parin and Heather. We then all had lunch at our home to celebrate the special occasion. Unfortunately, we didn't take many pictures but a few were taken of us from a distance at the Church during the dedication:

On Sunday, we also celebrated 17 years of being together! Can you believe it, 17 years?! It's hard for us to believe that it's been that long since Jonny asked me to "go out" with him in Singapore at age 15. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors, Parin and Heather, who babysat Daniel on Saturday night, we went to the Kennedy Center in DC and got to enjoy an African-American Gospel concert that had a choir of almost 200 people - it was a special cultural and spiritual experience. We hadn't been out at night on a date as a couple for ages, so it meant a lot to us! Daniel also had a blast with their son Devesh! As we left they were running around, causing havoc and he was very happy to say "bye" as we left. Here are some photos of us on our date!

Jonny and I have been reflecting on all that we have been through the past 17 years... and we recognize how much we have grown and matured. But what is clearest to us, is the evidence of God's grace and presence in our lives. Our relationship and family is what it is today, only because of all that God has done. Bringing us together at a young age from opposite sides of the world; leading us to Him in our early 20s; helping us grow through seasons of suffering and joy; blessing us with a strong and committed relationship that has withstood so much... We are just so thankful to God for everything and acknowledge that if it wasn't for Him, we would not be who or where we are today. Thank you Lord for blessing this 17 year relationship so much!