September 2009
SHAHEENUPDATE
This update is for you who, we have found, really care for us. Some of you we may have met once, others, we have known our entire lifetime. We understand that we could just as easily use facebook, twitter, or email to write you individually. However, we want to offer a more personal touch in updating you about how our lives together, by the will of God, are progressing.
So We Got Married... In Israel On May 30th 2009, we gathered with our friends and family in Israel and offered ourselves to God and to each other. We were married at the Salesian Church in Nazareth. With this amazing event came many issues. We had to keep in mind all the local traditions as well as the cultural rituals which laid upon the sacred ceremony. We agreed to many of the traditions, yet threw out a few which conflicted with the feel we desired our wedding to have. As you can tell from the picture above, we were smoking hot! I mean that in two ways. We did look good, but wearing wedding
1
attire in a hot country is not the best way of staying cool. The ceremony itself went flawless. Amanda could think of a few small details that may have been off, but I thought it was great. You can find pictures of the wedding experience on both my wife and my wife’s Facebook page. If you don’t have Facebook..I’m sorry...if you would like to see pictures, let us know. The most interesting thing about our wedding was the unity ritual we took part of. I had heard of this ritual through some media and we decided it was wonderfully appropriate. The concept is to find a unique glass
container with some sort of lid on it. You then collect sand from both parties home town/state/ country,etc. You then buy white sand, which will symbolize God. During the ceremony you open the container, fill it a third white sand, then mix half your sand half your spouses, and lastly you fill the top with white sand to top it off. This symbolizes your decision to live together with God as your foundation and capstone. This also symbolizes living your lives wrapped in God’s guidance. Thank you to all who celebrated our wedding with us, both in Israel, and here.