Valentine's Delight!

On February 9 and 10 we attended a marriage enrichment conference at a local church. It was AWESOME. Our marriage is in a greally great place right now, so we thought this would be a fun time with friends and a great review. We were blessed by learning more new things than we thought we would! I am now of the opinion that we should go to these kinds of conferences every couple of years just to keep things sharp. I was especially convicted of my conflict resolution skills...man, I have some work to do. The weekend ended with everyone renewing our vows. I admit that it wasn't sinking in at first, that this was a REAL ceremony, and that we were REALLY renewing our vows. So Justin and I casually popped in our wedding video to review our vows before the conference began, and as I heard our young and naive selves reciting them, the impact of that day washed over me all over again. I MEANT every word back then. And we have been tested in EVERY area already in our marriage...sickness and health, richer and poorer, better and worse, honor and nurture, and building an enduring ministry marriage. I LOVE Justin Brickey. And I want the world to know it. We talked about the things we've been through (buying our first house, getting married, my mom passing away just 5 months after we were married, the births of our two amazing sons, finishing college, Justin's knee surgery, Justin's concussionS, our children's illnesses, raising support for the mission field, and more), and we were amazed at how our marriage has risen to meet our challenges and how it has been cemented through the triumphs. Now, as we face the mission field, we are keenly aware of the new challenges we will face, and our heightened need to draw closest to God in order to love each other best. Thank you, Father, for this incredible man. I couldn't have asked for a better fit.

Love,
Gillian