Save the Date!


Nine months from today, on February 14, 2016 (Valentine’s Day) our precious Natasha will become the wife of a well beloved man of God, Paul Dysinger, the son of dearest long time friends, Edwin and Jennifer. A deep devotion to God characterizes the lives and relationship of this new pair and the fruit it has already born is as that of a watered garden. 

Between now and then Natasha’s presence will continue to bless our lives with her passionate devotion to home and family. We will cherish and savor every blessed moment of home life together.  We are persuaded their love story began where every beautiful love story begins-in the heart of the Heavenly Bridegroom and Lover of our souls. Thus we look forward with grateful anticipation to the joy of that happiest of days which will be celebrated in the beautiful Northern New Mexico alpine town of Red River.

But even more, we eagerly anticipate with grateful hearts the blessedness that we know will follow in the aftermath of their union at the marriage altar- a thought more eloquently expressed by a poetic author:

“But it is when the wedding ceremony is over, and the two are one, that the life begins which has so many possibilities of happiness, of growth, of nobleness of character, of heroism in living, or tender romance in loving. Angels hover about the marriage altar and hush their songs while hands are clasped and holy vows are plighted and then spread their sheltering wings over the happy pair as they start out together on the voyage of life.  The greatest blessedness, the highest development of character, the noblest manhood and womanhood, the most perfect attainments in Christian life, are to be reached in the marriage relation, if it is made what God meant it to be.” J.R. Miller




A LETTER TO OUR CHILDREN:

Dearest Paul and Natasha, 

The beauty of your love story, God honoring courtship and recent engagement has been a gift of grace to us. 

Paul, our hearts were deeply touched, learning a couple of years ago of your long standing devoted interest in Natasha. We admired then the high level of discretion and self restraint that allowed us all, especially Natasha, to remain unsuspecting for years. 

We’ve scrutinized your character over the past years, while witnessing your earnest pursuit of God and His glory. It didn’t take long for the ample evidence of your deep love for Him, passion for the gospel, spiritual gifts, nobility of character and diligence in business to capture the hearts of these parents. These traits, along with the obvious compatibility you share with Natasha in character and personality are among the many valid reasons why, with exceeding joy and confidence we were honored and said yes! when you asked for her hand in marriage.

The trust you bestowed on us parents, long before you could be confident of winning her heart - trust akin to that which you've placed in your own precious parents, did much to win our favor, our confidence and affections bit by bit. We still remember being charmed by the opening lines of a very significant correspondence from you: “It is my desire to lay before you an open and transparent look into all aspects of my life - strengths, weaknesses, vision, mission, goals, and more…” Thank you for your vulnerability, son. Your trust awakened trust in our hearts! Eventually you earned our blessing to win her heart and then, with high hopes, we prayed and watched your persistent efforts to woo her. Perceiving the depth of your growing love for her, your eagerness to bless her, your godly, humble servant leadership has been very touching. It is reflective of the pure and tender, longstanding, steadfast love and care of Christ for His bride. We smiled with delight at your ultimate success in winning her heart. 

Natasha, you were certainly earnest to guard your heart with all diligence! We are inspired by your earnestness. In this case, at times we feared the conquering of the “walled city” might be a mission impossible! ;) It wasn't without seasons of perplexity on your part and ours. When the time came to take “risks” you were not prepared for, it wasn’t without tears and even confusion at times. What a gift of grace it is that His strength is perfected our weakness!

It was heartwarming, after watching much of your wrestling with God, to witness the unfolding of your heart’s response to this honorable man that had the heart of a conqueror. It dawned as deep respect and admiration for his character and appreciation for his compelling spirituality, and gradually grew and matured to become the deep, romantic, tender love and devotion with growing respect and admiration that fills your heart today.  

We’ve been gratified to behold your full embrace of the beauty of God’s ways, as that love for and trust in Paul, is joyfully expressed in your glad submission to his gracious leadership in the relationship. Your earnest eagerness to please him is very touching….It is a beautiful portrayal of the deep, tender love, devotion and joyful submission to Christ of His bride. 

Watching your eager anticipation and total embracing of the Biblical philosophy of marriage has fanned the flame of our own love for God and the beauty of His design at creation-beauty reflected again in His dealings with His bride for our redemption. What a joy it is to yield to Him and His perfect ways!

May you both be inspired by the precious insights, and noble admonitions to husbands and wives of the poetic author J. R. Miller:

“Every husband should understand that when a woman, the woman of his own free and deliberate choice, places her hand in his and thus becomes his wife, she has taken her life, with all its hopes and fears, and its possibilities of joy or sorrow, all its capacity for development, all its tender and sacred interests, and placed it in his hand, and that he is under the most solemn obligations to do all in his power to make that life happy, beautiful, noble and blessed. To do this, he must be ready to make any personal sacrifice. Nothing else than this can be implied  in loving as Christ loved his Church when He gave Himself for it….

There is no earthly line long enough to fathom the depths of Christ’s love for His church, and no mortal can love in the same degree; yet, insofar as that love can be repeated on earth, every husband is required to repeat it…. The husband is to give himself, to deny himself, utterly to forget himself in simple and wholehearted devotion to his wife….He thinks no longer of his own comfort, but of his wife’s. He takes the storm himself and shelters her from its blast. He toils to support her. He denies himself that he may bring new pleasures and comforts to her. He counts no sacrifice too great to be made which will bring benefit to her….” 

A good wife is Heaven’t last, best gift to man…No wife can overestimate the influence she wields over her husband, or the measure in which his character, his career and his very destiny are laid in her hands for shaping.  The sway which she holds over him is the sway of love, but it is mighty and resistless…. Even unconsciously to herself, without any thought of her responsibility, she will exert over him an influence that will go far toward making or marring all his future… If she has in her soul noble womanly qualities, if she has true thoughts of life, if she has purpose, strength of character and fidelity to principle, she will be to him an unfailing inspiration toward all that is noble, manly and Christlike.  The high conceptions of life in her mind will elevate his conceptions.  Her firm, strong purpose will put vigor and determination into every resolve and act of his. Her purity of soul will cleanse and refine his spirit.  Her warm interest in all his affairs and her wise counsel at every point will make him strong for every duty and valiant in every struggle.  Her careful domestic management will become an important element of success in his business life.  Her bright, orderly, happy homemaking will be a perpetual source of joy and peace, and an incentive to nobler living.  Her unwavering fidelity, her tender affectionateness, her womanly sympathy, her beauty of soul, will make her to him God’s angel indeed, sheltering, guarding, keeping, guiding, and blessing him…”

May your joy as a couple be a symbol of the sure reward that awaits those that reverence God, treasure His word, trust His wisdom and embrace His ways.

May each of you “forget self in devotion to the other….. the result will be a wedded life of deep peace, quiet joy and inseparable affection."

With much love, your joyful parents,

Dad and Motherdee :)



Comments

  1. Love these sweet pics and these sweet people. Soo excited for you all!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These siblings that feel a little like second parents over here are speechless with delight. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yay! So happy for you guys - two of the sweetest people I know!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment