This is my family.

We have book clubs where we both read different books but at the same time.
He cooks. I clean.
He does the dishes. I sweep the floor.
We like How I Met Your Mother and coke.
Speaking of coke, we drink out of the same can.
It saves money.
We are poor in money but rich in loveeeeee.
We are Houstonians! Or we will be soon in the next 2 weeks.
We sleep in the same bed. oooooh. It's cause we are married.
We love our brothers. And we hate when they are sick :(

That last part was pretty random. Srybouttht.

Mathew 8

What strikes me about this story is the stuff we don't know. What I mean by " don't know" is that it can be known. 

I know a centurion with no legal family.

I know two years of commitment. (I know five years of commitment but that's a different story, my friends.)

I know pain.

I know seeing someone you love, anyone in pain.

I know treacherous travel and doubt and regret and blame.

I know Romans and I know Gentiles. (After all, I am one.)

I know truth. I know the sweet sound of truth. I know the sweet sound of the first truth.

I know the liberating warmth of belief . I know liberating warmth of repentance. I know liberating warmth of acceptance.

I know faith. I know bent knees. I know unworthiness. 

I don't know the language a heart speaks when lips are drowned in tears.

I don't know that I would travel as far as the soldier did, to meet the Son of Man. But I do know that if I did meet Him, I wouldn't let him go. I would probably ask him to come home with me and heal my loved ones. I would ask him to give me money and sooth my heart. I would tell him about the starving orphans in Africa and the slaves in America. I would fill his ears with so many words and I wouldn't allow him to say anything back. I wouldn't let him leave. And I wouldn't leave either. And that would (possibly...probably....maybe if I) make him sad. But really, I don't know. I just think he'd probably be disappointed, if I ever met him.

Sometimes I pray to God for new names. Its just something weird that I do. But I would like to be the centurion now if that's okay, Lord. 

Luke 11

I've decided to start journaling again. I've missed some really awesome memories because I stopped journaling 2 years ago.

Anyways, I have a really insignificant story to tell. For the past few years I've been praying for a friend. Sometimes I would cry to Lee and he would pray for me. Sometimes I would just say "God I need a friend."

Now this is not to say that I don't have some already amazing friends. At my bridal shower I had over 20 girls there that I know love me and I love them too. I have good friends.

Yet I still found myself praying for a friend. Please God. Give me a friend. I just felt something missing.

Guys. I made a friend.

A few months ago God kept telling me to introduce myself to this girl at my church. I figured she was in her mid 20s because her husband looked to be in his late 20s. I ignored Gods promptings thinking "God I need a friend. This girl will not be my friend. I need a friend. Please send me a friend." I never introduced myself. I'm too shy for my  own good.

This girl and I have crossed paths now. She is one of my closest friends. She always says she wished we would have known each other sooner. She's moving right after I get married and then I'm moving in August. Maybe we'll both move to Houston. Who knows? She's 21 just like me. A newly wed just like I will be.

I love this girl, y'all. Like, Lee should be worried she's gonna steal me.

God is good. He knows what is good for me. He wants me to have what is good for me. Today I listened to this radio podcast and the pastor compared God to the GPS voice lady. God has a plan for us and sometimes we miss it. When we miss it he doesnt get angry. He "recalculates route". He is sad for us that we missed what was our best option. But he still showers us with his love. God loves me so he gave me Annie. How insignificant is a girl friend to the God who created the universe? Not insignificant. Very significant. He wants for me because he loves me. If I had listened maybe I could have had her for a long time.

I wonder what else God has told me to do but I just wasn't listening. I wonder how many times I've turned off my GPS thinking I knew the way and I didn't.

Annie told me that God told her he wanted to heal this man she saw at the HEB. Later she got very upset because she was too bashful to ask him if she could pray for him. I calmed her and told her that God only wanted to share his desire with her. He wants what is good for that man.

God wants what is good for me.

Anyways... Annie showed me this video and I think it's neat. I really love God. And my husband to be, Lee. And Annie and Matthew. God really knows what is good. He knows what is good for me. This is such a simple truth that is really bamboozeling me right now. Which is why I'm blogging.

How can we not see that God has what is good for us?

I leave you with this:

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11

Fijance

I have a little nickname for Lee. I call him my Fijance. I think it's cute. Lee doesn't love it. He prefers fiance because.... WE'RE ENGAGED!!!!!

Where he popped the question the morning after.

A proposal story:

On Saturday morning I had a list of things to do including clean my car and straighten my frizzy hair. Lee had other plans. He texted me to have an overnight bag packed and ready to go by 5! I had been expecting a proposal for a while now. So I threw a "proposal dress" (The dress I imagined blowing in the wind as Lee got down on one knee.) and some bangin jewelry to wear on Sunday (the day I assumed he was going to propose.)

We began to drive and quickly I realized where we were going. Barksdale, TX, Lee's hometown! I was glad because I LOVE going there. I fell asleep and enjoyed the rest of the ride dreaming up how he was gonna pop the big question! A few hours later, we pull up to his Mom's house around 8pm. She quickly hands us flashlights and Lee says "we need to go find your present". (My birthday was a few days before).

A small fraction of the beautiful lights that lit our way.

And then I see it.... His Mom lives on a farm of about 15 acres. Throughout the farm I see about 50 lights all leading up to this (appearingly) huge lighted structure. I said "let's go there"! At this point I had everything figured out. Lee said he didn't have much money to spend on my birthday so what he had to give me was free: a prayer walk. As we walked guided by the lanterns lighting our way, we stopped at four different prayer stations.

Station 1:

Thanksgiving: Take turns thanking God for ways He created each other.

Station 2:

Confession: On a rock, write ways you have hurt one another.
Then spend time asking God to help you  to not do that in the future.
Throw the rock into the field symbolizing that your leaving the hurt in the past.

We had a competition to see how far we could throw our rock. Lee won!

Station 3:

We spent the most time at this station taking turns praying
for one another. It was my favorite part of the whole proposal!

Station 4:

At this point I was ready to run towards the place sparkling with lights. But we took our time walking by the lit up river. Lee started telling me how  much he cares about me and how special I was to him. We finally arrived at what I then knew was a tree with about 30 lights hanging from it's branches. Next to the tree was this bench, table, and picnic basket filled with grape juice, bread, and chocolates. I sat down and he poured me a juice.

Then Lee was getting really antsy. He pulled my juice away from me and told me to go stand under the princess tree. I went and stood under it and Lee stood behind me. I turned around and he quickly turned around too, still behind me. (I now know he was pulling out the ring.) He then grabbed me and pulled me really close and started to dance with me. He said some really special (but private) things to me. Then he got down on his cute little knee and said "Sosina Kesewah Haile, Will you marry me?" I remember clapping and then hugging him and sitting down with him (because he was still on his knee). I was so surprised about how beautiful my ring was! I took it out of the box to look at it and handed it to him so he could slip it on my finger. He was so proud of himself for knowing which was the correct hand and finger.

Then we went and sat on the bench again. He told me all about how he planned and executed our engagement. David Han and Cameron, his friends, had drove up to Barksdale that afternoon to put all the lights and signs!   I asked him if I had said "yes!" because I couldn't remember. My sweet finace proposed again so I could say yes and have a memory of it! Then we walked back being all lovey dovey and stuff because it was freezing!

The ring:
My ring is perfect. Lee had it specially made for me in London which makes us sound all fancy smancy and stuff. We're really not! Lee keeps saying how it's the heaviest ring ever becase he payed for it in pounds. Haha. Its a princess cut solitaire. The band is a twig because  I have an intense tree love and he loves all things nature. We haven't taken a picture yet because we only have iphones. But maybe my photographer Mama will get some later on.

So much thanks to our Mom who made it all happen! She had a hand in everything!