Engaged: "See, I am doing a new thing!"

Isaiah 43:18-19

18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

It is with GREAT pleasure and excitement to announce and share that I recently proposed to Tessica Lanelle White and she said YES! We are getting married!!!

As I have shared with most, Tess and I were engaged almost two years ago, and due to many reasons, we called off the wedding three months before the wedding. With that decision, we also decided to hold our relationship and our future with open hands to our Heavenly Father. We really had no idea what would happen, but knew His plan and ways were higher than ours. Much higher. I can honestly say, because of the last 15 months of intense counsel, guidance, healing, relationship building, and maturing we are in an even stronger relationship with the Lord and with each other. We would never wish to go through the pain and tears of last year, but would never ever replace the results of God's refining process. He continues to refine us individually and together to more clearly and wholly reflect the Maker's face.

I wanted to share in more detail, for those interested, about how we got engaged!

I was on a fundraising trip to Southern California, meeting with friends, asking them to partner with me in ministry. Tess flew out to join me for the last two days of the trip to check out where she would be living, with our two new staff women and my sister, pray over UCSD where we would be ministering, and to see the city. We would both than be flying to Lake Tahoe for a family reunion of sorts. The day before we left, we had a free day together. We drove down to San Clemente to the Rainbow Sandal Shop. Rainbow Sandals are known as the 'best sandals in the world' according to many Southern Californians, and we had always talked about getting Tess a pair after she moved to California. After picking out the right pair, we went to Laguna Beach for lunch and went to BJ's Pizza, a favorite of ours.




After eating we went to a secluded spot on the beach, called Woods Cove. We set up our towel and sat watching the ocean for a few minutes. I turned to Tess and told her I had a gift for her, and pulled out of my back pack my high school letterman jacket. I explained to her that I had always hoped to have my high school girl wear it and keep it, but since I didn't really have a high school sweetheart, I wanted her to have it. Then I told her I have another gift for her and told her to close her eyes. With her eyes closed, I placed a new Bible on her lap with the name 'Tessica Lanelle Holechek' engraved on the cover. Tess began to cry as she looked down and saw the Bible. We embraced and I told her it was marked off to Luke 15 and the story of the Prodigal Son. We read it together and then I pointed out that the Father gave his returning son three items, or gifts: A robe, sandals, and a ring. I explained the jacket was like the robe, which symbolized royalty and honor, covering over his shame and restoring dignity (the jacket also has the Holechek name :)). Second, we had just gotten her a pair of sandals, which represented to the son and father, the chance to run away again. The Sandals were a representation of full trust and forgiveness, the father saying 'I love you and trust you enough to give you the means to do it again.' The ring the father gave the son represented being a son and part of the family. And so, standing up from the sitting position and getting on one knee in front of her, I pulled out the ring and asked her to marry me. She said YES!





I wanted the story and gifts to represent to Tess and I, that in our relationship we had both come to a place of forgiveness and complete trust in our relationship, that our pasts had been covered over and left in the past, and we were going to become one and a family!

After crying tears of joy together and talking, we prayed together and thanked the Lord for all He had done in our lives and for redeeming a broken relationship. I had also snuck some bread and mini wine in my backpack, and we had communion together, remembering what Christ had done and consciously putting Him first and center in our relationship. After that I told Tess I wanted to wash her feet as a sign of my desire to serve and lead in our marriage, and that I would place her above myself.


Thanks to my lovely sister Anne, we had a photographer and videographer in one, documenting our special time. Anne joined us soon after to congratulate us and take more pictures. When we were all done, we drove up to Los Angeles to celebrate with all my siblings: Dan, Dave, Stacy, Galina, and Anne! It was so fun to be able to celebrate with my family! The next day we flew to Tahoe and shared the news with all of my mom's family too!

Thank you so much for anyone interested enough to read this little story! We cannot wait to get married! We are tying the knot and making a covenant with God on December 21st of this year!!!

We love you all!!














PS. Here are a few more pictures of our engagement :)