Dedicated to love!

Today I celebrate one year of marriage with my beautiful wife! What a year it has been! For good and for bad. Let me just give you a glimpse of our journey…

I proposed to Andreia on May the 4th 2019. All the preparations were made and I planned to take her to a beautiful place where our relationship began, those 2 and a half years before this day. To my amazement, Andreia had gone to get her nails painted in the morning, she painted them in her favourite colour blue; she had never chose this colour before! As we walked towards the destination during the cool of the evening as the sun was going down, she started to talk about her dream proposal – I started to think she knew what was about to happen. As I carried the ring in my pocket she said how she hopes on the day I ask her she will have her hair done and nails painted. Her hair was beautiful and her nails just painted – I’m so nervous right now that my heart was racing. I tried a feeble attempt of changing the subject but it somehow bounced back and continued with marriage talk. Anyway, the location was close and 2 of my good friends were hiding close by about to film the proposal. The moment we arrived at the seafront I did not waste a moment. I took the ring out, got on one knee and asked her to marry me. Her tearful reaction let me know that she had no clue this was about to happen! Thank God for blessing this moment!

After this we quickly moved on to look for wedding venues and arranged all the wedding stuff. Within a month we found our dream venue. It was a breath taking venue with a beautiful watered garden and a river flowing through it. Flowers blossomed and the smell of summer lingered in the air, beautiful luscious grass embraced the floor and the trees were teeming with life. It was a dream! We signed up and paid our deposit and set the marriage date for 1 year and 3 weeks from the day I asked her for marriage.

Within the first 9 months we had everything done. Her dress, my suit, all the small touches for the big day were in place, we even had a limousine booked! It was all going so well. Then Covid came to the West! We were seeing what was happening in China and saw the devastation caused. Then… in March 2020 Portugal went into lockdown! Our wedding day was meant to be May 23rd 2020. We prayed and were biting our finger nails in anticipation of the outcome. Portugal was bad yet England was even worse! We were going to have an international wedding but flights from England were banned. The uncertainty continued as we pushed into April, then we had to make that tough decision… we postponed our wedding! It was postponed until October 2021. We created new invitations and sent them to all 120 of our guests. Time passed more and uncertainty was growing, it started to feel like some out there did not want this pandemic to end so they can consolidate more power. More restrictions came and more power handed over, it was not looking good and England was in a mess!

One day I remember praying and suddenly I remembered Andreia and I had both booked 2 weeks off for summer. I sensed the Lord prompting me to change our wedding date. “Why do you need a huge celebration? What’s more important, the celebration or the marriage?” This question probed my heart and I asked the same question to Andreia. We concluded that we should resort to a smaller scaled wedding because of the uncertainty. After many tears and much heart ache we cancelled the wedding venue and everything else that was booked, including telling many guests about the changes. Sure we lost the 750 euros reservation fee and lost a lot of money on other things, but in our hearts we knew this was the right step. It really broke us for a while, more my wife than myself because she also would not know if she can wear her wedding dress. We changed the date to the 10th August 2020.

What an amazing wedding day God blessed us with! We got married in a registry office but they broke the rules for us by allowing all 10 guests to come inside and be witnesses (only 2 were allowed due to restrictions but they broke this rule!) The only one from England who could make it was my sister Rachel, yet her being there meant the world to me! Sure I wanted my Dad there but I rejoiced that God gave me someone. By the time we finished our vowels and put on the rings the sun was shining! We walked into the place with deep fog and left with a crystal clear blue sky! It was truly breath taking. Then we had an amazing meal at a typical Portuguese restaurant. Then later my wife and I had a fancy McDonald’s dinner 😂.

After this pain we were then surprised when we went on our honeymoon. The hotel had put rose petals all over our bed and made swans out of the bed sheets! It was truly beautiful! God was there for us and he brought us to tears of joy and amazement.

Here are some photos from our photographer – my wife did not get to wear her original wedding dress, but she truly looked stunning in this dress!

The cover of our photo album

Beautiful 🥰

Love always finds a way

Never give up on love!

The original place for taking these wedding photos would not allow us to enter. So our photographer took us to the river in Lisbon, which I think is even better than the park where we were would have gone!

So yes, that’s the summary of our journey to marriage. This last year has not been easy for us, but who has had it easy the last year? Everyone has suffered one way or the other. We realized that marriage is not about the day itself, it is about the life long until death do us part commitment. It is about growing together through the storm and the calm. It is about nurturing the good in each other and overcoming all the obstacles that life throws at us. My wife has been out of work now for 10 months! But she has helped at the church, completed leadership courses and grown so much in her faith! God will make a way I have no doubt, sometimes we have some things to learn in the midst of our trials.

God compares himself and the church as a marriage, for we are the bride of Christ. God understands the depths on the commitment it takes for love. That purposeful dedication is required for love to grow. It cannot be passive and it cannot give up, love must fight the good fight and overcome the evil that the devil and the world throw at us. The greatest marriage is yet to come when all Gods people attend the great wedding feast of the lamb! The best truly is yet to come! So we can rejoice knowing that all though we face some trials here, we overcome in the name of Jesus! We look forward to the great promise that one day every tear will be wiped from our eyes and we will rejoice forevermore. This day is coming soon! Hold onto hope and never give up, love is worth being dedicated too!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love always finds a way!

Love and God bless

Deano