Loving & Serving

  

        Over the weekend Aaron and I traveled to Brooklyn and watched "my Megan" get married. I call her "my Megan" only because when she was barely twelve years old I took her under my eighteen year old wing and became her "big sister", in a way, for the next five years. Megs, along with a handful of other precious teenage girls, would meet with me and my best friend & sister in-law, Dory, for Bible Study every week....we called it discipleship. Looking back I realize how fragile I was at that age and, often, humbled by my own lack of grace. But, in spite of my many shortcomings, those girls and I formed a bond that has grown into lifelong friendships. (Even my other beautiful sister in-law, Angel, & my neighbor up the road, Lindsay, were a part of that discipleship group!) With all of this history, we often feel a kinship that goes deeper than family ties. So, when Megs texted me a photo of her newly ringed finger last fall, I told Aaron that I would not miss this wedding for the world. Megan has worked as a fashion designer in Manhattan for the past eight years. We have enjoyed visiting her big city life, worlds away from the dairy farm that she was raised on, along with four brothers, in this beautiful Willamette Valley we call Home. Life is funny like that. Unexpected. When I left my life in sunny, friend-filled, California (all those years ago) and moved to Oregon...forgoing college & deciding instead to pour my energy into souls, I was motivated by love and an even deeper desire for the Unexpected. I never wanted normal. I planned to stay in Oregon for a "little bit" and then hoped to move to Australia and serve the community of Christ, down under (as I've mentioned...adventure bells.) I was as focused on becoming a missionary in a far away land as my future husband was at becoming a professional football player. Over the years I have had my share of doubts and even regret over an impulsive decision to forgo a college degree at that time. (I had been excepted to a small Bible College with a focus on missions before I took that leap of faith and moved to Oregon.) I never imagined that the step to Oregon would lead me into the arms of an unusually large & tenderhearted football player, who didn't have any plans on moving to Australia . Unexpected. I stayed in Oregon, loved my "little sisters", and quickly became engaged to Aaron Koch. The rest is history. So, on Memorial Day, May 28, 2012, Megan of Manhattan married Derek of Brooklyn and became Mrs. Devine. They will live and serve the community of Christ in Brooklyn for years to come....as both have missionary hearts. So fruit bears fruit. And that's more eternal than any diploma hanging on my wall and even now more precious to me.