It has been a few weeks since Rachel and Preston’s wedding, and I am excited to tell you all that God did over Labor Day weekend. It was a glorious event, and God received glory He alone deserves.
- People arrived safely in Charleston from Virginia, West Virginia, and Maine, in spite of a ton of rain. Sadly one bridesmaid could not attend due to COVID-19 exposure.
- People flew in without problems — no canceled flights, no lost luggage.
- Weather was great. The day before the wedding was grey and rainy, (0ur hotel was struck by lightning three times!). The day OF the wedding was clear with a slight breeze coming off the river. The wedding was outside at sundown.
- All of Rachel’s and Preston’s living grandparents were able to attend the festivities.
- Two of my good friends came from Florida. They were more than willing to lend a hand the day of the wedding. Two of our good friends came from West Virginia to share Rachel’s day.
- Both of Andy’s brothers were able to attend, and one of mine. (see the pictures below)
- Cady and Becca were the matrons of honor. Their girls were flower girls.
- The pastor who did the wedding gave a clear gospel message. He and his wife had done the pre-marital counseling for Rachel and Preston.
- Both Andy and Colin, Preston’s dad, gave wonderful, uplifting toasts during the reception.
- Preston’s friend, Emily, was the wedding coordinator and she was amazing at her job!!
- We gathered the following day, for lunch, in the Park Circle part of the city. The food was yummy, the area was very retro, my two friends and I walked to an antique place — lots of fun, mid-century art. That evening Rachel and Preston put on a party at the Citadel Alumni Center. They danced the night away.
- While the young people were dancing the night away, my two friends, Andy’s family, and all four of our grandchildren had dinner together in the breakfast nook of the hotel. My mom and brother joined us after dinner.
- Sunday morning, as we were getting ready to drive home, Andy and I had a quick meeting with the newly married couple. They were at another hotel for three days, and then were going to spend about a week in Charleston. It was great to get their perspective on how the festivities filled their hearts.
Hurricane Ian
To God be the glory, our family came through Ian relatively unscathed. All three houses (ours, Cady and Kevin’s, and Becca and Zach’s) had little to no damage from the initial storm. We had a small pond in our backyard, but it never came near our house. Cady and Kevin lost power, but the weather was gloriously (unseasonably) cool and lacking in humidity the entire time they were without power. The issue for all of us had been localized flooding. The kids could not drive to our house for two days due to water on the roads. And we all live within three miles of one another!!! Thank the Lord both Kevin and Andy have trucks, so we were eventually able to get together. We do know people who have lost homes, and will be looking for ways to come alongside them. We feel overly blessed.
God’s goodness has been loud in our lives. I hope you are finding that to be true for you as well. Thank you for sustaining us in ministry and allowing us to help others.
The Kelloggs 