Wedding Day | Erika + Matt | 08.27.2016

Wow, do we have a treat for you today!! Our sweet bride Erika came to us just a week and a half out from her big day! When last minute crisis popped up for a friend who was going to conduct her ceremony, Erika reached out to Treasured Heart Events in need of a coordinator who could step in last minute....TH to the rescue! We loved having one of our talented coordinators travel out to Five Oaks Farm to conduct their rehearsal and ceremony. This wedding was an absolute d r e a m for us! From the second we saw the giant oak tree where the ceremony would be held, to swooning over the succulents and greenery, to seeing Erika's handmade veil drape elegantly over her shoulders as she walked down the aisle, we knew this boho wedding was going to be one to remember!!

Coordination: Treasured Heart Events

Photography: Square 8 Studio

Venue: Five Oaks Farm

"This love branches out like an oak tree. Reach for the sky and roots to the sea."

Partner Profile | The Durbans | Campus Ministry

Who they are: This is Ryan and Jessie Durban! They are a beautiful couple, inside and out! Jessie and Ryan met at Texas A&M. Jessie was pursing a degree in Education and quickly became a 3rd grade teacher upon graduation! Ryan majored in Petroleum Engineering and also landed a job in Fort Worth shortly after graduation! 

Where they serve: Ryan and Jessie serve in Ioannina, Greece with Cru, a ministry dedicated to serving college students. For this couple, this was a big change in their lifestyle that they were used to in Fort Worth, Texas. 

How they got there: Ryan and Jessie both became Christians in college, so they knew that they wanted to do something that would further the Kingdom through college students! In their final year at A&M, they served on a mission trip to East Asia, and quickly realized that they wanted overseas missions to be in their future of their relationship. After a ton of prayer, they decided to apply to Cru, saying that they were willing to serve anywhere that a married couple would benefit the team. Cru responded with Ioannina, Greece, and they promptly quit their jobs, sold their house, and moved halfway across the globe to serve college students!

What they do: This couple mainly works with students at the university in Ioannina. Their main line of work is to build relationships with the students and help answer questions and be an outlet that lets this primarily "Greek Orthodox" country explore their faith. Their goal is to be used by the Lord in whatever way the students need to learn more about the Gospel.

How our paths crossed: My freshman year of college, I started working with the high school ministry at my church in Fort Worth! I was placed with the freshman girls as their small group leader, and had a multitude of other small group leaders constantly surrounding me! Ryan and Jessie were the small group leaders for the seniors at the time, so I was able to spend an incredible year learning from the way that they led their small group on a weekly basis! I loved the way that they constantly were going to soccer games, plays, and band recitals for their students in their small group! They truly showed me what it looked like to do "full-time ministry" without going somewhere to do it! Ryan and Jessie also displayed for the students what a healthy, Christ-centered relationship looked like, which for high schoolers is something extremely needed! In the Spring of 2015 when Ryan and Jessie made their announcement that they were going to move to Greece, I was AMAZED at how they were so willing to be used by God! They had no agenda, no particular place in the world in mind, and just said, "God, here we are, send us where you need us!" This attitude of being a clean slate and allowing God to use you in a way that fulfilled His plan truly inspired me to start praying for that same kind of direction in my life...a direction that led me to opening Treasured Heart Events!! 

Long-term vision: Ryan and Jessie have no idea how long that God has called them to serve the students of Greece, but all they do know is that they are willing to stay as long as He needs them to! This is the sixth year that a team has been serving in this city in Greece, but the pace of ministry is very slow. The level of apathy among the university students is very high, so their prayer for Cru is to see the students there break through that apathy to ask more questions! The long-term vision is to see many university students come to know the Lord and to help their friends and family explore their faith as well!

How you can help: You can read more about the Durbans on their page of the Cru website: https://give.cru.org/0749334 ! If you are a praying person, you can pray for their daily ministry and for the students that they have been faithfully working to build relationships with! 

Partner Profile | The Browns | Hispanic Church Planting

Who they are: Alan and Phyllis Brown are the proud parents of 6! When this couple was serving in Mexico, they knew they wanted to adopt a child...little did they know that these six biological siblings who were in an orphanage in Mexico would quickly fill up their home back in the States! In 2002, Alan and Phyllis welcomed Josiah, Ana, Joseph, Rosa, Carmen, and Cathy to their family. The personalities in this family range from quiet to the life of the party! It's nearly impossible to leave their home without feeling loved and having a full stomach.

Where they serve: The Brown family is centered in Painesville, Ohio, a small suburb of Cleveland! 

How they got there: Alan started working with Camino Global over 25 years ago! Camino Global is dedicated to supporting outreach in minority communities. Alan was originally assigned to central Mexico in 1995. In 2011, the Brown family was reassigned to a small Cleveland suburb. Even though the area of Painesville, Ohio is much different than Mexico, Alan says the need for Jesus is still the same. They have loved being there and love the members of the community dearly!! They have built relationships with many families, couples, individuals, and children over their time of ministry in Painesville.

What they do: Alan and Phyllis head up a variety of outreach programs that target the hispanic community in the Cleveland area. They have planted a Spanish-speaking church in a neighborhood near a lot of the individuals and families that they are attempting to build relationships with. Even though it is still a fairly young church, they have already seen immense growth in their congregation and lots of disciplement opportunities arise!! They also reach out to the children in the community by putting on soccer camps and Vacation Bible Schools! 

How our paths crossed: In February of my freshman year of college, I started volunteering my time with the high school ministry at McKinney Church in Fort Worth. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the adult leaders on this trip with one of the Student Pastors, the summer intern, and another small group leader! We brought a student team of 12 students to Ohio to work with the Brown family. Our team quickly fell in love with Alan, Phyllis, and their children. I connected with two of the daughter and got the privilege to hear their stories and their plans for where they wanted their lives to go. Over our week in Ohio, we got to work with Camino Global on putting on a soccer camp and VBS for the local children. I remember the morning of the first day of camp...it was pouring rain!! The kids didn't seem to mind as they elected to run through the puddles and dance in the rain. It was a moment of seeing pure joy on God's children's faces...I will never forget that day! On the first day of camp, I was assigned the 5 year old group (sounds fun, right?!) and one little girl, Micah, quickly stole my heart. The next 4 days of camp were filled with me holding her hand, letting her ride on my shoulders so she could be taller than everyone else, and playing countless games of hide-and-seek. Our final day of the mission trip, we traveled to Niagara Falls and got to see one of the most incredible views I had ever experienced! Looking at the beauty of God's creation was enough to bring you to you knees. 

Long term vision: The Brown family has a deep desire to see their friends and neighbors come to know Jesus. They long to see their recently planted church continue to grow in number and in depth of relationship. Alan and Phyllis cannot wait to see what incredible things their children achieve in their lives!

How you can help: Alan and Phyllis are an incredible couple with an incredible dream to see their community come to Jesus. You can read more about them on the Camino Global website, http://www.caminoglobal.org/about/brown. If you are a praying person, you can pray for these things for this ministry: for God to continue to move in the hearts of Hispanic individuals in the Painesville area, for blessing in the church that the Brown family is planting, and for vision in how to continue to reach their community!

Partner Profile | The Radfords | Orphan Prevention

Who they are: This is the Radford family. Lee and Angel are the parents to two spunky and lovable kiddos, Parker and Anna Kate! This is the type of family that when you meet them, you can't help but smile from ear to ear! The Radfords have this infectious zeal for life--they are passionate, inviting, and encouraging beyond measure!

Where they serve: The Radfords are centered in the small town of Panajachel, Guatemala. They are located right on one of the most picturesque lakes you will ever lay your eyes on, Lago Atitlan. Although a majority of their work is done in Pana, they also travel out to Patzutzun regularly to work in the schools and with the families in the neighboring village.

How they got there: A few years ago, Lee and Angel went on a short term mission trip to Guatemala and fell in love with the pace of life, the people, and the inevitable closeness of the Holy Spirit in this beautiful country! Upon the return of their short term trip, this couple felt a tug on their heart to go back. Within a year of returning from their initial visit, they had sold their home, sold all their possessions, and moved their family of four to live in Guatemala full time! 

What they do: In their initial trip and the beginning months of living in Guatemala full time, they worked with an orphanage. However, an idea was bubbling up inside Lee and Angel! They saw the opportunity to intercede with families before they had to give up their children...they wanted to be proactive change the dynamic of families splitting up as often as they did in this country. Thus, Redeemer's House International was born! The heart behind this organization to let local Guatemalan's change the hearts of other Guatemalan's through the love of Jesus. They equip a team of Christian locals to help serve families that are in need. Lee and Angel are constantly working to build relationships with families that have struggling dynamics in a variety of ways: they build beds so that the children have a place to sleep in their parent's home (many families here don't even own a bed), they bring stoves to the homes so the locals can have a safe way to prepare food, and they also do everything they can to just become friends that can walk through life with these families!!  

How our paths crossed: In June of 2015, my involvement as a small group leader at McKinney Churches high school ministry turned into an opportunity to travel to another country with the high school pastor, my co-leader for small group  and a group of 10 high schoolers that were eager to see what God was doing overseas! Our small team spent a week with the Radfords and RHI. We built a bed, a shelving unit, and then the real work started! Our group of 10 girls and 3 guys spent two and a half days hand-mixing, pouring, and leveling concrete in a house for a woman name Josefina and her 6 children. Josefina had been praying for a concrete floor for her small house for 7 years--they lived at the basin of a mountain and the rainy season in Guatemala (a majority of the spring and summer months) would always wash away their dirt floor and cause her family to get sick...we were the answer to her prayers! The hours of hard manual labor were laced with love, Josefina had her concrete floor!! 

Long term vision: The thing I love so much about RHI is that it is focused on locals helping locals. They constantly are equipping Guatemalans so they can serve other Guatemalans and increase the reach and impact of Jesus's love. Lee and Angel's dream for RHI is to have it be fully functioning by locals, and to see more Guatemalan's come to know the Lord by the way the members of RHI serve them!

How you can help: If you visit their website, http://redemershouse.org, you can read more about them and their ministry of orphan prevention! You can elect to support them by a one-time or even a monthly gift of support! If you are a praying person, you can absolutely pray for their ministry, their reach as a company, and for God to continue moving in the local's hearts!