5 weeks, 1 brother married, and 5500 miles later, we’re headed home! We don’t have far to drive, so we’ll be home by noon (Lord willing). The morning started out with seeing the end of the lunar eclipse. It was so pretty.
We are filled with awe and gratitude for the opportunities Jesus gave us to share with others. We can’t wait to see our family back at home, including the newlyweds. Watch for continued conference reports, finishing out Colorado items, and yes, more wedding pictures.
Love, Sarah
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13
Soon there after, we began a serious-friendship-with-the-purpose-of-marriage stage.
The frequent visits I made out there, along with e-mails and phone calls, showed how similar Elissa and I were in our beliefs, convictions, and mannerisms.
Yes, during that time, we began to fall in love.
We stood in awe of how the Lord answered every prayer for unity, knitted hearts, and direction in our relationship! We began officially courting in April. On May 22nd, I made a surprise visit and asked Elissa to marry me, and she said “yes!”
We had a delightful summer planning our wedding, enjoying visits, and counting down the days to our wedding. September 6th, we became united in marriage.
We are so grateful for the Lord’s provision and blessing in our lives! We praise Him for the deep friendship, unity, commitment, love, and the bonds of marriage that we now share. Both of us are also grateful to our parents for how they raised us in the ways of the Lord and how they supported us through our relationship.
Elissa and I look back and see how the Lord used our single years to strengthen our relationships with Jesus and also to prepare us for marriage if that was His will for us. I really enjoyed traveling with my family, helping in the Titus2 ministry, and working on my home. Elissa loved helping her family as a daughter and a sister at home, teaching music lessons, and learning new skills each year to prepare her for whatever the Lord had for her later in life.
Now, I’m excited to introduce you to my wife, Elissa Maxwell.
And for those who wondered why we didn’t share before, I felt it best for her family’s privacy not to make it public until our wedding day.
Elissa and I are anxious to discover what the Lord has for us as a team for His glory!
Serving Jesus, Joseph & Elissa
“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10
We had a special time of worship this morning with other believers, and then we headed for Mississippi after that. We stopped about an hour outside of Meridian at a great little state campground. We had a fire, and grilled hot dogs and roasted marshmallows.
Two more conferences, and then we’ll be home Wednesday!
“For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” Psalm 33:21
We were greatly anticipating this last weekend’s conference in Orlando, Florida. Our friend Mrs. T hosted it, and she did an outstanding job! She had organized the Orlando conference three years ago so we had were looking forward to seeing the T family again.
It all started Friday afternoon with setup and practice. Jesse has done such a good job taking up Joseph’s role in music. Then the church brought in an incredible chicken dinner for the coordinator, church staff, and us. Hosts have been so gracious to feed us. We want to say a big thank you to each one!! We’ve been so blessed.
People have told us how much they love the new format on Friday night, which is very encouraging to us. I enjoy hearing the lightning talks on the passion the Lord has given each one of us. We loved this upbeat group and had a great time of fellowship during breaks.
Hearts were very open to the message. All of us greatly were blessed by our conversations with others. We were the ones (and hopefully the attendees as well) who came out pumped and excited!
Mary
We packed in quickly Friday afternoon in between storms.Anna loves little ones.
This little guy came up and shook hands after almost every session.
These sweet ladies coordinated the Chick-Fil-A lunch.
We had a great crew that helped pack out.
“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Psalms 91:2
This morning we set out a bit earlier than yesterday, because Dad needed to be back by 9:30. Jesse, who was extremely helpful again, launched us all, and then he and Anna took one of the two-seater boats. We paddled for the gulf again, and this time, we explored a different area. It was a calm morning, so the water was pretty easy-going.
I took a single-seater kayak, managed pictures, and didn’t drop my phone (very positive!). It is slightly risky to take a phone out, but if I felt I was in danger of tipping for some reason, I’d stick it back in my waterproof pouch. Now, unseen dangers such as a manatee coming up underneath you, and accidentally flipping your boat–that could pose a problem. But that didn’t happen.
On the way back, we saw some very interesting creatures that we’d seen the day before. Anna, Jesse, and Mary tried to get close but never succeeded in figuring out what they were. They seemed to be a bit like long, thick snakes (shudder).
We’ve so enjoyed our time here! We’ll be going out in the boats one final time, Lord willing, tonight. Tomorrow morning, we pack up and head for the Atlanta area.
Sarah
We also saw bald eagles. If you look at where the arrow points, Mr. or Mrs. Eagle was there.
“But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.” Isaiah 51:15
The Maxwell family and ministry blog of Titus2.com.
