Tim, Jenn & "Curly Bean"

Where do I begin...

Jenn and I met at Scranton our Freshman year when she lived across the hall from me. Jenn married Tim shortly after college. Jenn and Tim are the people I visit in Galveston. Their baby to be is "Curly Bean".

Tim was diagnosed with a Brain Tumor on Tuesday February 16th. Tomorrow he will be having surgery to remove the tumor. Please keep Tim and his loved ones in your prayers tomorrow.

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I am posting this to ask for prayers but, also because whether they know it or not Tim and Jenn have had a profound impact on my life because of their relationship with one another and their faith in God.

A little over a year ago, Tim and Jenn picked up and left PA to go to Galveston, TX to help recovery effort from Hurricane Ike. Martin Luther King weekend the Scranton girls got together. Jenn told me that they were going to drive to Texas and live there, leaving their families, home, and many belongings behind. While I thought it was awesome that she would do this, I thought she was a little crazy. But, she and Tim had made this decision together. They talked about it, they prayed about it, and they came a conclusion together. The process by which they made this decision was awesome to me. It gave me a better idea of how a couple is supposed to effectively communicate.

Anyway, I never got to see Jenn's PA house despite its proximity to New York. I promised her that I would see her in Texas. Little did I know that I would travel to Texas twice in the past year to see Jenn and Tim and that the people in Galveston would leave a huge impression on me. I didn't know what to expect on my first trip down there. I travelled alone but, I knew that this was something I wanted to do. Seeing Jenn and Tim work together was amazing to me. They were living in trailer in the yard of a parsonage. They were working together other people's homes. They took their calling and ran with it.

After a particularly long day bleaching a house and building some flooring, I posted pictures of our work so my family and friends could see what I was up to. My mother said, "I don't know that I've ever seen you look so happy." I was dirty, sore, and tired but, I was happy. I was with two people who knew what they were called to do and loved doing.

Often I see those wooden plaques in stores around town. The plaque says, "Live, Laugh, Love." That describes Jenn and Tim. They are two incredible people who have taken what they have been called to do and lived according to the message God has given us. Love one another. The love shared between Jenn and Tim has been evident from the first time Jenn brought Tim to meet the Scranton crew. Each is by the other's side. They laugh together, whether driving in the truck, playing in the Gulf of Mexico, singing along with the guitar, or ripping a fume hood out of a moldy wall. They are an awesome team.

In one of their blog posts, they referred to the fact that they are living each one of their wedding vows. In sickness and in health....In good times and in bad times....For richer or for poorer...They are living each one of these vows with love and grace.

Jenn and Tim are certainly modeling what a Christian marriage is all about. I hope that I will be able to use their example to have a marriage that is as full of life, laughter, and love.