Grace and peace to you! 

I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support for me and Eloise since we got engaged. We're excited to announce that the USCIS has recieved our paperwork and is processing it! We will, God willing, have a wedding date set once we are notified from the USCIS that Eloise's case has been approved.

We are posting this because we've recently learned that in order to comply with USCIS guidelines for immigration, we need to hold our wedding ceremony in the United States, which means that many of Eloise's friends will be unable to attend. Additionally, the Fords have been going through some difficult times, and thus without some significant financial help, it is likely that few or none of Eloise's family would be able to make it to her wedding. 

This is a great grief for me because I believe that it is fitting and right for a bride's family to be present on her wedding day, if at all possible. The wedding is, after all, primarily focused on the bride; Holy Scripture states that while men marry, women are 'given in marriage' (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:34-35). When describing the day of Christ’s return and the wedding supper of the Lamb, the Apostle John draws our attention to the beauty of the Bride (Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:2, 9-11). Woman, we are told by the Apostle Paul, is the glory of Man, who is in turn the glory of God (1 Corinthians 11:7). An astute reader will notice that if woman is the glory of man, and man is the glory of God, then she is thus the 'glory of glories,' a Hebrew superlative phrase like 'holy of holies' (Exodus 26:33-34; 1 Kings 8:6; Hebrews 9:3), or 'song of songs' (Song of Solomon 1:1).

The general thrust of Scripture couldn’t be clearer: the eyes of the wedding party should be drawn to the bride. Anything that diminishes her glory detracts in a real way from the very purpose of the occasion. Scripture employs the imagery of the Bride adorned for her Husband as a sign of the consummation of all things; the final, triumphant moment in the story of redemption. To remove the bride’s family from such a momentous occasion would be to rob her of an honor that is due.

I am willing to take responsibility for ensuring that Eloise is honored by having some of her family present, but in order to do this I need your help! Currently, we're already looking at a few thousand dollars worth of immigration costs, and I am also currently working a support-raised ministry job part time. I have secured a full time job for after I graduate, but as I pay my way through school and finish my last two semesters, I'm still depending on the Lord's provision for this wedding in a very real and vulnerable way. 

With all of that in mind, would you be willing to partner with Eloise and I to help two of her family members get over here for the wedding? I am hoping to raise the cost of two plane tickets so Ellie's sister can come to be a bridesmaid and either her older brother or her mom (depending on how the timing works out) can come to walk her down the aisle and hand her off.

I think this is a reachable goal and would be a huge blessing to Eloise and her family. If 80 people give $50, we would easily meet and exceed the amount needed to secure round trip plane tickets for two people and it would be one less burden in an already difficult season for the Ford family. Your prayers for us as we navigate an international wedding would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your consideration and time. God bless each of you richly!

Love,

Caedmon + Eloise