God is into details. He always has been and always will be.
In fact, Psalm 37:23 says,
"The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." (NLT)
In preparing for the Princess and Squire Ceremony, I began to see God orchestrating something so much bigger than I could have possibly imagined. And being one person, I knew I couldn't do this alone.
Not only did the Lord bless us with the presence of Jennie Bishop, the author of the beloved
The Princess and the Kiss and
The Squire and the Scroll, He went above and beyond my requests for help, even hours before the event.
My dear (and
sassy) friend Rebeca, who has seen this ministry unfold from the
very beginning in 2013, agreed to help in translating for the event. There is nothing this woman can't do and Lord knows all the ways she has encouraged and pushed me to be who I am today as a leader and a woman. The Lord brought her into my life 2 years ago and He has brought it full circle in having her translate for Jennie that weekend.
When I didn't know who to call to make
4 pounds of cake for the event, I was invited to Mariflor's 4th birthday party in March and tasted some awesome cake. My dear friend Esther, whom I've known since my first year on the island and whose family has adopted me as their own, led me to the perfect baker for our 2 ginormous cakes. She assisted me in picking them up
AND insisted that she help me decorate the place with balloons and streamers just hours before the event began....did I mention she went to school for party planning? Oh,
AND she helped
transport 40 chairs in the back of my jeep, too. Here is another strong woman of God without whom I don't know where I'd be.
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| Mariflor's 4th Birthday with Esther and her sister |
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| That's just 2 pounds... |
I needn't stop there...
What about the women in Oviedo, FL who donated the rings for the ceremony? My grandmother in Mattoon, Illinois who went to
Michael's to pick up 13 more purple tiaras? The generous supporters of
PurityWorks who donated funds for every family to have their own book? My own mother who ran from
Target store to
Target store to gather enough shields from the dollar bins and even repaired a handful of them (which happened to be half-off because they were damaged)? Two other friends in Florida who generously donated funds for me to purchase cakes and supplies for the ceremony?
God is in every detail of this story.
The Lord prompted me to ask my friend Luis if he would stand in as our heroic
Knight of the Order of the Purest Light. The Lord reminded me that Luis owned a sword which he gifted to his wife upon their engagement, having gone through a similar initiation and rights of passage in his home country of Peru in becoming a man after God's heart. Seriously, only God.
His wife, Adeline, who has easily become one of my closest friends, has recently taken up photography and I knew I had to ask if she'd document the special day for us. She was more than happy to do so! Words fail me to describe the impact Adeline has had on my life in pursuing Jesus and discerning the Holy Spirit.
I guarantee you there are
countless other unspoken details that only God could have ordained for this special ceremony. But without further ado, I present you with more snapshots from that royal Saturday in April, courtesy of Adeline.
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| The Knight and Princess with the books that started it all |
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| Strolling in 45 minutes late, I curtseyed and introduced myself as a true Dominicana |
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| Princesa Stacy led us in prayer |
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| Princesas Jessica, Crismeidy, and Marselina led us in praising our King |
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| Jennie Bishop and Rebeca |
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| Jennie retelling the story of The Princess and the Kiss |
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| You can always count on Prince Peacock to steal the show with his muscles |
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| ...and Prince Romance with his chocolates |
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| We can have a pretty outside |
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| But an ugly inside |
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| We want to be clean inside and out! |
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| Explaining the story behind my ring |
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| Princesa Mika translated the last pages of the book in Creole for her sisters |
These girls and boys were made for more. We
all have been made for more.
I can only imagine all that He has in store for these princesas and escuderos. I know He's already in the details.
If you haven't yet, you can read a retelling of the Princess and Squire Ceremony here:
A Royal Ball, Yellow Shoes, and a New Song.
A thousand thanks to Adeline Oh Velarde of
OhVelarde Creations for beautifully capturing these once in a lifetime moments.
All glory be given to God for what He alone could do.
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