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My Best Friend's Wedding


Julie Parker is getting married today. For those of you who don't know our history, Julie's life and my own have been intertwined since the young age of 3 years old!

We attended preschool together at Cumming First United Methodist Church, attended separate elementary schools but continued to be friends through church and family activities, and became best friends who were inseparable in middle and high school. Our lives have many similarities too - we both have sisters named Amy who are the same age, Julie and my sister Amy have red hair and August birthdays, and her sister Amy and I have the same color hair and were born in March. As of 2 p.m. today, we will both be married to amazing men of God named John/Jon!

Julie and I have been through a lot together and have made so many happy memories - from preschool parties to drama productions in middle and high school to endless sleepovers - I could go on and on.

However, we haven't been able to spend nearly as much time together in recent years since she went to Georgia Tech and I went to Berry. After spending a little time with her friends at pre-wedding festivities over the last few months, it has become obvious that God has surrounded her with wonderful people, including her future husband. It's also become obvious that He has grown her and used her in awesome ways at Tech and throughout east Asia with extended mission tips she has taken.

I fought back tears at her rehearsal dinner last night as I listened to her and Jon's friends from college speak about the two of them and how their relationship has glorified the Lord. Through their stories, I felt like I was getting caught up on what I'd missed over the last few years, and it was so encouraging to hear! It was really neat to sit there and listen to testimonies about someone I care about so much and how she had led friends to Christ, given of herself in so many ways and spent time sharing about God in east Asia.

I thanked God for growing my friend in so many unique ways, for bringing her friends who encouraged her relationship with Him and now for bringing her a husband who clearly loves the Lord more than he loves her. I am grasteful for my friendship with her - it's the kind of relationship where we can pick right back up where we left off, even it's been a couple of months since we have had time together.

I'm really excited to celebrate a milestone with my friend today, and so thrilled to know that God has used her in amazing ways since the time when I saw her every single day. I'm excited to see what He will do through her marriage and the new chapter He is beginning today.

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