These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* *
Our Michelle got married yesterday
“Some people come into your
life for a reason, some for a season and others for a Lifetime”, so my friend
Terry reminds me often. Well in my short
posting of today that could not be more evident. The person I am writing about has very much
been in all of these stages of our lives.
That person is Michelle Yee,
from Malaysia. A very bright and very
sharp Trent University student that came for her studies in Canada – and has
now launched her career and life in our country.
In the fall of the year I
met one Trent student as he arrived for his studies in our city. That meeting
led to a meeting with Michelle. Both
students needed a ride to church. And with these rides and coordination of
rides Michelle became the point person – the person that organized it all.
During the week the students
that wanted to come to church would contact Michelle and the Michelle would
contact me. The Van that I drove to
church was so full of laughter and happiness as the students piled in. But Michelle never stopped at one Van load –
she often had organized two or more loads of students.
Michelle had a unique
ability to contact people from every part of the earth. She didn’t just know
Chinese students. Students from many
parts of Africa and China but also other Asian countries as well as part of the
Middle East were squeezed into each Van Load!
I ran an international chariot race each Sunday AM to get these
wonderful kids to church.
Many of these students fell
into the category of a “reason friendship” – they needed a ride from campus. Some went one step further which was the “season
friendship” – attending our church for the full four years they studied here.
But then there was Michelle,
usually the last rider we dropped off at her home that was off campus. In that last part of the journey she would
tell us about her home and family. There were times that we laughed together
and other times that it was hard as she was facing uncertain issues with her
parent’s health or things that were happening back home in Malaysia. She was a whole world away and needed someone
to talk to… a Mom and a Dad that she could adopt.
When I tell someone about
Michelle today I will happily brag about our “adopted daughter Michelle” that
lives in Toronto now and has actively engaged the working world. She is a go getter and has done well in all
that she has put her mind to. And I am
very proud of her.
In the Van ride after
dropping of the last students each Sunday we looked toward to the future –
often jokingly – in a lighthearted way… to the issue of marriage and what she
had planned about this part of her life. That part was always a hoot to say the
least.
My wife and I had lived in
Hong Kong and were very aware of the older Chinese way of making sure your son
or daughter marries the right person. In fact in order to get the right person
for your son or daughter, you as the parent would simply make the choice for
your child.
In a lighthearted way I told
I had made plans for the next part of her life with my choosing of life partner
for her. I told her that I was not sure of exactly “the right person for her”
but I was fairly certain that he would be very wealthy and have the ability to
buy his own island home in a beautiful country.
And I was sure that the home and the island would be big enough to allow
all her relatives to come and live there with her and he husband… including my
wife and me.
I emphasized the strong feelings
that I had about the new man being very wealthy and very kind… with huge
potential for what he could do for Michelle’s family… and he would do it just
because he loved Michelle so much.
When the topic came up over
and over again, Michelle would ask me if I had found the right man yet –
because she had not. “Come on Pop, where is this guy? I can’t wait forever you know!” was her
strong admonition to me when we got together.
Then things changed. One day
we received an email that Michelle wanted us to meet a guy by the name of
Joe. From all that she said Joe was
fitting very well into all that she did.
I asked her if Joe could be the
one that would be buying the island for all of us to live on. She giggled and said, “Maybe he won’t be able
to buy the island right away.”
As time went on we met Joe
Choi and also fell in love with the man that would win our Daughter’s heart.
But something went wrong
with my vision for Michelle. Joe Choi is
Pastoral material, a man that cares deeply for people. He is unique in every
way with a good education that is not yet completely the way that he wants it to
be… he’s still studying and still actively engaged in his community. And Joe is
everything that Michelle would ever want and that I would ever want for her. But being Pastoral material – I can tell you
we as Pastors do not make millions… Ouch!
Yesterday our Michelle Yee
married Joe Choi. We were there beaming from ear to ear with the other guests
that came from all parts of the world to celebrate.
Here are some photos to tell
a small part of the story. You will see
the very original wedding cakes in the one shot. No they are not the traditional,
fancy, old fashioned wedding cakes that everyone seems to choose. They were made of all the best tasting kinds
of cakes that the bride loves! You know
chocolate and all that other good stuff that makes Michelle what she is all
about!
Congratulations Michelle and
Joe for a Lifetime Friendship – we love you so much! Love – Pop and Mom Lincoln
for a Lifetime!!!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
For your inspection
Digital Image from Misty Hollow
