Once upon a time, when my husband and I were dating way back when in college I remember talking to him about marriage. We were young and in love and I vividly remember him talking about how if we got married right after college with no jobs we wouldn't have any money to support ourselves, etc. That was all sorts of blah, blah, blah to me and I vividly remember saying to him that I would rather live in a cardboard box with him then anywhere without him. (I'll let you take a wild guess who the dreamer is and who the realist is in our relationship.) Would I really have been able to do that? Would I really have been able to back that up?
I'd like to introduce you to a couple that absolutely can.
A native of Knoxville, Barbie was born with cerebral palsy. She has lived in nursing homes or had a caregiver her entire life. She depends on others for even the most basic of her needs.
Kelvin was born in Georgia and moved to Knoxville as a child. He is the brother of three sisters. He was recently working in construction. Until he met Barbie, Kelvin never thought he would want to marry.
They met through a mutual friend about a year ago, and they became fast friends. Kelvin didn't see the wheelchair, he saw a beautiful smile, beautiful eyes, and a beautiful spirit. He describes her as his angel. Barbie describes Kelvin as kind, strong, and reliable.
Finding people who she can trust has been difficult for Barbie. Through unfortunate circumstances, Barbie asked Kelvin to get her out of unsafe living situation. Kelvin had a home but it was not one that Barbie could live in. No shelter would take them together because they were not married. During the coldest, harshest months of the winter Kelvin and Barbie lived on the streets. They stayed in parks, on stoops, near churches, anything to stay warm.
When Kelvin and Barbie first came to Redeemer Church of Knoxville, they brought joy and big smiles with them. They didn't complain about their circumstances. Instead they spread their joy to others. Through the Redeemer Church of Knoxville and friends, they were able to secure housing and finally be out of the cold in late January. They have been engaged since the fall but unable to marry because the cost of even the marriage certificate was too high with all of her medical costs. Nevertheless, Kelvin has been steadfast in his love and care for Barbie, and she has continued to adore him.
There are 5,762 reasons why I love the people of Redeemer Church of Knoxville. It's been our church home for a few years now and I have to say that I have never been more proud to call it home then this past Monday. God's love and the love of His people shone in this humble little space that brought two loving people together. It's a beautiful community of souls and this union was a special one. So many people came together to create a special day for these two lovebirds from hair to makeup to gorgeous flowers and cake and on and on and on. I can't even put into words what it was like to watch people work for this couple so they could realize their dreams of marriage. This world of weddings is one I of course often find myself in and I love every second of it, truly. But when you see two people come together in a love like this one you realize that we could give them all the finest things that the wedding world has to offer but they already have everything in each other. What a beautiful thing to celebrate!
