Grateful, forever grateful!

Our wedding coordinators, and our good friends :) 

Two weddings had passed and we realised the four of us haven't taken any photo together in those two days, they were too busy working out details behind the scenes. Tonight we met up again and shared our excitement and joy for what the Lord has done in us and through us. We could have gone on for hours and hours if the night never ended and Gedeon didn't need to report at his company tomorrow!

Words can't express how grateful I am for this precious gang of friends!

The Most Beautiful Sight In The World

The most beautiful sight in the whole world :)

We had such a wonderful wedding blessing ceremony at World Harvest Church on Friday. All of Jetaimes friends were so generous with their time and efforts and the place looked incredible. So much warmth, joy, laughter, and smiling faces. I loved to see so many of Jetaimes relatives travelling in from all over southern Malaysia too.

Then yesterday we had a really fun wedding party with like 150 or more of her students. They are really great, and I love how there are such close and friendly relationships between students and teachers.

Just 24 more weddings to go! Haha, just kidding. We will have one final celebration in her hometown of Pekan Nenas which I am really looking forward to.

- David Hepting

7 years and still counting

7th year and still counting...... 

It's amazing to see how 4 of us transformed and grew in the Lord as the time passed. I love this tradition of taking a photo every Christmas. It is a great way to celebrate friendship and to remain grateful for what God has done in our lives :)

Cheers to many many more happy Christmases to come!

贺先生过大礼

The Chinese Betrothal Ceremony

贺先生到陈家过大礼！给聘金、送聘礼、派喜饼。谢谢姑姑婶婶堂表弟妹们的鼎力相助！

Pals in Pekan Nanas

We finally made it Pekan Nanas, Jetaime's hometown!! After leaving Regina on Saturday and arriving here early morning Tuesday it felt great to unpack. Jetaime's mom made us a really tasty lunch, and we kept eating many plates of it. I taught Rob and Ryan how to say "好吃“ or "tastes good" in Chinese :)

Jetaime's Dad then brought us to a palm tree field much like his own and described the whole history of the area, the life cycle of the trees, and some of the struggles and joys of being a palm fruit farmer. It was fascinating.

After lunch Rob, who was once the 6th best in Canada at chess for his age, played against Jetaime's cousin Lance. Rob was jet-lagged but played with all his heart and they ended up in a total tie game. Ryan and I also learned Chinese Chess, it was really fun, but will definitely take a bit longer to get the hang of.

Then we went to the southernmost tip of mainland Asia, and after that to a neat little Chinese fishing village. We got to take a boat tour of the place, pet a baby shark, and finish it off with a wonderful seafood meal. Which would have cost $70-80 in Canada but only cost half as much here. I'm so thankful for Rob and Ryan and all the other friends who are joining us for our wedding in Malaysia, and also for my beautiful and super-organized wife Jetaime. The adventure continues. Tomorrow we will likely climb a hill, and pass out wedding cakes, pork, and other things to relatives as part of the Chinese Betrothal ceremony invitations!

I love watching our two cultures come together in honour, excitement and respect. Through our relationship and times like this I have realized many times that my way is not always the best way and there is such a beauty and unique vision of the world in the way other cultures do things. I have felt so welcomed by her family and can't wait for this Chinese marriage ceremony in her hometown.

- David Hepting

Last Day in Canada

Our last day in Canada (and our two year anniversary of dating!!)

I am so blessed by the friends around me. Everything was pretty rushed today as we got all packed up for a varied 4 month honeymoon, 3 more weddings, and worked out a lot of last minute details. But Lyn Luu came over with an amazing Korean lunch for all of us, Catherine Ong serenaded us on the piano as we packed, and Bong Yang helped us find our marriage certificate when we forgot it!

Jetaime is funnier, cuter, and sweeter everyday. We have a lot of miscommunications and we still hurt each other often, but she has so much patience and grace with me. It's so fun to laugh and get excited about stir-fry, soup, and being able to watch movies on the plane :) Life is filled with unexpected blessings. Half-way through the flight to Vancouver a certain Rob Gosselin came back to our section of the plane!! We didn't realize we were on the same flight and it was such a delightful reunion :)

We all had a meal at the airport and then made our way to the house of a friend of a friend who have graciously hosted us for the night and will take us to the airport in the morning. It was also interesting to be completely the minority in this part of Vancouver. I only noticed 2-4 other white people and a few hundred of Chinese ancestry. I'm glad to be part of such a diverse country.

Can't wait for the heat, tasty food, and unexpected joys of Malaysia!! 

- David Hepting

smile emoticon

Ready for the summer!

Happy 2 year anniversary to my favourite guy

Today we said goodbye to my dear brother Bong Yang, jumped in Lyndon's car to go to the airport and boarded on a plane from Regina to Vancouver. It's been almost a month in Canada and I really like this homeland of my husband. I love the beauty of nature and the friendliness in the community. We are now staying in a couple's place whom we barely know, but they have been so kind to host us for a night and offer to drive us to the airport tomorrow morning for our next flight to Shanghai and then head back to Malaysia

Look at David Hepting, he is all dressed up for the warm weather in South East Asia! I have to keep myself calm every time when people walk pass and stare at his shorts and his unique footwear: socks+sandals. Oh yes, he is weird but I still like him!