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On November 21st I, Michael Lanier, was married to Hershey Del Rosario in Antipolo, Philippines. Dr. John and Deborah Lee, as well as Paul Choi were in attendance. I met Hershey at the 2014 Easter Conference in Antipolo after being invited by a student leader. Dr. Ben Toh knew me well from our correspondences on ubfriends.org and he knew Hershey from his numerous trips to the Philippines for the last half decade. He gave the wedding message on 1 John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” In his message Dr. Ben said that love for God transcends what we can ever hope to accomplish on our own. By loving God with all our heart, mind, and strength we can live with sinful people, including our spouse. He said we should laugh daily and shared that even in conflict laughter could be found. He concluded by explaining that love is not love which alters the subject into something which he finds more desirable for the sole purpose of loving the created vision of the subject. The leader of the main chapter in the Philippines Dr. William Altobar officiated the rest of the wedding. Our prayer for our wedding is to live each day in God’s love that surpasses knowledge that we might be filled to completeness in Him whom was and is and is to come. Amen.

I became a Christian when I was 13 through the help of my adoptive family. I attended a Free Methodist Church until college. About 5 years ago I walked into a small house on Springfield’s west end for an Easter Sunday. I was instantly confused because I was told we were going to church yet I was standing in a house with 4 Korean people, a crying baby, and 2 college aged students. Last week I was married on the opposite side of the world in the presence of two of those people, this week another one of them will officiate my marriage in America. Today that church has more than 30 students, the crying baby is old enough to talk, and one of those students is now a father with a child. God is amazing. Since that Easter I have graduated and moved to St. Louis when I have been a part of the fellowship of Paul Choi.

Hershey Del Rosario was born in Morong in the province of Rizal Philippines. She attended private schools run by nuns until her college years when she accepted a classmate’s invitation to the Ignite UBF fellowship at Our Lady at Latina Medical School. She began bible study with Hannah Talavera, the wife of her professor Dr. John Talavera in Antipolo. As she says “The questions I asked before is already answered by God. I know now that God is more than enough. I’m safe in his arms because he showed me he is my real father in heaven who protects me all the days of my life. Now the true purpose of my life is to share the unconditional love of God to many people and bring glory to him.”

I have included a short clip from the videographer (about 6 minutes)

https://www.facebook.com/349671415149119/videos/864605990322323/

May God be with us both.

In Christ,

Michael Lanier