So, today’s post is about a wedding I did in Saskatoon back in December of oh eight. I was so happy to fly into the swirling cold winter of Saskatchewan because waiting there with my luggage was my great friend Nathan. He and Sarah blessed us with the opportunity to be a part of their celebration. It was my privilege and honor. You see, Nathan and his brother Justin have been part of our life over the past eight years. I have always grinned in anticipation of seeing these guys. They carry strength and integrity, peace and incredible love. Walking into their big hugs is like going home, always welcome, always appreciated. Spending a weekend with Nathan and Sarah and their family was wonderful... thank you, for your amazing hospitality.

The first couple days were busy with rehearsals and parties. Luke, Brad, and Justin were constantly strumming and singing, breaking away in a corner to practice a song they wrote for Nathan and Sarah. I just wish you could understand the musical depth of this family and these friends. Music is in the soul of these people and I get goose bumps every time they play together. Each time I stand and listen time stops, I can’t help but close my eyes and praise God for His incredible beauty in their talents. Each time they make themselves vulnerable enough to play and sing I am doing all I can to not tear up, it is just so incredible to me to see and hear such passion. And I think this is exactly what it looks like to be alive, doing what you were made to do and sharing it. I am still waiting for these guys to record some tunes for our website... GUYS do IT ALREADY... please.

Amongst the errands and rehearsals we found time to celebrate Nathan’s commitment to Sarah, which involved a traditional embarassing swimsuit and some routine torture. The theme of the night was survival, Nathan loves the show “Survivorman”, so Justin and Brad had a blast dreaming up survivor tasks for Nathan to fight through. Most of them involved eating things you would only consider when you were delirious with starvation. And we spent way too long trying to make primitive fire in the garage. But that night, the five of us sat and prayed with Nathan and talked about what was ahead, the journey he was starting. Way too late, we finally found some sleep sprawled out on the living room floor. These are rare friends and it is always a blessing to share in these moments together.

Watching Nathan struggle through these horrible rancid things: cow stomach, preserved egg, and the King of Wretched: Balut: a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside, boiled and eaten in the shell. Nathan braved through them all. And when he wanted to pass on the Balut, Brad just had to role play with him. Brad set the stage: a barren wasteland, exhausted and delirious, crumpled near death and this is the food that could save him. Nathan wasted no time, not even a second thought and tossed the shriveled pink duck into his mouth. I don’t think any of us laughed that hard before. The torture came to an end and we all happily feasted on ice cream cake.

Thank you, Nathan, for being such an awesome sport. It’s obvious that you are capable of surviving in the worst of conditions.

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