Happy New Year from the Wenner's

Two Cultures, Two Hearts, One Life, One Lord

Well this has been a huge year in both our lives… we have had many firsts and lasts, tears, laughs, trials and victories. Some of the memories in 2007 will be highlights throughout our lives.

First of all I guess you could say the biggest thing in 2007 was the joining of two hearts and lives in marriage…Therefore I guess this explains the first Christmas / New Year Newsletter from the “Wenner’s”. September 17, 2007 will forever be the day Zachary David Wenner and Elisha Rebecca Brown promised to live their lives to love cherish and serve God together.

I came back to Australia in March from my AIM field (Cocoa, Florida) with Zach after he had been visiting family to attend and be apart of the bridal party for my sister’s wedding. When I got back the visa troubles I was having were not fixed so I had to regretfully say goodbye and I couldn’t say thank you in the way I wanted to for my new home and family in cocoa. I was advised to stay within Australia and not travel back. It’s funny how much you fight things when they don’t go according to “our own” plan but God has greater and bigger plans for us. I found it really hard adapting to life back in Australia when I hadn’t planned on being back for good. I suffered extreme reverse culture shock. Zach was a great support for me even though he still lived 1 ½ hrs away.

We knew from really early on that God had blessed us with the person we knew we wanted to share our life with so we spent time preparing for that very thing. We got engaged the beginning of July and had plans for a November Wedding. After realizing how long it took for a visa to be processed we talked and prayed and decided to get legally married in September. What a challenge keeping it a secret from everyone for a month. People would ask when the wedding was and we had to remind ourselves to say November. We announced our wedding plans at our Masquerade engagement party 2 days before.

The response was great J if you want to hear the announcement it’s on the internet through YouTube - go to the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf5iCasvb1c

The wedding was beautiful. It was on my grandmas’ jetty (dock) there was my immediate family, my two grandmas, my best friend Kristy, her husband Chris and Stuart who married us. The special thing about the day was that Mum and Dad Wenner and Angeley in Florida and Tiff in Texas were able to listen to us commit our lives to each other by phone. When Stuart pronounced us man and wife and that we could kiss all we could hear was woohoo’ing on the speaker phone. J

We spent a day together in the city before I had to return to work. We did get 3 nights in our resort my mum and dad got us. I just went to work and came back there.
The planning for our wedding celebration with friends and family continued. We had two months to the day before it. Zach’s family arrived a week before the wedding as well as my teammate from Cocoa, Dusty, and one of my good friends I made in Florida, Brett. It was so special for us to have six very big people in our lives here with us. The week before the wedding we took them sightseeing and did the tourist type things around the Sydney area. We went to the City; the Sydney Zoo that overlooks the Harbour, Zach took his dad, Sister Tiffany and Brett to the Blue Mountains while I spent the day getting odds and ends for the wedding with Zach’s mom and sister Angeley.

The Wedding celebration was clear skies and hot weather. We had heaps of rain on the upcoming weeks and the day after the wedding it rained on and off heavy for the following weeks. We were so blessed. We say the Wenners brought it from Florida.

The day was amazing, the night before was our first night apart and so seeing each other as I walked down the aisle was I think there was more anticipation that the first…I was just so excited to see my husband. J Evan, my childhood friend and one of Zach’s good friends here did the ceremony and was also one of Zach’s groomsmen.

We had our wedding celebration on pearl beach and then we had our reception at my grandma’s house where Zach proposed and also where we were married in Sept. We got a marquee (wedding tent) and put it on her front lawn. It was just like we wanted simple and just a celebration of our marriage. The time with his family and our international friends who came was short but it was so worth it. I think them coming out for us was the best gift. Seeing both our families meet for the first time and just being able to share our life here with them.

Since then we have settled into our lives. We are applying for Zach’s spousal visa which is taking so much longer than we thought since I hurt my back and had 5 weeks off work and he had to do everything like a good husband. J He was fantastic but we had heaps of time to spend together and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Please keep our visa process for him here and then for me to go to the states in your prayers. This is a huge thing but once it’s done we both can work and live in each country. At the moment he can’t work so when his visa comes through that will ease a lot of the pressure.

I am working and commuting to Sydney everyday. I travel 4 hours for an 8 hour work day. I work at a printing company as the Assistant Factory Manager. I love what I do and the people I work with, it’s just the traveling that is so hard. I love being in a job that challenges me. The best thing about the working day is coming home and spending the rest of my day with Zach.
We have plans for the coming year but we are both just leaving it up to God to show us which way to travel. Whether we live here or in America is still in the air but all we know is that wherever it is we will be together and we will love, cherish and serve our Lord.

Thank you for your friendships, relationships and love, whether on Zach’s behalf, mine or both of ours. We cherish our friendships and can’t wait to share the many adventures and journeys we share together with you all.

Love, hugs and best wishes for the New Year,

May this year be filled with even better memories than the last.

Zachary and Elisha Wenner
480 Orange Grove Rd,
Blackwall, NSW, 2256
AUSTRALIA

e.z.wenner@gmail.com

wennersdownunder.blogspot.com

If you want to see our professional wedding pics go to www.bensonsphotography.com click on view my images, go to weddings, click on your name then put in your surname as the password. (wenner)