Tim & Jill’s Wedding

The day is here, the dress brought in…the suit hangs in the other room waiting.

A church, close friends, best man and maid of honor…at first glance, it’s what you’d expect to see at any wedding.

But if you look closer you will surely see, that this wedding is not like any other…it is perhaps one of the most beautiful weddings you will ever witness.

Let me tell you their story before I go further, let me paint the picture of who Tim and Jill are.

They met three years ago, she was alone and lost, he immediately reached out to help her.

He stayed by her side, always keeping watch, never expecting anything in return.

She had been scarred by love, vowing never to love again…but love has a way of sneaking in when you aren’t looking.

After three years together, he asked her to marry him, for he couldn’t imagine his life without her. She said “no” once, so he asked again, and again he heard that same answer. He asked her a third time, and again she told him “no”, but he didn’t let that stop him at all.

Determined to win her over, he told her these words, “I love you and I need you, please marry me and stay with me forever”. With that she melted, her heart completely opened up and she said “yes” to the man of her dreams.

So what’s so unique about what you have read? Their story isn’t much different than any other. It’s not their love that makes it unique, it’s the circumstances in which their love grew.

Tim came to live on the streets in Santa Ana, eleven years ago. The victim of a shooting, Tim lost his eye and a few teeth, his hearing in one ear too.

Jill came to this same place eight years after Tim. She had a stroke and her husband left her. Having stayed with friends long enough, she asked to be dropped off at the Civic Center, ready to find her own way.

They met that first day Jill walked up the stairs that led her right to her new home. Immediately Tim took to protecting her.

He kept her close by, helped her along, and they endured more than most couples face.

When you hear Tim talk about how much he loves her, and you see her tilt her head and smile at him, you forget you are looking at a couple that carries every possession with them. A couple who sleeps on concrete every night.

Fast forward to the present, we are arriving at the church, ready for their moment to begin.

If a stranger passed by and looked inside at this wedding, he might be confused for a moment.

He would see guests carrying backpacks, wearing old clothes, he would see some that hadn’t cleaned up in awhile.

But if you asked him to close his eyes first, to listen instead of seeing, this is what he would have heard…

A room full of people, laughing and talking…he would feel the love that is all around him.

And if he opened his eyes now his vision would clear…the differences in appearance wouldn’t even be seen.

People from all over came together for one purpose, to show unbiased love like Christ. From pitching in to buy the dress, driving the guests back and forth, one made a wedding cake from scratch just for them. Altering the dress, helping apply the makeup, even cooking a meal so they could enjoy a real reception.

He would witness the most beautiful wedding, he would hear a Pastor speak on love, he would look at the crowd and see it mixed with people who are “clean” and who aren’t.

He would hear our guests talk about how beautiful everything is, he would see how they felt just like you or me.

Speaking from my own perspective I would have to say that I have never experienced such an amazing outpouring of true love without agenda. The funny thing is, it really is effortless…we just have to get more people to see that. Can you imagine what could be done then?

Tags: collaboration, homeless, neighborhood, poverty, wedding