The devastation the Houston, Texas area saw from Hurricane Harvey last week was truly unprecedented. In addition to the tragic loss of approximately 60 lives, residents are reeling from the loss of their homes, businesses or workplaces, and places to shop and worship. And some, like the newly-married Shelley Holland, had to suffer the loss of not just things, but plans.
Shelley and her fiancé were to be married in Katy, Texas on September 2nd, a week after Hurricane Harvey first made landfall. In those seven days, the area was absolutely devastated. In a Facebook post, Shelley describes how their plans were literally washed away. “My husband and I completely lost every plan we made over the last 6 months surrounding our upcoming wedding on September 2nd due to Hurricane Harvey. This included our wedding cake, the venue, the chapel the catering and so many other small details. This was such a heart break not only for me as a bride,” she says. But then she goes on to explain that the loss of their plans paled in comparison to what the pastor who was to marry them lost.
“…but more importantly for the devastation it left on the pastor of the church we choose to have our wedding at. His home was completely destroyed, his church was flooded with several feet of water,” she explained.
Then she went on to say that despite the devastation in his own life, Pastor Jorge Cardenas of the Church on the Rock in Katy, Texas, refused to let this couple’s wedding day fall apart. Pastor Jorge and the church’s wedding coordinator, Evelin, “found us a new Chapel so that we could continue with our wedding ceremony,” Shelley gratefully related. “They were a tremendous blessing and even came to check on us on the day of the wedding. WOW! We are so greatful [sic] to these sweet people.”
Though their wedding didn’t happen as they originally planned, the Hollands were thrilled to still be able to get married on the day they originally planned to, AND, they got this AMAZING shot from their photographers, Jim and Andi Davis of Twos Company Photography.
