John and Reza Engagement Session

Reza and I have been in the same small group at church for the past 2-1/2 years. We have stuffed our faces with food during meals together, laughed uncontrollably in conversations and shared our hearts and tears with one another.

I have always admired Reza at how she handled life challenges during the years that I've known her; despite the difficulties, she always had that radiant smile on her face, even through trials and tribulations of life.

So it was with great joy when Reza shared in the group that she was dating, this gentle giant named John. We were looking forward to meeting John and he didn't disappoint. My first impression of John: a man of great passion: passion for his work, life, family and friends and most of all Reza. Another impression, this man is an open book, he's not afraid to share his thoughts and feelings, even to strangers like us, that's so unique these days.

We were even more excited when we heard about her engagement and up coming marriage. What a great blessing for Reza's faithfulness and perseverance through the years.

I felt very honored when Reza asked me to do an engagement photo session with them. I was looking forward to it because I knew we would have a great time. With John and Reza's sense of humor, there would not be a dull moment. We spent the morning in Pasadena and then treked our way down to Seal Beach for the photos.

The following are some pictures from the session and Reza and John's thoughts (John's thoughts to follow) about this new chapter in their lives.

Reza:"i am very excited about my upcoming wedding. it seem like it wasn't that long ago i prayed for the man God intended for me, and now, it seems like the day of becoming one is just coming way too fast.

Reza:"John is a man who loves God above everything and everyone else. John seeks out God's best for him and for the people around him. John sought out God's will for him and myself during our dating period."

Reza:"In an "everyday life" level, I love that John can cook, he loves to karaoke, he enjoys ministering/serving, he loves kids, we like to watch tv shows together...and he makes me laugh - A LOT!! We spend almost half of our time laughing, either at each other, or even while we're resolving a situation. He keeps the sense of humor in everything but he won't demean the context of the situation."

Reza:"There are many more thoughts I can think about John or even about our marriage. But, one thing is for sure: God has used my relationship with John to draw me closer to Himself and to reconcile broken friendships. I love John, because I truly believe he is the man God intended for me to marry."

John and Reza 2009