Details …
Wedding Day!
Sunday, April 14, 2019
The Couple is registered at:
(Click on the link below to go directly to their registry)
Amazon.
Their Story…
Scott's testimony:
I was introduced to Remnant Fellowship in Spring of 2012. I had grown up in a religious household that believed no matter what you did, God would always love you, and so I never felt the need to be better or to change. So when I began hearing Gwen Lara speak, my heart was opened and I started seeing such an amazing change in my life!
But sadly, a few years later, I let what I wanted and what I thought was better become more important than God and His will. The more I put my desires first and foremost...the more my life spiraled into a pit of darkness. I lost everything. I began to realize how futile my pursuits of the things of this world had been, and how much I had taken for granted what I had been given.
I started seeking God again…humbling myself before Him and repenting. I realized I was the only one who caused all the pain to enter my life. I decided to reach out and start slowly making my way back to Remnant Fellowship, committing that I would not grab for my own desires and instead focus on building my relationship with God and proving to Him that this time, I wouldn’t let anything come before Him. Blessings immediately rained down! I was welcomed with open arms, I got a job in Tennessee very quickly, and I was able to move down in 2017! At first, I was reserved, and I had to work hard on getting out of being self-focused. I decided to fight that with placing myself in situations where I could serve and fellowship with others…instead of waiting on someone else to ask me.
In the Summer of 2018, at the incredible wedding of Gwen and Joe Lara, I was introduced to Brielle Schonauer. As I got to know her, I began to see what a true treasure she is. She is ALWAYS joyful, ALWAYS willing to serve, and was willing to give everything up for God…despite enduring persecution because of it…without a second thought. As time went on, God began to make it so clear she was who He has chosen for me, even down to little details, like having the same sense of humor as I do!
"I started seeking God again…humbling myself before Him and repenting. I realized I was the only one who caused all the pain to enter my life. I decided to reach out and start slowly making my way back to Remnant Fellowship, committing that I would not grab for my own desires and instead focus on building my relationship with God and proving to Him that this time, I wouldn’t let anything come before Him. Blessings immediately rained down!” - Scott
I prayed and sought the counsel of many leaders and friends, and I knew I wanted to marry Brielle. We had planned a trip to visit her family on Thanksgiving weekend in 2018…but I had purchased a ring and secretly brought it with me…having ZERO expectations of even getting a chance to ask her Father, let alone propose! But Brielle’s grandmother, Jan Voorhis, suggested I keep my heart open to God’s leadings and pray for His direction. I spent the whole trip enjoying getting to know her many siblings and parents, occasionally praying for God’s leading, asking Him that if it was His will, He would give me an opportunity to be alone with Brielle’s father (she has 10 siblings so I knew it would DEFINITELY be God if that happened). On the morning of our last day there, in the last hour before I was supposed to leave, I was saying my goodbyes and realized Brielle’s father wasn’t in the house. I went outside to say goodbye to him and realized...we were alone! With no expectations I humbly asked for his blessing to marry his daughter. He shockingly said yes! He then asked if I had a ring, and when I answered yes, he asked when I planned to propose to her. I sort of jokingly said “How about now?” He smiled and went inside to ask Brielle’s mother, and thankfully she was excited as well! So then, instead of leaving I went inside and started a card game. Brielle was very unaware the entire time. Then her parents came into the room and suggested we all go for a walk in the woods before I left. They let Brielle and I go first, and after a few minutes, I stopped, got down on my knee, and asked if she’d become my wife….and she said YES!!!
I’m in complete AWE of all that God has done, and I feel completely undeserving of it. I’m excited for this future with Brielle, knowing that we both are committed to putting God FIRST before anything else, no matter the cost. God has given so many blessings, and I am forever grateful. A passage from one of Gwen Lara’s books that I have always held dear is:
“Every single human being can have a personal and profound relationship with God…if they approach God under the conditions that He has established.” (History of the Love of God)
I can confidently say I have a personal and profound relationship with God, because I humbled myself and committed to always putting Him first and doing things HIS way...because that is the only way to have eternal life. I cannot wait to walk this out with Brielle by my side. May our house always be filled with joy, and may we forever serve the Lord!
Brielle's testimony:
Around 2004, my family was first introduced to Remnant Fellowship. This came through my grandparents, Al and Jan Voorhis. I have many memories visiting my grandparents’ Gull Lake house and conference calling into Church Assemblies. I visited Tennessee for several Remnant Fellowship Youth camps with my siblings. I remember those times very fondly and learned a lot of things that strengthened my relationship with God. After a while, my grandparents moved to Tennessee and my family decided to go another direction. My family and I church-hopped for many years and I never felt a connection or commitment to any one church. I was the person who would sit through the sermon and bolt out as soon as the service was over. I had no desire to linger or talk about what was preached. Honestly, I am not even sure if I remembered anything for longer than ten minutes afterwards.
"Reconnecting with the Michigan Remnant group was so heart-warming! And then hearing the testimonies and sermons was so sweet and calming to my soul. I started thinking that I really wanted to make God my everything and join but I was still hesitant. One day on my way to work I got into a car accident. I saw the other car roll a complete 360 degrees and I was so scared. I knew that was God’s way of telling me that life is short and that I needed a change.” - Brielle
In 2018, while going to college and working full time, I bought a house that brought me closer to my oldest sister, Courtney. Seeing her example of loving God above all things really convicted me. Courtney invited me to a Wednesday night Remnant webcast at Steve and Laurie Beld’s house (in Michigan). Reconnecting with the Michigan Remnant group was so heart-warming! And then hearing the testimonies and sermons was so sweet and calming to my soul. I started thinking that I really wanted to make God my everything and join but I was still hesitant. One day on my way to work I got into a car accident. I saw the other car roll a complete 360 degrees and I was so scared. I knew that was God’s way of telling me that life is short and that I needed a change. So, I started the process of joining the Remnant Fellowship Church.
Instantly I was blessed so many times over! Within a few months God let me meet a fantastic, Godly man at Gwen and Joe Lara’s Wedding, let me move to Tennessee (I sold my house faster and for more than I could have asked), introduced me to more friends and family than I deserve, and is teaching me how to put God first. I still have a lot of learning to do, but I am blessed with so many Godly examples that I am so excited for the future…both for me personally and for Scott and I as we begin our life together as husband and wife!
