#Newcrest Baptist Church

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(Lana's POV)

With christmas fast approaching, I've taken it upon myself to start decorating for the season. Parker and I decorated the tree together and it was such a great activity for us to bond as we start the celebrations of our first christmas as a married couple. We're planning to be with my parents for christmas, we'll head out to Oasis Springs immediately after Celeste's wedding for the holiday season with my family.

Our church recently had a women's bible study hosted by Casandra and a lady from a neighbouring church. Though it's been a year since Parker and I got engaged, and almost a year since we got married, Lori and I still celebrate how blessed we are that we married in to the same family and get to grow in the Lord and in life together. Recently she shared that she and Charles have been praying for another little blessing, so I've added that to my prayer list.

I love these girls, it's been amazing getting to know Parker's extended family and having them become true friends. Ruby Rae is going to nursing school and is really enjoying it, she's mentioned wanting to be a labour & delivery nurse and help mamas bring their blessings into the world. Kyra is a teacher and has a hand in shaping young impressionable lives, she and her husband are enjoying married life, it's great that she's still able to attend her home church even after being married. Celeste is counting down how many sunday's she's got before she gets married and moved away, her bachelorette party is next weekend and a lot of the girls are going. I'm not able to attend because of scheduling conflicts, but I'm happy to help her with wedding planning so her last weeks at home are peaceful.

Parker's family is full of such Godly men and women, during the ladies conference we got such great biblical gems to help us in our journey as women, wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. Casandra spoke from the perspective of a pastor's wife on the need to balance life at home with shepherding a congregation, Elaine spoke on how to fully take advantage of homeschooling children to give them the best education possible, and Claire covered how to introduce music into the home in a way the glorifies the Lord.

[shinyhappysims]

Onyeka Family Update #2

All the Oneyka kids are finally married, so I think now is a good time for another update.

As a treat, this update will be from Adaeze’s POV, because we love to hear from a fellow snarker. Long post ahead because I probably won’t be doing this for the Onyeka fam again and I want to give a semblance of a conclusion to some of their stories.

My parents Bre (66) and Chukwuma (69) Onyeka are living their golden years in Henford-on-Bagley. I would say they tried their best at raising us but I’m not so sure I believe that. My parents and I don’t talk much, which is more than okay by me. They’ve forgiven me for the whole “secretly applied to college, snuck out and took a bus an hour away and never came back” thing. It’s the fact that literally everything else I’ve done after feels like a personal attack on them and everything they taught me. That’s more their problem than mine, to be honest.

The oldest Nnadi (39) is married to Miguel (39). They have a staggering quiver of 13 arrows: Gideon (21), Ephraim (19), Shoshanna(17), Bartholomew (14), Abigail (12), Obadiah (10), Keturah (8), Solomon (6), Tirzah (5), Maranatha (4), Galilee (3), Naphtali (1), Ebenezer (0). Yes, I definitely knew all the names of my sister’s kids off the top of my head and didn’t stalk her Simstagram and write down the names just a few minutes before this. Nnadi is obnoxious. I’m not mincing my words because she’s never had the grace to do so with me. She’s literally the person people talk about when they say they don’t like Christians. But that’s amazing for her. She can claim persecution for her beliefs. My parents are so proud that they made her a perfect little doormat for Jesus. All of her kids so far seem to be the same way. Glory be, I guess.

Kelechi (38) and Sandrine (41) are the Pastor and 1st lady of Calvary Baptist Church in Brindleton Bay. They have 4 children: Faith (16), Daniel (9), Noah (7), and Grace (5). They are, in my opinion, true Christians. Kelechi always has been supportive of me and my siblings that aren’t the way my parents dreamed. As a pastor, he tries his hardest to give objective answers and uses the bible to support his advice, which has led to his popularity as a mentor. Calvary’s population has nearly doubled in his time as pastor. Kelechi and Sandrine were not intending to have such a large gap between Faith and Daniel. Their marriage was very strained in the first few years and they thought having another child would be the fix. Unfortunately, Sandrine had a battle with cancer. Luckily it was caught in the early stages and she pulled through, but the way Kelechi treated her during that time strengthened their relationship and they had more children because they actually loved each other now. If anyone deserves that happy ending, it’s them.

My twin and favorite sibling Chidi (36) is in an open domestic partnership with the lovely Sade (37). They live in San Myshuno and have no kids, and probably never will. Chidi is an attorney and Sade is an artist. For awhile, Chidi flew under the radar and didn’t make too many waves but that changed about 5 years ago. I think it was a combination of turning 30 and meeting Sade that made him want to stop trying to appease our parents and just live the way he wanted. Chidi is no longer a Christian. He wanted to stay one at first but the more he deconstructed, the more he realized it wasn’t a fit for him.

It’s me, Adaeze (36)! The Onyeka family failure—not at all. My parents just wish I was. When my husband Raj (38) isn’t being an absolute dreamboat he’s an art restoration specialist at the Simsonian Museum here in Newcrest. We have the coolest little girl named Kali (6) and I haven’t told anyone yet, but we have a second baby on the way! My parents have never met Kali and I don’t plan on letting them. Growing up is hard enough when you don’t have your own grandparents trying to drag you into a cult.

My sister Isioma (34) and her husband Anwar (36) are living their best lives in Del Sol Valley. They have 5 kids and are expecting number 6 anyday now: Imani (11), Aaliyah (9), Malik (8), and twins Layla and Rahim (4). Isioma has somehow mastered the balance between impressing Mom and Dad and doing whatever she wants. As much as I love her, there are just some things that I can’t talk to Isioma about. She’s nowhere near as bad as Nnadi, but I don’t think she realizes just how close minded she still is. She’s slowly getting better though.

(hi it’s kwanjai please ignore that Layla’s hair glitched black and the twin’s diapers aren’t changed it’s been a long day and I refuse to take this pic again lmao)

Jachike (32) lives in Windenburg with his wife Maisie (29). They have 7 children: Renata (9), Beaumont (7), Irving (6), Gwendolyn (5), Cordelia (2), Anneliese (1) and Hans (0). I’m fully convinced that they only got married because they were horny for each other and now they don’t know what to do except keep fucking and having more kids. They don’t really seem well matched in my opinion either. Growing up, Jachike was a down to earth, guy next door type, and Maisie just seems extremely out of touch. I mean… she named a child Hans. Maisie also mentioned she only wanted 8 kids, but she’s got a lot of child bearing years left, so I have no clue what her plan is.

Nnadi Jr. Ifeanyi (29) is married to Nolan (40) and is the proud mother of 6 children: Jordan (8), Lorelai (6), Connor (5), Thomas (4), Alanna (2), and Natasha (0). The only difference between Ifeanyi and Nnadi is that Ifeanyi follows the bible’s command for women to be quiet. All that hate just simmers on the inside. The average person would be rightfully weirded out by her and her husband’s age gap, but Ifeanyi wears it with pride. She thinks it’s a testament to her maturity and meekness. No, bestie… you were groomed. Anyways, my money is on her to have the most kids out of all of us.

Ifeanyi’s much cooler twin sister Onyinye (29) is married to Joseph (29) and they have 1 daughter, Nwanneka (1). Growing up I became really close to Onyinye. When I moved out I felt like I was leaving behind my child. Onyinye is like me in a lot of ways: science career, having kids on our own terms, only ones with hot husbands. The only difference is she’s still a Christian. I’m proud she was still able to find the loving aspects of that religion, even though I wasn’t. I also love that she doubled down on her emo phase. I remember our mom used to force her and Ifeanyi to dress alike in sickeningly pink bows and huge, frilly dresses.

Lotanna (27) lives in a sad beige house in Henford-on-Bagley with his sad beige wife Tori (27) and their sad beige children Brixten (2) and Trigg (0). Lotanna is the sibling I’m most wary of. He seems normal on the surface, especially now that he’s married to picture perfect Tori, but then he opens his mouth and the foulest statement you’ve ever heard pops out. He’s never evolved passed edgy Simeddit thread humor, except now it’s not humor, he legitimately thinks that way. I seriously feel bad for his future daughters.

Sochima (26) has been married to Ciaran (28) for just under a year. I’ve never met Ciaran in person. He seems like the average guy we grew up with, which would be horrifying for me, but a dream for Sochima. Surprised that we haven’t gotten a pregnancy announcement from them yet. I would’ve put her up there with Nnadi and Ifeanyi in terms of the number of babies she would pop out. Wonder what’s going on there.

[msdsweets-blog]

Here's a little video about Lady Rocker.

Lady Rocker - A Little About Me.

My fam say I'm a musical prodigy. I have perfect pitch and can play music by ear . . . . since I could walk. Well, I've moved to the city to pursue my dreams. Soo blessed to quickly find a job at LimeLife Record Store (vinyls are making a comeback). I attend Newcrest First Baptist, where I met Jalen. (Hummm.) We hung out for a while and then things got quite. (Humm.) After a few concert dates, Adrian & MsDee (also Church members) asked me to headline the Blue Party Fundraiser. It was truly an honor. That lead to a major concert date in Brazil for CaribFete. Jalen, . . . Gotta stay focued. My concert dates are more frequent and . . . . Jalen, . . . . Feelings . . . Music. . . Jalen . . . Music. . . Feelings. . . What's the Future for Lady Rocker?

Just Keep Simmin', . . .

[more-quiverfull-sims]

“It’s Been a Whirlwind”

Author’s Note: Notice the contrast here between Ingrid’s coverage of her own vow renewal and Isaiah’s wedding! 

Isaiah is one of Ingrid’s “Lost” children. She doesn’t notice him (or #6, John Brice, or #8, Helen Praise, along with several others), very much because they stand out less to her. Katlynn is her loyal helper who stokes her ego, Ezekiel is her first born, Hope is her “rebellious” first daughter...you get the idea. Evangeline and Camden are also pretty important since they are Ingrid’s only twins. She also favors Patience Grace (#9), who reminds Ingrid of herself the most.

Isaiah is DONE with his family and their crazy drama, especially after his Mom left his uncle’s church over a scuffle about whether married women should wear pants. He met Chloe at the new church and decided to move things along right away. Poor Chloe was 23 and unmarried and already considered an old maid in fundieland, so she couldn’t have been happier than to have such a quick courtship that led to marriage.

Despite their respective failures to have a perfect quiverfull experience, these two are still quite fundamentalist. Chloe loves the idea of being a Mega Mom, and I expect they’ll have 11(ish) kids...maybe more. 

That’s what our sweet Isaiah Stetson (#4) said after marrying his bride. That’s right...we said BRIDE!!!

Isaiah met Chloe Fleming at our new Church. She is the niece of pastor Bartholomew Fleming, and our sweet Isaiah fell for her instantly! Yes, it’s hard to believe, but our sweet Isaiah is 21, and his bride is 23...hard to believe they are marrying age already!!!

After a few chaperoned dates, Isaiah realized quickly what he had found in Chloe. He knew she was the one who the Lord had intended for him! We were so pleased!

Isaiah proposed to Chloe in the gardens of her uncle’s church. What a blessing!

She said YES!

Oh, what a sweet picture! We are SO grateful for these two and their CHOSEN commitment to purity. We give EACH of our children the chance to live as they please, once they are adults...and yet they faithfully choose to go the way their parents have gone before them. That is because full purity of the body, soul, and mind is the ONLY way to follow God’s plan! That is why none of our children have even kissed their spouses before being married!

We are so grateful that Isaiah was married just a few weeks after our vow renewal in a small ceremony on the lawn of Newcrest First Baptist Church.

Fun fact: these two have had our shortest courtship (by far). They courted for one month before Isaiah proposed, after getting to know each other for three months before that! Me and my hubby’s relationship timeline was similar. We also courted for only a month, however we had no “get to know you” period except on Stetson’s end! He approached my Dad to propose courtship and then asked me to court once he had permission! Just three months after that we were married! What a blessing!

Chloe and Isaiah were only engaged for two months before they married. It was a mad dash to the finish line for the ceremony, but I was happy to do the work to make my baby happy!

Congratulations, Isaiah and Chloe. May you be fruitful and multiply!

[quiver-full-of-sims]

Happy Sunday, everyone! This weekend we were so BLESSED to take a trip to God’s Mercy Baptist Church in Newcrest to speak at a FAMILY conference!

Thanks to the POWER of JESUS-inspired HOSPITALITY, the Friedman family offered us a place to stay Saturday night and we enjoyed some amazing FELLOWSHIP with our new friends. They’re new to our BELIEFS and have shared that MY blog and testimony is what led them to forgo evil BIRTH CONTROL and have their newest blessing, a sweet boy Kyle! (And his twin Aimee- another girl)

Izzie is best FRIENDS with Carly Friedman (on Izzie’s right!) as well as Priscilla Andrews (far left) and Amanda Shi (whose families both traveled from Oasis Springs to be here!) and they had the BEST time. Priscilla’s got a BOYFRIEND so they were constantly teasing her about her texting addiction and from what I could tell, Prissy was trying to set up IZZIE with her boyfriend’s brother over text! LOL! But Henry Bob quickly stepped in. Only the best for our girl!

So glad to have this wonderful COMMUNITY in Oasis Springs! It’s such a blessing to see our old friends- I’ve been besties with Shirley Andrews since I only had 2 and she was only a mama to 1! Oh, how time FLIES!

AN: The Friedmans were made by by RhythmicSkater on the gallery! I adjusted them a bit, hope you don’t mind, but here they are! If anyone else would like to contribute some fundie sims to be used in my story feel free to message me with your gallery ID!  :) Also I’m sorry for how long this took- I’m not the best at consistency.

[simshqs]

𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖓𝖊𝖜𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 ⏤  WEATHER AND NEWS UPDATES 

MAGNOLIA PROMANDE: Crews battle two-alarm fire.

Crews are battling a fire in the Breezy Meadows section of the city. The fire broke out around 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon at 1116 Quinnipiac Ave. Fire officials quickly called for a second alarm with all crews responding. According to fire officials, fire and smoke were showing from a distance with flames on the first floor.

There are currently 28 active closings.

Valley Community Baptist Church

Town of Newcrest - City Hall 

Weather Updates

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...

WHAT...HEAVY SNOW AND MIXED PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES WELL INLAND, AND 5 TO 8 INCHES ELSEWHERE. A LIGHT GLAZE OF ICE IS ALSO POSSIBLE

CURRENT TEMPERATURE IS 25 DEGREES FEELS LIKE 16 DEGREES

[captainsilversims]

LOOK I’VE BEEN PRODUCTIVE xD

Newcrest Baptist Church is nearly complete (yes, that’s the name, I go to a Baptist church for anyone wondering. Doubt it though lol)

I mostly need to decorate and finish landscaping. Then I can move on to houses. Or a bar next. I do need one of those.

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🌲🍁🥧 Harvestfest 🌲🍁🥧

(Adalynn's POV)

Happy Harvestfest! We all made out way to my parents house in Newcrest for a weekend full of family, food, and fellowship. One thing we tried to arrange beforehand was the grandkids picture since we didn't manage to get one last year, and now that the babies that were in utero last year have been born (and no one that we know of is pregnant) we decided now was the perfect time. We mixed up the kids so that there was a big kid-little kid plan, mostly for crowd control purposes so that they would be able to handle the toddlers. The oldest four (Noah, Luke, Chloe, and AJ) were holding the youngest four (Grace, Everett, Jackson, and Bethany). As the years go by and the children grow (and with more being born, Lord willing) we'll have to keep finding new ways to arrange all the children.

Annette (21), Macie (33), Casandra (53), Allan (56), Ashton (17)

My parents and the girls at home are all doing great! Now that there's no longer anyone in school, my parents have more time for their other things, though it seems with the more the family grows the busier they'll get! My dad continues to shepherd the flock of Newcrest Baptist, there's a blossoming pastoral staff that also help to keep the place running for the Lord's glory. It also gives him time to travel to speaking engagements at other churches as well as different revivals, jubilee's, hymn sings, and festivals. My mother is also busy with her role as mother, grandmother, and pastor's wife. She somehow finds the time to show all of us that we're definitely loved and valued. She helps to homeschool Barrett and Kyleigh's kids whenever needed, as well as the kids coming to their house for music lessons. When they're not home or travelling to commitments, they're usually visiting with one of us that live out of town, they try and schedule their visits to us to coincide with their travelling for their commitments. My sisters are all busy busy bees! Macie splits her time between being at home or in ministry, and when she's not doing that she's visiting with one of us. Annette works as a babysitter helping families at church that need that extra support, she just loves children and is grateful she gets to spend time with children all day. Both girls remain in a season of singleness, and they're using it to the full, with our cousin Celeste getting married this winter they've been recruited to help with the planning and execution of the wedding. Ashton also babysits children in the congregation, she's in the church choir and spends her days helping out wherever she can. Since she has less responsibilities she spends the most time travelling, so she gets to spend longer amounts of time with the siblings.

Mason (35) & Adalynn Leonard (34) with Titus (2) and Bethany (3m), Luke (10), Paul (8), Caleb (4), Joshua (6), Jonah (4), Noah (12), Aaron (9)

We are so thankful for the Lord's grace! Little Bethany joined our family this summer and we are over the moon that the Lord chose for this little girl to join us - her 8 older brothers and her parents are over the moon! We've had two kids get saved this year (Paul & Joshua) and it's such a blessing that we've been able to lead our kids to the Lord for his glory! Since the arrival of little miss, Mason and I have been feeling like the Lord is leading us in the direction of a new house. Since she's so young and has about a year in our room with us, we have time to see whether we're going to extend the house by adding a level or whether we'll move to a whole new house altogether. We've got a bunch of prayer warriors on our side so I'm sure we'll get an answer soon.

(AN: Ignore the height differences, planning poses with so many sims means you gotta sacrifice a few things here and there)

Barrett (33) and Kyleigh Collins (31) with Preston (2) and Jackson (6m), Marigold (6), Daisy (7), Benjamin (9), Rose (8), Olivia (4), Violet (8), Jefferson (1), Allan Jr (9), and Chloe (9)

Barrett and Kyleigh are also thankful for a new blessing from the Lord, little Jackson made his appearance soon after Parker and Lana's wedding, so we got a 2-for-1 deal really! They're also prayerfully considering their house, so our prayer circles are really working hard in this season our two families are in. They also had two kids get saved this year, it brought so much joy to my heart when Kyleigh shared in our group chat that the girls had gotten saved and baptised at church! My parents started the tradition of gifting the 'savee' a bible and a family lunch, and it's such a precious tradition that they're able to now carry out with their grandchildren. They only have 12 grandkids that are in the average age range for getting saved (of course it can happen before or after that time period - all in the Lord's timing!), but as the grandchildren grow and continue to multiply they're going to need the Lord's help to get them everywhere that they're needed!

Francisco (34) and Zoe Moreno (30) with Javier Jr (3) and Cassie (1)

Zoe and her family are happy and thriving in Windenburg, Francisco's job gives him weekends off so the family gets to attend church on the weekends. Zoe has amassed a solid amount of students that she teaches piano and violin, as well as some students that she video conferences for their lessons. With two young children to care for and a house to maintain, she's an expert at managing her time. They're slowly approaching the time when Francisco gets his orders and they've got to move, but they've not put their choices in yet so we have no idea where they'll be right now. Little Cassie turns two years old in a few months, so the plan is to have a birthday party for her when we're all back in town for Celeste's wedding. Ashton is heading back to Windenburg to spend some time with them as well as with Amira and her family, she'll ride back with them for the wedding.

Shane (28) and Maggie Wright (27) with Iris (2) and Arlo Wright (2)

Maggie and her family are doing wonderful! They were in Sulani earlier this summer with Reece and Amira's families, it's wonderful getting to see my younger siblings bonding as adults with families of their own. Little Arlo and Iris seem to have grown leaps and bounds since I last saw them, the kids love getting to video chat with them and love whenever they get to visit with each other. Usually Maggie and her family will try and pass through to see us during their travels, so that's when the kids get to see each other.

Reece (26) and Stacie Collins (26) with Liam (5) and Hazel (2)

Reece and Stacie have also been doing great, Liam has breezed through kindergarten and is getting ready to start grade 1. Stacie will be homeschooling Liam through a homeschool co-op, they said that they felt that was the best option for getting the kids socialised with like minded children.

Beckett (24) and Mandy Collins (22)

Beckett and mandy are back for their yearly vacation from the mission field. It's so great to see them in person and hear the wonderful stories they have to tell about the great work that they're doing out there in Selvadorada. Whilst they haven't been blessed with a child as of yet, the Lord has kept them content with their current life and has showered them in blessings of many kinds. They'll be focusing on fundraising efforts for the mission field, as well as trying to see as much family as they can.

Thomas (24) and Amira Eichelburg (23) with Maya (1)

Amira and her family are wonderful and thriving! Little Maya is such a sweet girl, a total reflection of her wonderful mother! Amira was such a wonderful baby and child, and Maya is exactly like her mother. Their little family are wonderful and are so blessed by the Lord, and they've been doing more travelling this year when their schedule allows. They'll be sharing Ashton with Zoe this winter as they get to have some quality sister time before we meet again for Celeste's wedding.

Felix (26) and Priscilla Robert (21) with Andrew (2) and Grace (9m)

Little Grace has joined the family since we were last all together, and her name is so precious! Little Andrew is such a wonderful big brother and these two babies are the light of their parents lives! Priscilla always says that life in Oasis Springs spoils them with the heat, but she does miss having the traditional autumn and winter weather and is glad to be with family - as we all are!

Charles (20) and Lorilee Collins (19) with Everett (9m)

Charles and Lorilee welcomed little Everett into the family around the new year, and have been thanking the Lord for that blessing. Lorilee has been sharing that she's been doing better than expected at the postpartum period, especially for a first-timer. They're talking about moving out of their apartment and finding a house for their little family (that they're hoping to expand!)

Parker (19) and Lana (19) Collins

Lana was also a new joiner to the family this year! She's such a sweet girl and is a wonderful wife to Parker. Their wedding was beautiful and wonderfully glorified the Lord, which is a testament to the minds and hearts of Parker and Lana. As an older sibling, it's been my prayer that my siblings find spouses that challenge them and push them to the Lord, and I'm thankful to say that Lana does exactly that!

We also managed to take a group picture! There's 55 people in our 'immediate' family - imagine that! There's my parents, then the 13 kids, the 10 spouses, and 30 grandkids! The lord has blessed us greatly and beyond our wildest imagination.

For comparison, this is a picture from way before any of us got married, and then a picture with Mason, Noah, and Kyleigh in the family. Who would've thought that in less than 15 years we'd go from a family of 15 to a family of 55! This is probably the biggest example of God's goodness in our lives!

[fundielicious-simblr]

(AN: I realised in the first post that I didn't do a full description with the caption, just the comments, so this will have both.)

(Narrator)

Like Claire and every mother with a SimBook account on earth, the holiday season is great for updating your feed with the latest goings on in your family. Casandra thoroughly enjoyed having all her kids and grandkids over for the weekend, and she definitely made sure everyone knew.

Picture 1: The big family photo of allan, casandra, their 13 children + 10 spouses, and 30 grandchildren

Picture 2: A group shot of their 30 grandchildren

Caption: "Thanking the Lord that all of the children and grandchildren were able to make it to us safely, at Parker and Lana's wedding we did a family photo but due to Beckett and Mandy being in the mission field we had to wait for Harvestfest for a full picture."

Liked by: Elaine Godwin, Angie Leonard, EM Patten, and more

"Love this picture. There's nothing better than family" - Danielle Hunt, Allan's younger sister

"How lovely! You are reaping the blessings of living by Biblical standards, praise the Lord!" Maryann Welsh, family friend to Allan & Casandra

"The picture of all the grandkids is so precious! I'm going to enjoy meeting them at church this sunday, the kids are always introducing a new grandbaby to us!" - Vanessa Michaels, member of Newcrest Baptist

"The boys have been talking nonstop about getting to see all the family at harvestfest, little Bethany is such a joy too! How great that you're all together!" - Angie Leonard, longtime family friend and Adalynn's MIL.

"Thank you for all the wonderful comments! We're up to 30 grandkids now, our oldest is Noah turned 12 this year and the youngest is his sister Bethany at 3 months!" - Casandra in reply to all the comments.

[fundielicious-simblr]

(Lana's POV)

Here are the final invites that were sent out to our guests, we did a combination of online invites and mailed in invites. Those who received theirs online can rsvp through our wedding website, and the invitations through the mail have a phone number to contact with the number of people attending and their meal choices. It's been a whirlwind trying to get things planned for the wedding, we're having the ceremony outside on church grounds. Thankfully the church has a large acreage, so there will be space for anticipated 500-550 guests we're going to have. The reception is planned for a banquet hall close to the church, so the guests can head there immediately after the ceremony whilst we take our pictures. We're praying for clear skies, low humidity, and a somewhat of a cool breeze for the ceremony, since Oasis Springs is quite warm in the Spring.

(AN: We're going to ignore the continuity error of the floor being different colours, I'm not going back into the game to change this cause i've already repurposed the room for different pictures 😂)

My church family at New Life Oasis Baptist threw Parker and me, (but let's be honest here, mainly me) a wonderful bridal shower! The ladies rushed us to get our registry done so they could buy off of our registry. They gracefully planned it to happen before I started moving my things over to our new home, we decided we're going to stay in Newcrest. Right now we're going to be renting an apartment until we find a house we like, it might be we end up finding a house in Newcrest or we move elsewhere. It was definitely an emotional day as my church family came together to celebrate me entering a new season of life, I grew up with a most of the people who attended with them serving as guidance counselors, friends, and some great sources of wisdom. My pastor and his wife gave Parker and I such a great devotional for us to go through in these stages before and after we get married, which we've enjoyed doing either in person or on video conference.

Mom Collins and the ladies of Newcrest Baptist also did a wedding shower for us, they also called it a 'welcoming' party for me into their church. They planned for it to be at my last visit before the wedding, so that I'd come back to my gifts when we move into our new home. I'm so excited to start married life in Newcrest, over the past year that I've been visiting the people here have been so welcoming that I feel right at home. Macie, Annette, and Ashton have graciously volunteered to help move our stuff into the house whilst we're on our honeymoon. Our honeymoon is planned for Sulani and I can't hardly wait! Parker's aunt Harley and her husband Gabriel, and his uncle and his wife Keira bought us our trip to Sulani. There's only a few weeks left until Parker and I are officially man and wife!

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(3rd Person POV)(AN: The ages I'm listing are the newly adjusted ages that took me like 65 years to sit and calculate, so disregard any old ages that you might have in mind for the characters and just have these ones in mind)

This year for Harvestfest, all of Claire and Ryan's kids came back into Newcrest to celebrate at their childhood home. Since Eric and Valentina have the most children (and Valentina is the oldest daughter), they got to stay in at the house with their parents and single siblings whilst the rest got their accomodation in town. It was great having almost all of the extended family in Newcrest because it meant having their relatives essentially take over the town.

Names & Ages: Carter 31, Valentina 29, Alan 28, Celeste 27, Kristyn 25, Sabrina 25, Jarrod 21, Zachary 19, Conner 17, Jarrett 17

(AN: With all of them lined up like this, I've never really noticed that the kids are an even split of redheads and blondes. Genetics are wild innit)

This is this year's siblings portrait. Between these 10 kids there are 13 (almost 14) grandchildren that have been born, and hopefully many more to come as the years go on. Having all the kids be home means that the house is full of hymns, with everyone singing worship music to glorify the lord and worship him together. All 6 married children live away from home, so getting to see them all together is wonderful for the 4 kids living at home. Celeste, the oldest and only girl still living at home is relishing her single season of life. She spends her time working as a nanny for various church members, when she's not doing that she's out of town visiting her siblings or volunteering her time with different ministries. The Lord hasn't brought anyone special into her life yet, but she's content with her gift of singleness. Zachary is the next oldest boy at home and he's currently working full time with a local contracting company run by a man that attends Newcrest Baptist as well, he's got someone that might end up being special but for now they're just friends. Conner and Jarrett, the youngest 2, are almost done with highschool and are thinking of what they'd like to do. Both have ideas of going to a bible college to study either software design (for conner) and accounting (for jarrett), they're hoping to study online or to go attend colleges neat family that they can stay with.

These are the 6 married siblings and their spouses:

Carter (31) and Madelynn (28) live in Willowcreek with their 3 children: Lester (7), Fitzwilliam (1), and their newest addition baby Alana. Carter continues to work for the Willowcreek Police Department whilst Madelynn remains at home to homeschool Lester and care for the home and children.

Valentina (29) and Eric (31) live in Brindleton Bay with their 6 children: Aria (8), Ansel (6), Abbott (2) & Asher (2), and their newest additions Abigail and Adele. Eric continues his work in freelance software engineering work whilst Valentina focuses her energy on homeschooling the kids and taking care of the house and the blooming garden they've developed. When she's not busy doing that she's working on her music and teaching music classes here and there. In the past year they've gotten chickens and have been working with the children on learning how to care for animals, with talks of a dairy cow in the future.

Alan (28) and Tessa (21) live in San Myshuno with their 2 (almost 3) children: Charity (2) and Edgar (1). Alan continues his work for Christian Critics Association whilst Tessa stays at home with the children, most recently preparing to welcome their newest blessing to the family. (AN: She had the baby like a day after Harvestfest, it was a little girl named Faith. With Tessa's scheduling she should be pregnant again by the new year 🥴)

Kristyn (25) and Gregory (28) live in Oasis Springs with their daughter Kayla (2). Gregory continues his work for his father's company whilst Kristyn stays home with little Kayla. They chose Harvestfest to announce that they're expecting another little one!

Sabrina (25) and Tucker (26) live in Brindleton Bay with their son Campbell (6 months). They opted to not join his family on their music tour to stay home and bond with the baby, but did join for a few tour dates that were close enough to home that they could travel.

Jarrod (21) and Madison (19) live in Evergreen Harbour with their newborn son Myles. Myles joined the family just a few weeks before Harvestfest, so he was the youngest family member at the festivities (until Tessa's baby was born). Jarrod works for a construction company with a few other men from their new church, and they're excited to settle in nicely as a family of 3.

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Gen 2 Weddings

As an addition to the love story posts, the wedding posts will have re-done pictures as well as the couples point of view on their special day. There's probably going to be less text as I feel the pictures are the main focus of the post, but these posts will serve as an official beginning to the gen 2 couples' families.

Allan & Casandra's Wedding

Tell us about the wedding

​​Casandra: The wedding and the lead up to it was hectic, but happy. My mother, future mother in law, as well as our sisters all put our heads together and went straight into getting invites sent out and getting decor ready. Whilst traditionally the wedding would be hosted at the bride’s home church, we ended up deciding to have the ceremony at Newcrest Baptist because the guest list came to a total of 400 invitations, which would be 4 times the capacity of the small church in my hometown. Having Allan’s mother and sisters there ready to help with anything we needed done was such a blessing, there were many long days and late nights spent planning the logistics of how we were going to sit, entertain, and feed 400 people. There were so many generous women who lended their time and talents to help us get everything together, women from both of our churches helped with making decorations, setting up the decorations, as well as making the snacks that we’d serve at the reception. My bridesmaids were my sisters and future sisters in law, they were also such a great help with the planning and execution of the wedding. For the music, a few talented people from my home church played and sang during the pre-ceremony part, the ceremony itself, and the music as the main sanctuary emptied out.

Getting my dress was my first priority after settling the venue, since it was winter when we got married I had way more options in terms of my modesty standards, I’d always wanted to wear my mother’s wedding dress to get married, but my older sister got to wear it because she got married first. There was a single, older woman in our church who made and sold wedding dresses to girls in our wider area, and she had many dress options for me that worked perfectly with my modesty standards, making it so much easier to find a dress that would suit me.

In all the hustle and bustle around the wedding, I definitely also made it a priority to take the time to enjoy my last few moments at home with my siblings and my parents. My mother and I had a few late-night prayer sessions that ended in tears as we thought of our time together coming to an end, she also took that time to have one-on-one conversations with me about all the duties that come with being a good, godly wife. I’m not going to say I was 100% clueless on what happens between a married couple, I did chat with my older sister after all, but I definitely didn’t have all the details on everything until my mother sat me down and let me know the night before I got married. I’m so thankful that my parents took the time to protect me and taught me to guard my mind and heart so that I’d be ready to be the best wife (and eventual mother if the Lord willed it) that I could be.

Allan: The wedding prep was definitely different for me as it was for her, my main priority was getting our house set up and ready to be lived in for after the wedding. There was coordination with getting the church ready for the wedding, planning and talking to the pastors who would lead the ceremony, as well as planning for the guests that we’d host for both the reception and the ones who were invited to my parents house afterwards for fellowship. My mother and sisters joined heads with Casandra, her mother, and her sisters and they were a powerhouse in getting everything planned and ready; all I had to do was go have suits made for me and my groomsmen. A few nights before the wedding, my dad sat me down and had a chat with me on what it means to be ‘married’. There was definitely a stress on the fact that I’d be the provider for the two of us and whatever children we end up having, but also to enjoy the time that we’d have together just as the two of us before the children begin coming (should the Lord will it) My brother Branden was also courting at the same time, so it was great to have him there as he understood the mindset that I was in, even if their courtship lasted a lot longer than ours did.

Casandra: The day of the wedding itself is one that will forever live in my mind, I woke up with a feeling of gratitude to the Lord for everything that He’d given me. Since we had to travel over into Newcrest for the wedding and couldn’t realistically stay with the Collinses, Allan’s parents decided to pay for me to have a room at a local hotel so I could get ready in an amazing hotel suite. As we got to the church, Allan and I chose to do one final prayer before we got married, so we sat on opposite sides of a screen divider with our backs to each other to lessen the chances that he’d see me before the ceremony. When the ceremony started and the wedding party made their way down the aisle it all got very surreal, holding onto my dads arm as we both got ready for him to give me away. One thing I’ll always treasure is that we had a small prayer moment right before the doors opened and we walked down the aisle, that prayer gave me a sense of peace and helped calm my anxious heart and got me excited and ready to be a married woman! Getting to finally hold Allan’s hands when I got to the end of the aisle made all the stress I’d felt worth the while; saying our vows, exchanging rings, and getting to finally kiss him made all the stress that I’d been feeling absolutely melt away. I definitely learnt very quickly that I would enjoy being able to hold my husband’s hand and kiss him whenever I want. The reception went off without a hitch, we provided a range of finger foods and afternoon snacks for our guests. It was great to be able to go around the room and fellowship with all those who’d put in such great efforts to come and celebrate with us. After the cake was cut everything just seemed to become a blur, after saying goodbye to our families we were given a confetti exit by the wedding guests before driving away in our getaway car. We honeymooned in a cabin by the sea for a week, it was great having that time to truly get away from it all and just enjoy our time as husband and wife.

Allan: The wedding itself was a wonderful day, I woke up to a wonderful ‘final’ breakfast that my mother made herself to commemorate my final day living at home. My parents, some siblings, and I headed to the church a few hours early so the family could greet guests and fellowship before the ceremony started, we also took the chance to get a set of pictures done before the day got hectic. Once Casandra got to the church, we had one final prayer together as the guests were being seated and once we were finished then the ceremony began. My father did the ceremony, with the pastor from Casandra’s home church doing the charge. Getting to finally hold her hands and kiss her made it feel like it was worth the wait, it truly felt like the Lord was rewarding us for doing it His way - the proper way. The reception was fun, seeing all the friends and family who came into town to see us was definitely very heartwarming; seeing both our parents as the hosts was quite entertaining, Cassandra’s parents had already have 2 children get married and were definitely more experienced than mine, but my parents jumped right into it and enjoyed seeing friends and family now that the stressful part of the day was over and done with. We drove away after cutting and cake and saying goodbye to our guests as well as our families, I'd booked a nice cabin by the sea that my aunt suggested after getting a good deal on it for the off season. It was nice for us to just relax after the stress of having only a few months to plan a wedding as well as hosting 400 people - but we did it!

What would you say after almost 35 years of marriage?

Casandra: After all the things we’ve been through together: money worries, unexpected trials, 15 pregnancies, 2 pregnancy losses, raising/homeschooling 13 rambunctious children in addition to other responsibilities - I would do it all over again if I was given the choice. I would choose to do life with him no matter what happened. The standards we were raised with definitely helped us to make our marriage last, we put each other first, use kind words with each other, and understand what roles we were given when we came into the marriage.

Allan: We’ve definitely learned to trust in each other and lean on each other (as well as the Lord) when times got tough, we had a good foundation for our relationship that we simply built on. There’s nothing more that we could wish for, all that we can do is thank the Lord for his goodness and undeserved mercy. All we want for our children is to feel the same joy in their marriages that we have felt and continue to feel in ours.

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(Here are links to the character pages if you need a quick recap of who is who for this story 😂 // Mixed POV - This is going to jump between Valentina and Sabrina)

(Valentina)

Sabrina and Tucker are married! It was surreal to watch them as they joined their lives together in holy matrimony, the more people get married and the more people that move away means that with each wedding the guest list rises by at least 100 people! Sabrina has been a big ball of nerves and excitement whilst trying to plan this wedding, whenever she’d be on the Crawford’s farm she’d come over to my house and we’d go through the details. Since the Crawfords travel around the country singing at different churches, they’ve gotten to know so many people, add in our side of the family and the guestlist for this wedding was almost 1000 people! My mum was running herself ragged back in Newcrest trying to make plans for visitings friends and family, as well as planning the reception and making sure everything was happening according to plan. Helping Sabrina plan the wedding definitely brought me back to planning my wedding almost 9 years ago now, we had almost 750 people attend which was staggering for me to plan but 1000 beats all of that.

(Sabrina)

We’re married! It felt so surreal hearing my uncle Allan call us Mr and Mrs Tucker Crawford, it’s been many months of planning for this and I’m so happy that the day turned out so well. I have to say, getting to kiss Tucker whenever I want is probably my favourite part, but that’s a given. I’ve helped plan weddings for my sisters and cousins, and afterwards all of them say that their favourite part of the wedding is getting to kiss their new husband for the first time 😂 Now that it’s over, my mother and I can put our feet up and relax, she and I were running around planning the decor for the church, the guestlist, and the food for the reception. Getting my dress was a whole new journey of its own, I didn’t want the princess style that my sisters and cousins chose, but I also wanted something that would still be my style yet modest. I found this dress at a bridal expo, and with some quick thinking from my cousin Macie and my sister Celeste, they put together a design to modify the neckline as well as creating a cute bolero as the dress had very thin sleeves. They also added the peplum waist style to the dress as it originally had a part of see through lace by the torso - how grateful I am to have such talented family!

It was definitely an emotional day for me, I spent the last few days just hanging around with my parents, chilling with my younger brothers, and spending time with Celeste to really soak up my last few days at home before the wedding. I’m so thankful that both Tucker and I come from families that put the Lord first in everything and who constantly push us to be better people, both my mother and Anna Mae are fountains of wisdom at how to be a great wife and (hopefully) mother. I can’t wait to travel around with them now that we’ll be living and working near and with one another, their family band travels around for half of the year singing at different churches and events whilst spending the other half caring for their family farm, it’s definitely going to be a different lifestyle than what I’m used to but I’m ready and willing to learn.

Having our brothers and sisters stand up with us was also something that I cherish! Kristyn was the Matron of Honour, with Celeste, Valentina, and Tucker’s sister Jolene as bridesmaids; Tucker’s brother Jimmy was his Best Man, with my brothers Jarrod, Zachary, and Alan as his groomsmen. My niece Aria and Tucker’s sister Shania were our junior bridesmaids, it felt great to be able to bring our families together and include them in our special day.

Kristyn and I had so many special moments at the church, she got married before I did and whilst I was overjoyed at her marrying the love of her life, it was hard seeing her move away to Oasis Springs. Now that I’m moving all the way to by Brindleton bay, there’s going to be even more distance between us. I’m hoping that we can continue to nurture our relationship, as twins we’d done everything together until Kristyn got married, and once she got married I used every opportunity to go visit her, especially once she had little Kayla.

A talented sister in our church offered to bake the cake at a discounted price for us, it tasted amazing and was the perfect cake to fit the vibe I wanted. We had sheet cake for the majority of guests, and kept the nicely decorated cake for us to cut as well for our families to have. We practiced feeding each other cake ahead of time so that we didn’t embarrass ourselves when it came time to do it at the reception 😂 It was great having my extended family come into town, we only see each other at holidays or at weddings and everytime we do we seem to be adding a new member/members to the family. So far it’s just Alan and Tessa who are expecting, with Tessa in her 3rd trimester with their 2nd baby in almost 3 years! If they keep going at their current pace, they’ll soon overtake our parents in family size! Charity, their little girl is almost a year old, and it was great getting to see her again, they live in San Myshuno, so we were accustomed to seeing them at conferences or when they came into Newcrest to see us. It was great having a picture with my sisters, with me getting married there’s only Celeste left at home, and at 27 years old she’s been such a great example at waiting for the one that the Lord has destined for you. She and I had a good little cry when she was helping me pack up my stuff for it to be taken over to Brindleton after the wedding, the years at home with just her and I brought us so much closer than we already were with the other 2 sisters gone.

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Felix and Priscilla are married! They married in Newcrest Baptist surrounded by all their friends and family, it was great for the family to get together to celebrate Godly young love. Felix and Priscilla purposed to have a Godly relationship and set an example for those around them on the benefits of remaining pure - they saved their first kiss for the altar after they were man and wife! 

The new Mr and Mrs Felix Roberts

They had their friends and siblings in their wedding party, Felix had his best friend Gregory Crocker as his Best Man then Priscilla’s brothers Charles and Parker, and his friend Zachary Paulson as his groomsmen.Priscilla had her twin Annette as her Maid of Honour, then Felix’s twin Maia, her sister Macie, and her friend Lorilee Mitchell as her bridesmaids. Priscilla wanted to make sure that she and her bridesmaids were dressed modestly, so for the bridesmaids dresses they added an inner shirt layer for modesty due to the low cut of the dresses. The original design of Priscilla’s dress is a ‘princess’ style dress with sheer sleeves and a sheer bodice, so she went to the seamstress and sewed in fabric into the top half of the dress to make it more modest.

The bride and groom with their parents! Both sets of parents have raised their children for this moment, when they get married and form a family of their own with their spouse. Now Felix (25) and Priscilla (20) are man and wife and will bring their own children into the world to raise their own family. For Lester and Stacey Roberts, Felix is their last child to get married, while for Allan and Casandra they have 7 children married and 6 children yet to be married - passed the halfway mark!

These girls are going to miss Priscilla! She and her twin Annette haven’t been apart from each other for more than a few days, Annette was the main chaperone for Felix and Priscilla when they’d visit each other back and forth and now that they're married she’ll be without her twin. Macie was their ‘big buddy’ back when they were young, and as they’ve grown up she’s been there to support them in everything they do, so these girls are going to have a hard time adjusting to one of them moving away.

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(Adalynn’s POV)

My baby sister is married! Amira and Thomas got married on a wonderful autumn morning, and it was such a beautiful ceremony! It’s always great to see my siblings find ‘the one’ that the Lord has for them, and with more and more siblings getting married it's a great time for all of us to come together as a family and fellowship. Isn’t she such a beautiful bride? She’s the first one to have a dress that didn’t sweep the floor, she hated the idea of carrying a heavy dress all day and I think she wears the look well! She’s always been a bit of a tomboy, ever since she was a young girl all of her skirts are either denim or workout skirts! She’d sometimes video conference the sister group chat when she would go to try on dresses with our mum and ask us for what we thought of them, and this one was definitely the best out of all of them - even if it did take a bit of convincing on her part to get our mother to agree!

She and Thomas saved their first kiss for the altar, so it was precious to see them ‘seal the deal’ with a kiss as they officially became man and wife! You could feel the chemistry between those two as they exchanged vows on the stage, which is the very same stage that all of us Collins girls have gotten married on. Every wedding takes me back to my wedding, who would’ve known how much things would change in 12 years? 7 babies later and I think I love Mason even more than I did when we got married! Let me not ramble, back to the wedding! (AN: Adalynn is a bit like me with her ability to ramble 💀)

The bride and groom with their parents! My parents have had 8 children get married in the past 12 years, they’ve raised us all to see marriage as something to work towards, so I can imagine how happy they are everytime one of their children gets married! Thomas’ mother Kassidy looked amazing at the wedding too, she was beaming with pride as the mother of the groom, her husband abandoned the family when her boys were young and she’s relied on the Lord in an amazing way to provide for her family over the years. Her testimony is something that brings me to tears everytime I hear it, I’m so happy that she’s able to enjoy happiness now!

The wedding party was beautiful too! It’s been interesting to see the combinations that the different siblings choose for their wedding party. Amira had Macie as her maid of honour, then Maggie, Annette and Ashton as her bridesmaids. I think it’s wonderful that Macie’s been chosen as maid of honour for her buddies weddings, even though they’re getting married before her she’s nothing but happy for all of them knowing that the Lord is working on someone just for her! After Amira moved out now there’s only 5 children at home, to make it even weirder, there’s only 2 left being homeschooled! It’s great having everyone back home again and seeing all the nieces and nephews, I can’t believe there’s so many pregnancies happening now! Maggie is having her baby shower tomorrow since everyone is already in town for the wedding, so there’s more family fun in store!

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Gregory & Kristyn’s Wedding - 2

Wedding Portraits

Wedding Party

Family Pictures