The Trivette Family: Est. 2000, and Every Day Since.
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| December 2019 - January 2020 Mission Trip Zimbabwe |
I met my wife Ashleigh in High School, but we were not technically "High School Sweethearts". She was a friend's little sister and I never really thought of her in "that" way. There were really two reasons for my dismissal of such a treasure:
1. She was and is completely out of my league.
2. I was sure that my friend would murder me and dump my body in the woods if I touched his sister.
But God, rich in sovereign grace and mercy saw fit to bring us together in her senior year, which was my junior year (same age, I'm a loser, don't ask). We were married in September of 2000 at the ripe and wise age of 19 years old. We will often say to people, we don't recommend getting married at 19, and the people laugh and laugh. Seriously. We do not recommend getting married at 19. But the timing of our marriage is no accident any more than the marriage itself. I will say it as long as I have breath: I have learned more about the Gospel from my wife than any preacher, or sermon I've heard in my life.
Being married to Ashleigh has been a measure of God's grace and provision that has kept me in the darkest times. She has stood faithful and strong in my weakest and most sinful moments. She has displayed the truth of who Christ is, demonstrated His forgiveness, declared His truth, and enacted His mercy in my life more times than I can count. For years I battled addiction and all that comes with it. I was dishonest, unfaithful, mean, selfish, and worst of all through many years of it, I was in church and even in ministry at times. It reached a breaking point and it seemed that there would be no way to save our marriage or our home. The strongest woman I had ever known was broken, exhausted, and done. My sin had cost me everything and it has cost my family everything.
I say again, but God... Once again, through the truth of the Gospel that she had so faithfully demonstrated and preached through her life and testimony for years, the Spirit of God began to work in my cold heart calling me to genuine repentance. A process of repentance and a work of truth in my heart and mind began. As God was working in me, I began working to repent and serve my wife any way I could. I didn't know if there was any hope of restoration. God was gracious and began to work in us both. Over the coming months, and years He has continued to work and restore. We have witnessed this work of grace and mercy time and time again. Today, we serve together in ministry with our family and rejoice at all that God has done. We take every opportunity to tell others what Christ has done and what He can do for them.
Our son Trevor is now 17 years old and is a Junior in High School. He is our outdoorsman. He loves to fish and hunt and would rather be in the woods or at the lake than playing video games any day. He leads worship in the student ministry at our church and is a gifted musician. The pictures in this post are from our most recent trip to Zimbabwe. It was such a gift to be able to serve together as a family. The picture above is from the Bush Ministry. I was able to go with several men in our group and my son. This picture is taken with the local pastor to my left, and a man named Emmanuel. This photo is taken after we shared the Gospel with him and He believed and received Christ. I will forever cherish that time with Trevor. Trevor is old enough to remember when our family was torn apart by my sin. He has seen what sin can do. But most importantly, he knows what Christ can do. The photo to the right is Trevor showing off his (clears throat) amazing dance skills at a Kids Club in Zimbabwe. He got those from His mom.
Ryleigh is our 13-year-old daughter and we could not imagine our lives without her. She has her mother's looks and my world-class sense of humor. As a dad, it's a terrifying combo. Every day we discover another side of her personality and her heart. She is our athlete. Trevor plays a sport or two but ultimately ends up in the woods. Ryleigh wants to play them all. Her personality is as big as her heart and whatever she does, she does big. She keeps us on our toes, keeps us laughing, and like most teenage girls, there is a lot of head-scratching as well. We watched our American Teens blossom in Zimbabwe and serve so well. We have always said that we expect Ryleigh to end up somewhere like this working in an orphanage. Like she does with everything else, she was invested wholeheartedly.
We had an amazing opportunity through a missionary we support and partner with in Africa. She serves at a children's home in Zim and we had the chance to take the boys from the home to a small water park nearby. This was unlike anything the boys had ever experienced. For may this was a form of therapy and ministry. The little boy that Ryleigh is holding in the picture on the left is a prime example. If you knew the story behind that smile, and what it cost you would understand what a treasure it is.
Serving with my family is the greatest joy I can imagine. It is because we have experienced and tasted grace that we celebrate these opportunities. We share our story not to point to us, but to point to Him. None of this exists without Jesus. That is why we share the hope of the Gospel. That is why we go. That is why we are here. It's grace. It is all of grace.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy..."
Psalm 103:1-5
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