Today, November 23, 2020, is the 1-year anniversary of Jessica and myself. Very sadly, due to the pandemic and our each being from different countries, we will be apart for this day, and we will instead have to spend this special time together over video. On this day, I would like to explain why Jess and I decided to combine our last names to become Kenneth and Jessica Mick-Evans.

The first reason is that Jess still wanted some express connection to her family. She and her twin sister, Elly, are the only children of her parents. I wanted to respect her wishes and preserve that family connection.

Secondly, in Genesis 2:24, there is a principle that a husband leaves his parents to be joined with his wife. I wanted to signify this transition in my life and my unity with my wife by changing my name.

Thirdly, and this ties in to the first reason, I wanted to respect both my parents and my new in-laws by having each of our names represented. I want to respect both my biological parents and my parents by marriage, in keeping with the principle of honoring my father and mother as expressed in Ephesians 6:2-3.

These reasons are our own personal choice, in agreement with each other, after long discussions together. We hope that the symbolism in our combination of our names will demonstrate to others our love for each other and our respective families. And I hope that in giving our reasons for our decision, you would be inspired and encouraged by the values we hold dear.