Dyu's wedding speech

(directed to general audience)

Joke: Today I am here to give my best man's speech, but I still in shock that he is getting married so I didn't have anything prepared. Bye.

Actually, today my job is to try to embarrass the bride and groom, though I know it won't be hard to embarrass Tiffany because if I say anything manly about Daniel, or anything at all about him, she will blush and possibly run away from the table.

I am also giving my blessings to the newlyweds and wish them courage and luck in their coming journey together.

So, how did I meet Daniel Yu? As the story goes, according to Daniel Yu because I don't have any memory of this, but one random day at GKCCCC the 10 year old me went up to this awkward kid and just decided out of the blue "you are going to be my friend, " and BAM the most unassuming friendship of two awkward kids was born.

The iconic image of us two would be trying to compete with each other in endless hours of smash at each other's houses for sleepovers, with the occasional break where Auntie Sandy would drag us to the local hotel pool to swim laps. Later on, when Daniel Yu moved away to Indiana and later Yorkville, we would start encouraging each other spiritually, challenging each other to view the gospel both from a biblical viewpoint and also from a logical viewpoint. This continued through college, as we watched each other grow spiritually, step by step as we continued to learn how to be men after God's own heart. I'm not going to lie, there has been many times where I survived only through Daniel's encouragement, or at times, his harshness. Thank you Daniel for being there for me.

So to start embarrassing Daniel. One of the more unique things about Daniel, among others, is his lack of a wardrobe turnover rate. Just three days ago he was wearing a shirt from a conference we went to in high school, whereas I would probably only be seen wearing that shirt if I run out of work out shirts. He also still wears a sweater that he owned since middle school. If you see him wearing one that is grey and missing most of its letters, that's the one. During the same conference, he wore the same blue polo marketing Pfizer's Revolution drug (do not ask me what it was for, just use your imagination) for a week straight, and then he switched it out for another exactly the same shirt to use for camp the next week. As you can see, to anyone who saw him those weeks, it looks like he wore the same shirt for two weeks straight, if one week wasn't bad enough. It was good to see yesterday at least that this...habit...has started to change, due to the influence of a feminine touch. Good job Tiffany. Please make him get rid of that sweater, or at least don't let it into your new house. (You can show it to your kids later and pretend its daddy's favorite sweater).

He also wanted to become the first professional hobo. Anyone here who has known Daniel Yu from when he was a kid knows that this was pretty serious. I once asked Tiffany what she thought about that, and she told me, "I shattered those dreams quite soundly."

Back in the day, we would all joke that Daniel Yu would be the first to get married, only because the possibilities of that happening are, you know, a million and one because he never seemed interested in girls, only in becoming a bum. To this day most of us are still...a little in shock. Still, there was once a time where there was a boy who would worry non-stop if the girl he likes even thought of him as a precious and close friend. On the day he was going to be honest with his feelings, he Skyped me saying things like "what if she doesn't think of me any different from the other guys she knows | what if she doesn't like me." He was crying and just an emotional wreak. I remember picking up the phone and calling him, and I told him to take a shower, put on some new clothes, and that from what he told me about their friendship, she most definitely thinks of him as a good friend. And that day the boy became a man. Though later in the day the girl told him "no," something in her heart was changed, and she observed the boy and saw that he was responsible, he was sincere, and his heart was pure. We know the rest.

To end my speech, there are a few things I want to say to the groom and bride.

The next things I will say are things you two have shared and taught me, whether through talking to me over Skype or through your interactions with each other or with other people.

To Daniel:

Daniel, you need to affirm Tiffany. Knowing her passion to reach out to people in fellowship, she will sometimes forget to remember about take care of herself, so you need to be there to take care of her. You once told me that "a girl just wants to be understood, that a drop of sincerity and tiny bridges of trust are the way to a girl's heart." I want you to keep on understanding her. I want you to understand her heart, her dreams, and her passions for other people. There once was an artist turned philosopher called Sagmiester who said that was difficult to truly understand someone else's reality because everyone always thinks they are right. Today I am telling you, Tiffany is always right. Therefore understand her. Be the leader. Be the one who initiates and takes the risks.

I would also recommend that you beat Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That was something that Tiffany once sought for in her boyfriend, so before you two get any more serious you should probably beat that game.

To Tiffany:

Daniel Yu may not be the superman you see on TV or in other people's relationships, but we both know that he is a superman in his own right. He is someone who is able to go the distance to take care of those who are dear to him. His loyalty is something that I have taken advantage of more than once. Who else would go to Urbana with me, when I had many reasons to be scared of going back, just so he can be there to encourage me and have fellowship with me. No matter how many times you wondered if he is the One, he would always tell you that you are worth pursuing. Trust that Daniel Yu is "the man who seeks not only to protect and cherish but also to encourage your heart to grow in the only way that really matters: into the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." (and yes I quoted that from my Facebook wall).

Please also remind Daniel to take regular baths (not at regular intervals). Also, watch some episodes of One Piece with him. Its good stuff.

To both:

Having watching you two for the last two years, I know that despite what everyone else thinks, you two have been through some rough times with each other. But I saw that your friendship with each other is one of the strongest I've seen, and when you two couldn't lean on each other, you both relied on the strength of your heavenly Father to get through the struggles and tough times. I just want to remind both of you that having this common source of strength will help you two more than anything else in your marriage, and that this is the best gift a spouse can give to one another.

I just want to share one of my favorite verses to you two.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I wish you two the best of luck and thank you both for being a good friend to me. Please don't get eaten by a bear or mountain lion on your trip okay?