I don't blame my fiancé, Piet, when he says he is a confused young man. He's been through a lot in his short life, but has a beautiful story. God has truly rescued him.  Beauty and redemption are woven into the fabric of his life.

Piet has two families, one biological, one adopted (unofficially). His adopted parents are lovely people, and to him, they ARE Mom and Dad. The way their family operates is also quite beautiful. They have brought in multiple children that are biologically not their own, but have become a part of their growing family.

When adopting a child, it is not uncommon to change their name, and certainly not uncommon to change their last name. Though there is no blood relation, the adopted child is just as much a part of the family as any other member of the family. In the same way when I join Piet in marriage, I will be adopted into his family. I'll change my name, leave the home from which I came (though I've already done this), and become an official part of his family. Everything he has, I'll have access to, and vice versa.