Recho and Andrew were married on Saturday. The ceremony was to begin at 11:00. Our driver picked us up around 10:30 and it took about an hour to get there. It actually didn't get started until around 1:00. Africa time... Nobody is ever in a hurry to get anywhere or begin anything so everything just kind of happens when it happens and there are no worries. We are always like, "When? Where? How?" and they are always answering, "It's fine Tehda and Mahthew." (This is how they pronounce our names.) I am constantly reminded of my need to know all details of what is happening and when. It is how I try to stay in control of my life. It is such a good lesson for me to be in Africa where I have to hand over almost all control at all times.
We arrived at a small brick chapel in the middle of a village. There were plastic chairs in rows and a small choir up front. We were ushered to the front, as we were considered special guests of the bride. Apart from being able to watch my dear sister Recho marry her love, the best part about the day was that we took all of the girls and the staff with us to the ceremony and reception. What an experience for our girls!!! To witness this union between two people who love and serve the Lord. They sang the praise and worship songs louder than anyone else in the church They are soooo full of love and joy and hope in Jesus that they could not hide it if they tried. It pours out of them.
After the ceremony, we went outside for pictures with Recho, her family, and the girls. Then off to the reception which was to begin at 3:00 with dinner at 4:00. Recho and Andrew arrived at 5 and dinner was at 6. Africa time.
The reception was beautiful and so was Recho. The girls enjoyed a wonderful meal which concluded with cake as they danced and sang. They were so polite and well-behaved and just thrilled to be there. They had never experienced a celebration like this, and having the chance to dress in their prettiest clothes and help one another fix their hair just right, made for a sweet time for them to always remember.
We were home by 9:30 and everyone was exhausted. The girls that rode with me slept most of the way home - dreaming happy dreams and sensing new found hope.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9
