The Wedding - March 7th

Today was the wedding. We woke up this morning around 6:00am to get ready. Mike left around 8:30 (he was supposed to leave at 7:30) to fetch Lucy from the parents home. It involved convincing the aunts and uncles to release her. He did a fine job. The wedding was supposed to start at 10:00. At 9:15 we arrived at the church and no one was there. By 9:45 it was very sparse. At 10:00 some people were there, the pastor had arrived and the praise band was starting to set up. Then there was some commotion as women from Lucy’s tribe started singing. Ten minutes later the pastor said it was time to start. There were 20 people in the church. By the time to Lucy got to Dave there were at least 250. The ceremony was right away – somewhat formal. We sang a hymn and then sang a Kenyan chorus. You could tell the difference when they sang a song in their style of music! During the service the band stepped out of the church so the pastor stepped down and played blessed assurance for us all to sing. There was a casualness to the whole thing. Half way to the service I was asked to read Scripture. The service lasted an hour and a half – short for most weddings.

Outside the church there was more singing and pictures. The reception was crazy. Lucy’s family marched Dave and Lucy into the reception. There were some kids there from UNICEF, so they were very interested. They were Somoli kids for the most part. They just stared at me and smiled. Some teenager girls wore traditional muslim burka’s. There was singing as we entered and it went on for a while. There were some speeches and a translator helped us so Lucy’s tribe could understand. Gifts were given by family – uncles, aunts, cousins and others came in groups singing to Dave and Lucy. Lucy made the cake and explained it’s significance to everyone.

We drove through downtown Nairobi – a lot of people, little space to drive and a lot of dirt. We drove by a couple of mosques along the way – some were very large. The mosque down the road from Dave has open air preaching against Christians. The driver told us there was a lot of crime in the area. We didn’t get out. We went to Lucy’s home afterward – her dad works inside a prison. The driver told us some prisoners had been there for 16 years because the government had delayed their trial for stealing a chicken – what a sad life! The staff live inside the prison complex. It is poor, but Lucy says the poverty before this job led them to drinking tea for days before they ate food.

No one here is overweight. No one has seconds. I have yet to see people finish their plate of food. Desert has been fruit. They see food as something to eat for necessity. Americans see food as enjoyment and temptation.

All in all, a very educational, inspiring and good time.