#96 - The Wedding

Vol.# 96

The Wedding

Best Symbol of Christian Wedding

Annette, Tong and Srey Chan (Bride and Groom), Vidya





Walking Down the Aisle

Praise:
Thank you for your prayers re: safety and endurance for my back!
Sopeap, the driver, only got lost once, and I was ever so glad to be in a car!
There was so much road construction, red dust flying up everywhere; sometimes visibility was not that good.
Even though I was in the car, I kept blocking my face just in case the dust came in!

On arrival, Annette and I were greeted like long lost family! I got the biggest and tightest hugs from Srey Chan (the bride), and then was attacked and hugged from behind by Tong (the groom).
Their aunts and uncles, some of whom we met a couple of years ago, remembered us, and came out to greet us with smiles!
We unloaded the car and they had graciously given to us one of their biggest rooms. So we set up our floor mats (my yoga mat!), and then set up the mosquito net over it!
We shared floor space with Pastor Sokun (from Rescue) and his wife and son as well!
They made sure they got a battery generator to set up a floor fan for us to put just inside our net!
Very touched by their hospitality!
We then went downstairs to greet others and to see how the setup for the wedding was going. Already, 12 huge speakers were up; the ceremonial stage was being set up and the tables and chairs with colourful cloths were already being set up.

The neighbourhood kids were out in force! This was the first Christian wedding in the village!

After eating soup and rice, and greeting other former students who were doing a 'cook up' with Channak, (the guys' thing), I went out to see who was dancing with the music blaring so loudly!
Yup just the kids, so you know I HAD to go and join, and for the next sweaty 2 hours, we had fun!
One person asked if it was a kids' party because all they saw was ME and the kids! But there was another brave young woman who had been at Rescue in 2004 and who was invited to the wedding, so she was my dance partner and I kept trying to pull the older ladies in to dance!

Needless to say, there would be no sleep on Friday night, but not because of the sleeping arrangements or the mosquitoes. We were quite comfortable, but the generator had to be on all night to provide lights and security for the wedding area. Our window was directly above the sound of the generator, and we could not close the window because we needed the air to flow through!
In the midst of my giggling, (trying to get out or crawl out of the net to go down to the bathroom was dicey!) I was about to fall asleep when, promptly at 3:15 a.m., the music began, not just the Khmer wedding traditional one, but to my giggles, it was followed by a remix of a song (meaning dance tune!).

So we had to be up, and from our vantage point across from us (2 mins. away), we could see the bridesmaids and bride being made up etc. The bride changed 4 times, and so did the groom, and they all looked beautiful each time!
Alas, one of the cousins from the house where I slept came up to me around 11am on Saturday and said she would take me on her moto so that I could go and get all made up! Let keep in mind that my make up by now had melted since I was up, but it is expected to cake on the make up!
I smiled and said no!

I was teary eyed as Tong and Srey Chen made their vows before our Lord.(See the photos!)

We returned home around 4 on Saturday. The next party would have been starting by then until 11 at night! But I thought since I lasted for the wedding, I would attempt to go to church on Sunday and I did!
It was my first time on over 2 months!

Praise God: I got to have "God-convos" with many former students, and Annette and I had the pleasure, as Tong said, of closing off his bachelor days by praying over him and Srey Chan!

Praise God: We had prayed and asked for favor from his family as well as Srey Chan's family, and they seemed genuinely pleased to have us and were sorry we had to leave so early!
Thank you for praying for His heart to be seen through us!


Prayer: I am back to school. I just spent 2 and half hours there but I am praying for a study pal please! There are five of us in the class, and the other four are married couples, so they have each other to help in conversation!

Love, 

His Warrior and Disciple, 

Submitting to be His dance partner here in Cambodia,

Your sister, Vidya

** (P.S. I am at 90 percent of my monthly support, would you consider becoming one of my dance partners? Please email me!)