Wedding in Mapanza

Not long ago, the pastor of Mapanza Baptist Church, Maxwell, asked Ron to speak at a wedding.  We saved the date, asked questions regarding what to wear, how to act, how long to speak, etc.  Nothing could totally prepare us for what would happen.  When we arrived we found people waiting around under whatever shade could be found, women cooking huge pots of nshima, beef literally being cut off a carcass inside a small dark room, interesting dancing and much drinking of a homemade brew!  Not knowing what to expect or do we followed Pastor Maxwell's instructions.  Almost immediately, Ron was whisked off with Maxwell in the truck to "go get the bride."  As they were leaving at least 30 (or more) people jumped into the back of the truck and off they went.  If you know Ron, you know he thinks this is very unsafe!  When the procession arrived back at the wedding site they were led by a group of women dancing, followed by the dancing bridal party made up of four boys and four girls, and followed by the bride and groom.  The woman with the white hat is the wedding coordinator and led the wedding party in.  It is cultural for the bride to be very despondent on her wedding day as she is grieving the leaving of her family; therefore she is not to look up, smile, or basically participate in the ceremony.  We also learned a wedding ceremony is not a quiet time for the attenders (this could have something to do with the homemade brew!) and most people did not hear the words of the preacher as he spoke over the couple.  Following the short devotional, Pastor Maxwell stood on a barrel and pleaded with people to bring there gifts to lay in front of the couple.  This appeared to be the "wedding shower" as we know it and the couple was showered with money and kitchen items.  As you can see by the crowd, there is no such thing as personal space in this culture!  We were pleased to see some of the Ocker Brethren Church t-shirts had been given to some of the guests; Pastor Maxwell received a box of clothing the day before to pass out to his congregation. These t-shirts were worn not because of what they said, the color, or anything except that it was the newest and probably nicest item they owned.  Genesis 2:18:  "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'"