A Rwandaful wedding

I am so thankful to God for making it so simple for me to attend Jean Baptiste and Marie Jeanne's wedding on Monday in Kigali, Rwanda.

JB is the National Director of Rwanda YFC. Mal and I became good friends with JB and his late wife Marina when we spent three months in Rwanda working alongside the YFC team in 2007. Since then I have spent another three months with JB and his team as well as a week last year. God has given me many friends in that place and I valued the opportunity to reconnect with so many, while celebrating the wedding with my good friend JB.

The plans for my trip this year already included one week in Uganda to reconnect with sponsored students and spend time with the YFC team. I only had to adjust the date to enable me to include the wedding. So thankful it worked out so well.

The YFC Uganda team was happy to add me to their group to travel the long bus journey from Kampala to Kigali and it was wonderful to go with them.

The couple was married in the Anglican church across the road from YFC where I have always attended when I've been in Rwanda. It used to be a tiny little mud building but in recent years they have rebuilt. I sat up in the balcony to get good photos. 

 After the vows the priest blessed the couple in prayer

before they signed the wedding register and happily showed their marriage certificate to the congregation.

JB and Marie Jeanne each have four children and these young people made up the bridal party, along with a slightly older couple who were best man and matron of honour.

After the ceremony in the church it was time to head over to the YFC premises across the road for the wedding reception for over 1200 people!

Now it began to look like a truly Rwandan wedding

with a beautifully decorated bridal tent (SOOOO many fresh roses!!)

and lots

 

and lots

and lots

of great dancers

and entertainment.

People  presented their gifts to the bride and groom (here on behalf of YFC Ethiopia)

and JB and Marie Jeanne

.

did their equivalent of 'the bridal waltz!

As the older muzungu (white person) present I was pulled onto the dance floor too! No photo of this one.

 

Guests were catered for at four 'serving stations' - at both ends of each of the two huge marquees that housed all the guests.

The wedding date marked the beginning of the rainy season so they had to be well prepared.

After the bride and groom cut the cake they departed for their home not far away and some of us - people from out of the country and some family members -

gathered there with them

 

to continue the festivities

and I was able to have a lovely chat with JB and Marie Jeanne as we enjoyed another meal together.

It was a long and joyful day. I was able to catch up with just about all of my Rwandan friends. It helped that I was one of only three white adults present who could be easily spotted in the large crowd and mostly they found me :)

During the day there were times of strong emotion for me e.g. when the couple walked down the aisle and I thought of loss and grief and the joy of new starts, not only theirs, but Mal's and mine, and the fact that he wasn't present to share in this special blessing for our dear friend JB; after the church service when a couple came to greet me and I recognised them as the couple Mal and I had known at church in 2007 and who had testified at the front of the church about the husband's release from prison after the wife's constant faith, prayer and care for him there; saying good-bye to my dear friend Safari and his wife Claire, the parents of my god-daughter, not knowing if I will see them again; spending time with Edouard, a young man sponsored by Australian friends, who has blossomed in so many ways since we met in 2011 and being able to converse with him in English now.

What a day! What a truly Rwandaful day, as JB likes to say.