The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Genesis 2:18
Genesis 2:18
Well, Jim and I have been married two months now and what a whirlwind it has been! Two nights at a luxury resort on the Zambezi for a honeymoon, two weeks in South Africa photographing the 2010 World Cup (13 games in 14 days) and six weeks of 3 short term mission teams from the USA in Zambia. What a way to start a marriage!
The day before we were to be married we experienced typical African bureaucracy. To be legally married in Zambia you must post the names of the couple in a public forum three weeks before the wedding. This is done so that if anyone wishes to contest the union they have adequate notice and can do so. No one contested... but... when we went to pick up the license we were told that Rev. Dr. Kalembo could not perform the wedding because he was not "gazetted" in the Livingstone. According to Rev. Dr. Kalembo he was gazetted in the country of Zambia and was not limited to any specific area. Four visits to the council office and 15 minutes before their offices closed they determined that Rev. Dr. Kalembo could perform the ceremony. They had to get a ruling from another office because they had two conflicting documents... one stated a pastor had to be gazetted by province and the other stated it was inclusive of the country. The latter document was from 1973...???
Our wedding was the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended... no bias here. It was set on the banks of the Zambezi River just 20km from Livingstone. It was small in attendance (by design) and we were blessed that Jim's brother's family from Knoxville could attend. An intimate group of "girlfriends" were also present as well as the two pastors who officiated the ceremony, Rev. Mike Helvie and Rev. Dr. Alfred Kalembo. Cindy Helvie blessed the occasion with a solo. We even had marimba players during the brunch that followed the ceremony.
Rev. Mike Helvie and Rev. Dr. Alfred Kalembo
Ben, Leonard, Karen and Nathaniel Brown
Jim and I had discussed an even smaller affair but my Zambian girlfriends would not hear of it! Thanks Karien, Joan, Cindy, Marcia, Margriet and Jody for making this a special occasion. It would not have been as beautiful without you.
Margriet Kern, Jody Hayton, Marcia Craig,
Cindy Helvie and Dr. Joan Jones
The celebration did not end there though, after a quick two day honeymoon, we headed to Zimba where my "hometown" did me well. The community joined together to prepare a traditional Tonga wedding reception. There was singing, dancing, eating and lots of laughter. Jim showed off his dancing skills (he dances like a white man) , paid the libola (bride price) of 5 (plastic) cows, sang a song to me and kissed me at an inappropriate time (the guests loved it)!
The Tonga Wedding Party
Dancing like a "Mazungu" (White Man)
Dancing with the women of Zimba
I wish each of you could have been a part of the celebration. It was truly God ordained and we are waiting in anticipation for what HE has in store for us.
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So, you may be asking yourself just what is next.... we are asking the same question.
On August 5, 2010 Jim returned to Nashville, TN where he is a teacher with Metro Nashville Public Schools at Hillsboro High School. Janet will follow him to the states on August 14th. We will take the next few months discerning where God would have us settle. Although we do not feel that our time in Zambia is complete I understand that my place is with my husband until we can determine how we are to work together in ministry as a team.
We thank you in advance for your support and encouragement through prayer.
