3-Day-Long Wedding

Tonight I am bussing back to Ottawa after a wedding in Paris, ON. The wedding was amazing and so unique and exactly who the couple was.

The wedding was held at a retreat center / camp in Paris where Power to Change used to have their annual fall retreats for the Toronto campuses. It was there that the groom really came to a saving knowledge of God's redeeming work in his life, and is a place the couple went together year after year. For them, and so many of the wedding party and guests, this was a very special place and the perfect place to do something special.

Instead of a single ceremony and reception they booked the site from Friday-Sunday and invited friends and family, especially those coming from far away, to join them in a weekend-long celebration. There was praise and prayer times, campfire sharing times, traditional cultural times, appreciation of family and friends, fun and games, a documentary screening, and obviously the ceremony and reception. Aside from joining two families, this wedding has brought their friends together with each other and their families. Part of their goal in this was that they'd be able to bring their non-Christian friends and family together into a loving Christian community. And it wasn't pushy, but I think it was such a great idea.

Overall because it could be more spread out it was definitely much more relaxed. Having downtime to spend with new friends or having deep conversations or playing games or sports was really good. It also gave us all a chance to more deeply learn of our friends and their heart for the poor and needy. After their marriage they are moving into a poorer neighbourhood in Toronto for the purpose of living intentionally and sharing God's love with their neighbours both in word and deed. They are also hoping to move into the slums in India to do the same and hope to adopt children to do the same.

I'm so glad that I was invited to their 3-Day-Long Wedding. It was so good to get to know them so much more, meet so many awesome people, catch up with a number of awesome people, and also hear from God through the ceremony.

I don't think I can ever say this enough, but weddings between two mission-centered, God-loving, passionate people with two loving families is such a picture of the gospel. Seeing their parents so willing not to lose a child, but bring another into their family as their own, to pray for and send them out into the world that good news may be preached, to share their love with their child's friends; it's all so good. And the ceremony's message and worship are always so touching. A modern hymn called "by faith" is now probably my favourite song at the moment. ;P

It's just so beautiful.

Man.

And then yesterday at open mic encouragement time a friend of the couple shared about how he'd been trying to share the gospel with his coworkers for a long time and when asked what he was doing this weekend he got to tell them about the wedding and their plans to go to India. So his friend asked a bunch of questions and he got to share the gospel! =')

I can't wish them enough peace and joy and love as they go. ;3

Ttyl

D.Fa