Saturday, September 13th

I went with Jen (the doctor) and two African friends (Joseph and Delphine) to a wedding today. It was in a village about 2 hours away. Two weeks here and I went to a funeral and a wedding. Crazy!

A village that we passed on our way.

Every once in a while, the paved road turns into this.

The couple got married in a church that was decorated with some African cloth taped to the walls, either tissue or toilet paper taped around, and their names written on a the chalk board up front. We sat around for a while before the wedding started and I had a good conversation with Jen about how she got out here and some of the experiences she has had during her time in Cote d'Ivoire. There have been some difficult things that have happened and she said something very powerful about how we tend to over-imagine hardship wondering how we could ever get through something, but it's a meaningless endeavor because we don't imagine God's grace which he gives us when we are actually going through the hardship. I think I do that when I think about coming out here. I imagine these scenarios that would be really difficult for me, but that is because I think about going through them on my own strength which is entirely not the case. Anyway, it was good to talk with her.

The wedding was nice. It was a 3 hour service. We got seated up front by the bride and groom because apparently we were honored guests. The pastor preached from Mt 19:3-10 which seems like an interesting passage for a wedding. I wish I could have understood what he had to say about it! They introduced all of the different "groups" of people (from the hospital, from the village, MDs, missionaries, etc.), exchanged vows, and then had all kinds of singing and dancing. Here is a video of some of some of the ladies dancing. Whenever there is an "event," such as a funeral or a wedding, there is typically a cloth that is chosen which everyone who is involved in the event wears. That is why all the ladies are dressed in the same cloth. The music is played on the balafons and a few pieces of percussion.






Afterward we went out and got seated at what would pretty much be considered the "head table" (if there was a head table). They served "fatty rice" (rice with sauce) and it was pretty good. After we were done eating, I decided to wander around for a while and a lady came and tracked me down because the bride and groom wanted a picture with Jen and me which I thought was hysterical. I have never even met them! But they were "honored by my presence" so there I was, standing by the bride and groom getting my picture taken.

The ladies cooking the rice in their ginormous metal pots before the ceremony started.

The reception.

The meal.

The bride and groom.

Diane saw a 2 year old in clinic today who came in with malaria and a hematocrit of 9%. I don't think very well in hematocrit, but I learned that hemoglobin is about 1/3rd of the hematocrit which means this child's hemoglobin was around 2 or 3. For those of you who don't know normal hemoglobin ranges, that is BAD. The father didn't want to hospitalize the child, but Diane finally convinced him that it was necessary. While she was writing the orders, she saw the mom close the child's mouth and lay her hand on his chest. He wasn't breathing anymore. The child died right there in the office. The mom tied him on her back and they headed back to the village. I just can't get over that. How devastating! The problem is that they don't come in until it's too late. They spend all of their time and money going to traditional healers and by the time they come to the clinic they often have no money left or they are too sick to help anymore. It was SO sad.

We went back to Yana's tonight. We thought we were just going for sweet potato fries, but they cooked us a feast. They killed a chicken for us and gave us fried sweet potatoes and plantains. YUM!!! I felt like it was kind of a shame because it is a big deal for them to kill a chicken and we don't need the meat. They do!!! At least the kids do. But they serve it to us to honor us.

One thing Jen said at the wedding today was that it took her a long time to come to terms with the idea of being honored. She said that she has come to realize that she doesn't need to be honored, but for their sake, they need to honor her because that is what is seen as appropriate in their culture. It would be shameful to them if they didn't do so. So she needs to let them do what their culture has taught them to do.

After Yana's, Sarah and I went over to Jen's to play games. We sat there playing Skipbo and Rummikub, listening to Caedmon's Call on Jen's Ipod, and, again, everything just felt so normal. Just a relaxing Saturday evening, playing games, listening to music and telling stories. It was one of the graces that I don't think I would have imagined.