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dancingcells
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Name: Bri
Country: United Kingdom
Metro: Glasgow
Birthday: 3/29/1980
Interests: New things, watching people when they don't know I am, moments that stop time, dancing when no one is watching, culture, love, truth, honesty, expression, family, cinnamon, surprises, affection, touch, things that are permanent, revelation, music, philosophy, understanding, foggy windows, water, you.
Expertise: I dabble.
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
7/27/2005
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| After spending time in a lot of governement offices and visiting family and friends, Theo and I were presented in his church as an engaged couple. It was so breathtaking, and so absolutely hillarious.
            
So there was this plan to have us presented in the church. As you can see, me and several other girls were to be dressed in the traditional dress, imishanana, and each of us girls was to have a guy to pair up with. Someone in the church was suposed to say that the YWAMers and the young men's cell group (Theo's cell) had an announcement to make and all of us girls and our guys were suposed to come up to the stage in a mixed order with me in the middle and Theo somewhere off in the congregation. Then the announcer would say that all of the girls needed to find fiances and everyone would pair up and then I would be left alone. Then she would tell the congregation that I needed help finding a fiance and I needed to search the congregation. I would then wonder through the congregation looking for Theo stopping off at a few old men or young boys just to make a good show. When I found Theo, we would approach the stage and then the preacher would take over. We practiced this and everything beforehand just to make sure that it went smoothly.
Well, guess what......................We were in Africa..................and things did not go smoothly.
When she called the people up, a bunch of other random girls came up to the stage smiling and acting like they new what was going on. I tried to get to the center anyway, but they kept pushing me out of the way so I just gave up and stood somewhere off on the side. Then when the cue was given for them to pair up, not all of the guys grabbed girls, but just stood there. Then the announcer asked the congregation if they could see if there was a girl without a guy and well,.............there were like 10 of us.
I was prodded to go searching anyway so I took to the crowd. First I stopped off at the pastor and he laughed and I spotted my next target. Next to the pastor was an old white man. I thought it would be funny to approach the only white man in the church so I approached him and tried to shake his hand but he stared at me blankly. After an awkwardly long time trying to get the confused Muzungu to shake my hand I went on. However, I didn't spot Theo were I thought he would be. We had it worked out beforehand so that I would know where he was, but apparently, Theo and I need to work on our communication skills. I searched for a really long time and tried to solicite help from the photographer who was following me around, but he was only concerned with capturing my distress on video.
Finally I found Theo and we took the stage. Then before I knew what was happening, the stage was rushed by hundreds of people congratulation and embracing us. It was so overpoweringly wonderful. Old women and young men rushed towards us, all with smiles plastered acrossed their faces and some with tears in their eyes. The love and compassion of these people will remain with me forever as will the delightful chaos of living in Africa.
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| Okay, so
Africa+internet = no pictures on my xanga.
I'll try again later.
Sorry.
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| I am now a happily married woman.
I have many pictures to show of us being presented in the church, Theo's family as well as our wedding, but I'll start with the wedding because I figure that those are the most anticipated photos.
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| I have discovered two new words to describe me life today: Peripatetic- of or pertaining to travelling from place to place. It has become more and more obvious that this is a word beginning to describe my life, escpecially as I attempt to explain my wedding(s) and plans for the next few years. I truly love the travelling part, but it is the relaying to and connecting to people part that I truly struggle with. I have a very strong dislike for the fact that I only get to spend short amounts of time with very important people in my life. I also strongly dislike saying goodbye to people that I deeply love and not knowing if I will ever see them again. However this love of life peripatetic is not yet stifled. Close, but not yet. Soon I will be ready to settle. Lately I feel like I long to settle, but I know that I will only get restless again. The other word that describes my life is really more of a description of me. Gauche- lacking social polish, tactless, awkward, clumsy. I am feeling that in suffocating intensity today. I am speaking at my church tonight and tend to feel an overwhelming realization of my gauche every time before I speak before groups. I truly dislike it. Truly. Most of the time it comes out alright and I don't make a fool of myself, but some of you know of times when that was not the case and there are some places that I shy to show my face again. I don't know what happens. When I get infront of people, especially when I am speaking to promote and not to teach, I lose all coherancy. I forget my name. I often lose the ability to put together a proper sentence or recal simple words. If any of you read this in the next 5 hours, please pray for me. I feel like I am walking into my own demise. I am truly thankful that Theo loves public speaking. Once we are married, all of these opportunities get passed to him. I know that they are necesary, but I also know that I am horrible at it. I know that God helps us and gives us the words to say, but I also know that I am a very gauche woman and sometimes I just end up spewing out things that embarrass me and those associated with me. Oh Jesus, please help me. | | |
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