Tuesday, May 18th I was discharged from the hospital from Entebbe. My sister-in-law Grace comes to pick me up and we grab a taxi. We wanted to get to the huge bus station in Kampala (the capitol) before traffic. We got to the bus station in time and I’m just relieved to on a bus headed home. My little nephew Billy sits in between Grace and I, playing games and having fun. Since I had a six hour ride, I make a list of stuff for a wedding. I have two days to plan it. I call Moses going over everything so we are on the same page. Nerves hit me because I don’t know what he has planned or what is going on. Who was in charge? How exactly do Ugandan weddings work out all the little details? Worry floods my eyes and Grace grabs my arm, “Are you fine? You look worried.” Grace was right, I was. I said nothing, forced a fake smile on my face. Then the famous Ugandan phrase came from her lips, “Everything is fine, No problem.” She was right. I was out of the hospital. I’m going to get married. Nothing can stop me.
The next day came. I was so excited yet overwhelmed because I had to help plan a wedding in two days. Nothing would have gone right if Moses’ family and church were not there. I’m eternally grateful for them. The church women did everything. His family made sure everything got done. The church took care us as if we were their children, but to them we are.
First, I had to get a dress. Thankfully, fabric and tailors are everywhere in Gulu and East Africa in general. Our dear family friend, Flavia knew a good tailor and got my dress made in a day. My dress was beautiful. It made me feel like a queen. The Church held our reception so all we had to do was get chairs and a sound system. For the next two days Moses and I were running around like crazy making sure everything was organized. We did marriage counseling with an amazing pastor couple. It was what we needed to remind ourselves of Jesus.
Before you knew it, May 21st came. It was here. We had a matron of honor and a best man. It was my sister-in-law Grace and her husband. Moses and I had a civil marriage, so we met at the courthouse at 11 am. My uncle and brother-in-law Calvin come and pick me up. The car didn’t start. The battery died. Then the owner of the resort I was staying in helped us. He just gave us all ride to the courthouse. He was excited to help the bride in her time of need. Every time something went wrong, God provided. Somebody, somewhere was trying to stop my wedding.
At the courthouse we were surrounded by important family members-the elders, and others who really loved us. When it came time to sign the certificate, it was the easiest thing I ever decided to commit to. Nothing was going to stop me. I came this far. I overcame COVID regulations and a dead car battery. We were getting married. We exchanged rings and celebrated our love with a traditional Acholi yell. That yell warms my heart because it expresses joy, pride, and love.
We ran downstairs to take photos, then headed to the fun part- the reception. As we drove up ladies from church waited for us in dance formation. They are all yelling and are ready for us to dance. It is like cheerleaders at a prep rally. We are the athletes. As we enter the church, it is decorated with blue and white balloons and ribbon. We dance/walk our way to the sweetheart table. We watch as people from all over come flooding in. The choir and praise team are dancing and singing. Everyone joins in. The party has started.
They pray for us, they danced for us, they sang for us. Then came time for cake. We get up and cut the cake, then we feed each other, just like in America. However, after we take a bite, we honor our elders by kneeling and giving them a piece of cake. I thought that was special. Then there are dozens of little cakes we hand out to family and friends who have helped you, or whoever is important to you. It is a signifies love and respect.
After cakes, they bring us gifts. We stand in front and everyone who brought us gifts brings them to us. And we thank them. They get in a line and they dance their way up front with gifts. We got goats, money, chickens, and so much more. At this moment I started to cry. Family and friends sacrificed so much to give us something. We are truly blessed. After the presentation of gifts, we eat. After eating, guess what we did? We danced. Ugandans love to dance. I love to dance. Its perfect.
People who have been married before me told me the wedding day goes by fast. It is true. It flew by. I am truly so thankful that I even got have a wedding. There was so much love and joy. We enjoyed our little honeymoon at this quiet resort. I should have the wedding video out soon. Our photographer is rushing to get it done. I will post it on Facebook and Instagram.
I mentioned this once, I will mention it again. I am truly blessed and grateful for all the friends and family it took to make our wedding day special. I thought I would have a week to finalize details, but it turned out to be two days. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You hold a special place in our hearts. Thank you.
-Mo and Mar.
Mo and Mar 