The Wedding

Yesterday was filled with so much joy and every reason to celebrate; it was the long-anticipated wedding of Petr and Lucie! 

I don't have adequate words to describe the depth and beauty of the occasion. And, per usual, I don't have enough pictures to show you everything. But, it was one of those sunny, breezy days that shifts into light fog and drizzle and everything spectacular that an autumn day should be. (Don't worry; the drizzle didn't start until after the pictures were done!)

Lucie was stunning, and the decor was lovely. The walls were lined with Scripture from the Psalms that a group of us girls that written/painted during our weekend retreat. This wasn't a typical Czech wedding I'm told. For starters, the crowd was a bit larger than normal - 150 guests approximately. It was also earlier in the afternoon, and there was a Gospel message proclaimed. I talked to a few girls later in the evening that were very moved by the preaching and the worship music that was sung. Daniel and I both had very interesting and deep conversations with people that were attending the wedding; both of us were able to share Scripture and tell about the love of Christ with individuals we met. And, both of our opportunities were a result of people being eager to practice their English through conversation. 

For me, the most magical moment of the event was Lucie's processional. She came down the aisle to Babu singing the song, Broken Vessels. If you're not familiar with it, take a moment to listen to it here. As I listened to these lyrics and watched Lucie, I considered the long, tattered history of war and conflict of this country, the message of Christ's love for His [broken] people, for the Czech Republic, for Kostel Jinak, His promise of redemption - both now and in the future and what a joy it is to watch and be a part of His story. This wedding was a visible reminder of His amazing grace; the way Lucie and Petr looked at each other, their love and joy they have found through this grace was clearly displayed.

Below are a few pictures of the wedding.

Psalms decor w/ fall leaves, flowers, and "buchta" sweets

Czech word of the day: "Pane," means "Lord"

trying to do a selfie with Lenka & the bride, Lucie

For the first dance, mom's and dad's dances, guests surround the bride and groom, hold hands, and swing their arms & dance around them as well

some of the homemade sweets at our tables

Lenka & me

Lida & I were just being silly

2 "Lenka's" & me; I just met Lenka on the far left yesterday but hope to see her again soon. She comes to Sumperk on the weekends

Daniel & I

A few other pictures from the past few days:

wedding clean-up this morning

cleaning up from the wedding

Daniel & Vašek both wore suitcoats and tshirts to a viewing party after watching the Jan Hus film in Šumperk

the Jan Hus film event

the Jan Hus after-party

THANK YOU

for the prayers for health; Lucie and I both are on the mend from our colds!

A few ways you can be praying:

- continued conversations with those we met at the wedding

- I'm doing one-on-one English conversation (with someone I've never met) tomorrow (Monday) morning

- preparation for English Conversation this Thursday