Wedding Update!!!

Hello Everyone!

I know that many of you have been eagerly anticipating this newest update and I’m sorry for the delay. I am writing to you, a very happily married woman!!! Douglas and I really saw God’s hand at work in the weeks just before the wedding. I was given enough strength to finish those final preparations and was completely healed by the Healer himself.

Sunday, before the wedding, Douglas and I woke up very early to pick up my brother, Joe, from the airport in Nairobi. Joe flew in for the wedding from Taiwan where he currently lives. I hadn’t seen him for about a year and a half. I was so happy to see him, that I burst into tears. We came back to the YWAM base with Joe for the day and that evening we took our second trip to the airport to pick up my parents. We had this great plan to have Douglas hold a sign saying “Mom and Dad” so my parents could pick him out of the crowd (they had never met before). But we waited for them for so long that almost the whole crowd was gone. Just as I was going to investigate where my parents were, we saw them! Immigration was terribly slow and then, three of their four pieces of luggage didn’t arrive with them in Kenya. But all of that was forgotten with the joy that came to have them there with us. As we were nearing the base, we spotted something big crossing the road: a giraffe! We got out a torch (or flashlight) and shined it on the beautiful creature. It was a very creative welcome gift for my family from God.

During that week before the wedding we were able to have some quality time with my family. The first day we rested, Mom and Douglas went back to the airport to retrieve the luggage, and I took Dad and Joe into the bush to see the giraffes, zebras, and other animals. That evening we had time to unpack the luggage (which the majority were things for us from home) and we were overwhelmed with many blessings. A special thanks to Mom and Dad for all that they blessed us with and to everyone else that sent cards or gifts with my parents!

On Tuesday, we set out for a safari. We rented a vehicle and went to Nairobi National Park for the day. We got to see lots of animals: baboons, zebras, giraffes, gazelle, wildebeest, ostrich, and many more. After our safari, we went to downtown Nairobi and took everyone to an internet cafe. Then we finished the day with a filling meal at the famous Carnivore restaurant with all you can eat meat.

During the week we also took a walk to the nearby town of Makutano, visited Machakos, played with children on the base, visited with the base staff, and did final preparations for the wedding. A few days before the wedding, Douglas’s immediate family and grandmother came from his home in Narok. Immediately the ‘dads’ got to talking and our families finally had the opportunity to meet! Those last few days before the wedding were very busy and seem like a blur as we ran up and down getting things together. Before we knew it the wedding day was here!

I spent the night before the wedding at the base director’s home and I got ready from there. My mom and some friends came that morning to help me get ready and prepared themselves from there as well. An hour before the wedding was to begin, my dad and brother came to the house. We rode together as a family to the base. As we were coming to the base, the cars hooted (or honked) to let people know I was arriving. We were a few minutes early, so we hid until the time when I was to walk into the dining hall for the ceremony. The wedding started on time, which is almost unheard of in this culture. Douglas was the first to walk down the aisle, followed by the wedding party, and then I came on Dad’s arm. The dining hall was full of friends and family; including many colorful Maasai from Douglas’s home.

The ceremony was a bit different than an American wedding. I was prepared for most of those differences, but still there were some surprises. Some of the differences were that instead of the pastor officiating the entire ceremony, there was a master of ceremonies. The atmosphere is much more relaxed and fun; so there is much more open laughter and shouting for joy! The pastor had us both stand to verbally confirm that we were ready to get married (a surprise to me). We had a time of praise and worship in Swahili led by friends from the base. During the sermon and scripture reading the wedding party was seated. When we put the rings on each other, we had to hold the other person’s hand up in the air (another surprise). We signed the certificate in front of everyone. And I’m sure there were many more. The ceremony was concluded with a presentation of Maasai song and dance by people from Douglas’s home (including his sisters). It was a wonderful ceremony and we all had fun. We planned for the ceremony to only go for two hours, which again is very unusual and we did it. After, we went to a neighboring location for pictures, came back to the base to eat, cut the cake, and had a time to receive gifts (Douglas and I stood while guest brought their gifts to us). The final event was unexpected, but fun, as Douglas’s relatives presented my family with some very special Maasai gifts. By mid-afternoon, we left the base and headed off to our secret location for the night. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a secret because we brought my parents and brother along to take some more pictures, but eventually we found ourselves done with the wedding and finally we were Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Kileteny!

The following day, Easter Sunday, we took Joe to the airport. My parent’s flight didn’t leave until that evening so we went to Nairobi for breakfast, church, lunch, shopping, and to town. It was hard to see my family leaving after such a short stay, but we were all so grateful for the wonderful time we had together, especially as they got to know Douglas. I think they all enjoyed seeing the Kenya that I have come to love and call home.

After my family left, Douglas and I had our honeymoon in Nairobi where we had a relaxing time finally free from wedding plans. We rested a lot, went to see a couple of movies, ate wonderful food at the guest house where we stayed, shopped, and Douglas even had his first trip down a water slide! We were gone for a week and a half and got back to the base this past Wednesday. Since then we have been trying to organize the room where we are temporarily staying and wrapping up wedding things.

So far married life is going well. We still aren’t completely sure of what is next, but are praying and seeking God’s will for this new season in our lives. Next week we will likely go to Nairobi to the U.S. embassy to explore our options for a visa and go from there. Ideally, we would like to be in Wisconsin by August to meet the newest baby of my sister and her husband and Joe will be there at that time visiting as well. So please keep us in your prayers as we seek to get Douglas a visa and finally bring him to my home! Other prayer concerns that we have are: for our health; still there have been challenges and illnesses, direction for the future months, vision for future ministry, growth in our relationships with God and with one another, and overall effectiveness for God’s kingdom.

We love you all so much and wish that everyone could have been there on our wedding day. But I hope that you have got a glimpse of what the day was like. Thank you for your prayers that helped to bring us to our wedding day and that will continue to bless us in our daily lives. May the Lord bless you and encourage your heart today!

In Him,

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Kileteny