The Harvest is in and is time for Wedding Season

September seems to be the month of weddings here in Romania. The weather is generally pleasant and there is plenty of fresh produce from the summer crops. Unlike in America where you can attend a wedding on the weekend and still have time for other activities; here, the celebration of a wedding is an all day event and sometimes lasts for 2 or 3 days. This is a time when the whole community joins together in bestowing words of wisdom, blessings, encouragement and warnings for the journey ahead. The wedding itself lasts about 2 hours and then the reception which can go long into the night or the next day.

We have recently been given the privilege of attending 2 weddings. The first one we did not have the foresight to find a babysitter for Naomi so, as you can imagine, we had to cut that one short. Actually, the bride WAS our babysitter!

For the second one we scheduled another babysitter in advance because we knew it would be a VERY long day. We were given a great honor at this wedding. Lexi was asked to be the ring bearer, for which she wore a beautiful long white dress and did a wonderful job! Catalin and I were then asked to be the "godparents" for this couple. Now although this may sound strange at first it was actually an incredible honor. In fact we were considered THE "honor" family and took seats at the wedding table next to the bride and groom. Now my first thought was, "Am I taking some family member's place?" But no, this is a tradition taken from the Eastern Orthodox church and implies a sort of mentor/menthe relationship. Mihai (the groom) is a medical resident and he and Catalin met through the Romanian Christian Medical/Dental Assoc. They quickly became good friends as they shared a common vision for the advancement of non-corrupt healthcare in Romania.

As we shared this special day with Mihai and his bride I was given a visual representation of Christ and HIS bride, the church. I'm not speaking of the "church" building but rather the followers of Christ who are spread throughout the face of the earth and worship Him in various ways and forms. Honor was bestowed upon us not because we were deserving, or for reasons of obligation, but rather simply because we had been invited to accept this position at the request of the groom. He CHOSE us even though we had done nothing to deserve such honor other than offering him our commitment of friendship.

Enjoy the pictures!

Shannon

Folks lined up on to greet the newlyweds after the Courthouse ceremony.

Leaving the Courthouse on a rainy day.

Mihai and Simona - the newlyweds.

First step, the Courthouse where the bride and groom said 'I Do' in front of the justice of the peace.

The little bride who stole the show!

Lexi, the ringbearer.

The Godparents....! (call me Don Corleone)