Surprise!!!!!!!

I just got off the phone with my friend Amber and she announced to me that she already has a ticket to come to Congo for my wedding!! Woo-hoo!! What a great surprise! We've been friends since we were 6, went to school together 1st thru 12th grade, our parents still live in the same neighborhood, and we've stayed in touch over all these years. We've traveled to Hawaii together twice, to Australia, and to Disneyland. We were in Girl Scouts, band, and countless classes together. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding a couple years back. There aren't very many people I can be sure I will still be friends with in another 20 years, but Amber and I will be!

My wedding pagne

Many people have been asking about my wedding preparations here and what the differences are between a Congolese and an American wedding. One of my favorite aspects of African weddings is the "wedding pagne" (pronounced pawn-yuh), a cloth chosen for the event which people can buy and have outfits made to wear to the wedding. Oftentimes different cloths are chosen for different sides of the family or for different groups. Heather and I chose this cloth for my work colleagues and other missionaries to wear. Fun!

This is a wedding pagne Heather and I wore a couple months ago.