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| Beautiful Traditional dress with even a towel wrapped around inside to keep the womb warm for the new bride..! |
Once upon a traditional Xhosa household wedding time,
The moment for the village hero’s new bride had come to
shine.
With the morning sun she dawned on her navy apron attire,
Scrubbing pots to prepare, she just might have begun to
sweetly perspire.
In great numbers did the dear family arrive,
To Queen Mama’s freshly painted and spruced up hive.
To catch a glimpse of just what this Makoti could achieve,
Included aunties sneaking in impressive tricks up her sleeve.
She spooned sugars and measured milks to the top
Not one of her guests left hungry to find bread at the shop.
A new name was her reward, Lulo is she now referred,
Meaning “One who has brought hope,” to this new families
herd.
Welcomes from uncles, blessings from aunties,
She was being knit deeply into this land of shanties.
Mrs Lulo Mani indeed is much richer than any pre paid loan,
Her new family has accepted her as one of their very bone.
Though understanding
another’s way can leave one feeling strangely squeezed,
Bowing and silence for custom’s sake have their rightful place
to appease.
Indeed she has learnt that honor comes in all shapes of wild
potatoes,
Unto Jesus she chooses to wash all colorful feet, yellow red
or green as tomatoes
Now if you don’t really have a clue what I’m going on about
here in my rhymes, please let me offer you some explanation pronto!
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| My family of great honor |
Within the wedding year, every new Xhosa bride (called a
Makoti) has a separate tea ceremony in the families home as an expression of
honor and welcoming her in her place in the family. She is given the privilege
to serve the family and in this way she is shown to be worthy of knowing the
family intimately enough to do things as they do them. To be given an
opportunity to submit to the family traditions is a the way the family shows
complete acceptance of the bride into the deep fabric of what makes them who
they are. As she serves, the family is demonstrating to her they trust
themselves into her hands to care for them and the family as she would her own.
What greater sign of honor could this be?
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| Chicken party in the corner on my mat with Lalam |
Of course myself coming from a different view showing honor
to guests by serving them, until I fully allowed this ceremony to digest into
my understanding, this day was honestly very difficult for me. But there is the
difference, I no longer am seen as a guest in their household, a very pale one
at that. I was being told through my capable service to each one, without so
many words, I am of them. I am worthy to bear their name, and to be fully
honored as such into the entire community, with each dish of chicken prepared just
the way they like it. As I placed pap into their hands, they were placing full
faith and confidence into mine.
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| Preparations for the life I was born for |
As a woman, a new wife and even as a missionary, this is one
of the most meaningful moments of my life. Considering all the painful racial history
exchanged between black and white, the degrading view of women around the world
and the constant damage done by well-meaning missionaries, the potential threat
to miss this significant moment of restoration was great. It was a highly
emotional day for me with stabbing thoughts of being controlled and demeaned,
and without any space for the usual extravert nature that I carry. But as I’ve
allowed space and time for myself and Jesus to reflect, indeed he has lead me
on paths of gold, carrying great treasures and a crown of grace. I look down now
to see my hands full of reason for dignity, not dishonor. I was born for this.
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| Surfs up on the most freeeezing winter day |
I was then honored yet again…with the arrival of my dear
friend Darlene the following evening on a jet plane from Canada! Darlene! Four years after making the promise that once
she was able, I would be seeing her face in South Africa and there she was shining
upon arrival in the international terminal! For ten days we surfed like the
best of them, scrabbled our brains with English words I still doubt exist, and
explored this beautiful land and people. There is nothing like physically
holding someone’s hand when they say “I am here for you.”
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| 3 Scrabble brains coming up with geniusnessz |
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| Visiting Mama for Sunday biscuits and a cuppa tea |
As well to have Mawande and this dear friend from old bible
school days get to meet and have worlds collide, this exchange was such a gift
to me. Darlene’s conclusions about my new hubby at the end of it all were, “Ha
he’s a funny guy! Keep Him!” And so I shall! More exchanges to come…71 days
until we visit Canada but who’s counting?!
Finally, I must mention one last incredible work of our
Father, Source of all lavish Love! In unending prayer for another best friend
of mine in Malawi, for those of you whom remember Claudia, I have been asking
Jesus for the chance to see her again. She has been enduring through desperate
times in her home land, and I just have had this ache to see her for the last
few years since she left Capetown.
Well, it so happens, I hear “500” in prayer one day last
month, make my request to see Claudia, and the next day, I kid you no kids,
there is a $500 donation in my account from none other than Auntie GRACE and
Uncle Tim! I let them know what I felt the Lord had supplied this money for to
check with them if it was ok, and with their blessing boarded a plane a few
weeks later to hold the hands of my beloved sister!! The money was exactly the
amount for a flight for me and a bus ticket for Claudia to meet together in an
in between country of the beautiful desert of Namibia!
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| Let the giggles and photo shoots commence |
We spent one week together I will never forget. A friend of
mine here in Capetown asked a friend of hers if we could stay with them, and
both Claudia and I can never remember being so spoiled in our lives by these
strangers now, new family! It was like staying at the Father’s abundant house
itself!
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| The Queen and the sea exchange their kind regards |
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| Inseparable Sisters no matter the mile |
Claudia said to me the last morning, “Before I came, I
really felt my hope slipping far away from me, now, experiencing all of this, I
feel like I’ve come alive again!” Just tell me we don’t have the best Dad
ever?!
My prayer is that you be finding Him to be doing the same
for you,
“…making open rivers on the bare heights,
…making the wilderness a pool,
…and the dry land
springs of water…
Isaiah 41:18
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| My favorite preacher for the month of September |
Blessed is the One who gives power to the faint, and to him
who has no might, He increases strength (causing it to multiply and making it
to abound..Isaiah 40:29).
All glory to Jesus Christ, The Messiah
Charlene Mani
