Our colleagues at Gamboula wrote recently about the 16 students at the mission’s bible school who graduated on June 19th and their wives graduated from the adjoining women’s school on June 18th. They will now start their service as pastor families. The 16 couples participated in a joint wedding, officially registering with the government and the church. They had all been married traditionally which typically involves some negotiations between the 2 families regarding bride price. These couples were raising their families like the vast majority of the population, but there is a new requirement within the Baptist church to tie the knot officially. Gamboula has now hosted 3 weddings in the 13 years we have served there – that is how infrequently weddings happen! It is a huge expense with clothes and feasts and hosting guests… Here are a few photos (thank you TimW.!) from the 3 ceremonies; we are sorry to have missed the whoopla. Please pray for these families, that they will be blessings to the churches they serve in.
