Dressed in White, A Wedding! Combis

         We had the privilege of witnessing Agness Zulu and David Solani's wedding at the Epworth Court on May 3, 2023. I had my dream of being a wedding photographer come true!  Agness looked so gorgeous in a beautiful white dress Lolly had loaned her. It fit her perfectly! She did her hair, makeup, and jewelry- all fancied up for the special occasion. We were so impressed, David arranged for the court date and ceremony. He said Agness had been wishing for this day for over the year he'd been paying off the lobola. They needed to have a legal marriage certificate before they could get baptized in a few weeks. We can't wait to see them both in white again very soon! I have never seen a couple so full of faith and desire to follow Jesus Christ and join his gospel. This has been such a great experience to witness.

 We arrived at 06:45 a.m. near Epworth to follow them to the court. They were 30 minutes late and I was concerned they'd miss their appointment. We were actually quite entertained watching Combi/omnibuses go by on the morning commute. Men were hanging off the back of the fenders during rush hour traffic. We are keeping a list of our favorite Shona and Combi names.  Here are a few of the combi van names: Sanitizer, Terrible Twins, Hustler, Ghetto Govenor, Bolt Cutter, Red Scorpion, Shameless, Hash Tag (below), and Quiet Assassin. They drive as crazy as they're named!  

  Once they arrived, it was fun to see 6 adults and 3 children pile out of a little Sudan. Agness radiated! The court had Agness and David and their two witnesses sign all the legal papers with their thumbprints. When the judge arrived, she performed 4 ceremonies in a row. The clerk came up to Agness and David and stated the sister signed her witness in the wrong place and they couldn't get married. I said a silent prayer on their behalf. Luckily, they performed the ceremony anyway, with my camera clicking away! They had them refill out the papers afterward with a promise to provide new passport photos they could bring in the next day. The judge was very patient with the two toddlers running around the court and participating in all 4 weddings.

                           Husband and Wife! Exchanging rings at the court in Epworth, Zimbabwe

"Joanna" or Kunashi got to ink her thumbprint too! 2023.05.03

Agness's sister, Idah, and her daughter, Putsy, also attended. Idah cleans our apartment for us once a week. Blessing and Shovi, their renters also attended.

Cute Happy Family on Mom and Dad's Wedding Day! Children: Panashi Jess "PJ" and Kuna "Joanna"

Agness is stunning in white!

                                     Wedding Party on 3 May, Bruce donated his tie to the cause!

                                                      Sister Anderson, Agness, and Idah (below) 

I was so excited to get the photos, I went and made them into print and enlargements that afternoon. Agness was so pleased and wanted to "bow and kneel" to me when I presented her with some 8x10 white frames with our favorite wedding photos and prints. She is so humble, meek, and gracious. She didn't even tell her boss she was getting married that day but mentioned she might be an hour late for work. When we arrived at the temple job site at 09:30, Agness was already serving tea to everyone, like nothing had happened. I announced this to the Rio Douro owners and supervisors so they'd congratulate her. I also put up some photos on our bulletin board of pictures so her co-workers would see what a beautiful bride she was!