Brother Yang’s father gripped my hand tight and grabbed my left love handle. He squeezed harder than I would have liked. I squirmed. His mustache curled around his wide smile as he gritted his teeth with pleasure. “It’s a miracle! This is a miracle!”
He told me that the night before, he prayed under his leaky roof from 11:pm until 3:am. “God, I have waited for this day for thirty years.” The continual dripping soaked his forehead and chest. “Please stop the rain for my son’s wedding tomorrow.”
I have never been to a double wedding. Actually, I’ve never really even heard of one. But when Brother Yang and Brother Hu asked me to officiate their weddings on the same day in their Chinese tribal village, I couldn’t say no. It was the first wedding I had ever done, and twice the work/fun/experience.
Brother Yang and Brother Hu are two of our most faithful underground Within Reach Global local missionaries. For many years they have traveled all over the province, preaching the name of Jesus where it has not been heard before, raising up new disciples, planting churches in places there had never been, and blazing new trails among unreached people groups.
The two men grew together in the ministry, but God knew they needed even better helpmates than each other.
It was a beautiful sunny day in the mountainous village—a sharp contrast from the muddy, rain-soaked day before. The high church ceiling made my voice echo as I spoke.
“Do you, Brother Yang, take Sister Wu to be your lawfully wedded wife?” “I do.” “Good! Now hold that thought! Do you, Brother Hu, take Sister Tao to be your lawfully wedded wife?” “I do.”
It was comical to make each couple wait for each others’ vows, but it was also a pleasure to watch both couples enjoy the ceremonies.
Check out the Facebook photos here.
Oh, did I mention that there were over 400 tribal people attending the village wedding as well? They were dressed in their cultural gowns and outfits, strange headpieces and jewelry. But they didn’t last through the whole ceremony as they rushed away to gobble down the groom and bride and groom and bride’s banquet. At least they showed their support for as long as they could manage.
Brother Yang is a fourth generation Christian. Danish missionaries who arrived in his village in the early 1900’s are still buried there to this day. He was our first Within Reach Global local missionary.
Brother Hu is from a village one hour’s walk from Brother Yang’s village, and joined our team after he was delivered from demon possession. (Yea, not quite the same stringent application process as most Christian mission organizations in the West! We simply accept people who are called of God). He is crippled, and cannot walk without a cane, but hikes up mountains in China’s interior, bringing the gospel message to thousands of people.
“Brother Yang and Brother Hu, I have very good news for you!” I paused for moment, and looked at these two men whom Lorna and I had raised up in Christian ministry for many years. They looked at me and smiled, as if to say, “Quit reminiscing and get on with it!” I conceded. “You may now kiss your brides!” The confetti poppers exploded and the remaining villages cheered. I stood back, looked over at Lorna, and took it all in.
After a thousand photos with bride and groom and bride and groom, we trudged through the muddy village, up the hill behind the church, to a dirt road that stretched off into the mountain. Fifty wobbly tables and metal seats were lined up along the mountain ridge, and people were stuffing their faces with meat and veggies. This was a treat for them.
“They butchered three pigs, a cow, and lots of chickens,” Brother Hu told me. I looked down at the dishes on my table. I couldn’t really make out what much of it was beside mystery meat. But what the heck, I’m a hardcore missionary right? Lorna and I, and our Filipino missionaries, put a serious dent into the banquet meal.
It was a five hour drive over winding highway back to the city to catch our flight to Manila the next day. We will be back to China in February, May, and September 2012, and will travel to many more tribal villages and unreached people groups at that time. I will actually be doing another wedding for more of our underground local missionaries getting married at that time!
We believe that God has much more in store for these two couples. They are committed to speeding the return of Jesus as they reach out to unreached people groups as Matthew 24:14 foretells. They are excited about raising up more Timothy’s, and planting new churches in areas that are still waiting for the love of God to arrive. They are missionaries to their own nation and to the 10/40 Window. But for now, I think we’ll give them a little bit of time to enjoy their new marriages.